Calories burned
bicycling for transportation
592 kcal / hour Bicycling for transportation burns approximately 592 calories per hour for a 70 kg (154 lb) adult, and 296 calories in 30 minutes. Across the normal adult weight range the hourly figure runs from about 423 to 1,014 kcal.
It carries a MET value of 8.05 in the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, which lists 2 measured variations of this activity from MET 6.8 to 9.3.
Calories burned bicycling for transportation by body weight
Energy cost scales with the mass you move, so body weight changes the answer more than anything else.
| Body weight | 15 min | 30 min | 45 min | 60 min | 90 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 kg (110 lb) | 106 | 211 | 317 | 423 | 634 |
| 60 kg (132 lb) | 127 | 254 | 380 | 507 | 761 |
| 70 kg (154 lb) | 148 | 296 | 444 | 592 | 888 |
| 80 kg (176 lb) | 169 | 338 | 507 | 676 | 1,014 |
| 90 kg (198 lb) | 190 | 380 | 571 | 761 | 1,141 |
| 100 kg (220 lb) | 211 | 423 | 634 | 845 | 1,268 |
| 110 kg (243 lb) | 232 | 465 | 697 | 930 | 1,395 |
| 120 kg (265 lb) | 254 | 507 | 761 | 1,014 | 1,521 |
Figures in kilocalories (the "calories" on food labels). The highlighted row is the 70 kg reference adult used in the headline figure; the highlighted column is one hour.
Every official intensity of bicycling for transportation
The Compendium lists 2 separate bicycling for transportation entries, each with its own measured MET value — from 6.8 to 9.3. Most calculators collapse all of this into one number. Pick the row that matches what you actually did.
| Variation | MET | kcal/hr at 70 kg | kcal/hr at 90 kg | Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| moderate effort | 6.8 | 500 | 643 | 16002 |
| high effort | 9.3 | 684 | 879 | 16004 |
Codes are 2024 Adult Compendium activity codes. A dash means the code could not be read unambiguously from the published table, so it is left blank rather than guessed — the MET value and description are unaffected.
What 592 calories an hour actually means
At MET 8.05, bicycling for transportation counts as vigorous activity — it uses about 8.05 times the energy your body burns sitting still. For a 70 kg adult that works out to roughly 10 kcal per minute, or 592 kcal across a full hour.
Within transportation, that ranks 1st of 11 activities by energy cost — the highest in its group and above e-bike for transportation (MET 6.8).
Put differently: one hour of bicycling for transportation costs about the same energy as 121 minutes of ordinary walking.
On the food side, a chocolate bar (about 235 kcal) takes roughly 24 minutes of bicycling for transportation to offset at that body weight. That framing is useful for scale, but it is worth saying plainly: exercise and diet are not a ledger that cancels neatly, and appetite tends to rise with activity.
Questions
How many calories does bicycling for transportation burn per hour?
About 592 kcal per hour for a 70 kg (154 lb) adult, using the Compendium MET value of 8.05. A 90 kg adult burns closer to 761 kcal in the same hour, because energy cost scales almost directly with body mass.
How many calories does 30 minutes of bicycling for transportation burn?
Roughly 296 kcal at 70 kg, 254 kcal at 60 kg and 423 kcal at 100 kg. Halving the time halves the calories — the relationship is linear.
What is the MET value of bicycling for transportation?
8.05, taken as the median of the 2 bicycling for transportation entries in the 2024 Adult Compendium, which range from 6.8 to 9.3 depending on intensity. One MET is the energy you use sitting quietly, so MET 8.05 means 8.05 times that rate.
Is this an exact number of calories?
No, and no calculator can give you one. MET values are population averages measured in laboratory conditions; your own figure varies with fitness, technique, terrain, temperature and body composition. Treat these numbers as a solid estimate for planning, not a precise measurement — and treat any device or site claiming three-digit precision with suspicion.
Related activities
Three more from transportation, and three with a similar energy cost from elsewhere in the Compendium.
MET value from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities (activity code 16002). Calories computed as MET × 3.5 × weight kg ÷ 200 per minute. General information only — not medical, fitness or nutrition advice. Calorie figures are population estimates and vary between individuals.