Im about to begin biking 12 miles to work 3 times a week.

Enjoy! I love cycle commuting. My trip is 30 km or about 18.5 miles each way and I feel so refreshed when arrive (into a nice hot shower!) It has helped my cardio and weight loss.

I am gong to begin riding my bike on my off days from the gym. My first ride was only 8.5 miles but it was refreshing. Have fun!

I wish I could do that!

My commute has far too much traffic and hazards.

Good luck with it!

Unless you are just cruising, you will lose weight (as long as you are running a calorie deficit). Pedaling or not, its all about heart rate when it comes to burning calories. If you have a decent cyclometer with a heart rate monitor such as Garmin Edge, then you will get a more accurate count.
Biking is awesome! I am sure you will love it. Watch out for those @#$%^ drivers who think they own the road!

Actually 40 minutes on the bike for me will result in about 600 cal burn...but I am 6'5" and 225 lb. I bike 6 days a week and it is not uncommon to have burns way over 1000 cals...also I do still have a bit of a gut (not as large as in my previous life!) I wish I could bike to work...but to far :ohwell:

Type of bike is going to depend on what type of riding you are going to do.

If your going to be offroad across fields, mud, loose gravel etc. A mountainbike with front suspension might be the best choice.

If your going to be on roads and lose gravel, some back tracks etc. A Cyclo cross bike would probably suit you best.

If your going to be riding on smooth roads or smooth paths then a road bike would be best.

Which bike depends on budget!!

I think its great that you're riding to work, my wife just did this morning, her first time. I disagree with those thay say you need to eat more, its only 12 miles. Just eat your normal breakfast, and that should energize you. Pack lunch and carry water, of course.

I bike a lot, and I log anything over 10 miles. I use 30 or 35 calories/mile as my estimate, depending on intensity and amount of hill climbing involved. I am a 190 lb male.

i cycle to work everyday and its only 3 miles - it takes less than 15 minutes and i put in the generic info ...if i was you i would eat back the work done as it will re fuel you and either eat back again later (on the way home) or before you set out to give you a nice positive energy so u dont feel tired/sluggish and grasping at energy stores.

im office bound too so as long as you hit it hard on the way to work you have all that raised metabolism kicking over for the next few hours

Slightly off topic but what kind of bike did you get? I've wanted to get a bike but not sure where to start!

Hi jasharp021, I noticed you were in Tampa. If I was you, I would go here:
http://flyingfishbikes.com/

A friend of mine went to the Westchase store. Tell them you are new to biking. You will first off need to get measured so they can properly fit a bike to you, then decide what type of riding you want to do. There are quite a few choices. After deciding on "type of bike" factor into the cost the following:, computer for miles/speed, clothes, shoes, clips, water bottle cage(s), water bottle(s), seat back, flat repair kit w/Co2 cartridges, spare inner tube and lights. A lot of people get turned off by the cost of accessories, so plan ahead. I "pre-shopped" my accessories from Amazon, so my hit was pretty on target when I bought my road bike.

The cool thing about this store, is they have discounted bikes from last year and they also do a free fitting after you buy the bike. My local bike shop charges $150 for the fitting AFTER you buy it. They do a quick fitting for free, but the more detailed one is $150. Flying fish didn't charge my friend at all.

Any question, ask here or shoot me a message. I ride about 14 miles round trip 2 days per week. Then do about 40 on the weekends.

My ride to work is 7 miles each way most of it on a bike trail. Pre-ride, I eat 2 fig newtons and a cup of water. When I get to work, I eat my normal food. I track my ride with my Motoactv watch and burn about 300-400 calories according to it. I wear a heart rate monitor and have a speed/cadence sensor. I guess it depends on the wind...lol..I average between 16-20MPH again, depending on wind. At times I push it to 23 to 25 MPH for a few minutes to give myself that burn.

I love it, the weather here is getting pretty hot (Florida) but it does allow for year round riding, just have to have the proper clothing.

I bike about 15 miles each way, it takes me an hour, and MFP says it's burning about 850 calories for my height and weight. I've been eating most of them back and it hasn't slowed my weight loss that I've noticed.

Especially when you start out with a long cycling regimen, PLEASE FEED THE MACHINE. You don't want low glycogen stores when you are cycling, particularly if you are on the road with cars. You want to be well-fed, energetic, and alert. Try eating back the calories and see what happens. Give it a few weeks or a month, because adding cycling is going to give you some initial weight gain as you retain water to repair muscle and recover from the ride. Feed that recovery or you're going to find cycling very discouraging and painful.

If it slows your weight loss for a couple of weeks, so be it - the benefit of cycling is well worth it. The scale is not the whole story. But please trust me that you do NOT want start a new cycling regimen on a big calorie deficit - you won't be able to recover quickly enough and you're looking at another 40 minutes in the saddle at the end of the day, your body needs to be fueled to recover.

Best bet is to have a carb snack about a half hour before cycling, then a carb and protein snack within a half hour of stopping. And hydrate.

After 3 weeks of eating them back, if you're feeling good about the cycling and your weight loss has stalled, cut the "eat back" calories in half and see how you feel then.

My husband used to do 8 miles a day or so when he lived in England and he was pretty skinny, and his legs were BUILT. I think you need to adjust your intake accordingly. Why wouldn't it burn calories? You're doing cardio and getting your heart rate up, and flexing the muscles in your legs.