And viewing it afterwards is the key to this device. The Fitbit Charge 4 does have an activity auto-detect function, but it doesn’t allow a GPS trace of your ride to be viewed afterwards. If you’re of the opinion that ‘if it’s not on Strava, it didn’t happen’, then you can automatically sync activities via the Strava mobile app.

It’s worth noting that it will only do this if you’ve selected the bike activity function on the watch and manually started it, as you would most GPS trackers. Its GPS-enabled tracker (which typically takes up to a minute to pick up a signal outdoors) will accurately map a ride and provide key stats such as average speed and calories burned. Here’s where the unobtrusive Fitbit Charge 4 shines. Simple as that if your aim is overall fitness improvement – rather than simply bashing Strava KOMs – you can instantly assess via the Fitbit app just how much of your riding was in the ‘fat burning’ zone, for instance. These zones are personalised based on your resting heart rate and age, and as your cardiovascular fitness changes your personalised heart rate zones adapt with you. Data captureīesides steps, calorie expenditure, heart rate and the usual metrics you’d expect from such a watch, the Fitbit Charge 4 also calculates heart rate zones to give added depth to your post-ride analysis. It’s at this point that the wealth of data available from the wrist-worn GPS-enabled device becomes evident. Attached to the USB-powered charging clip, the watch is fully charged in 95 minutes (average time to discharge the battery with a few GPS-tracked long rides each week has been roughly four days) and – once you’ve downloaded the relevant Fitbit app and set up your profile – you’re ready to go. Straight out of the box, the Fitbit Charge 4 is easy to get on with. The Fitbit Charge 4 might fall into the category of jack of all trades, master of none but there’s much to commend it.

Fitbit charge 4 review