Benefits of cycling over running?

Expect to start at a low level relative to where you are in running. Cycling may keep you relatively injury free. There is a risk of wiping on a bike that isn't there in running though. I'm surprised more cyclists don't end up with season ending injuries from falls.

Lower risk of chronic injury.

Higher risk of traumatic injury.

More expensive and time consuming.

Fewer opportunities to race.

Less convenient.

Runners believe training for Marathons lowers T level. Runners, place tight cycling spandex shorts on, crouch forward and crush your testicles for hours at a time while riding a bike. Cycling will make men 100% sterile. If a man is past age with at least five natural children, go ahead and switch to cycling.

Nope.

I'm a runner turned tri guy that spends most of my training hours on the bike at this point.

Some of the main differences you'll notice-

Bike fit is a big deal. You really should get a fit before buying a bike, but if you have one already this can sort out a number of those little aches and pains (or tell you if you're on a missized bike). There's some cheap phone apps out there if you have a bike already and just want to make sure you're in the ballpark for now. Haven't used any yet but I hear they work decently.

Gear is much more important, meaning it becomes pay to play to a degree. As a beginner this probably doesn't matter, but you're not winning a categorized race or hanging in a larger fondo on a huffy bike. You don't need to spend 10k to compete but look for a road bike produced within the last 5-10 year with at least a 105 drive train. di2 is really nice, but electric shifting is going to move you up from the 1-2k 105 range to 3k+ for any recent bike with di2.

Training takes up way more time. There's not really a "go out for a quick 20 minute run" in cycling. Especially if it's outdoors and anywhere near a city since you get stuck at lights. Not uncommon for cyclists to do 15+ hours a week, even at amateur levels. Embracing indoor training can go a long way here though, a sweet spot or ftp interval session can make for a very tough 40-60 minute workout. I have a direct drive smart trainer and it's completely changed my training and fitness, but again, that's even more $$$ to shell out.

Maintaining a bike can be a pain. If you want to diy there's a fair number of tools to purchase and skills to gain. Mistakes can be rather costly. If you go to a cycling shop the estimate is usually up to 10% of the bike's msrp a year in maintenance. Not so bad for an old steelie, considerable to a high end carbon bike with faster but more delicate drive parts.

Fatigue feels much different (to me at least). There isn't much doms once you get adjusted to cycling but you still get "dead" legs. Might take you some time to recognize when you are beat up.

You may be surprised at how bad you are at cyclist at the start. You'd think run fitness would carry over well but not really. You should be able to advance very quickly though given your aerobic base from running.

A good pair of bibs/shorts can be a lifesaver if you're going to get into longer rides.

Events are a bit harder to much harder to find depending on the locale, although you can often find group rides or "training loops" that are popular on the weekend. Local bike shop or strava heatmap can clue you in to those if interested. Roadies can be rather elitist, or at least clique-ey. Not much different than some run clubs but something to call out.

Appreciate such a detailed response! Honestly though this all tells me that cycling will not be my replacement activity if I'm done running. As someone who struggles to make time for those quick 20 minute runs even now, it's tough to imagine myself investing this much in to cycling.

My only question is is this level of investment, both time and money, basically the norm? Like I was not planning to ever enter a bike race and just wanted a replacement recreational fitness activity. Is there a cycling equivalent to a 20 minute 5k runner? If it's reasonable to get to that level then maybe there's a future for me.

Best benefit for me is the ability to get a good workout in and recover much faster than in running. Older I get, the more I ride and the less I run.

You could only do criterium races. Those are fairly short races usually done on city streets with a short course that's done in a loop. They are tactical and short. Here's an example I grabbed off of YouTube

LOL do not suggest a criterium for someone just getting into biking. Why would they want to bash it out with a bunch of amateurs in tight quarters and risk catastrophic injury? Have you seen the videos of wreck at these "crits" as they're known. Nothing like severe spine/head injury all in the name of fun.

All the racing comments seem like nonsense at this point. I’ve never done a race. A fun group ride century is more the discussion.

Spend about $2k on a bike at a real bike shop. Don’t spend more now because you’ll want to upgrade and you’ll want to know what you want. You don’t know that yet.

You need bike shoes and pedals. Non negotiable.

Lights, from and back. I also suggest day glow neon jerseys. Just because.

Bib shorts, though I now prefer non bib cycling shorts because I have a long torso and I’m annoyed by the pull.

Plan on 3-6hrs per week. Strava segments PRs or KoMs on local hills are your racing for now.

If you want a group, see if any local bike shops have scheduled group rides,

As other said, be prepared to be annoyed that you probably won’t be relatively as fast in the bike as you are running. At least until you’ve spent a year at 6+ hrs a week.

Indoor trainers and swift are supposed to be cool, but my wife has a peloton so when I ride indoor that’s the option.

Most importantly, read the rules. Ignore what it says about running.

velominati.com

The Rules

The Keepers

Open link

Indoor rowing. A concept2 should last basically a lifetime.

Spent the better part of my 20s and early 30s doing road races, crits, time trials, stage races around the country

From what I gather, you have no inclination whatsoever to race

Neither do I

Don't get a road bike proper

Get one of those city bikes with wider handle bars and a bit more upright, but still built to roll over 20mph fairly easily

Spend enough to get something that feels enjoyable to ride, but it wouldn't be a huge deal to replace it if it got stolen while you're at the pub

+1

I moved to riding after I fell running and tore the hell out of my knee, which had to be surgically repaired. I ride a modest 4500 miles per year now, but Ia m 70 and have been riding for almost 20 years. I agree with failed runner, who nicely stated the issues. Fit is critical, and get the best bike you can. My bikes are modest in cost, Trek Domane SL-5 road bike ($2600) and a Felt Broam 60 gravel bike (just under $2000). I ride local trails, some of which cross roads (pain in the butt) and some which do not (lovely). I do 1 or 2 long trips per year, like a RAGBRAI (around 500 miles in a week) or with groups such as Adventure Cycling Association). I am retiring soon, and will ride more once I do.

'Former D1 runner from the early 90s, ran for a couple of years post college & injuries. 'Bought a bike, wished I had bailed on running in college and raced bikes instead.

I'm convinced running is only for people under 160 lbs and younger than 25.

I indoor cycle a lot when I am carrying a running injury; in fact, my physio specifically gave it to me as part of my rehab.

I'm more a sprinter than long distance runner, middle age, and am also mainly a recreational sprinter, in that I only run in the vets league, no open meetings.

When I was out for a while, indoor cycling not only kept my fitness up, but my leg strength. I definitely benefited, power-wise. I was doing HIIT type training though, but the high I got from it was intense and different to my running sessions. I loved it!

Now it's winter season I shall swap a running session for an indoor bike session.

Note lots of coaches use a bike session in an athletes training programme if the session before has been intense.

I'd echo what another poster said re the Concept2 indoor rower as well. It's a great alternative, although watch that lower back. Indoor rowing (and swimming) was my main cardio fitness for years before I got back into sprinting. My first target was the good old 'sub 7 over 2k' and I got to that pretty quickly.

Does it just have to be one sport though? Why not do cycling, rowing AND swimming? You will benefit much more overall by cross training, in terms of general health. Plus the monotony you might find doing one wont happen if you do multiple sports.

I was in a similar boat. I ran in college and then shifted to cycling for similar reasons. I worked my way up to Cat 1, but now I do a fair bit of trail running because of convenience.

1) bike - I’d recommend getting a middle of the road ~3k bike from a place like Canyon, Lauf, etc (great value for the cost because it’s direct to consumer). Getting a decent bike goes a long way and saves you wanting to upgrade. I’d recommend a gravel bike and if you want to go crazy get another pair of wheels for just road. You can always switch out.

2) gear - buy a good pair of bibs (well, a few). Bike gear can be outrageously expensive, but there are almost always deals / discounts available. You don’t need to wear rapha - if people care what you’re wearing, they’re probably not worth riding with.

Also, I’d recommend a head unit like garmin or wahoo for navigation / training. These are a must have in my opinion.

3) racing - American road racing is dying and in crits you’re guaranteed to crash eventually. Gravel races are everywhere, though, and can be fun once you’re more comfortable riding in a group. Racing for local KOM’s and even Zwift racing can be fun.

4) convenience - zwift is the most convenient if you’re a working person with a family. You also don’t need to worry about cars. I’d highly recommend a good trainer and I can probably share a 40% off discount on one if you’re interested. Zwift Hub seems to be the best option, though, in terms of price (not with a discount for another one) and ease - universal cassette. So I’d probably recommend the Zwift hub. Why Zwift? No route planning, no getting to a good stretch of road for 30 mins, no coasting, just hop on and ride.

5) don’t forget about running - as I mentioned, trail running has been great for me. The varying terrain makes me less likely to be injured and is a great way to mix it up. Plus, it’s such high aerobic gain for the buck. Not to mention, the running community is just a lot nicer, usually.

6) time - if you want to be competitive in cycling, it’s a looot of time. 10h a week as a runner puts you in the highest category. 10h a week as a cyclist puts you at average at best, where the top rides 15-20h+ a week. That being said, if you train smart you can usually be quite competitive off of 10h / week.

7) runners in cycling - typically have great aerobic fitness and climb well. Learning how to ride in a pack plus improving muscular endurance / snap will probably be what’s more difficult.

8) Fueling - fueling is important in cycling and makes a huge difference on performance. Even if you don’t think you need it, eat and drink on the bike. Not fueling enough held me back for too long.

There's a full spectrum in cycling just as there is in running or anything else. You can definitely get by on a few hours a week if you simply want to keep active. There's plenty of people doing a bit of cross training or couples/retirees knocking out a few social/coffee shop rides a week.

But, it does take more work to get a similar training stimulus to running. My experience puts it around 1.5-2:1 on time and 3-5:1 on mileage (speed/distance is much more variable once you get into some decent climbing).

If you want to get into bigger rides like centuries or tours, or more competitive stuff like mountain climbs and koms, I can't see you being "mid pack" without at least 5 hours a week. I routinely do 3-6 hour long rides in my training for example (usually 3-4 but extends near races), plus three or more 45-90 minute rides during the week. And that's with some running and swimming thrown on top. This is pretty much the norm for "dedicated" cyclist/triathletes.

Equipment usually comes down to $ (unless you're a hardcore 80s steelies devotee or single speed kind of person). Certainly part keeping up with the joneses involved, but there's also a lot of technology, comfort and speed gains as you get up into higher end bikes. And then there's specialization. Where a runner might have a race day shoe, a training shoe and a trail shoe, cyclist would have 3 separate bikes. You can make it whatever you want, but most in the sport for the long haul will spend wayyyy more money than anyone that's just a runner.

In terms of 20 minute 5k, theres not a lot of benchmarks until a bit stronger. 3 hour 100k with some drafting might be in the ballpark? But again that's highly dependent on the weather, terrain and gear. To demonstrate that variability, I can cruise all day at 20+ mph on flat ground and some of the hardest rides of my life I've averaged <15. Ftp, in either pure watts or watts per kg is probably the most common metric to track progress but that require a smart trainer or power meter...so again, more $

To summarize, you can definitely just buy a bike and take it out a few times per week, but I'd say most that stick with the sport long term and have a competitive side will be fairly invested in both time and money.