Originally Posted by
cleansheet
I am very late to this, but I find the Garmin to be fairly accurate when used with the heart rate monitor and cadence counter. I weigh around 170 and ride similar rides to what you describe. Anywhere from 14-18 MPH, depending on climbing. I never exceed 600 calories in an hour when I use the HRM. If I am missing either(or both) the estimated calorie burn is far greater.
The Garmin numbers with everything come close to Strava estimates and well below Ride with GPS estimates.
I've found my Edge 1000 with cadence, speed and HRM sensors to provide more conservative calorie estimates on my rides than any external calculator has in the past.
For example, the LoseIt calorie counter app counts last night's club ride at 1500+ calories, while the Edge 1000 with all sensors in play called it 1104
Ride stats:
Rider Weight: 258 lbs.
Distance: 21.25 mi
Avg Speed: 15.4 mph
Ride Time: 1:22:43
Climb: 692 ft
Calories: 1,104 C
I also dig that the Edge 1000 auto uploads my ride as soon as I hit save ride to Garmin Connect, Strava and MyFitnessPal so that my exercise is plugged in to my calorie counter.