How many calories does leisure cycling burn?

At 4 METs, a 70 kg person uses about 140 kcal in thirty minutes. Energy use scales with body weight, so a 90 kg person uses roughly a third more for the same session.

What is the MET value for leisure cycling?

4 METs, listed under Compendium code 01010. A MET is a multiple of resting metabolic rate.

Should I subtract my resting metabolism?

If you are adding this to a maintenance figure that already includes rest, yes. The net figure removes the roughly one MET-hour per hour your body would have spent anyway, which for leisure cycling leaves about 75 per cent of the gross total.

Why does body weight change the answer?

A MET value is energy per kilogram of body mass, so the same activity costs more for a heavier body. That is why weight is an input rather than an assumption, and why generic calories-burned figures without a weight are close to meaningless.

How accurate is this figure?

It is an estimate from a population average. Published comparisons against indirect calorimetry find individual discrepancies of twenty to thirty per cent, so use it to compare activities rather than as a ledger to eat back.

Calories burned leisure cycling

This page turns the published MET value for leisure cycling into an energy figure for your body weight. Heavier bodies use more for the same activity, which is why weight is an input rather than an assumption.

Result

These are estimates from population-level equations, not a measurement of you and not medical advice. Individual results vary widely. Talk to a doctor or a registered dietitian before making significant changes to how you eat or train.

The MET value and where it comes from

MET value: 4
Compendium code: 01010
Listed as: Bicycling, <10 mph, leisure, to work or for pleasure (Taylor Code 115)
Category: Cycling

Metabolic equivalents express energy cost relative to rest. Leisure cycling sits at 4, which places it in the moderate band on the range the Compendium covers.

kcal = MET × kg × h
     = 4 × weight × hours

net of resting:
kcal = (4 − 1) × weight × hours

Source: Herrmann SD, Willis EA, Ainsworth BE, et al. "2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities." Journal of Sport and Health Science 13(1), 2024, pp. 6–12. MET values are population averages; roughly 18% of Compendium entries are estimated rather than measured.

If you already chose an activity multiplier that assumes you train, adding this figure on top counts leisure cycling twice. Use the net figure, or set your activity level to sedentary and add sessions separately.

This figure is an estimate built on an average. Two people doing leisure cycling at the same nominal intensity can differ by twenty per cent or more, and no equation using only weight and time can see that.

Calories burned by body weight and duration

Gross energy in kilocalories. Read across from your weight and down from your duration. A 70 kg person uses about 280 kcal an hour, of which roughly 210 is above what resting would have cost.

Calories burned by body weight and duration
Body weight	15 min	20 min	30 min	45 min	60 min	90 min
55 kg	55	73	110	165	220	330
65 kg	65	87	130	195	260	390
75 kg	75	100	150	225	300	450
85 kg	85	113	170	255	340	510
95 kg	95	127	190	285	380	570
110 kg	110	147	220	330	440	660

Compared with related activities

Energy used per thirty minutes at 70 kg, so the activities are directly comparable.

Comparison with related activities
Activity	METs	kcal / 30 min
Leisure cycling	4	140
Cycling, moderate effort	8	280
Cycling, vigorous effort	10	350
Stationary cycling	6.8	238
Walking	3.8	133
Swimming, slow freestyle	5.8	203

Questions

How many calories does leisure cycling burn?: At 4 METs, a 70 kg person uses about 140 kcal in thirty minutes. Energy use scales with body weight, so a 90 kg person uses roughly a third more for the same session.
What is the MET value for leisure cycling?: 4 METs, listed under Compendium code 01010. A MET is a multiple of resting metabolic rate.
Should I subtract my resting metabolism?: If you are adding this to a maintenance figure that already includes rest, yes. The net figure removes the roughly one MET-hour per hour your body would have spent anyway, which for leisure cycling leaves about 75 per cent of the gross total.
Why does body weight change the answer?: A MET value is energy per kilogram of body mass, so the same activity costs more for a heavier body. That is why weight is an input rather than an assumption, and why generic calories-burned figures without a weight are close to meaningless.
How accurate is this figure?: It is an estimate from a population average. Published comparisons against indirect calorimetry find individual discrepancies of twenty to thirty per cent, so use it to compare activities rather than as a ledger to eat back.