What can I do with a Spinning Bike? Other than spin, of course...

In My Humble Opinion
1

So, I want a bike. I want to get the best or, at the very least, the most productive workout I can get from moving my legs in a circle while at home. Now, I’ve seen a couple of models, both upright “regular” bikes and the more sportsy-looking spinning bike, and, for the life of me, I can’t fathom what exactly I’d miss from the other in case I buy either model. What’s the deal?

What I’m looking for mostly with the cardio is to put my heart up and running along with my metabolism and endurance. Shedding pounds of fat isn’t the sole purpose I have in mind. For what it’s worth, and I think it’s worth something, I’m 18 and have no problems whatsoever and am allowed to exert a good share of physical force.

I’m thinking here I can basically do the same kind of workout with both, but just to be sure, I’m looking for your opinion on the matter. I mean, it’s not like I can origami one model into a hamster’s training wheel and adjust my water bottle holder to tube mode, can I?

…

Can I?

2

Without seeing the bikes in question, there may be subtle differences in the way your muscles get exercised, due to the way in which the device constrains your posture.

My (unsolicited, feel free to ignore) advice would be to invest in a real bike; that way, when you’re finished (or in fact ideally, halfway through) exercising, you’ll be somewhere new. But that’s just my worthless opinion - conditioned by my amusement at seeing people drive to the sports centre to spend half an hour walking on a treadmill, then drive home.

3

I think you’re asking what the difference is between a standard exercise bicycle and a spin bike. If that’s the case, there’s a world of difference. Simply speaking, a spin bike more closely resembles an actual outdoor bike fairly well. A standard exercise bike can give you an OK workout, but it doesn’t feel much like a real bike.

Spin bikes, on the other hand, can actual be used to train for biking outdoors. It’s not exactly the same, but it’s close enough that you’ll get some benefit out of it. You can simulate standing climbs and free wheel spinning. IMO you get a much better workout on a spin bike than a standard exercise bike, but that may just be because I never much liked standard bikes.

The spin bike has a rhythm to it, much like a real bike. You can put on the tunes and really jam on it, and it feels good. It’s almost like dancing on a bike at times.

Most gyms have both types of bikes - go try 'em out and see what you like.

Go for the spin bike!

4

Ditto the spin bike for all the reasons Athena stated above.

Another option to consider is your own bike (if you have one) on a stationary trainer. The benefit is that you get to use your own bike which hopefully fits you well. The trainer is fairly inexpensive ($150 - $250). It takes no more room than a stationary bike. If you have knobby tires on your bike you’ll have to swap those for some slicks to get good contact with the trainer.

The extra money can be spent on a small tv and some good training videos.

5

I agree with Quicksilver, the most versatile combo is the trainer/real bike combo

I just picked up a CycleOps Mag trainer for $130 at my LBS (Local Bike Shop), i was looking for a cheap, basic trainer and the choice was between the Mag and the Wind

all i needed was a basic, simple trainer, don’t need fluid or electronic, the Wind trainer is nice and simple, just one moving part, the tire roller/wind flywheel, but it’s incrredibly noisy at speed, it does make a nice breeze, but since i’m going to be cycling in an empty bay in the gararge in the dead of winter, a cold wind might not be helpful

the Mag is quieter by a large amount (about half the noise level) and is only slightly more mechanically complex (2 moving parts, the flywheel/roller and the magnetic resistance module), and it gives 5 resistance settings, depending on magnet position setting, combine that with the ability to change gears while on the bike, and it gives more resistance possibilities than the “Singlespeed” wind-only model (which would be a good match for my Singlespeed bike, come to think of it :wink: )

spin bikes look nice, yes, but can you take them outside for a ride when the weather is nice?

a real bike/trainer combo makes more sense for the home gym

just be aware that trainers eat rear tires for lunch, you might want to invest in a second rear wheel with a slick on it (assuming you’re using a MTB on the trainer), i’m going to get a trainer-specific rear wheel built and put a cheap slick on it, simply swap out the rear wheel when i ride the trainer , no point in putting new tires on both front and rear for trainer rides, as the front tire will not wear on the trainer

6

Hmm… me and bicycles have never mixed well. I’m definitely not bi-curious at this moment so a spin bike will do. I have tested the ones at my gym and they proved to deliver a better workout.

Now, all I need is to prove it to others involved in my monetary allegiances. Is there any technical and/or scientific information available on the web in regards to what exactly constitutes a workout on these machines? Heat sensing footage of some guy wheeling it might be a tad too much, but a general (and hopefully little biased) site with comprehensive info could do the trick.

Nope. Neither can I take a real one outside before I hit a pothole (of which there are plenty in my city) or am hit by an SUV. I never really did have a childhood.

See, I walk everywhere. I don’t have a car so my trips to the gym are done by spending bus and leg fuel. The idea of the bike is not to “live a healthier lifestyle” but to shorten my number of trips to the gym (which can be a real drag to my schedule) and spin away when I feel like it, not being burdened by either opening/closing times or weather.

But yes, people who drive to the sports center suck. Mostly because because they don’t give me a lift.

7

How much calories you burn during exercise is a matter of effort, your fitness level and your body’s metabolic rate. All big variables and any device that give a calorie count (burned calories) is just an estimate. However, a consistant effort at 80% of you max heart rate (very tough if you’re not already fit) will burn about 800 calories. You can get personal heart rate monitors for under $100 (Amazon has a good selection) that will calculate your caloric output. They will also tell you a lot of other helpful things like your min/max heart rate and time in and out of target heart rate zone. Other useful things as well if you really get into training regularly.

If you want a good idea of the level of effort you need to put into your workout to maximize your results, the vidoes I suggested will be your best guide.

Good luck.