Originally Posted by
Barry2
IMHO - I f you’re not using a power meter, Strava’s calorie calc’s are a joke. They are way too high.
You can prove this, get two riders on the same ride where one runs a PM. Then compare.
once you add a power meter the numbers are a known factor.
Your average human is not as efficient as you might hope. For every 1 calorie we produce, we burn ~4.2 calories to do it.
So with a power meter, estimating calorie burn becomes far more accurate.
very helpful if you’re attempting to net zero during workouts.
Barry
The efficiency thing is as much a problem for Strava estimates as it is for power meter results. Both calorie estimates need to make an assumption of the human efficiency in producing power.