Hello
I’ve been wondering how accurate the speed is that Strava is calculating from my TR workouts? My last workout reported an average speed of 43.6km/h over an hour and a half ride (65.4km).
That seems pretty high. Is anybody else noticing this?
Btw, I am using a wahoo kicker.
Strava just gets the speed from your wheel speed sensor, so it is pretty meaningless since on the kickr wheel speed is independent of your power output. If you have your bike in the big ring your back wheel will be spinning fast regardless of power, and Strava will think you had a high speed, if you have it in the small ring you back wheel will be spinning slower and it will think you had a lower speed.
Is there any way to get an accurate reading?
Not the best solution but I use Zwift at same time as TR in part so I can get more accurate mileage. I really wish TR would grab a cycling model for converting power to distance given weight and height - even if it just assumed a flat course. Would be better than counting revolutions which are particularly meaningless in ERG mode. That said, the new calendar is making it easier to track TSS over time which I certainly more meaningful than miles (would still like miles!)
It’s hard, because what does “accurate” mean in this instance? If you do (say) 200W for an hour that would be one distance on a hilly ride, one distance on a flat ride, something else on a mountain bike and something else in a group. The best you can do is change which gear you ride in on the trainer to bring the Strava distance down close to something that matches a “typical” outdoor ride you do. However that will slightly effect how the trainer feels to ride due to different fly-wheel speeds. I personally don’t think it’s worth the effort, but you might feel differently.
Thanks for the responses👍 I guess I’ll just not worry about it. It’s too bad I kinda like the data.
I wish Strava would just omit the speed data field rather than display inaccurate data for everyone to see. I’ve had some comments from Strava friends on the impressive speeds. I feel obligated to correct or explain the situation.
It really needs a better algorithm. While it’s simple a case of putting the appropriate comment on a ride that appears to show you riding at 60mph - there’s no fixing Trainer Roads uploads to Strava completely destroying any sensible record of mileage other than deleting all the rides you’ve done with TR.
This is the reason I still use Zwift. TR controlling my trainer, and zwift running with controller unpaired so it just picks up the power output from the trainer. I then have the zwift ride recorded in strava along with a fairly reasonable distance and elevation for my TR workout.
Just assume a flat road. The objective is not perfection, just something more realistic - flat roads are definitely real 