STATIONARY CYCLING
Estimate calories burned on a stationary exercise bike. Choose a cycling activity or enter measured average watts, then see total calories and the portion above rest.
See estimated total calories and the portion above rest, using a cycling reference or your measured power.
Enter your session and choose “Estimate calories”.
Gross kcal from 2024 Adult Compendium stationary-cycling references. These are broad category estimates, not measurements of how hard a particular rider feels they are working.
| Cycling activity | MET | 60 kg | 80 kg | 100 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light pedaling | 4 | 126 | 168 | 210 |
| Moderate to vigorous pedaling | 6 | 189 | 252 | 315 |
| General exercise-bike session | 6.8 | 214 | 286 | 357 |
| Indoor cycling / spin class | 9 | 284 | 378 | 473 |
An 80 kg adult maintaining each power level. Gross kcal use the ACSM leg-cycle oxygen-cost equation. These examples are workload comparisons, not prescribed intensities.
| Average power | 20 min | 30 min | 45 min | 60 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 W | 111 | 167 | 250 | 333 |
| 100 W | 166 | 249 | 374 | 498 |
| 150 W | 221 | 332 | 498 | 664 |
| 200 W | 276 | 414 | 622 | 829 |
If your bike measures power, enter average watts during steady pedaling. If it does not, select the closest activity reference and treat the result as a rough comparison. The light and moderate-to-vigorous references correspond to the Compendium’s 50 W and 90–100 W categories; subjective effort does not establish that workload. General stationary cycling and a spin class have separate categories.
The ACSM leg-cycle equation estimates oxygen cost in mL/kg/min as 7 + (1.8 × 6.12 × watts ÷ bodyweight in kg). Multiply by kg ÷ 1000 × 5 kcal per liter × minutes for gross calories. At 80 kg and 100 W for 30 minutes, this gives 249.24 kcal, displayed as 249. Subtract the 42-kcal resting baseline to get about 207 kcal above rest. This predicts exercise oxygen demand, not VO₂ max.
An indoor bike does not travel down a road. Its displayed speed and distance depend on the machine’s design, while resistance level 5 can mean different workloads on different bikes. Cadence alone also leaves out resistance. Watts combine force and movement into power, making a measured reading more useful for this equation. Do not enter a resistance level or RPM as watts.
At 100 W for 30 minutes, the rider delivers 180 kilojoules of mechanical work to the bike. The body also uses energy that does not become external work. This tool therefore shows mechanical kJ separately and estimates metabolic calories from oxygen cost; it does not equate mechanical kJ with dietary kcal or claim to measure your personal cycling efficiency.
The power equation is intended for steady leg cycling and is conventionally applied around 50–200 W. The tool accepts 25–400 W but flags values outside that range as extrapolations. Rapid intervals, sprints, very unusual cadence and inaccurate power readings can reduce usefulness. Calculate steady segments separately, exclude time off the bike, and do not assume average or normalized power captures every interval’s metabolic cost.
Activity categories apply a population MET reference to bodyweight and time. The watts method models a specified external workload and adds the cost of unloaded pedaling and rest. They use different assumptions and need not match. Both subtract only 1 MET to show energy above rest; the extra pedaling cost remains part of activity. Neither measures your metabolism or adds a separate afterburn allowance.
For 80 kg, the general stationary-cycling reference gives about 286 gross kcal in 30 minutes. With measured power held at 100 W, the separate watts equation gives about 249 gross kcal. These are different assumptions, not a guaranteed calorie range. Enter your own bodyweight, time and workload.
Yes. Choose the spin-class category for a comparable class, or enter measured watts for steady riding. Simply sitting on a spin bike does not mean your workout matches the spin-class reference. Use the whole activity category realistically and exclude time spent off the bike.
Use the activity method for a broad estimate. Do not convert a proprietary resistance level, RPM or displayed speed directly into watts. If the bike offers estimated rather than measured power, uncertainty in that display carries into the calorie result.
Use measured average watts for a steady segment. Normalized power is a different training metric and should not be substituted into this equation. For intervals, estimate separate steady segments rather than treating peaks, coasting and recovery as one constant workload.
The model is for leg-powered cycle ergometry and is not specifically calibrated to every recumbent design. Posture can affect the estimate. A fan bike using both arms and legs has a different workload pattern; do not treat this leg-cycling estimate as a validated air-bike model.
Its display may use a default weight, another formula, an estimated power reading or a different definition of active calories. Compare total with total and above-rest with above-rest. The agreement of two estimates does not establish their accuracy.
Reference tables use the same calculations and benchmark values as the interactive tool.