How Accurate Is Cycling Distance? What Affects The Accuracy?
How accurate is cycling distance? What impacts the accuracy of travel distance? What is a good distance to ride? Let me solve your queries through the below article.
Intro
You are a newbie biker who knows little about cycling distance trackers. So, you have tons of questions about the cycling distance.
- How accurate is cycling distance?
- What influences the accuracy of travel distance measuring?
- What is a good distance to cycle?
Follow my article, and you will discover the detailed answers to your questions.
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How Accurate Is Cycling Distance?
If you are a newbie cyclist, you might wonder how accurate the cycling distance is.
The exact answer might depend on multiple factors, mostly your type of cycling. Indoor cycling helps you measure the distance more accurately as the bike thermometer tracks distance better than the GPS unit.
I will explain in more detail through the part below.
Indoor Cycling
If you are an indoor cyclist, you possibly often question – Are miles on a spin bike accurate?
To answer this query, you need to know how an exercise bike measures distance. The space on an indoor bike is calculated by multiplying the circumference of the tire by revolutions’ number.
In theory, the estimated distance is quite accurate if the bike’s electronics are working properly.
However, many factors, such as the machine quality, affect the measurements, leading to errors.
Outdoor Cycling
What if you cycle outdoors? Does the GPS tracker measure the cycling distance effectively? GPS units might measure the cycling distance less accurately than the stationary bike digital thermometer.
The GPS tracker identifies locations and distances on a route on roads using the map database (usually the Google database, in the USA).
The accuracy is good enough to show what road or path takes rather than the actual cycling distance.
What Affects The Accuracy Of Cycling Distance?
The accuracy of cycling distance depends on various factors. It includes the quality of your device, speed and distance, your health state, terrain, and personal goal.
To help you understand these factors fully, I will break them down as follows:
How Well The Device Is
First, the device quality may be the most important factor affecting the cycling distance accuracy.
The malfunction usually occurs after a short usage period, leading to errors. For instance, the device records distance twice the actual rate because the wheel magnet is misaligned.
Speed And Distance
Speed and distance have a close relationship. Fastening your pedaling pace helps increase the distance if the workout time remains unchanged.
For example, if you ride at ten mph for 30 minutes, you will travel around 5 miles. When you pedal at 15 mph for half an hour, your estimated distance will be 7.5 miles.
Fitness Level And Health
If your device includes a wrist-worn sensor, then your health will impact the accuracy of distance tracking.
According to the Journal of Personalized Medicine, the error rate is higher for males with greater body mass index. The research also shows that the device has greater errors for users with darker skin tones.
Terrain
Another factor to consider is the terrain. The GPS device often underestimates when you ride on rough and hilly roads.
If you travel on a curry path, you need to take corners multiple times to tackle the obstacles, such as rocks or cobbles.
At the same time, the GPS unit only measures the distance from the location to location, so it cannot track the cycling distance when you twist and turn. As such, it displays a slightly shorter distance than your real travel one.
What’s more?
In some geographic locations, for example, Peru, the earth’s magnetic field is quite weak and oriented in a north-south direction. This makes it difficult for the bike speed sensor to track wheel rotations when moving in an east-west direction accurately.
Personal Goal
Last but not least, your personal goal affects how accurately the device tracks cycling distance.
If your goal is to stay fit and lose weight, you do not need to ride long miles. Instead, you can set a suitable distance that helps you lose a certain amount of calories.
Yet, if you are practicing joining a cycling race, gradually increasing your target miles is necessary to boost your riding skills.
What Is Considered A Good Distance To Cycle?
What is considered a good distance to cycle?
Many factors affect a good distance, yet the detrimental one is your current fitness level.
As a newbie biker, 10 miles per day is an ideal distance you should take when riding.
What is a good distance for a 30-minute bike ride?
For regular cycling trainers, it would be best to start with 3 to 5 miles for riding in a half an hour approach. You can stick to this distance for a couple of weeks to enhance your cycling skills. Once you get used to this routine, you can travel for a longer distance.
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Conclusion
Here you know, “how accurate is cycling distance?” – no device can track your cycling distance perfectly.
Thus, pay attention to the factors above to limit their possible negative impact on accuracy.
Is there anything you want to know more about cycling distance? Please let me know your thoughts in the comment box.
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Jame K. Thomas
Hey guys, I am an avid cyclist who have raced competitively in the amateur ranks until my mid 30s. I love cycling because it offers both physical and mental challenges, as well as the sense of freedom that comes with riding outdoors. I have devoted myself to the communities and shared all that I know about this supper-duper lovely cycling. Hope that my experience in this blog could give you help.
