Home bike : spinning or normal ?

M

Miquel Tunsch

0
Hi,
Actually I have a Concept2 rowing machine at home and I want to change it for a high class static bike.
My questions are :
Spinning or normal bike ?
Once decided this, which kind of machine ?
My home training is specially orientated to improve my results doing montain bike in summer season and skiing in winter season.
Thanks, Miquel.
 
The C2 is an awesome rower. I would keep that and get a spinning bike to compliment it. At home I have a WaterRower and I just ordered a spinning bike. In the summer I try to do a mixture of road and mountain biking and the spinners are a better conditioning tool IMHO.

I did a lot of research on the spin bikes and there are a lot of them out there. Cost was a factor for me but I ended up ordering a Makoto spin bike for just over $500 shipped. If this thing is half as good as it looks it's a great value. I should be getting it in about a week so let me know if you want me to give a review of it. People seem to give the Makoto martial arts training arenas very high reviews and it looks like they are just breaking into the spin bike market. It even has a heart rate monitor.

Here a picture of it:


If space is the issue, I would keep the rower. Rowing is a much better and more efficient workout for me and as I said, your C2 is an awesome machine.
 
Thanks man,
It would be nice to have a review about the Makoto, once you get it. I agree with you, about the rower; it's a more complete exercise than bike training. The problem I have with the rower is that it is hard for me to suffer on this machine. This is also my problem with the spinning bike; using a normal bike you have a lot of programs and the bike itself makes you work, but with spinning the essential fact is the trainer who makes you work; how does spinning work, at home, alone ??
 
I agree about the motivation from the classes. I have come across over 20 spin DVDs that can provide that. The club I go to has a spin class that I liked a lot but it doesn't fit my schedule so I went this route.

In my research I found something I think you'd be interested in. There's a really cool mountain bike specific training DVD available if you have an indoor trainer like a Cyclops or Minoura trainer. You can download clips to see what to expect. Looks like a hell of a workout too.

I have a Minoura rim drive trainer that I didn't care for so you should probably check out to see what others think of them before buying one.

DVD link:
 
Get a real bike.

The reason? You will get bored with that spin bike sooner or later. It doesn't move, and that can get to you after a while. But when the weather gets warmer, you can get outside with your bike, and I'll be willing to bet the visual stimulation will be even more motivation to do even more riding, which will help you to continue with your fitness goals.

Once you get the bike, invest in a decent bike trainer you can ride on during the winter months. There are a bunch of DVD's you can buy out there that you can ride to when you're on the trainer, and you can use the DVD's for the winter, then in the late spring, when it gets warm enough, hit the trails and the streets around the house.

Good luck!

D Ross
 
It's a solid machine and weighs in around 115lbs. I added some SPD clip-in pedals and changed the seat to one with yellow accents I had laying around. The tripod design is very stable and would work on any surface even if it's not totally flat. The heart monitor function doesn't work real well if you want to continually watch your heart rate since all the workout DVDs have you sitting and standing with various hand positions. The ride is really smooth and I like the magnetic resistance better than the friction based ones I have tried in the gyms. There is a mountainbike coilover shock that some may like. The only thing I don't like about it is that the handlebar angle isn't adjustable but it's still comfortable.

I picked up a few DVDs on-line as well, 2 old Johnny G ones and a really good one called Cycle Challenge by Mindy Mylrea.
 
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