Cycling Calorie Calculator: How Much Are You Really Burning?

Use the super simple and accurate Cycling Calorie Calculator below to determine how many calories those long, grueling cycling sessions are actually burning. To get started, we just need your weight, how long you're cycling, the intensity level, and the type of bike you're on. Once entered, simply click the 'Calculate' button and we'll take it from there.

How I Fit Cycling Into My Busy Schedule

I've got a wife, 4 young kids, and 5 businesses I'm running. Needless to say, I don't have a ton of time to spare, but I still need to keep fat from my heart and remain somewhat lean and muscular for my own sake. I found that I couldn't spend an hour running outside nor dedicate time to travel to and from the gym.

The perfect compromise for me was to get some home workout equipment. I started with a treadmill, but even the ones that claimed to be silent made a ton of noise and would either set my dog off on a barking spree or wake my kids up. So, the device started to gather dust and the fat continued to linger on my body... until one fateful Father's Day. My wife surprised me with a stationary exercise bike that, surprisingly, no matter how hard I went on it, was not loud at all. In fact, it was nearly silent.

With no more excuses in front of me and an exercise bike by my bedside, I began my obsession with cycling. If I get up early enough, I'll hit an intense 30 to 40-minute session. But more often than not, I grab a 10-minute session here and there between tasks and calls, with a larger 25 to 30-minute session before I retire for the evening. And, according to my trusty Apple Watch Ultra 2, I'm burning around 450–639 calories per day doing this.

I also try to hit my daily protein goals of 200 grams while mixing in a decent amount of weight lifting to keep myself looking all jacked and manly. For those interested, I've included one of the workouts I hit a couple times a week. As an added bonus, I'm including the productivity related tasks I mix in while exercising. Be sure to bookmark my site for the full article detailing my productivity/fitness activities.

Workout #1 - Upper Body + Cardio + Coding

I generally dedicate a day or two of work to implementing new features for my games, fixing bugs, and improving UX for my online game/blog, FantasyBrawls.com. On these days since I'll be spending much of my time in a terminal or VS Code, I generally can get away with a single monitor...which is perfect for my small stand mounted to my exercise bike. Here's my workout/workday breakdown.

1. Work Through Ticket Log - I pop open my ticket log in Super Easy CRM and start working on all the low hanging fruit.

2. 10 to 15 Minutes on Exercise Bike - Once the more difficult tickets have been hit, its time to cycle while working through the easier ones and responding to messages.

3. Curls + Hang Cleans + Deadlifts - For the next portion, I move down to my weight room. I'll generally complete a circuit (4+ sets) and move back upstairs to my office to work. Here's the full workout.

   1. 3 x 10 Deadlifts

   2. 3 x 5 Barbell curls

   3. 4 x 10 Hammer Curls

How Many Calories Do You Burn While Cycling?

Let’s be real. Most of us aren’t training for the Tour de France. We’re trying to break a sweat, drop a few pounds, or feel like we earned that post-workout smoothie. That’s where cycling comes in — low-impact, high reward, and pretty fun if you’ve got the right playlist or YouTube tab open.

Whether you just picked up a used Peloton, snagged a cheap spin bike off Amazon, or dusted off that stationary relic in your garage, you might be wondering:

“How many calories am I actually burning when I ride?”

Good question. And better yet — we built a calculator right here on FuelingFood.com to give you a fast, no-BS answer based on your weight, intensity, and how long you ride.

The Math Behind the Burn: What Is a MET?

METs (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) are what most cycling calorie calculators use. Here's the breakdown:

• 1 MET = your body at rest
• 4 METs = cycling casually (under 10 mph)
• 6 to 8 METs = a solid indoor spin or road ride (10 to 14 mph)
• 10 to 12+ METs = intense or uphill sessions

Calories burned = MET × weight (kg) × duration (hours)

What About Power? (Calories Burned by Watts)

If your bike tracks watts, use them. Most cyclists use this shortcut:

1 kJ ≈ 1 calorie burned. So riding at 200 watts for 30 minutes (360 kJ) = around 360 calories burned.

Stationary vs Road: Which Burns More?

Indoor cycling can burn just as many — or more — calories than riding outside. Why?

• Less coasting
• No stoplights
• Constant effort in spin classes

Outdoor rides do give variety and longer durations. But indoors, every minute counts.

Calories Burned by Weight and Intensity

Are Fitness Trackers Accurate?

Not always. Most wearables use heart rate and rough estimates. Good for trends, not exact data. Calculators like ours give a more consistent benchmark.

What Should You Eat After Cycling?

• Under 150 calories burned: Small snack like a banana or almonds.
• 150 to 400: Protein and carbs — yogurt, peanut butter toast, or cottage cheese and fruit.
• Over 400: Full recovery meal — protein shake, sandwich, eggs and toast.

How Our Calculator Works

It uses METs based on your chosen intensity, calculates real calories based on your weight and time, and even suggests snacks.

Advanced Riders: Want More Precision?

Try power meters, heart rate sensors, apps like Zwift or TrainerRoad. But even without gear, consistent tracking gets results.

Future Features of The Cycling Calorie Calculator

• Save weekly ride totals
• Watts-based calculations
• Snack pairing grocery lists
• Calorie-based reward trackers

More Food and Fitness Content Is Only a Click Away!

If you found our Cycling Calorie Calculator useful, be sure to bookmark it. I'm constantly revisiting all my creations and improving upon them as I gather feedback and have those 'Aha!' moments in the shower. If you're stuck on what to do for your next workout, or just bored with your current routine, check out the Random Workout Generator to get a challenging workout, sure to leave your sore and confused. Here's what I rolled today.

• Dumbbell Pullover — 4 sets of 25
• Cable Core Press — 4 sets of 24
• V-Up — 3 sets of 14
• Dumbbell Squats — 5 sets of 21
• Farmer's Walk — 4 sets of 13