Top 10 Reasons for Riding a Bike
A survey was recently conducted to find out the main motivating factor for people to ride a bike. The participant group was a major cycling forum, and involved individuals from all the commonly known cycling groups, such as casual riders, work commuters, and competitive riders. Through their responses it was possible to formulate the top 10 reasons for riding a bike.
1. Health and Fitness
The most popular response was clearly health and fitness. Just as the bike machines are more popular at gyms than treadmills, cycling is preferred over running/jogging for fitness. Its low impact is far easier on the joints, and much better for health in the long term.
2. Fun and Enjoyment
Many people might be surprised to see that fun is ranked so highly, but it just goes to show that cycling is definitely considered an enjoyable pastime. Just as many people enjoy getting behind a wheel and driving a car for fun, there seems to be a large number of people who similarly cant wait to jump on a bike and cruise around.
3. Commuting
Commuting was always going to be a popular choice, with it being common knowledge that many people prefer cycling as their main form of transport. Countless numbers of commuters cycle to work to escape the traffic congestion and save money on transport costs, and many also cycle outside of work for tasks such as shopping or visiting friends.
4. Personal Escape Time
The increasingly demanding fast-paced western lifestyle is responsible for this categories high placing, which we have named personal escape time. Many cyclists expressed how they liked to get away from it all, enjoyed the serenity of cycling, or just needed some time alone.
5. Balanced Lifestyle
Considering the remarks above about the western lifestyle, many riders also consider cycling to be a vital part of a balanced lifestyle. Life isn’t all about work, family, eating and entertainment, and cycling can provide that balance as either a recreation, fitness, or relaxation aspect.
6. Freedom
The ability to get away and ride in the open is obvious, but bikes afford a great deal more freedom when you compare them to other forms of transport. No need to worry about bus or train timetables, or sitting in traffic jams, cycling puts you in charge when you are commuting.
7. Testing Physical Abilities
Many people who chose this category would be dedicated riders, as it has synergy with cycling as a sport. Physical and mental limits can be tested in cycling road races, and it can be an enjoyable challenge for cyclists to try and get the maximum performance from their body.
8. Hobby
Cycling has a number of different aspects which can make it enjoyable as a hobby. Many people enjoy tinkering with their own bikes for performance and maintenance, while others love testing new elite cycling products and accessories. Cycling clubs are also popular as they can be a great way to be part of a bike loving community.
9. Personal Challenge
Cycling is often used as a tool for people to set goals to achieve or challenge themselves with. It could be whether they have the stamina to cycle a certain distance, or whether they can complete or route within a set time period, or even an indirect goal such as losing 5 or 10kg in weight.
10. Environment Benefits
The environment is fast becoming something that we all need to take care of. Cycling will always be considering as having a positive effect on the environment due to the fact it doesn’t create any pollution, and we should expect to see this reason jump up the list in the future.