Bikes or no?

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  • jchite84
    jchite84 Posts: 467 Member
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    Bikes all the way. Great cardio, great compliment to running, lots of fun, very supportive community.
  • professionalHobbyist
    professionalHobbyist Posts: 1,316 Member
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    After being inspired by this thread to find a better way to calculate calories burned I went to Lance Armstrongs site

    This is a bit more specific to weight and speed

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/135430-calories-burned-biking-one-mile/#page=2
  • JKM0225
    JKM0225 Posts: 140 Member
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    Thank you all so much!!! All of this has been super helpful & informative :)

    I am super excited to find a great group to ride with but am going to start a little on my own first. I would love to use it to commute to work! So, I will build up to that :) & I would also like to do some bike races.

    I bought a polar ft7 HRM to help me monitor my heart rate & such. I want to get the most out of each workout.

    However, my ultimate goal is a triathlon! :)
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
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    I am also a runner. I had to do bike riding due to an injury and needed something super low impact. For me, my HR was almost as high bike riding as it was running. It was a respectable burn, but I just didn't enjoy it. I also mixed in swimming and found that really helped with my breathing when I went back to running. I think the most important thing is to do something you like.
  • professionalHobbyist
    professionalHobbyist Posts: 1,316 Member
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    Is there a Perfornance Bicycle shop near you?

    Every one across the country has a Saturday morning beginner ride

    It is a no drop ride, so nobody gets left behind and it is a slower pace ride

    Google them

  • jchite84
    jchite84 Posts: 467 Member
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    Josh_Kalley wrote: »
    Thank you all so much!!! All of this has been super helpful & informative :)

    I am super excited to find a great group to ride with but am going to start a little on my own first. I would love to use it to commute to work! So, I will build up to that :) & I would also like to do some bike races.

    I bought a polar ft7 HRM to help me monitor my heart rate & such. I want to get the most out of each workout.

    However, my ultimate goal is a triathlon! :)

    Woo Hoo! Tris are great, be sure to get in your brick workouts! (And hopefully they don't kill your passion for cycling)

  • irejuvenateme
    irejuvenateme Posts: 96 Member
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    Bike riding is great - I think if you are looking to improve bfp you'll need to do something else on top of it like working with weights... then again if you are talking about things like mountain biking or biking hills that may be another story... with me biking helped with weight loss but not bfp, but I was mostly biking flat surfaces at the time so I wouldn't pretend to generalize.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    Josh_Kalley wrote: »
    So... I have gotten really interested in bike riding... very fun :) Is that a great way to lose weight?

    your weight loss is going to largely be about your diet...cycling is great exercise and is great for your fitness and has that added benefit of burning up calories which makes weight management easier.

    But really...I cycle arouind 60 - 80 miles per week (sometimes more) and I run a couple of 5Ks...I lift 2-3x per week, walk my dog regularly, and am in general pretty active outside of my job. I have lost weight, gained weight, and maintained weight all the while doing these things...the difference between those three weight management objectives wasn't my exercise...it wasn't my CO part of CICO...it was my CI...my consumption.
  • JKM0225
    JKM0225 Posts: 140 Member
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    Thank you all so much for the information :) I am not so focused on the weight loss. I am comfortable where I am but would like to improve overall fitness. Like mentioned, triathlons are my goal :) 5k's are great and bike riding is so much fun :) I do enjoy bikes a little more than running because of the distance you can go.

    Will be sure and check up on bike shops and find some groups to ride with.

    Any tips on bike gear is appreciated too :) love to hear to little about what people like and don't.
  • JaedynKelling2015
    JaedynKelling2015 Posts: 5 Member
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    What kind of running did you do?
  • JKM0225
    JKM0225 Posts: 140 Member
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    Well, when I started... I followed the couch potato to 5k plan :) worked wonderfully. Now I just run on trails in the mountain. I usually follow a time plan. I learned interval training has worked wonders for me!!!
  • professionalHobbyist
    professionalHobbyist Posts: 1,316 Member
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    Endurance Bikes are very popular! Almost a race bike but a bit more comfy.

    I have a Giant Defy endurance bike. They are good and not expensive.

    I have a Fuji Altimara carbon fiber race type bike. A little more laid down lighter and faster. And a few $ more. It is a perfect bike for me. Get your bike fitted to you with everything set to fit your body. Riding should not be uncomfortable. I have about 85 miles in 3 rides this week and feel fine. It just got dark and it was time to call it a day.

    Bikes are cool and there are lots of bikes that will work for you.

    Do some serious goggle searches on reviews.

    Performance has a serious end of season sale on now. I buy then. You can get bikes almost half price. Kind of like a Craig's list deal without the chance of getting robbed!


    Good luck!!

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