5 Reasons to Explore the Outdoors by Bicycle

It’s often thought that the only way to explore the outdoors is by car or on foot. In fact, always venturing outside in this way can become repetitive, dull, and restrict what you can see and do outside. 

However, many of us fail to recognize biking as a means to adventure. Choosing to explore the outdoors by bicycle can provide additional benefits, a different perspective, and a new appreciation for our explorations.

Here are 5 reasons to explore the outdoors by bicycle:

1. Cover More Ground

Biking will get you more mileage and more mileage will allow you to tour more areas. While your two legs alone can carry you a certain distance, it’s easy to get tired. This is especially true when you try to cover a lot of ground. The best touring sites are not always close to the road and many require long trails to reach them. When trying to get in a lot of sightseeing in a single afternoon, it pays to cut out the long trek there and back. Bikes make this possible.

Also, when going over undulating terrain and rocky areas, no one wants to ruin their hiking boots or injure an ankle. Nowadays, there are so many bikes built for outdoor terrain, it makes sense to give them a try. These bikes are not only designed to withstand tough trails, they’re more heavy duty , thus making your journey on uneven land a lot easier. 

2. Improve Your Fitness

While fitness might not be your number one priority while exploring the outdoors, being healthier and more fit will make it easier to enjoy being active. When you’re overweight or out of shape, it can slow you down and make you tired faster.

Nevertheless, when you explore the outdoors by bicycle, it will raise your heart rate and be just as good as any spin bike in a gym. In time, biking will become far easier and more fun, allowing you to cover greater distances on each outdoor ride. 

3. Better for the Environment

When you switch from 4 wheels to 2, you benefit yourself as well as the environment. There’s no need to fill up your car’s gas tank and there are no harmful emissions or noise pollution coming from your car.  Parks benefit without the additional carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides that cars emit. Enjoy the fresh air and the silence from your bike as you venture outdoors.

4. Improve Your Navigational Skills

While being able to navigate while driving is a useful skill to develop, that all changes when you step on land.  When you’re not following a path or road, you have to determine what direction to go in and how to best plan a route over difficult terrain. This certainly makes the outdoors more interesting!

Just as there is planning involved for road trips, there is planning needed for venturing out on your bike.  Many cyclists enjoy exploring new and/or less developed areas, riding further away from the crowds, and trying alternative routes. Learn a whole new skillset for outdoor living when you navigate on two wheels.

5. Travel Becomes Less Expensive

When you’re traveling by car, you have to consider the cost of gas and general wear and tear on your vehicle. However, when you leave your car at home and take two wheels, the costs are almost exclusively upfront and not ongoing. You also don’t have to worry about parking fees or unexpected repair bills. 

While you may get the occasional tire puncture, fixing them by replacing the inner tube isn’t pricey or too inconvenient. Today, most bike tires are thicker and robust enough to take more damage and still stay inflated, especially those meant for trails and uneven terrain.

Change things up and explore the outdoors by bicycle! Getting outside on two wheels is an entirely different experience than doing it on foot or by car. With your new vantage point from the bike seat, along with a faster travel speed (over walking), and increased flexibility in your travel plans, you may find new joy while exploring the same old places or find a reason to explore some new ones.

Happy Travels!

Julie