Before I begin, let me apologize to my non-American readers.  This Cyclelogical post uses statistics and numbers that are US-based.  That said, don’t let that take away from the overall message of this post which is this:  riding a bike is good for you in almost every conceivable way.

THE CYCLELOGICAL BENEFITS OF RIDING A BICYCLE

I’ve broken this post down into four main benefit buckets:

1. Physical Health Benefits
2. Environmental Benefits
3. Mental Health Benefits
4. Financial Benefits

I’m starting with what I think are the most obvious benefits, and ending with those which you might not otherwise think about. If I’ve missed anything, please let me know in the comment section!

PHYSICAL HEALTH BENEFITS

The most obvious benefits that come from jumping back on your bike are the physical benefits.  It’s pretty intuitive for most people: ride a bike, get stronger muscles, lose weight, get into better shape.  It doesn’t take any mental gymnastics to grasp this.  But let’s run through some of the benefits anyway.

• Heart Health

  • Riding a bike will increase your cardiovascular fitness. Cardiovascular means anything related to your heart and blood vessels. When someone does a “cardio workout” they are getting their heart rate up.  Increasing your heart rate has so many benefits outside of your heart health, including:
    • Stronger lungs
    • Increased bone density
    • Lower risk of some types of cancer
    • Better sleep

• **Trimmed Down Waistline & Self Confidence **

  • Pumping those peddles on a regular basis will also decrease your body fat levels. Most people, when they begin to look better physically, also feel better about themselves and have increased self-confidence.

• Improved Joints & Mobility

  • Joint pain can affect anybody, regardless of age. Sometimes that pain comes from arthritis, other times our joints suffer from being overweight or inactive.  Riding a bike is a great way to improve your joints and increase your mobility.

• Muscle Strength

  • Perhaps the easiest benefit to recognize is the increased strength and flexibility that comes from stronger muscles. Your bike is powered by you.  In exchange for powering yourself around town, your body will begin to reward you with stronger muscles, which, in turn, makes powering your bike easier. It’s a beautiful cycle (pun intended).

• Coordination

  • Getting back on the bike will also improve your posture and coordination.  Remember what your mother said about good posture!

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

I didn’t want this post to go all green, but there are so many environmental benefits that come from riding a bike that I have to include them here.

• Zero Emissions

  • The average car emits about six tons of carbon dioxide per year (one gallon of gasoline produces about 20 pounds of CO2).  A bike produces zero.

  • There are currently about 250 million cars on the road in America and each one is producing, on average, six tons of CO2 annually.

  • More people biking means fewer cars on the roads, fewer gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel being burned, and a cleaner environment for everyone.

• Less Congestion

  • Fewer cars on the road due to more people biking could lead to less road congestion for those times when driving your car is necessary.

• More Green Space. Less Pavement

  • With fewer cars on the road, there would be less demand on our current infrastructure, which could lead to fewer roads being built and parking lots developed.  Inversely, that could lead to more parks and trails.

• Natural Resources

  • If there were less demand for cars, then fewer minerals would need to be mined from the earth in order to build them. I can’t imagine the amount of energy that goes into mining the earth for the resources required to build a car, but it has got to be huge.  Yes, I’m aware that natural resources are required to produce a bicycle, but the amount required to create a full size Chevy pickup vs. your average 35 pound Diamond Back mountain bike isn’t even in the same ballpark.

MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS

Maybe a bit less obvious than the physical benefits you’ll get from riding a bike, are the mental benefits.  But once you start thinking about it, it’s easy to see that biking has many CycleLogical benefits as well!

• Reduces stress, anxiety, and provides temporary relief from depression

  • One side effect of the physical benefits you’ll experience is reduced anxiety and temporary relief from depression. This is tied directly back to the cardiovascular benefits because exercising is kind of like fertilizer for your brain.  Riding a bike leads to an increased heart rate.  Increased heart rate leads to more blood flowing to your brain.  More oxygen to your brain is a good thing.  Scientists aren’t exactly sure why cycling increases the production of serotonin and dopamine (the happiness-inducing chemicals in your brain), but it does.  Additionally, biking for longer periods of time can also lead to increased production of the feel-good chemicals like endorphins and cannabinoids.  In short, biking makes you happy.

• Better Sleep

  • Riding a bike is a physical activity that can wear you out, which can help you sleep better at the end of the day. And a better night’s rest can actually help to further reduce your stress levels, boost your memory, and may even help you live longer!

FINANCIAL BENEFITS

The first wealth is health, as they say, and we’ve just covered several reasons how and why riding your bike can improve your overall health, but it can also fatten your wallet.  A lot!

• Up-front costs

  • The average cost of a new vehicle in the U.S. is currently $33,560 (and that number is climbing). The average cost of a bicycle is less than $500.  Sure you can spend up to $10,000 on killer bike, but that’s complete overkill for the vast majority of us.  Just like spending more than $50,000 on a vehicle is complete overkill for the majority of people.

• Maintenance and Upkeep

  • Save money on gasoline & vehicle upkeep. In addition to the upfront cost of buying a car or truck, you’ve also got the cost of maintaining the vehicle.  Things like tires, oil changes, filters, spark plugs, belts, etc. quickly eat up your hard earned cash.

• Less Taxes

  • No state safety and emissions testing. Your bike doesn’t need to have annual approval from the state to stay on the road but guess what does?  Your car.
  • No property tax. Your car is an “asset” and as such, you get to pay an annual property tax on that asset.  Not so with a bike.
  • No driver license required. No fees to pay for a driving class.

• Gym Memberships

  • Quit paying for a gym membership. If you begin to ride your bike more than you drive your car, forget that gym membership.  You’ll quickly get into great shape (see the physical and mental benefits again for additional proof that a gym membership isn’t necessary when you ride your bike).

• Investment Opportunities

  • Assume you take all of these savings and invest that money into an actual asset, like a Total Stock Market Index Fund. Your money will then grow at an average rate of 7% per year, after adjusting for inflation.  The true cost of owning and driving a vehicle is staggering when you take a moment to think about it.

Chime in!

So many benefits just from making the decision to ride a bike! I’m sure I’ve missed many others, so let me know what they are in the comment section below.  And as always, thank you for reading.