60
votes
Accepted
Is commuting 10 km on an empty stomach harmful?
As far as I can tell, no. I've been riding 30 minutes or more every workday before breakfast for more than 10 years with no detectable ill effects. When I was riding an hour to work I'd sometimes have ...
- 23.1k
29
votes
Accepted
Tips for cycling while pregnant, and is it safe?
This would have to be
one of the most opinion-based questions we could possibly have, and
one of the most important to deal with in a sensible manner.
Firstly, it must be said that what is safe ...
- 17.1k
25
votes
Accepted
Might biking lower forehead temp readings at destination?
The body controls its core temperature, not the skin temperature. Skin temperatures will vary significantly, to the point they are generally considered an unreliable way to measure core temperature, ...
- 44.5k
24
votes
Accepted
I get dizzy when I dismount. Causes?
It sounds like you over-exerted yourself and "bonked" – your body ran out of sugar so you fainted. In that case, you reduce the risk by eating more while you ride* and by listening to your ...
- 16.8k
23
votes
Is cycling an aerobic or anaerobic exercise? What is the effect of cycling on weight loss?
The answer to the Title question, "Is cycling an aerobic or anaerobic exercise?", is yes.
Aerobic exercises are endurance-type exercises that increase a person’s heart rate and breathing ...
- 627
20
votes
Is commuting 10 km on an empty stomach harmful?
The myosin heads of muscle fibres move using the energy produced by converting ATP to ADP. The energy extracted is about 30.5 kJ/mol of ATP.
Muscle tissue has limited ATP storage. Your muscles' ...
- 3,886
19
votes
Accepted
How to decrease belly fat while cycling?
You cannot outride (or outrun or out-any-other-exercise) a bad diet. On top of that, decades of research shows it's impossible to "spot-reduce".
Your options are:
Eat some combination of food that ...
- 16k
19
votes
How can I learn cycling with polio in my right leg?
I think the consensus in recent years has been to not use any kind of training wheels when learning to ride a bike. For young children there are balance bikes which don’t have any pedals or drivetrain ...
- 24.3k
18
votes
Stiff but short daily commute leading to "heavy" legs
How hard do you ride? If you ride hard and in hard gears it could be that your legs are accumulating fatigue and simply don’t have enough time to recover from one day to the next even though it’s only ...
- 24.3k
16
votes
Tips for cycling while pregnant, and is it safe?
Unlike riding horses, there are no body movements that are dangerous for pregnant cyclists in any stage of pregnancy when riding on roads. Mountain cycling is not as safe and I would certainly talk ...
- 3,526
16
votes
Accepted
What are the disadvantages of bicycle saddles with cut-outs?
The primary consideration in finding a saddle is how well it suits your sit bone shape and groin tissue. Some people do best with saddles that have massive cutouts (heck, even those ones that look U ...
- 13.5k
14
votes
Accepted
Long term benefits and risks of bicycling
Long term benefits ... Hmmm ... does 55 years count as long term? If so, I think I and a few others here qualify ...
Key benefits
Cycling is a life-long form of exercise. One of the group I meet for ...
- 17.1k
14
votes
How to avoid the road bike physique
This would be a great problem to have for most of us roadies. Simply eat more if you find yourself losing more weight than you care to lose.
You can alternatively balance with more strength based ...
- 1,313
14
votes
What's the proper science-driven way to treat mild scrapes/abrasions (that have a bit of dirt in them) from a mountain biking crash?
Briefly, a quick rinse with clean water, and possibly dressing it, are probably all you need to do on the trail. This assumes a day visit to a typical trail centre or cross country riding near to ...
- 50.6k
13
votes
How much of a difference does giving blood make to recreational cycling?
If you are riding near your aerobic limit you'll definitely discover that you've lost aerobic capacity during the next 12-24 hours. It can take that long to replace the red blood cells you've lost.
...
- 17.1k
13
votes
Is commuting 10 km on an empty stomach harmful?
Here in the UK on BBC TV last night was a program 'Trust me I'm a Doctor' in which they examined the effect of exercise in men and women and whether to eat before exercising or after.
On average most ...
- 131
13
votes
Is cycling an aerobic or anaerobic exercise? What is the effect of cycling on weight loss?
Cycling at moderate intensity is mostly an aerobic cardio exercise.
How many calories you burn in an hour depends on your power output. A heavy professional cyclist (90kg, 6W/kg 5W/kg) can probably ...
- 24.3k
12
votes
Accepted
Daily commuter - stamina got worse after saddle height adjustment
A change of saddle height won't change your stamina.
'Stamina' is a crude term that reflects many processes within the body which contribute to powering the bike forward.
At a very basic level, we ...
- 17.8k
11
votes
Accepted
How much of a difference does giving blood make to recreational cycling?
Depends on exercise intensity. In a day or two you can return to your normal/moderate exercise. A complete recovery of oxygen delivery can take as much as 3/4 weeks.
This means a professional athlete ...
- 1,290
11
votes
cyclist's palsy: how long does it last
"Cyclist's Palsy" shouldn't happen at all. Find someone competent to help you fit your bike. My first suggestion is the nose of your saddle it too low causing you to lean forward and put ...
- 620
11
votes
Accepted
Does a build-up of CO2 in the lungs make you out of breath?
This is a huge topic. It is true that the breathing reflex is controlled by CO2 in your body (not just in the lungs). The key is the acidity of the cerebrospinal fluid. If you reduce your CO2 level, ...
- 13.9k
11
votes
What are the disadvantages of bicycle saddles with cut-outs?
Saddles are the most personal contact point on the bike.
If you prefer a cutout, or specifically don't like cutouts, then you have the option of either. Gender and differences come into it as well, ...
- 110k
10
votes
Accepted
How do you keep from coasting too much on a bicycle?
You are correct - keeping the bike in the appropriate gear is important. Generally, you should have a preferred pedaling rpm, or cadence that you try to keep constant. Change to lower gears on uphill ...
- 74.9k
10
votes
False hrm results
Try replacing the battery, it could be running flat.
Make sure you're getting proper contact with your HRM to your chest - try adding some conductive gel.
Try a different soft strap, they wear out ...
- 1,357
10
votes
How can I learn cycling with polio in my right leg?
In many countries there are groups that have an interest in helping people with disabilities get into cycling - e.g. https://wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk/ . I would suggest such an organization if you ...
- 44.5k
9
votes
Accepted
Minor but persistent saddle sore - Safe to continue riding?
I'd perhaps look at your saddle again. Padding isn't everything and there is a lot to be said for fit/sit bone width. Consider getting measured/fitted. I know what width fits me in the brand I buy. ...
- 9,898
9
votes
Stiff but short daily commute leading to "heavy" legs
Find an alternate route
When commuting, we tend to gravitate to the shortest route, which is rarely the most fun or picturesque. You know you can ride 4.5 km, so look out for some 5-8 km routes.
...
- 110k
9
votes
Might biking lower forehead temp readings at destination?
One factor could be the lower emissivity of sweat compared to human skin. At a given temperature, different materials emit different amounts of infrared radiation for the thermometer to detect. Skin ...
9
votes
Is cycling an aerobic or anaerobic exercise? What is the effect of cycling on weight loss?
You have several questions mixed into one here. You're asking about "losing calories", and about losing weight. Those are two different things. You also ask if cycling is aerobic or ...
- 663
8
votes
What is the best way to track your mileage, routes and calories burned?
There are several phone apps / web sites you can use. They all have a free mode and a premium mode. A few of them are:
Endomondo
Last time I used this (a couple of years back) it was able to give ...
- 17.1k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible