This may seem like a silly point to make but for a normie like me, there is no "right" way to cycle. I'll leave that to the biking enthusiasts to worry about. I find that for many of my friends that want to lose some weight or get into shape, for some reason running, jogging, or even walking somewhere seems like too much of a chore for them to get motivated to do. This of course has lead the to be overweight in the first place but I have discovered that most of these people, if given the chance, are more than happy to do some cycling and I think that it is a great way to burn some calories although it is going to be significantly less than if you are running or jogging.
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I think that far too many people focus on getting something super high quality when they buy a bike after years of inactivity and to me this is a huge mistake. For most people these super expensive machines are for those who are going to use it a lot more vigorously than someone who is just starting out so the idea that people spend $1000 on a bike in order to "get in shape" is just crazy to me. For starters, the more expensive the bike is the more work the bike is going to do for you and this is the reason why cycling generally burns a lot less calories than running or jogging.
When you have 21 or 28 gears to choose from, all terrain can be nearly effortless unless we are talking about some majestic hill climb that people who are just starting out shouldn't really attempt anyway. You have to really be trying to ride HARD if you are going to get your heart rate up to super elevated levels when you are cycling.
But as i have said many times before, even if it is just a little bit of effort, it is a lot more effort than it takes to sit on the sofa.
I have a bike that I paid around $300 for and while I can definitely feel the deficiencies in it, I am not riding this thing competitively so it doesn't really matter. There are friends of mine that have bikes that cost nearly $10,000 and they weigh something ridiculous like 11 lbs or something like that. Mine weighs as much as you would expect a $300 bike would weigh, A LOT.
This I think is a lot better option for beginners especially if they are trying to lose weight because it would probably do you some good to have a heavier bike so that you have to work a bit harder in order to move the damn thing.
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Charts like these try to factor in as many variables as possible but at the end of the day what does "moderate" actually mean? What is moderate to you might be easy to me and vice versa. Because bicycles have technological advances that you can't possibly consider a factor in running / jogging, the burn amounts on the above chart and all the other ones like it are probably on the high end as far as caloric burn is concerned.
At the end of the day I think that cycling is a better sport for someone who is just starting out on their journey towards physical fitness because it is easier. If you want to push yourself you can, but you don't necessarily have to. Also, cycling makes the scenery move by faster and at least in my mind is considerably less boring than running. If you have access to mountain bike paths then you are even more fortunate. My area does not have this.
So the title was kind of click-baity but basically what I am trying to say from a normie perspective is that there is no right or wrong way to cycle, just get out there and do something.
I lost over 50 lbs and kept it off after having a very irresponsible 30's that left me at nearly 240 lbs. I did this by making gradual and accomplishable changes in my life. If I can do it, I believe that other people can as well
What brand of bikes would you recommend for normies looking to do some cycling??
Just anything man. It seem like even the budget bikes are going to have 21 gears and in my experience it isn't until you get near the $1000 mark for bicycles that very much about the quality of bike even changes at all.
I think the type of bike is more important than the brand for newbies. I prefer a street/ mountain hybrid bike.
The tires are wider than a street bike but narrower than a mountain bike. I find they are the most durable and honestly, the brand name at lower to mid-range price isn't as relevant as the manufacturer would like to have you believe.
Sometimes I feel as though they are all made in the same factory and they just put different decals on the brand-name ones.
As long as people are safe I agree, just get put and ride.
for sure. Definitely have good brakes. Other than that, it doesn't really matter. Since the industry transitioning to disc brakes, which is standard on even el cheapo bikes, I think that brakes are pretty fantastic, even on really inexpensive bikes.
I do enjoy cycling, partly because I can cover a lot more ground than running. There are some nice places to ride around here and you can get off the roads. I am thinking of getting a new bike as I am sharing one for now, but I won't spend silly money. I'll get a reasonable mountain/hybrid bike. I don't go for extreme terrain, but front suspension can take some of the stress out of riding on trails.
Happy riding.
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