Riding exercise bikes at the gym

[Riverman]

 

[Archie_tect]

 

[ianrauk]

I like it and have nicked it to send to a friend of mine who does exactly that...

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Well I've used a bike at the gym and even done a spinning class (gasp!), however I always went by bike. Apart from the cleaner I was the only one who cycled there all the time.

 

[The Brewer]

I walk to the gym and watch Phil and Holly, theres no where to tether the bike up

 

[Monsieur Remings]

A good training tool if you ask me. I don't have room for a turbo and I draw the line when it pisses down heavily, or when there's salt or copious amounts of ice on the roads - in the evenings at least. I'm a little more philosophical in daylight hours.

Have just joined my local gym for a 1 month period but it's no replacement, just a way of getting some mileage in when the weather is poor. Of the 900 or so miles I've managed since the beginning of 2012, only around 60 of them have been on the gym bike but on those nights, they were a welcome 2nd best.

Spent a lot of time on the road, at nightime in December and January, but the beginning of February was just too damned cold, icy (and salty) or wet.

 

[DiddlyDodds]

I quite happily sit in my nice warm car , heater on , electric seats on , radio tuned to Rock FM as i drive the 4 miles from work to spinning , i love my car as well as my bike so as i go there tonight in the rain and cold i am quite happy to sit deep in my heated seat.
Why do people on here sneer at cars ? i ride my bike for pleasure not because i have to , i also go scuba diving each month and do it for pleasure but i dont sit in the bath watching TV through a mask and snorkel .

 

[Globalti]

A good training tool if you ask me. I don't have room for a turbo and I draw the line when it pisses down heavily, or when there's salt or copious amounts of ice on the roads - in the evenings at least. I'm a little more philosophical in daylight hours.

Have just joined my local gym for a 1 month period but it's no replacement, just a way of getting some mileage in when the weather is poor. Of the 900 or so miles I've managed since the beginning of 2012, only around 60 of them have been on the gym bike but on those nights, they were a welcome 2nd best.

Spent a lot of time on the road, at nightime in December and January, but the beginning of February was just too damned cold, icy (and salty) or wet.

Spot on! There have been some evenings when it has been too wet, miserable and cold even for mountain bike night riding. It's so much easier to jump on the turbo trainer for an hour and if you use a HRM you can make it quite amusing for yourself. At least at the end of a turbo session all you've got to do is shower and chuck the sweaty clothes in the wash, no bike cleaning or maintenance needed.

 

[Archie_tect]

There I was thinking cycling was supposed to be about having fun, not a penance.

 

[Linford]

I thought that the exercise bikes in the gym I belonged to had very poor ergonomics. They looked nice enough, but weren't nice to spin. I ended up using the cross trainer all the time as it was easier on the knees.

 

[biggs682]

cant see the point of it

 

[fossyant]

I quite happily sit in my nice warm car , heater on , electric seats on , radio tuned to Rock FM as i drive the 4 miles from work to spinning , i love my car as well as my bike so as i go there tonight in the rain and cold i am quite happy to sit deep in my heated seat.
Why do people on here sneer at cars ? i ride my bike for pleasure not because i have to , i also go scuba diving each month and do it for pleasure but i dont sit in the bath watching TV through a mask and snorkel .

Bloody lightweight ! Hee Hee

 

[Monsieur Remings]

Spot on! There have been some evenings when it has been too wet, miserable and cold even for mountain bike night riding. It's so much easier to jump on the turbo trainer for an hour and if you use a HRM you can make it quite amusing for yourself. At least at the end of a turbo session all you've got to do is shower and chuck the sweaty clothes in the wash, no bike cleaning or maintenance needed.

That's the spirit, I mean 30 miles or so in the evening, as cold as it has been in my case after 8pm, get back, freezing in the shed and just a quick wash of the bike...and don't forget to get into all those little nooks and crannies otherwise the salt will do its work, so best get nicely inbetween that cassette and remember to re-lube, clean the chain, rub of excess, relube the pivots on the front and rear mechs and make sure the salt's gone, rub down the brake blocks blah blah blah etc blah.

How motivated I feel to do all that again with the added bonus of having to put a wash on before I manage a bath myself.

Too much pavlova some nights...

 

[Keith Oates]

For various reasons I spent the last five months in 2011 and half of January this year with no bike here in Vietnam but I did go to the gym at least five nights a week and do about 35 kms each night on a turbo. When I went back to the UK at Christmas this year (2011), I found that doing my normal training run was at a quicker time than before. I was pleasantly surprised how using the turbo had prepared me for riding an actual bike!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Linford]

A Turbo trainer is always going to be a better option as at least the ergonomics of your own bike will suit a lot better. The exercise bikes in my gym were like Dutch sit up and beg style.