josruu

Many good reasons here I love cycling because I really like the mechanics and the link between man and machine when riding
It also gives me a special feeling of being free from everyday stress from wife and kids. and that I've lost 22kg by doing it for 6 months is also a thing I like

Makel

Because running is dumb. (has nothing to do with the fact that I'm a slow runner three or four times a week)

bike4fun12

I used to be a runner. I played soccer and lacrosse as my main sports. I used to run the bolsa chica wetlands all the time when I wasn't busy with school. but ever since I started riding my bike, I haven't ran a mile. Just because the bike gets me to places running wouldn't. I can go out to newport or up to PV and ride long distances and see so much more than running would allow. I think biking is so much cooler than running too.

EmilRosenberg

I don't hate running but I certainly doesn't love it. Although I did 80k running last week because the roads are so wet here and I've punctured my tubes.. lol.

c0urt

it helps provide helps provide the amazingly high tolerance to pain and if it is put in front of you to eat it.

merlinextraligh

You're just saying, you prefer time trialing to racing. A bicycle time trial is as simple in that regard as a running race; you ride faster you win, no excuses, hence the race of truth.

Conversely, why I hate TT's and running races is they lack what makes bike racing so much more interesting: strategy, tactics, surprise,lulls, surges, attacks, group dynamics, and the need to develop multiple skills, including speed, power, endurance, sprinting, bike handling, race reading.

Riding along elbow to elbow in a pack of 50 riders at 30mph, trying to read what is going to happen next, and figure out what you need to be doing next is vastly more engaging than plodding along at a set pace for hours.

PatrickGSR94

I'm currently doing both running and cycling. I only just got into running late last year/first of this year, and then into cycling in the Spring of this year. I dropped off running for a bit because I was more into cycling, but am now getting back into both. Why do I love running? Because I do it barefoot, which makes it awesome! I'm still slow as poo at barely 15 m/m running, but that's still just due to lung capacity, aerobic/anaerobic thresholds and such, and not due to leg muscles, joint, not having shoes, or any of that. I've been running nearly a year now injury-free I think largely because I don't wear shoes and don't heel strike.

This year has been the year of physical activity for me, whereas before I never, ever did any sort of regular physical workouts or activity. Now I'm trying to run at least 30 minutes 3 times a week and cycle 2-3 times a week as my schedule allows, and have lost 25 lbs this year because of it. And I owe it all to my "discovery" of a barefoot lifestyle last year. Without that I'd still be a couch 'tater.

Elduderino2412

Running is really boring. Also since my motorcycle accident it's to high impact on my legs, so it's not even an option for me anymore. Road and mountain biking are so much more fun, so i'm glad i was forced to start doing them anyway.

Jed19

Everytime I'm out riding on my bike - without exception- there is always that one runner who reminds me why I have now come to loathe running. You know, that runner with two bad knees (deduced from the support/band contraption on both knees and the slanted posture) who is slugging along, sometimes with a painful grimace on their face.

I have been cycling a long time, broke my femur in an (unrelated to cycling) auto accident, and my orthopedist was astonished to know that I've never had knee pain/ache in my life, despite the cartilage erosion he saw in the x-ray of both knees. I attribute that to the fact that I've never pounded my knees on pavements from running.

hhnngg1

Your results of having cartilage erosion in both knees DESPITE having never run is actually the more typical situation - most studies including some good recent ones (forgot the references, but they're pretty good) have shown that runners actually have better cartilage than their nonrunning peers, and it's thought to not just because the ones who have cartilage damage drop out. So there are some who might suggest on the basis of those studies that your cartilage might actually be in better shape had you in fact done some moderate running.

Jed19

Oh, okay. And nice to know.

Can I still loathe running though?

hhnngg1

Yup, you can.

Actually, you have a more legit reason to loathe running - if you already have demonstrated cartilage damage or thinning in your knees, then it has been shown that in those cases, you'll accelerate it by running on it. So less running is appropriate for you now, although it's possible that you might not have gotten to this state if you ran a moderate amount before that (although this is also speculative.)

I myself enjoy cycling more than running, but I come from a running background and enjoy the convenience as well as the benefit effects, which I find are much more relevant for quality of life and other sports than cycling. I also had an MRI of my knee done as part of a study last year, and my knee was normal, despite having run pretty seriously for over 22 years now, including several years of 70 miles per week.

HBxRider

When people see me biking at night, in the cold, in the rain, they can't believe that I have a car. They assume I commute with my bike. And they're surprised when I tell them that I don't bike to save money, or for the environment (but I definitely appreciate that), I do it because I simply enjoy riding a bike more than driving a car. I love feeling more connected to my city, having the fresh air, and just exploring new places, without the frustration of being stuck in traffic.

I love getting exercise, running errands, and having a good time, all from one activity.

I had no idea that when you are well conditioned, and have a good setup, a bike can cover 90% of your transportation needs, even when you live in a spread out suburb like I do.

labas

As much as I love cycling, and I do love it much, I have never experienced a "runners high" equivalent. There is something unique, at least to me, about running at ideal body weight with a high anaerobic threshold and cardiac reserve, knowing that you can cruise along on auto pilot for 10+ miles with relatively little effort. The endorphins kick in and your in "another" place. Unfortunately, my knees no longer concur.

merlinextraligh

You're running harder than you ride.

The endorphines kicking in is the result of the effort. Go out and ride your bike at the same exertion level as when you run, and you'll likely get the same endorphines.

For example in this study cycling at 60% VO2 max didn't raise endorphines, but cycling at 80% VO2 max did. https://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/98...U9cKUfQiSyR.10

Go out and walk, and you won't get a runners high either.

Most of the comparisons people make between running and cycling, are off, because they produce an effort on the bike more comparable to walking than running.

RB1-luvr

I run and ride, but I prefer cycling because it's the only thing I've never had to work very hard at to be good at. It comes natural to me. I was meant for the sport.

coasting 

if god had intended humans to run, he would never have created lions.

labas

I would agree that I am running harder than I ride, and therein lies the problem. In theory I understand what your saying, in practice ( at least my practice) not so much. In a controlled lab test environment, all things are pretty much equal, not always so in the real world. Here's the thing: Where I live and ride the roads go over rolling hills and twists and turns are common place. The result is that a significant portion of my ride is spent coasting and pedaling with minimal effort. Were I to maintain the same steady state level of exertion that I do while running that same route, I would end up in a ditch or wrapped around a tree.

I have no doubt that cycling on a road that had a sufficiently long enough incline or straight away would produce the same effects as those derived from running. In my particular situation, it's just not feasible. This is why I stuck in the clarifier " unique, at least to me" in my original post. I do , however, understand the point you are making.

D1G1N1XY

I took a couple weeks off. For no particular reason beisdes laziness. I have been feeling sluggish, bored and slightly depressed. I suited up and pedaled a short 15 miler today. When I got off the bike, I felt rejuvenated. I was in a spectacular mood. I forgot how great this sport makes me feel!

gamby

90% of the time, post-ride or run, I feel a huge sense of well-being. Not necessarily euphoric, but definitely cleansed and positive.

When I ride a weekly hilly TT over the summer, I go way harder aerobic (into anaerobic) than I do when I run. I'm at my threshold on a couple of climbs at race pace (and I'm not fast).

Cookiemonsta

I also dislike running. I dont really know why. There are plenty of sports that involve a lot of running that I love. But running as a cardio exercise is just terrible.

For example, if I wake up saturday mornign and go for a run (almost never happens, but if there is snow or something), I dont feel like going and even while running I cant wait to get home. When I get up and have a ride planned, I hop out of bed and am excited to go. Difference of night and day, even though I push myself more and am out much longer on the bike.

apollored

I run for a bus if I have to, thats as far as that goes but I love cycling because my bike is there for me, I can just take it out and go and its the freedom and see the beauty of whats around me and use my own power and fitness to take myself where I want to go.

But then again because I cycle, I dont get buses very often and run for them even less

surgeonstone

You are doing it wrong, I always experience it. Every time. Without fail.

patentcad

As an ex-runner, I know what he's describing. I get endorphins from cycling, I feel great on the bike on occasion, but that runner's high may be a running thing for the most part. The difference is that in cycling, your HR goes up and down, in running it's constantly @ 85-90% for long periods of time. I recall one run 30 years ago where I went out for 5 mile run and felt so great I did a whole additional loop. That last 5 miles I felt like I was levitating. Effortless, smooth. Very cool.

coasting 

that is so poetic.