A pedometer measures steps. You wear the small device on your hip so it can calculate the number of steps you take. Pedometers can be used for a few kinds of physical activity. However, a pedometer will not give you any usable data if you wear it while working out on a bike.
Pedometers
Pedometers have one of two types of step-counting mechanisms. Lever pedometers have a spring-suspended lever arm that moves up and down in response to the impact of walking. Each time the lever moves, a step is counted. Other pedometers use the more-advanced accelerometer mechanism, which measures vibration or acceleration. Although accelerometer pedometers are considered more accurate, both types can count steps when you walk, run or jog. Neither type can count movement when you are rowing or cycling.
Exercise Bike
An exercise bike is a piece of cardio equipment that offers a low-impact workout. Upright exercise bikes look like regular road bikes, while recumbent exercise bikes have the seat positioned behind, instead of above, the pedals. You will not experience any impact between your foot and the machine on a bike like you do on a treadmill, or when you walk or run outside. Pedometers are not equipped to measure pedal revolutions on an exercise bike.
Pedometer Uses
The American College of Sports Medicine notes that you can use a pedometer to count your steps when you walk, jog or run. Some pedometers allow you to input your stride length. The device converts your strides into distance so you can track the miles you've walked. Higher-end pedometers offer a memory feature that stores your workout information. Some models provide an estimate of the total number of calories and the number of fat calories you have burned.
Exercise Bike Tools
To track your workout data on an exercise bike, use the built-in workout computer or console mounted on the handlebars. The extent of the features varies depending on the make and model of the bike, but even the most basic exercise bikes provide workout information, such as distance, pedal revolutions, speed and time. If you use a pedometer on an exercise bike, it may read some movement and record this movement as steps, but it will not be an accurate depiction of distance or pedal revolutions.
Member Comments