Originally Posted by
scale
but....speed would be a pointless factor considering all the gearing options you have correct?
I would think cadence and HR would be more of a calorie burn indicator than speed.
Believe me...if i could afford a power meter...i would totally get one. I havent found any that are cheap or affordable.
In the absence of wind, power output(and calories burned) is proportional to speed cubed. A 5% increase in speed requires roughly 15% increase in power. To use HR as an estimate you really should calibrate it with power to know if you are close. Some individuals naturally have a higher HR than others without burning more calories. Your stated HR is much higher, for example, than mine would be riding 24 miles in 1 1/2 hrs.
Find a long hill and use
http://bikecalculator.com/wattsUS.html to calculate your calories burned and compare with your HRM.