join the gym or buy a bike?

[Owllady]

I need to lose 3 stone, 2 at least.
I had a swim pass but I am just too allergic to chlorine these days and it was becoming miserable.
I have been offered an assessment and tour for free at my local gym, but when they rang I was quite honest and said I didn't want to join because I feel so self conscious that I am overweight. She was really nice tbh, said all sorts of people go there, they can even advise times/classes when it's quieter, which I hadn't really thought about.
But
I like cycling and haven't had a bike for years and I am wondering whether that will be a better use of money as I do like the fresh air? The only thing I worry about is my cocycx as I broke it 18 months ago. Will riding a bike aggravate it?

I walk the dog well over an hour each day and we do agility training together, so it's not like I am completely unfit.

Has anyone got any thoughts?

I think cycling would be a great idea. However, to check on the coccyx issue, you could find out if you could hire a bike for a week to two before committing to buy. If you had physio, you could also talk to your physio.

Fingers crossed!

cycling isn't much fun except on a good quality bike & that's quite an outlay up front if you might not even enjoy it.

A kind of Hobson's choice because most gym members hardly ever go, you could find you don't really enjoy that either.

You could in theory try both; cheap bike & cheap introductory gym membership. Try to do each one 3x a week & find out which one you'd prefer to continue with afterwards.

What would you enjoy ? Surely it's about finding something that is fun for you ?
When you walk the dog do you walk briskly for the hour? That would be 4-5 miles - great way to boost fitness. Your heart rate should be raised.
Most dog walkers, myself included, let the dog run while they amble.

What would be classed as a good quality bike?

No, I walk briskly with the dog, it's 5 miles cross country.
I am overweight because of my diet and wine consumption. Both of which have been amended :)

Get a bike. Decent hybrid at approx £400. Like a specalized vita. Or one from trek or Scott. If budget can't stretch to that then look at decathlon.

Hmmm I'm an advocate of cycling. Start now because the weather is perfect and it will set you into a good routine should you continue over winter. I started riding again only 8 months ago and am about to hit my first 100km ride in 6 weeks. My fitness has increased so much!

I get bored with gyms really quickly. I now cycle everywhere, even to the shops! As well as longer rides.

You don't need to outlay a fortune for a decent ish bike. There are a lot of bad ones on the market. My bike was £500 and it's one of the cheaper ones from a top brand. However, my partner just started cyling for with me and we weren't willing to buy a 'proper' bike until we knew she was into it or not. So I sourced her a decent one for 250 and tbh it's so similar to my bike in all it's features. You don't need a super expensive bike unless you are a serous cyclist. If you want to pm me I'm happy to chat.

Cycling isn't that much fun in the cold/rain/dark either - but gym is no fun when you would rather be outside!!!

I would try hiring a bike first and see how your coccyx holds out - that might make the decision for you!

Could consider another active option, something more social. Like a sport or something with friends.

Friends? :o
If I had any I would

Get a bike. Can you cycle to work? I cycle in all weathers

I've got a knackered back and have one of these if you get the cycling bug

Wrong link. Hang on.

Don't feel too put off by gyms and feeling self conscious. I joined one a few months ago at a couple of stone overweight and have been easing myself in by going regularly but sticking mostly to cardio equipment because I feel less conspicuous on a bike/treadmill at the edge of the gym than on the machines/free weights. I plug my headphones in and try and ignore everyone! It helps if you can go off peak though, I go in the day as I only work part time, I wouldn't like to be there when it was too busy. I think I would feel equally self conscious on a real bike to be honest, unless I went at night!! On a positive note, the fear of what people might think was worse than the reality, I really don't mind it now. Good luck!