# Advantages Of Cycling



## yi-up (Apr 29, 2010)

Hi.

I would like to take up cycling to keep fit. What advantages does it have other forms of exercise such as running?

Thanks.

Bill.


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## Keski (Sep 25, 2004)

3 words. Speed, thrills, danger. Running has none of those.


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## MarshallH1987 (Jun 17, 2009)

it's also much easier on your joints than running (no impact), not as easy on them as swimming though (no impact and total free movement). You can also exercise while seeing the world or going some place you need to get to.


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## Dajianshan (Jul 15, 2007)

If you live in a hot place you can generate your own cooling wind.


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## rcekstrom (Oct 4, 2008)

Wear spandex while looking cool


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## MaddSkillz (Mar 13, 2007)

I'm a speed junkie and when a person is running their butt off, they're still moving pretty damn slow. 

So cycling was the natural choice for me. Of course, there's plenty of other benefits as well.


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## davidka (Dec 12, 2001)

Cycling is fun, running isn't (unless you're already an established runner). Finding an exercise that you enjoy is the key to sticking with it, otherwise it's a chore that you'll eventually walk away from.


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## johnlh (Sep 12, 2008)

davidka said:


> Cycling is fun, running isn't (unless you're already an established runner). Finding an exercise that you enjoy is the key to sticking with it, otherwise it's a chore that you'll eventually walk away from.


Bingo.

One caveat though: Cycling does not do much for bone density, so it is no wonder that people who narrowly focus on cycling seem to have lower bone density than those who diversify with impact activities like running and weight training.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071016135440.htm


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## estone2 (Sep 25, 2005)

True, but the part that article doesn't mention:

While our bone density is lower than that of runners, we tend to have higher bone densities than non-athletes. It's not all bad.


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## Drew Eckhardt (Nov 11, 2009)

yi-up said:


> Hi.
> 
> I would like to take up cycling to keep fit. What advantages does it have other forms of exercise such as running?
> 
> ...


It's fun, comes with a built-in breeze to keep you cool, has rapidly changing scenery, can be used for transportation to and from work (with heavy traffic, you can get an hour or two of aerobic exercise in the time you'd usually use for commuting by car) is low-impact, and lets you own cool guy toys made of titanium and carbon fiber.


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## DesnaePhoto (Jun 11, 2009)

No shin splints!


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## rcekstrom (Oct 4, 2008)

DesnaePhoto said:


> No shin splints!


 +1 Hate those.


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## johnlh (Sep 12, 2008)

rcekstrom said:


> +1 Hate those.


I battled ITB syndrome for the first two months after I started running. Stretching before and after runs did the trick, and now I can avoid the specific stretch without paying the price. 

Running was my savior this winter when the temps reached below zero.


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