Indoor Cycling Vs. Outdoor Cycling, which one is better?

Nowadays, people pay more and more attention to environmental protection and physical health, so many choose to ride bikes or ebikes instead of commuting by car. At the same time, many people choose to ride a bike to exercise in the gym. It's worth mentioning that cycling, whether you ride outside or indoors, is a great cardiovascular activity. Plus, cycling builds muscle and promotes weight loss and maintenance.

And which one is more suitable for us? To help people decide, we compared outdoor cycling with indoor cycling regarding exercise, fitness, socializing, and weather. 

Exercise

You can push yourself more with natural terrain when cycling outdoors. If you choose a route with hills, you'll have no choice but to increase the intensity. For this reason, outdoor cycling generally burns more calories than indoor stationary cycling, which can be proved by the article Calories Burned in 30 Minutes for People with Three Different Weights.

Health

Based on the article (What is the Best Dose of Nature and Green Exercise for Improving Mental Health?), outdoor exercise can boost mental health. Research has shown that five minutes outside can bring many benefits, including reducing tension, stress, depression, and anger. Being in nature can also improve mood and self-esteem. Besides, cycling near water earns bonus points and more significant benefits.

Indoor cycling can get old quickly, but you can change routes and explore new places outdoors. Also, it's hard to get bored while riding your bike outside, creating motivation.

Social

The social aspect of cycling is one of its greatest joys, from being a member of a cycling club to riding with friends on the weekends to relaxing at the cafe while enjoying a cappuccino and cinnamon bun. Cycling in a group is fun and motivating, especially if you go out for breakfast or a beer after the ride. It's one of the few sports that allows you to chat freely with friends while participating. If you wanted to, you could chase down every group member. It is humming along at 30km/h all the time (provided you can ride it safely, of course). It's fantastic and an aspect of the sport that the layman often overlooks.

Indoor cycling, on the other hand, is done individually, usually in a cold and unused room in the house. So, yes, you can virtually interact with others on a training platform like Zwift, but it's not the same.

Weather

Confining your rides to your home is one of the advantages of indoor cycling when the weather is terrible. If the weather is bad, such as high wind, rain, scorching sun, etc., it is usually more suitable to ride indoors than outdoors. So, you'll avoid things like sunburns and windburns. After every ride, no frostbitten fingers, five layers of clothing, or rinsing the bike.

But let's face it, what's better than riding on a warm day? Warm air in your face, a short-sleeve sweatshirt, and ride until 10 pm after getting off work. When it's good, it's glorious. And, after all, that's what bikes are designed for, right?

Overall, when conditions permit, outdoor cycling will be more beneficial. For fitness purposes, soothing the mood, or sharing a pleasant time with friends, outdoor cycling can be your first choice. 

To provide riders with a better outdoor riding experience, Breeze Rider Ebike provides everyone with electric bicycles suitable for different occasions. For example, if you want to go on a long-distance cycling trip, you can choose a Long-Range Electric Bike. If you're going to adventure in the mountains or the jungle, you can select a Fat-Tire Electric Bike, a Fashionable Fat-Tire Electric Bike, or All Terrain Electric Mountain Bike. A fashionable electric bike is also a good choice if you want to experience a modern city trip.

In addition, if you want to enjoy the scenery, you can choose the electric mode or pedal-assist mode, and if you also want to exercise, you can select the classic bike mode.