Fitbit adds bike workout tracking to its Surge fitness watch

Fitbit is bringing a major bike-tracking software update to its $250 Fitbit Surge wearable.

The Surge already has GPS, heart-rate tracking, and smartwatch features, plus a very nice app to display your workout stats.

Now, a firmware update will bring new algorithms to the device, allowing it to sense biking activity.

The Surge’s screen will display distance, duration, heart rate, average speed, and calories burned in real time.

Your stats are also wirelessly synced to the Fitbit app’s dashboard. This provides a look at the frequency, distance, duration, time in heart-rate zones, and calories burned for each of your rides.

“Bike-tracking is something Fitbit users have been asking for, and we’re proud to deliver this amazing feature that will continue to help Fitbit users reach their health and fitness goals,” the company said in a message to VentureBeat.

In another major change, Fitbit users can now pair more than one tracker to a single Fitbit account. Once multiple trackers are paired to an account, Fitbit automatically detects when you switch from one tracker to another.

“The ability to switch so easily makes it simple to use the best Fitbit device for whatever you are doing so you never have to leave your tracker behind,” Fitbit said.