I wouldnt make that assumption with the knees, less stress from impact compared to running, but you are raising that joint to a much higher (unnatural) angle with cycling, over decades you'd probably wear out the cartilidge quicker Plus plenty of stuff over the last couple decades to sat cardio over a certain heart rate, not such a good thing as it just puts extra pressure on the weakest parts of the arteries. Everything in moderation, I think walking or swimming is better than running, jogging or cycling, especially over the long term
I love to ride my bike. The city I live in has a great network of bike paths I regularly use. There's a nice 30 - 35 mile loop I ride mostly on Saturday mornings. Its great exercise and as has been mentioned previously much easier on the lower extremities than running.
Have not been riding on a regular basis for many years. Plan to ride in our local 100 miler event on Sunday 21/10/2018. Currently able to ride 43 miles, but not quickly. Need to be quick by October. Average age of riders doing the 100 miler is 60 y.o. They will do about 20 mph average. So I need to train for this event.
World Masters Games (2009) - Sydney Took up cycling in 2004 to lose weight and overcome arthritis in my right hip. By 2005 I lost 30 kgs (66 lbs) and no longer had symptoms of arthritis. Officially started UCI road racing in 2007, with the Murwillumbah Cycling Club. The following year I heard about the World Masters Games. It is held every four years in a different country. 2009 saw the event in Sydney. It was an opportunity I did not want to miss. The gathering of athletes, on the grounds of the Sydney ANZ Stadium, for the opening ceremony. During the ceremony. It was a humbling experience. The road race was at Eastern Creek Raceway. The course also took in the drag strip and a short criterium circuit through the car parking area. Several laps to cover 56 kms (35 miles) for my age group (50-54 yrs). I was somewhat apprehensive at the start line, and was trying to relax so as not to waste energy. There were 95 starters. About a third of these were Australians (home ground). About 20 odd did not finish (DNF). I was pleased with my 38th place (midfield).
Trained hard and lost more weight to reach peak fitness for the Masters World Road Cycling Championships. It is held every year at St Johann in Tirol, Austria. Arrived one month early to train and familiarize myself with the circuit. My age category was 56-58. A hilly 76 km race. Expected race time is just under two hours. Most of my riding was sight seeing. It was cycling heaven. The most roads were so smooth (and fast), and everybody was cyclist friendly. Rode about 600 kms per week. Stayed in a self-contained one bedroom cottage. One of the many towns I had visited. A shrine along the race circuit. Rode to Germany a few times to circle Lake Chiemsse. Met other cyclists there too. Favourite baker-cafe in St Johann in Tirol. Head Office in St Johann for race registrations etc. The race. Two lap circuit. This is the main hill. The race, after a while started to split up into groups, with stray riders in between. I was one of the strays. I did not finish the race. Somehow I hit the deck and became unconscious for 40 minutes before paramedics helicoptered in and woke me up. Cannot remember anything about the incident. Lost lots of blood, a tooth, and received 11 stitches at St Johann hospital. Two days later I was back in the cottage, packing up to fly home to Australia. I saw my bike in the hallway, the carbon frame was broken into four pieces. Suffered slight brain damage. For several months I would now and again walk a crooked line, like a drunk. When someone asked me a question, I knew what to say, but it took a long time to get ready to respond. Discovered that most answers/responses in life are unnecessary. Also I was not living in a story, but actually present. Listening to the sounds all around me instead of my own thoughts. Started riding again fairly quickly, for I could ride a bike without the slightest wobble, but walking was the problem. Eventually all got healed and back to normal. Created a collage of the incident. By doing so I was hoping some missing memory may surface. But that was to no avail. The collage is at: Astray Art A part of me would like to go back to Austria and have another go at it.
Its not an assumption. Running/jogging IS worse for your knees. I agree with this. Except 1 thing: cycling normal (nothing fanatically) regularly is not worse than walking normal. Both are excellent to properly use joints and muscles one would otherwise use too less. Swimming as well!
I wear a helmet whenever I ride and am extremely glad I do. I have been in two wrecks - once hit by a car and once collided with another cyclist who was out of his lane on a blind curve. Both times my head hit the pavement hard - hard enough to shatter the core of the helmet (as it is designed to do). I shudder to think what the outcome would have been had I not had the helmet on.
Maybe normal cycling in other countries is just more dangerous. That is likely it. Here in the Netherlands no one used to wear a bicycle helmet but everyone has a bicycle. So unless one is old and shaky or have an ailment like chance on an epileptic episode, or is of course racing on a racing bicycle it just looks weird here. Personally i think middleaged men in bicycle suits look weird most of the time anyway (helmet or not), but hey... i don't really care As long as they use the public roads properly. If normal cyclists have to watch out all the time for racing idiots (more so than for cars..!) something is obviously going wrong
In regards to above story, The doctors told me I might not be here if I did not have my helmet on. In Australia, many cyclists get killed by motorists. Many get clipped (that is all it takes) by motorists who drive past as close as they can to scare you. I ride on or in the off side of the fog line. Road rules say I am entitled to use the traffic lane, and a 4 foot clearance of cyclists when driving over 60 kph (37 mph). Many times a car passes me real close, within a foot, and as they drive away you can see that they have at least three feet clearance from the centre line. They play one way chicken, and some cyclists get killed. It's driver ego stupidity. Those that get caught, and found to be negligent go to prison. Many of us now use mini video cameras on rear of bike and/or helmet.