Is cycling healthy ?

[Mazzin]

I went out on my first commute a few days ago 14 mile round trip... I was out of breath and naturally breathing heavily to take in more air.

As I cycled on the road a large lorry followed shortly by a double decker bus and further down the road a small moped which left a long trail of diesel smelling air. I began to wonder how healthy cycling is......particularly cycling alongside traffic...with close proximity to all the fumes from vehicles.

 

[Herzog]

Healthier than sitting in one of the passing cars...

 

[vickster]

The health benefits outweigh the bad. If you are struggling to breathe, see a doctor, especially if asthmatic. Air quality has been poor lately. Consider a thin buff over mouth and keep away from the rear of vehicles if possible

 

[DWiggy]

It seems every other car is a Diesel, even the modern eco ones chug out thick clouds of soot and smoke, I would suspect that people are not servicing their cars as often as they should...cough!

 

[BrumJim]

IIRC, if you ride on major roads, you are doing more damage than good due to your heavy breathing. The benefit of the bicycle is that you can ride on minor roads and cycle ways for much of your journey where the pollution is a lot less, whereas the car driver cannot, and is breathing in the fumes of the car in front.

 

[vickster]

Diesel fumes are foul, dirty and sickly. I don't like being behind an old van or car in the car, let alone on the bike. I think they are trying to clean up buses in London, some locally are electric

 

[mcshroom]

Think about where the air intake is for your car when driving the same road. Breathing on the bike is probably better just from lack of proximety.

Getting back to less subjective reasoning, estimates vary but the benefit:disbenefit ratio of cycling on your health is about 20:1 according to the CTC.

 

[summerdays]

I think you are meant to be slightly better than the people in a car sitting behind the car/bus in front, because the pollutants accumulate in the car and their air intake is lower down. I read that somewhere on the net. However as others have said you can choose routes away from the traffic, which I do sometimes for a change of pace. If I see something obviously belching stuff I either hang back or work out if I can get past and stay in front.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

@Mazzin, if it bothers you, you can buy filter masks to cycle in. They don't seem to be too popular though, for obvious reasons. I put a spurt on and get past or hang back a bit if I feel like I'm chewing on the exhaust of a vehicle nearby.

I'd rather be cycling outdoors than going to a gym and breathing in other peoples exertion farts and sweat mist.

 

[fossyant]

If you are puffing along, there is a good chance you need to up the training you do, then you'd realise it does indeed keep you healthy. The more you do, the fitter you get. Far more pollutant exosure by sitting in a car behind all the traffic.

 

[400bhp]

IIRC, if you ride on major roads, you are doing more damage than good due to your heavy breathing. The benefit of the bicycle is that you can ride on minor roads and cycle ways for much of your journey where the pollution is a lot less, whereas the car driver cannot, and is breathing in the fumes of the car in front.

#WARNING#

This post contains Daily Mail claptrap.

 

[Brandane]

The difference in a car is that even the most basic cars these days have some kind of filter system on air entering the car through the vents. Even still, when I am in the car and following a van belching out clouds of soot, I will switch the air intake to the "re-circulate" option (which prevents outside air being drawn into the car), preferably before any of the diesel fumes have a chance to get into the car!

 

[BrumJim]

#WARNING#

This post contains Daily Mail claptrap.

Hmm:
http://road.cc/content/news/105223-...t-due-polluting-chemicals-new-research-claims

 

[Hip Priest]

Research shows that 99% of all cyclists will eventually die.

 

[clid61]

Research shows that 99% of all cyclists will eventually die.

and the other 1% sufer a fate worse than death lol ?