best biking/cycling calorie tracker?

shamani5

I need help figuring out the easiest way to tell how many calories I burn while biking. I m currently on tour and bike for several hours every day on varying terrain and speed. I'm hoping to use something like a fitbit that has a good battery life because my phone does not. Would a heart rate monitor work or do I need something more?

NorthCascades

The best is a power meter, but it's probably not what you want because they're expensive and apart from being the most accurate way to measure energy on a bike, the reasons for having one aren't really aligned with touring.

A heart rate monitor (HRM) would be a pretty good way to go. You can use it for pacing if you want help with that, and a good one will give you a good estimate for calories. Lots and lots of options, it depends on your budget mostly. I have a Garmin bike computer and it works very well for my purposes, I love the maps for rides on mountain roads.

You can get a small and cheap battery pack to recharge your phone and other things on the road. I have a lipstick sized one, it was $10 on Amazon, and I've used it to charge my GPS from camps in the backcountry. Whatever you go with, it can be really nice to have backup power when you need it.

sijomial

I have a HRM (Polar FT60) that has been calibrated with my tested VO2 max and Max HR settings and it's pretty accurate when compared against a variety of reliable machines including a very expensive power meter equipped trainer.

But I actually use a Garmin Edge HRM/GPS unit and/or Strava phone app for tracking long outdoor rides for convenience and data - both underestimate calories and Garmin in particular underestimates badly on low intensity rides.

Agree with previous poster about using a portable power pack if your phone has limited battery life, I use one on very long duration rides. Also good for topping up lights.

Machka9

I use 100 cal for every 5 km as my formula. Without carrying power metres etc., I figure it's pretty close.