Cycling calorie calculator
At 170 pounds, 45 minutes of bicycling at 12-13.9 mph gives about 463 calories using the Compendium formula. This is code 01030, Bicycling, 12-13.9 mph, leisure, moderate effort, at 8.0 MET. The number changes with speed, effort and body weight.
Calculate calories for a bike ride
This estimate uses the selected cycling activity and the formula below.
The cycling calorie calculation
calories = MET x body weight in kilograms x hours
The Compendium conversion page gives 1 MET = 1 kcal/kg/hr and 1 kg = 2.2046 lb.
The opening example uses 170 lb, or 77.11 kg, and 45 minutes, or 0.75 hours. Multiplying 8.0 x 77.11 x 0.75 gives 462.7 calories, about 463. Displayed figures are rounded. The calculator rounds only its final calorie result.
Cycling activities and their MET values
The 2024 Compendium bicycling entries, checked 2026-10-07, supply every activity below. Codes 01009 and 01050 are shown in red by the Compendium, meaning estimated MET values.
Outdoor cycling by speed
| Code | Description | MET |
|---|---|---|
| 01018 | Bicycling, leisure 5.5 mph | 3.5 |
| 01019 | Bicycling, leisure, 9.4 mph | 5.8 |
| 01010 | Bicycling, <10 mph, leisure, to work or for pleasure (Taylor Code 115) | 4.0 |
| 01020 | Bicycling, 10-11.9 mph, leisure, slow, light effort | 6.8 |
| 01030 | Bicycling, 12-13.9 mph, leisure, moderate effort | 8.0 |
| 01065 | Bicycling, 12 mph, seated, hands on brake hoods or bar drops, 80 rpm | 8.5 |
| 01066 | Bicycling, 12 mph, standing, hands on brake hoods, 60 rpm | 9.0 |
| 01040 | Bicycling, 14-15.9 mph, racing or leisure, fast, vigorous effort | 10.0 |
| 01050 | Bicycling, 16-19 mph, racing/not drafting or >19 mph drafting, very fast, racing general | 12.0 |
| 01060 | Bicycling, >20 mph, racing, not drafting | 16.8 |
Commuting, leisure and self-selected pace
| Code | Description | MET |
|---|---|---|
| 01011 | Bicycling, to/from work, self selected pace | 6.8 |
| 01014 | Bicycling, general | 7.0 |
| 01015 | Bicycling, self-selected easy pace | 4.3 |
| 01016 | Bicycling, self-selected moderate pace | 7.0 |
| 01017 | Bicycling, self-selected vigorous pace | 9.0 |
| 01013 | Bicycling, on dirt or farm road, moderate pace | 5.8 |
Mountain biking
| Code | Description | MET |
|---|---|---|
| 01009 | Bicycling, mountain, general | 8.5 |
| 01003 | Bicycling, mountain, uphill, vigorous | 14.0 |
| 01004 | Bicycling, mountain, competitive racing | 16.0 |
Stationary cycling by effort or watts
| Code | Description | MET |
|---|---|---|
| 01200 | Bicycling, stationary, general | 6.8 |
| 01210 | Bicycling, stationary, 25-30 watts, very light to light effort | 3.5 |
| 01214 | Bicycling, stationary, 50 watts, light effort | 4.0 |
| 01216 | Bicycling, stationary, 60 watts, light to moderate effort | 5.0 |
| 01218 | Bicycling, stationary, 70-80 watts | 5.8 |
| 01220 | Bicycling, stationary, 90-100 watts, moderate to vigorous | 6.0 |
| 01224 | Bicycling, stationary, 101-125 watts | 6.8 |
| 01228 | Bicycling, stationary, 126-150 watts | 8.0 |
| 01232 | Bicycling, stationary, 151-199 watts | 10.3 |
| 01236 | Bicycling, stationary, 200-229 watts, vigorous | 10.8 |
| 01240 | Bicycling, stationary, 230-250 watts, very vigorous | 12.5 |
| 01244 | Bicycling, stationary, 270-305 watts, very vigorous | 13.8 |
| 01248 | Bicycling, stationary, >325 watts, very vigorous | 16.3 |
| 01270 | Bicycling, stationary, RPM/Spin bike class | 9.0 |
Half-hour and hour-long cycling estimates
These tables show the formula results in calories at each listed body weight.
30 minutes of cycling
| Activity code | MET | 130 lb | 160 lb | 190 lb | 220 lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01018 | 3.5 | 103 | 127 | 151 | 175 |
| 01020 | 6.8 | 200 | 247 | 293 | 339 |
| 01030 | 8.0 | 236 | 290 | 345 | 399 |
| 01040 | 10.0 | 295 | 363 | 431 | 499 |
| 01210 | 3.5 | 103 | 127 | 151 | 175 |
| 01220 | 6.0 | 177 | 218 | 259 | 299 |
| 01232 | 10.3 | 304 | 374 | 444 | 514 |
| 01240 | 12.5 | 369 | 454 | 539 | 624 |
60 minutes of cycling
| Activity code | MET | 130 lb | 160 lb | 190 lb | 220 lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01018 | 3.5 | 206 | 254 | 302 | 349 |
| 01020 | 6.8 | 401 | 494 | 586 | 679 |
| 01030 | 8.0 | 472 | 581 | 689 | 798 |
| 01040 | 10.0 | 590 | 726 | 862 | 998 |
| 01210 | 3.5 | 206 | 254 | 302 | 349 |
| 01220 | 6.0 | 354 | 435 | 517 | 599 |
| 01232 | 10.3 | 607 | 748 | 888 | 1028 |
| 01240 | 12.5 | 737 | 907 | 1077 | 1247 |
What these cycling estimates cannot tell you
The Compendium was not developed to determine an individual's precise energy cost. Its standard METs are not corrected for age, body mass or sex.
As reported on the Compendium page about corrected METs, Kozey et al. found intensity categories were misclassified 12.2% of the time with standard METs compared with measured METs. Misclassification was greater in individuals who were overweight, older, low fit, or women.
The Adult Compendium covers ages 19-59. Red codes identify estimated MET values.
Calculations for time off the bike
A pool session has different activity entries in the swimming calorie calculator. Floor exercises are covered in calories burned doing sit-ups.
For walking, the steps to calories calculator accepts a step count, while calories burned over 10,000 steps focuses on that distance in steps.
The TDEE calculator addresses daily energy estimates. The water intake calculator covers a separate calculation.
Keep meal records with TrueCal
Manual calorie logging is free in TrueCal. Pro includes typed meal descriptions, voice, food photos, barcode scanning, nutrition label photos, saved meals and macro tracking. Its nutrition estimates can be wrong.
Questions about biking calorie estimates
How are calories burned biking calculated?
The selected cycling MET is multiplied by body weight in kilograms and riding time in hours. The result is rounded to whole calories.
Does this calculator include indoor bikes?
Yes. The stationary entries cover effort descriptions, watt ranges and an RPM/Spin bike class. Each uses its own Compendium MET value.
What does a red cycling code mean?
The Compendium marks estimated MET values with red activity codes. Among the entries here, 01009 and 01050 have that marking.
What is the estimate for 45 minutes at 170 pounds?
For bicycling at 12-13.9 mph with moderate effort, code 01030 has a MET of 8.0. Those inputs give about 463 calories.
Sources for this cycling calculator
- Bicycling activity codes, checked 2026-10-07.
- MET and body weight units, checked 2026-10-07.
- Standard MET limitations, checked 2026-10-07.
- Adult Compendium scope, checked 2026-10-07.