Biking questions

[Lettuce]

Okay, so it's colder than heck out (where I am at least) and I've put my bike up in storage for the winter. I was never really a fan of the bikes at the gym and the ones they have now you kinda lay back on. I'm not really fond of them, although they are rather comfortable.

They look somewhat like this one.

I wanted to know what the cyclists here thought of these stationary bikes as a "replacement" in the winter time or if I should just continue using the treadmill until the weather gets better.

 

[g8r80]

Okay, so it's colder than heck out (where I am at least) and I've put my bike up in storage for the winter. I was never really a fan of the bikes at the gym and the ones they have now you kinda lay back on. I'm not really fond of them, although they are rather comfortable.

They look somewhat like this one.

I wanted to know what the cyclists here thought of these stationary bikes as a "replacement" in the winter time or if I should just continue using the treadmill until the weather gets better.

If you are using the stationary bike as a trainer replacement for cycling during the winter, then you want to mimic a real bike as much as possible. Most bike racers and triathletes prefer using a trainer with their bike. OTOH, if you are looking for something to provide cardio, anything that raises your heart rate will do including any type of stationary bike, treadmill, elliptical, stairstepper, etc. will do depending on your personal preferences.

That is a recumbent bike stationary bike; I prefer the upright stationary bike as it better prepares you rof

 

[GT2003]

I agree 100% with g8r80. If you are looking to truly maintain/increase your cycling level, go with a trainer or at the very least an upright stationary bike.

On the other hand, I just bought a recumbent simply because they don't cause the numbness/lack of blood flow in the groin region that i experience with the upright stationaries. This hasn't been too much of a problem on my road bike but the upright stationaries always caused numbness and I don't experience this with the recumbents. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[tjl]

I wanted to know what the cyclists here thought of these stationary bikes as a "replacement" in the winter time or if I should just continue using the treadmill until the weather gets better.

You can put your road bike on a trainer or rollers. Should be much closer to riding on the road, and the needed additional equipment is much less expensive and bulky than a dedicated stationary bike.

 

[Lettuce]

My gym only has these ones. I know what you mean about the numbness in the groin. I hate that with a passion.

You can put your road bike on a trainer or rollers. Should be much closer to riding on the road, and the needed additional equipment is much less expensive and bulky than a dedicated stationary bike.

I never knew this. Will it work with a mountain bike as well? I'll have to get one for my wifes bike too!

Currently, my living quarters are a bit too cramped to do this, but it will definately work down the road!

Thanks for the advice guys.

 

[Litespeed]

Go to any good bike shop and they can show you what the "trainer" looks like and yes you can put a mountain bike on one. The only draw back is that you will wear out your rear tire pretty quickly, so be sure and get a cheap tire to use. Also on a mountain bike it's better if you put a slick tire on the rear, otherwise resistance will probably be to great. Have fun!

 

[g8r80]

Go to any good bike shop and they can show you what the "trainer" looks like and yes you can put a mountain bike on one. The only draw back is that you will wear out your rear tire pretty quickly, so be sure and get a cheap tire to use. Also on a mountain bike it's better if you put a slick tire on the rear, otherwise resistance will probably be to great. Have fun!

Also, those knobby tires will howl like a sumvabitch...

 

[Lettuce]

Also, those knobby tires will howl like a sumvabitch...

:yelrotflmao:

I had a feeling it would work progressively better with a 10-speed. I guess I could just find a smaller tire or take that one off completely if it really comes down to it.