Discover 5 reasons why you start cycling in this awesome post and read our Carrera Vanquish review too, the perfect summer road bike!
Welcoming in a new year often comes with new goals. Goals that will help become a better version of ourselves, hence the saying “New Year, New Me”.
A common New Years resolution is to get fit, active and lose weight. We’re all guilty of over indulging over Christmas (and rightly so), so loosing weight is often high on everyones radar. The new years diet is often an excuse when picking up an extra mince pie or another festival beverage .”The diet starts in January so I may as well indulge now”.
Joining the gym is one of the most common ways to try and get fit. However, gyms are always rammed to full capacity in January due to everyone doing the same thing; wanting to turn their bad eating habits and lack of exercise on its head. A full gym can make is harder for ‘first timmers’ to stick with the gym. The amount of people can make you anxious and conscious, especially if you don’t really know what you’re doing yet.
Taking up cycling can be a great way to lose some weight, whilst enjoying some beautiful scenery. Read some great benefits of cycling below (which aren’t just health based) and also read our review of a great first time road bike –
New Year, New Bike
Cycling is a great form of exercise, in particular Road Cycling is something we plan to make the most of for 2019. Ever since the success of Sir Bradley Wiggins in the 2012 London Olympics, road cycling is something us Brits really started to pursue.
What’s So Great About Road Cycling?
There are some many reasons to get take up Road Cycling as a method to keeping fit. Here are just a few of our favourite reasons for taking up cycling:
1. Beautiful Countryside
The UK has some of world’s most beautiful countryside. Perfect for an afternoon of bike riding when the weather play’s its part. Cycling is a great sport for getting you out of the 4 walls of a gym and out into the open air where there are thousands of views to enjoy on many different cycle paths across the UK. One moment you could find yourself cycling past a field full of livestock from a local farm to a small and quaint British village.
2. Easy To Maintain
Each session of road cycling will be completely different to the last, whether it’s down to the route, the weather or the company, no 2 routes will be the same. Because of this you’re likely to stick at it and less likely to give up. Compare this to repeating the same workouts at the gym on the same equipment, within the same 4 walls, you can start to understand why people give up on their fitness goals. Saying that, cycling isn’t just about loosing weight, it also a great way to relax and escape the reality of day-to-day life by letting the mind wander in the company of glorious scenery.
3. Cycling Can Be A Social Sport
Road Cycling is a really sociable sport. You often find large groups of people cycling together at any one time. This is great for anyone looking to start cycling or to meet people in your local area. It means there will always be people around you to encourage you and help you reach your goals. You’ll find that in your local area there will be multiple cycling groups to join at varying levels. Whether it’s more of a social club that cycles from town to town, or groups for expert cyclists that cover long distance.
4. Waistline Friendly
No man or women can deny that they like to look after themselves and try to look their best. Cycling is a great way to either lose weight or stay in shape; a vigorous hour long bike ride for a 185lb cyclist will see you burning over 800 calories. The equivalent of an hour long run at 6mph – we know which we’d prefer to do!
Due to road cycling being an outside sport, it’s also great for Vitamin D production. When our bodies are exposed to sunlight, we produce Vitamin D which is a vitamin which helps keep teeth, bones and muscles healthy. So not only is cycling great for the waistline but it’s also great for keeping us healthier on the inside.
Not to mention you can also get a tan at the same time which is a nice little bonus. However, make sure you’re always wearing sun cream when cycling.
5. Practicality
Cycling is probably one of the most practical sports. You can often incorporate cycling into your day-to-day life without having to make any drastic changes to your routine. For example, most people cycle to work.
Cycling is a great way to keep fit, think about the day ahead and all without the worry of having to go to the gym after work. Cycling can be incorporated into going to the local shop or visiting friends/family close that live close by. It also just makes for a great day out with the family; perfect for getting the kids away from the TV and into the sunshine.
It’s important to stay safe whilst cycling, read our 9 Ways To Stay Safe On The Roads When Cycling.
Once we knew that road cycling was one of our fitness goals for this year, we went for the Carrera Vanquish Disc Mens Road Bike and here’s our Carrera Vanquish review below:
Carrera Vanquish Review – Men’s Disc Road Bike Review
I was really apprehensive about being able to ride a men’s road bike. I’d never ridden a road bike before, only a traditional bicycle. I was used to the wider, thicker wheels of a mountain bike. However as soon as I sat on the Carrera Vanquish, all my worries vanished and off I went.
Check out a picture of the Carrera Vanquish on the right.
My first route on the bike saw me sticking to a residential area but choosing to ride the bike just before sun-set to avoid any embarrassment incase I fell off. Luckily I didn’t! Once I was comfortable with the Carrera bike I couldn’t wait to really test the bike out. At speed on an open clear road, just what the Carrera Vanquish is designed for.
My first cycling session saw me cycling to the next village a good 3-4 miles away but felt round the corner due to the speed the bike goes at. It was great to get the bike on an open road where I could really push it and it certainly delivered on my expectations. The adrenaline rush from the speed was great.
The vanquish was great at going up hill at speed, something which had always been difficult on a mountain bike. The light weight frame made for a completely different experience. I could see exactly why so many people were taking up road cycling.
The Claris gears worked really well and smoothly, allowing me to reach a good, high speed and maintain it. The Mechanical disc brakes are really powerful. At times I found the bike reminding me just how powerful the brakes are, just what you need for a decent road bike when travelling at speed. After all, who knows what is around the corner on these country roads.
I now can’t wait to really put the bike through it paces by joining my local cycling group and covering many miles on this good looking bike.
I’d also recommend getting the guys in store at Halfords to set the bike up for you. That way I knew there would be no issues with installation due to my inexperience with road cycling.
Overall, our Carrera Vanquish review is a positive one. A great bike for anyone guy looking to take up cycling for this summer.
If you’re looking for more tips and advice on starting cycling or upgrading your bike then check our Halfords site here.