Activity calories · 2024 Compendium METs

Calories burned on a stationary bike

Quick answer

A 70 kg (154 lb) person burns about 238 kcal in 30 minutes of on a stationary bike (General), and about 476 kcal in an hour. That is 6.8 METs.

30 minutes: 238kcal; 70 kg (154 lb)
1 hour: 476kcal; 70 kg (154 lb)
1 hour: 408kcal; 60 kg (132 lb)
1 hour: 544kcal; 80 kg (176 lb)

On an exercise bike the Compendium rates effort by power in watts, so the same ride can sit anywhere from light to very vigorous depending on resistance. If your bike shows watts, pick the band that matches; if it does not, use the general entry or the spin class entry.

Calculate calories burned on a stationary bike

Starts at 70 kg (154 lb) for 30 minutes of on a stationary bike at 6.8 METs; enter your own weight and time.

Calories burned on a stationary bike by weight and time

Kilocalories for on a stationary bike at 6.8 METs (General), by body weight and minutes. Read across from your weight; the pace table below shows the other rows.

Calories burned on a stationary bike at 6.8 METs, by body weight and duration
Body weight	15 min	30 min	45 min	1 hour	1.5 hours	2 hours
50 kg (110 lb)	85	170	255	340	510	680
60 kg (132 lb)	102	204	306	408	612	816
70 kg (154 lb)	119	238	357	476	714	952
80 kg (176 lb)	136	272	408	544	816	1,088
90 kg (198 lb)	153	306	459	612	918	1,224
100 kg (220 lb)	170	340	510	680	1,020	1,360
110 kg (243 lb)	187	374	561	748	1,122	1,496

On a stationary bike: calories by pace or effort

The Compendium rates on a stationary bike on 9 lines, from 3.5 METs (25 to 30 watts, very light) up to 10.3 METs (151 to 199 watts). Each row below is one of those codes with the calories it works out to.

Calories burned on a stationary bike by pace or effort
Pace or effort	Compendium code	METs	30 min, 60 kg (132 lb)	30 min, 70 kg (154 lb)	30 min, 80 kg (176 lb)	1 hour, 70 kg (154 lb)
25 to 30 watts, very light	01210	3.5	105	123	140	245
50 watts, light	01214	4	120	140	160	280
60 watts, light to moderate	01216	5	150	175	200	350
70 to 80 watts	01218	5.8	174	203	232	406
General	01200	6.8	204	238	272	476
101 to 125 watts	01224	6.8	204	238	272	476
126 to 150 watts	01228	8	240	280	320	560
Spin class	01270	9	270	315	360	630
151 to 199 watts	01232	10.3	309	361	412	721

The Compendium’s own wording for each code: 01210, “Bicycling, stationary, 25-30 watts, very light to light effort”; 01214, “Bicycling, stationary, 50 watts, light effort”; 01216, “Bicycling, stationary, 60 watts, light to moderate effort”; 01218, “Bicycling, stationary, 70-80 watts”; 01200, “Bicycling, stationary, general”; 01224, “Bicycling, stationary, 101-125 watts”; 01228, “Bicycling, stationary, 126-150 watts”; 01270, “Bicycling, stationary, RPM/Spin bike class”; 01232, “Bicycling, stationary, 151-199 watts”.

What changes the number for on a stationary bike

Pace is the biggest lever. The hardest listed way of on a stationary bike (151 to 199 watts) is rated at 10.3 METs, 2.9 times the 3.5 METs of the gentlest (25 to 30 watts, very light). For a 70 kg (154 lb) person that is 721 kcal an hour against 245 kcal.

Body weight is the second: the same 6.8 METs of on a stationary bike for 30 minutes comes to 170 kcal at 50 kg (110 lb) and 374 kcal at 110 kg (243 lb). To reach 100 kcal at 70 kg (154 lb) takes about 13 minutes at the starting pace.

Laid out in half-hour terms for 70 kg (154 lb): 25 to 30 watts, very light is 123 kcal; 50 watts, light is 140 kcal; 60 watts, light to moderate is 175 kcal; 70 to 80 watts is 203 kcal; general is 238 kcal; 101 to 125 watts is 238 kcal; 126 to 150 watts is 280 kcal; spin class is 315 kcal; 151 to 199 watts is 361 kcal.

How the calories are worked out

The formula is calories = MET × body weight in kg × hours. A MET compares an activity with sitting quietly, which is 1 MET and is taken as roughly 1 kcal per kilogram per hour. That equivalence is an approximation, which is why every figure is rounded and called about.

For on a stationary bike at 6.8 METs, a 70 kg (154 lb) person for 30 minutes: 6.8 × 70 × 0.5 = 238 kcal. This is a gross figure: it includes the energy your body would spend at rest in the same time.

The MET values are those of the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities (Herrmann SD, Willis EA, Ainsworth BE, et al., J Sport Health Sci 2024), read from its activity list on 2026-10-23 and copied with their codes. They are averages for adults; see how we calculate.

Frequently asked questions

How many calories does a 70 kg person burn on a stationary bike in 30 minutes?

About 238 kcal at 6.8 METs (General). The whole range for on a stationary bike on this page runs from 123 kcal (25 to 30 watts, very light) to 361 kcal (151 to 199 watts) in the same half hour.

How many calories does on a stationary bike burn in an hour?

At 6.8 METs, about 408 kcal for a 60 kg (132 lb) person, 476 kcal at 70 kg (154 lb) and 544 kcal at 80 kg (176 lb). Heavier people burn more because they move more mass.

How long does on a stationary bike take to burn 100 calories?

For a 70 kg (154 lb) person, about 13 minutes at 6.8 METs (General). At the gentlest listed pace (25 to 30 watts, very light, 3.5 METs) it takes 24 minutes, and at the hardest (151 to 199 watts, 10.3 METs) about 8.

Does the number for on a stationary bike include the calories I would burn anyway?

Yes. Of the 6.8 METs, 1 is the resting cost, about 15% of the total here, so the activity itself adds about 203 of the 238 kcal in 30 minutes at 70 kg (154 lb).

Why would my watch show a different number for on a stationary bike?

A watch uses its own model, often with heart rate, age and sex, while this page uses the Compendium’s average. For on a stationary bike that average already spans 9 entries from 3.5 to 10.3 METs, a 2.9-fold range, so a gap between the two is normal.

Which line in the table should I choose for on a stationary bike?

Pick the row that best describes how you did it: this page starts from “General”, about 49% of the way up the 3.5 to 10.3 MET range. The rows are separate Compendium entries (01210, 01214, 01216, 01218, 01200, 01224, 01228, 01270, 01232).

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These are estimates for healthy adults from average MET values. How much you actually burn varies with your fitness, body composition, technique, terrain and conditions, so use the figures as a guide, not a measurement. This is not medical advice.