Cycling consistently burns more calories per hour than walking. But if you're choosing a weight-loss activity to do almost every day, the rate of calorie burn isn't necessarily the final answer -- other factors come into play, too.
Estimated Calorie Burns
Harvard Health Publications estimates that if you weigh 185 lbs., an extremely brisk 4.5-mph walk with burn 222 calories every half-hour. A brisk cycle, at between 12 and 14 mph, burns about 355 calories in the same amount of time.
Preference Trumps Calories
Even though brisk cycling burns more calories than a brisk walk, the bike won't do you any good sitting in the garage. If you hate cycling so much that you can't bring yourself to do it, walking frequently will ultimately burn more calories than cycling infrequently or not at all.
Considerations
Although cycling burns more calories, you might feel more comfortable walking if you have balance problems that put you at risk of falling off the bike. Sitting on a bicycle seat can be uncomfortable, focusing all your body weight on a relatively small surface area -- another reason why you might choose walking over biking, despite the lower calorie burn.
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