In late September, the Fitbit Surge (which they claim is the #1 selling GPS watch in the U.S., per NPD) got a software update that further pushes the product into the cycling category.
The update added a timer and stopwatch, helping count down fractions of a second for sprint and interval work. It also extended battery life, letting it run up to 10 hours with GPS turned on and up to 7 days overall. And that includes capturing heart rate data directly from the wrist, too, no need for a chest strap. Then, sync it with Strava and all of your run, bike and other workouts will automatically show up there, too.
And now that Jens Voigt is their newest “performance” Fitbit ambassador, maybe they’re working on an update that’ll scream “Shut Up Legs!” once you hit zone five. Or, at least the new colors coming in November will scream at you…
The GPS tracking records your route along with heart rate, speed and distance, then displays it all in the Fitbit app on your phone via wireless syncing. Other impressive specs include sleep monitoring, text and call alerts (which you can turn off), music control and all-day activity tracking.
Originally available only in black, November will see blue and orange wrist bands become available, too. The Fitbit Surge retails for $249, and we’ve got one on the way for testing.
What sets the Surge apart from other wrist-based trackers with built in heart rate monitoring is that it’s reading your HR constantly, letting you see how it ebbs and flows throughout the day and during rest…all while still getting a week’s worth of data on a single charge. That data can come in handy if, indeed, you really do need to skip leg day to recover properly, or if you’re just making excuses. (hint: #dontskiplegday)
