Does biking make your thighs big?

Yes, especially for men whose muscles bulk more than those of women.

I would say no. Lifting weights like squats will increase size of the muscles. after reading marinas answer my correction is I’m no expert and usually agree with marina.

oh, haha. I was wondering, because I don’t want to have huge thighs.. from biking around everywhere, that’s my transportation most of the time.

I’ve seen some female bike-riders with very svelte thighs. I think it depend on your body type. I have huge muscle mass to begin with, if I do any kind of weight training my muscles get huge. If you have lean muscle, I wouldn’t worry too much about it.

I stand corrected by the fitness experts:

“With this in mind, the way you use your bike will determine whether or not you develop larger muscles. For example, if you are using an exercise bike with a lot of resistance on it for a relatively short period of time, you may develop strength in the muscle, which may cause muscle hypertrophy (size increase). However, this is rare. In general, cycling is an excellent form of exercise and generally creates beautifully toned, lean legs so don’t worry and get cycling. Remember to wear a helmet whilst cycling outdoors.”

I bike a lot and my thighs don’t get bigger but they do firm up and make them “feel” bigger.

biking is a predomiently a cardiovascular excercise, it helps to improve your target heart rate and aerobic proficiency. It also works your quads (top part of leg) and a little bit of your calves. To get big, meaty thighs weight lifting is a more effective type of workout because it builds muscle mass

Cycling is my main way to get around too – so far my thighs are pretty much the same. More toned, but not bigger.

Exercise such as biking combined with proper diet are keys to a long and healthy life.
Oh, well.

Okay, thanks for the inputs. That’s a relief then. :P I don’t want big thighs. lol

rock hard, but bigger no. Calves are an entirely different issue however…

@mcbealer… oh no!? do calves grow bigger from biking?!?!

****** link is NSFW ******************************************

yes, although check out this picture of Lance Armstrong.
No one could accuse him of being bulky.

It’s as others have posted, related to your body mass, and how thick your muscles are. For the record, Lance has previously commented about how he actually weighs out all of his food portions when he’s in training.

i bike everywhere and my thighs have gotten bigger, but i dont think they are gigantic or weird or anything. But—- i have had conversations with other bikers (male and female) about how our thighs got bigger. It also depends how hard you ride. If you’re just commuting and not riding hills all the time I think you’ll be fine…..

I have been biking for 20 years, and do have big legs. On 2/22/2008, the day after my bike ride to Oakland, my right thigh was a near-record 73.8 cm (29 1/16 in). On 7/7/2008, 5 days after my bike ride to Hollister, it was 71.6 cm (28 3/16 in). On 5/24/1997, the day of my bike ride to Half Moon Bay, it was 71.2 cm (28 1/32 in). On 5/7/1998, it was a record 75.8 cm (29 27/32 in). For most of the 1990’s, I used high gears. My favorite bike during this period had a 108-inch gear (52×13, 27-inch wheels). about 5 months before the bike became completely disabled, both derailleur cables broke, making the highest gear the only one available. I continued to ride it right up to the time it was unusable.