Want to get into cycling- need a bike

Liamu2

I always loved cycling but only ever had low end unreliable bikes. I recently went to a bike store and seen giant defy bike which I really liked the look of. I have never had a racing bike but I can only afford an entry level bike, budget of 500euro I know its low but .. in the bike shop they were looking like 700+ euro for a defy but I seen them online for like 500,

What you guys think is the best thing to do? Is cycling a good way to shape up and loose weight?

Twin-go

OP - If you are working you could check if your employer is part of the Bike to Work scheme (BTWS).

I picked up a Specialized Allez worth €720 for about €350 through the bike to work. (Cost of bike was diducted from my Gross salary)

A budget of €500 combined with the BTWS should get you a lot of bike and equipment.

If you can 1-2 hours 3 times a week with a longer ride at the weekends as well as a healthy diet cycling is a great way to get in shape. I lost 2 stone in 4 months last summer - mostly on the bike.

petethedrummer

Liamu2 wrote: »

in the bike shop they were looking like 700+ euro for a defy but I seen them online for like 500,

Pretty much everything is cheaper online. But if you want the reassurance of having a shop to go to for fitting, servicing and general advice you could ring around a few shops in your area and get the best local price. Of all the brands being sold Giant are probably the most common, so you should have a few options.

Liamu2 wrote: »

What you guys think is the best thing to do? Is cycling a good way to shape up and loose weight?

Its not the quickest way, but its relatively easy on the body injury-wise compared to running.

http://theamazing39stonecyclist.wordpress.com/

BostonB

Liamu2 wrote: »

...
What you guys think is the best thing to do? Is cycling a good way to shape up and loose weight?

I know nothing about it, but it seems to me that...

If you burn more cycling than you eat. Yes.
If you eat more than you burn off. No.

Cycling is probably best if you make it a regular activity like commuting or training for some event. Its probably not the quickest way to lose weight, but the easiest to make a regular event if going to the gym isn't your thing.

pmcd22

running will burn more calories but cycling has less impact therefore less likely of injury.

Still cycling will burn lots of calories. There is different level of burning zones.

http://www.ehow.com/how_5642674_burn-fat-cycling.html#ixzz1IHOMP1Uj

INTENSITY is how hard you should exercise. The fat burning zone is 60 to 75 percent of your predicted maximum heart rate which is called target heart rate.
Fat Burning Zone Formula:
220 minus age equals maximum heart rate
60 percent target heart rate
MHR x .60 = beats per minutes
70 percent target heart rate
MHR x .70 = beats per minutes
Example:
220-30=190 MHR
190 x .60 = 114 beats per minute
190 x .70 = 133 beats per minute

A combination of some short cycles during the week at a good intensity combined with a Long cycle in the wkend.
Its not just exercise that will help ya lose weight. Food intake needs to be monitiored.

BostonB

Someone suggested to me that you need to be cycling at the right rate, for it to make a difference. At least on shorter cycles like commuting.

Beasty

The "Fat Burning Zone" may be the level at which the body burns fat most efficiently, but you will still burn more in absolute terms (with the potential to lose more weight) if you work harder (ie above that zone)

Also, as we all should know by now, that maximium heart rate formula is very rough and ready (either that or I was born at least 16 years after the date on my birth certificate)

Paul Kiernan

I think the "Fat Burning Zone" is a fad expression used to discourage new gym members from giving themselves heart attacks.

The fact is, the higher intensity you work at, the more fat you burn. So, for example, in the fat burning zone you might burn 600 calories per hour, of which 175 is fat, but at a higher intensity you'll burn 900 per hour, with 200 fat.

At the end of the day, the more calories you burn the less fat will be on your body (all else being equal). Furthermore, by exercising at a higher intensity you will get fitter and burn more calories for the same effort.