I merged 2 fit files which I had exported from my IGPS520. I knew I had climbed around 2700m but the merged file showed 3800.
I then exported the activities from the device in all 3 formats (GPX, FIT & TCX) and combined them. GPX altitude equals TCX's but differs from FIT's. Why?
Climbing overestimated when merging FIT files
Re: Climbing overestimated when merging FIT files
Hi -
On every page, there is a little blue "?" question mark. You can click those and get help or extra info about each item. When you click the "?" next to the "Output File Format" or the "total ascent stream", or the "override total ascent" option, you get the answer to your question. I have included screen shots of each help. In a nutshell, Strava "trusts" FIT more than GPX or TCX. They have been cracking down lately on these other file types to prevent people from altering the data in the files. It's easier to change elevation in TCX and GPX, so Strava resorts to re-calculating climbing for non-barometric devices and for GPX/TCX files. That is why I only have the override elevation feature available on FIT file exports; Strava now ignores elevation override on TCX files.
On every page, there is a little blue "?" question mark. You can click those and get help or extra info about each item. When you click the "?" next to the "Output File Format" or the "total ascent stream", or the "override total ascent" option, you get the answer to your question. I have included screen shots of each help. In a nutshell, Strava "trusts" FIT more than GPX or TCX. They have been cracking down lately on these other file types to prevent people from altering the data in the files. It's easier to change elevation in TCX and GPX, so Strava resorts to re-calculating climbing for non-barometric devices and for GPX/TCX files. That is why I only have the override elevation feature available on FIT file exports; Strava now ignores elevation override on TCX files.