Indoor spin bike help.

[TurboComo5.0]

I’m thinking about getting a indoor spin bike to use during the cold winter months, anybody else use one to keep in shape during the winter? If so, what brand and why you like it. There’s so many out there and a large range in pricing. I’m looking at the Kaiser M3I, but wow.... don’t know if I want to spend that much for a clothesline......lol..
Any help will be appreciated....

 

[PDXzap]

Is there something special about a spin bike that has you interested? For a bike like the Como a regular exercise bike might be a better substitute for indoor "training" and the prices are usually much cheaper.

Stationary Bike Vs. Spin Bike: How Do They Differ? - ExerciseBike.net

We’re here today to outline the pros and cons of each bike and hopefully help you better understand which is going to be the superior option for you.

www.exercisebike.net

A lot of exercise/sporting equipment seems to be purchased on a whim. A few days, weeks, months, or years pass by without the equipment ever being used. I find bikes and ebikes can fit this description so you might find a good used deal.


Last winter I put roughly 300 miles on this bike.

I got it for free. A gal had purchased it thinking she'd use it all the time, lose weight, and get back some fitness she had lost. My guess is she put maybe 30 miles on it and then it sat. It stopped working because the alkaline batteries died and then leaked. She hadn't used it in a few years and wanted it GONE.
15 minutes cleaning up the leaked electrolyte and new batteries brought it back into perfect operating condition.
I wanted to turn it into pedal generator but hadn't got around to it and started riding it last winter.
This stationary bike has a more relaxed geometry like your Como vs. a spin bike which would be more of a road bike layout.

 

[TurboComo5.0]

I’m thinking that I want something with a flywheel, I’ve had trainers that I could put my road bike on and did not really like riding with resistance all the time. I’m an older guy and it seems like I lose most of my cycling fitness over the winter. I just want to keep my butt, legs and cardiovascular stamina. I got the como because of a knee injury and it really helped with the rehabilitation. I think if I can continue to ride this winter that I may be able to keep strengthening my knee and legs, plus gain some cardiovascular conditioning. I don’t want a indoor bike that feels like I’m climbing a hill and putting stress on my knee. That’s why I’m thinking about a spin bike.

 

[PDXzap]

Understood.

The bike I showed is a Schwinn Active 10 and without any batteries or when you have it on and it's set to zero resistance it's mostly a spin bike with a flywheel. Powered on it has different programs with varying resistance. I have an old trainer stand that I turned into a pedal generator and if there's nothing hooked up to the generator head it's basically no resistance. I really like using it with a 700c wheel because the wheel adds quite a bit of momentum once it's spinning. You might be able to find a simple bike stand that has no resistance, I've never seen one but the one's I'm familiar with, whatever they've attached to add resistance isn't too hard to remove.
Hopefully others will chime in.

 

[Over50]

I’m thinking about getting a indoor spin bike to use during the cold winter months, anybody else use one to keep in shape during the winter? If so, what brand and why you like it. There’s so many out there and a large range in pricing. I’m looking at the Kaiser M3I ...

I bought one at the end of last year for exactly the purpose and reasons you cite. I bought one of the belt-drive versions from the Precor Rally Spin line. I think it was a bit under $2K. I talked to a few folks in the know when I was shopping around and I heard great things about the Kaiser. I think you have to assemble on your own but they have videos to help. I put a few hundred miles on the Precor from Jan-Mar and my wife uses it from time to time. From early April till now I've hardly touched it but plan to use this winter. We have an older fitness cycle that is pretty clunky and noisy which has been collecting dust in our basement for years now. I purchased it many years before discovering e-bikes and I think retail on it was around $400. For keeping in shape for e-bike commuting, I wanted something more robust and pleasurable to use and an option that my petite wife could also use. The spin cycle is much quieter, smoother and with a greater range of adjustability vs our older general fitness stationary bike.

 

[Marci jo]

You should be commended for having the patience and commitment to do indoor winter cycling. I am like others, use the equipment for a few weeks, then it becomes a great rack for drying my leggings. The amount of guilt is directly proportional to the price of the equipment.

Maybe check your health insurance. It might cover the cost of a local health club. Then you don’t have a piece of equipment staring at you every time you walk into the room.

 

[TurboComo5.0]

In reality, I could probably go to the wellness center 8 miles from home for 4 years for the same cost of the spin bike I’m looking at. But, on those cold snowy days, I don’t know if I have the fortitude to get out on days like that. I think that if I had a expensive spin bike at home, I would be more inclined to hop on more often. I will admit that I have in the past bought other exercise equipment that turned into a expensive clothes hanger. I do have a treadmill that I did use quite a bit until my knee injury. My ebike has me feeling so much better physically that I don’t want to loose what I have gained.

 

[GaryRFM]

Winter indoor training (caution very additive )
You can use old bike with speed and cadence sensor
Cheap trainer with iPad /phone or computer
$10.00us a month after free trial
https://zwift.com/

 

[PedalUma]

I have worked in bike shops, and I have sold exercise equipment such as treadmills and spin bikes. The very best thing is to get a trainer. The magnetic ones are lightweight and silent. These will fold and can disappear behind or under a couch. This way you do not have another bulky cloths rack taking up a bunch of space. You will be using your existing bike. I like the Blackburn Mag 5. This similar one is $50.

 

[PedalUma]

Happy to be useful.
Just for fun I will show you a bike that I made electric Saturday. I put the motor between the pedals.

 

[fooferdoggie]

Happy to be useful.
Just for fun I will show you a bike that I made electric Saturday. I put the motor between the pedals.
View attachment 105540

I sold my gold rush because I was too sick to ride maybe 5 or so years ago. it would have been great to electrify.

 

[PedalUma]

That Gold Rush is a cool bike. Sorry you were sick. Glad you are better. Yes, it would be fun to electrify. It is like an adult Sting Ray from 1972. And highly valued. The red one cost $600 plus the faring and conversion. Now I am working on converting a lugged frame, drop bar, gravel bike, 11-speed with Paul and White Industries components. It is 'bad' in the good way. Was the Gold Rush 58-t on the ring? Nice.

 

[Prairie Dog]

My wife and I are waiting to take delivery of an Elite Nero interactive roller to augment our winter training regime. It might take a few sessions to adapt to this new form of training device vs a direct drive turbo style trainer which is attached to the bike’s rear axle as we wanted to replicate riding outside indoors. Since one is required to balance while you pedal it forces you to ride in the same manner as you would on the road.

 

[Prairie Dog]

@Prairie Dog that's amazing

We’ve been using the Nero for well over a week now and have overcome the initial jitters and fear of losing balance. So far, it’s been quite a stimulating workout but have yet to hook up to the virtual world via Zwift or RGT. Still mulling over my options.

 

[minigrrl]

I used to have a trainer that I used with my road bike and Zwift but I quickly got bored with Zwift. I tried to use the trainer with the Peloton spin classes but it wasn't ideal.

I then bought a cheap spin bike and used that for a year or so.

Then I upgraded to a Keiser m3i, which is an awesome bike. I was using it with the Peloton app.

As soon as the Peloton bikes became available in Australia, I bought a Bike+. I love it SO much. Having said that I have always been a spin junkie from the very early days of spin class sometime in the 90s.

I have the bike screen hooked up to a big TV in my gym and I also do strength classes, stretching classes, and yoga. I never EVER thought I'd be into yoga but I'm loving it. I have regained mobility in my arthritic hip that I thought was gone forever. It's kind of crazy...

The massive number of classes on Peloton are what does it for me. I can do power zone training (lots of groups (facebook, reddit), etc) out there with structured programming), decide on rides based on the music playlists, do a hill climb, or just hop on the bike and do a relaxing low impact ride. There is also a calendar set up by a PT (called hardcore) which is structured strength training. Etc.

I have definitely been sipping (gulping?) the Peloton Kool-aid!!

 

[minigrrl]

We’ve been using the Nero for well over a week now and have overcome the initial jitters and fear of losing balance. So far, it’s been quite a stimulating workout but have yet to hook up to the virtual world via Zwift or RGT. Still mulling over my options.

Wow, that is the coolest trainer ever...

 

[Ade]

I have a indoor spin bike and just love it. You don't need to spend the earth. Mine cost 100 pounds off ebay, for a really good bike with large flywheel and a friction brake. It is very smooth and quiet with plenty of resistance. I then changed the spare bedroom into a bike room, bought a 39ins smart tv and mounted it on the wall.
Then if you go onto YouTube to the GCN cycle channel you will have all the training videos you could wish for, for free. To add and believe me, they will really test your fitness. Since starting using their videos I am now a lot fitter, cycle faster, climb hills far better, (I never get off the bike on any hill) that is on a none electric bike.

 

[Ade]

Forgot to add, I also purchased two Megane sensors one for cadence and one for speed. I then downloaded the Wahoo app to my phone. The app measures my cadence, my speed and my lap time so that I can compare each work out and keep a check on my progress.

 

[Prairie Dog]

I used to have a trainer that I used with my road bike and Zwift but I quickly got bored with Zwift. I tried to use the trainer with the Peloton spin classes but it wasn't ideal.

I then bought a cheap spin bike and used that for a year or so.

Then I upgraded to a Keiser m3i, which is an awesome bike. I was using it with the Peloton app.

As soon as the Peloton bikes became available in Australia, I bought a Bike+. I love it SO much. Having said that I have always been a spin junkie from the very early days of spin class sometime in the 90s.

I have the bike screen hooked up to a big TV in my gym and I also do strength classes, stretching classes, and yoga. I never EVER thought I'd be into yoga but I'm loving it. I have regained mobility in my arthritic hip that I thought was gone forever. It's kind of crazy...

The massive number of classes on Peloton are what does it for me. I can do power zone training (lots of groups (facebook, reddit), etc) out there with structured programming), decide on rides based on the music playlists, do a hill climb, or just hop on the bike and do a relaxing low impact ride. There is also a calendar set up by a PT (called hardcore) which is structured strength training. Etc.

I have definitely been sipping (gulping?) the Peloton Kool-aid!!

View attachment 107985

Quite envious of the setup you have there! We don’t have a separate workout space in our basement so we have to make do with what we have. A kayaking ergometer had to be temporarily moved into a utility room to accommodate the Nero and our bikes. Yoga has also been a superb way for us to enhance flexibility and strength. Yin in particular focuses on soft tissue, tendons, and fascia….

So far, we’re enjoying the workouts that we get with the Nero especially my wife who doesn’t partake in riding outdoors during the winter months. There is an undeniable learning curve at first but the parabolic rollers do make it easier by steering the bike back to the center if you happen to wander slightly. It also folds up neatly and requires very little storage space if required. I’m still on the fence with respect to hooking it up virtually with Zwift and am considering the free version offered by RGT Cycling. For the time being, I’m just rocking to my tunes.

 

[Ade]

Hi, it is certainly a good way of saving space you have. I to really fancy the Zwift vertical setup, but not the cost of it.
I have also invested in some winter bike wear, with the intention of getting out more this winter, wether that will happen remains to be seen.