
best quality spinning bike image

Kimmy
The buzz lately is that you can burn about 500 calories, tone up and lose weight quickly by exercising for only 30 minutes on a spinning bike.
I have a regular exercise bike and cannot afford a spinning bike or classes. Would I be able to achieve the same results by exercising for 30 minutes a day on my exercise bike?
Please explain to me the difference between the two bikes and how they work differently to give different results?
Answer
The primary difference is the adjustability and the quality that goes into the drive mechanism. Spinning bikes, as the name implies, spin a weighted flywheel using the power of your legs. The tension you set, in conjunction with the weight of the flywheel, determine the resistance you feel. This provides a much more realistic effect in terms of how it uses your muscles. A old school excercise bike isnt as good at effectively targeting the muscle used and doesnt provide as much of a realistic cycling feel.
That said, if your goal is just to get a workout in you arent going to miss much. A competitive cyclist would notice the difference but a casual rider just looking to burn some calories probably will notice only the terribly uncomfortable saddle of an old excercise bike.
Think of it as the diffference between running wind sprints vs. running parachute assisted acceleration sprints.... Unless you're a pro athlete working on dropping your 40yd times, wind sprints is just fine. Similar situation here. If you're gonna be heading to the races, start spining.. If you just want a workout save the money.
PS- If you get serious about riding and you really want the best set-up, IMO its using your road bike on resistance trainer like the cycleops fluid2 or something similar. It lets you keep your cockpit setup (duh, its your bike) but gives you the indoor training option for those shoddy days when you dont want to go outside and ride.
The primary difference is the adjustability and the quality that goes into the drive mechanism. Spinning bikes, as the name implies, spin a weighted flywheel using the power of your legs. The tension you set, in conjunction with the weight of the flywheel, determine the resistance you feel. This provides a much more realistic effect in terms of how it uses your muscles. A old school excercise bike isnt as good at effectively targeting the muscle used and doesnt provide as much of a realistic cycling feel.
That said, if your goal is just to get a workout in you arent going to miss much. A competitive cyclist would notice the difference but a casual rider just looking to burn some calories probably will notice only the terribly uncomfortable saddle of an old excercise bike.
Think of it as the diffference between running wind sprints vs. running parachute assisted acceleration sprints.... Unless you're a pro athlete working on dropping your 40yd times, wind sprints is just fine. Similar situation here. If you're gonna be heading to the races, start spining.. If you just want a workout save the money.
PS- If you get serious about riding and you really want the best set-up, IMO its using your road bike on resistance trainer like the cycleops fluid2 or something similar. It lets you keep your cockpit setup (duh, its your bike) but gives you the indoor training option for those shoddy days when you dont want to go outside and ride.
What is the difference between a spinner bike and an exercise bike?

Teresa
I have been researching the spinner bike and it burns tons of calories. The bikes looks just like a regular exercise bike. Have anyone experience riding the spinner bike, is there a difference?
Answer
Hi Teresa! I'm familiar with spinner bikes. Normal users don't seem to care for them. The reason is motivation. A spinner bike is used best at a spinning class (say at the YMCA/YWCA where the teacher/class provide motivation) or purchased by "road warrior" cycling enthusiasts who are highly self motivated to supplement outdoor training when they can't "hit the road". In any event, without cycling or spinning training, a spinner bike should not be considered. With a spinner bike there's shifting involved and normally no programs or electronics to guide the user through a workout. In otherwords, it isn't the spinner bike that burns more calories, but the motivation to push oneself. Also, the average person can't handle the strenuous spinner bike workouts, so paying substantially more for a spinner bike, rather than a normal exercise bike (recumbent or upright) would be a waste of money. In the end, spinning without proper training could actually have a negative impact on a person's outlook, causing them to loose interest in exercising altogether...
You'll get a great cardio workout with either a recumbent or upright exercise bike. Quality exercise bikes will run $500 - $2,000 or more. Stay away from the low end bikes and look for one with a good warranty of 10 years or more. I'd suggest Endurance exercise bikes because they have Lifetime warranties. I hope that helps... Happy exercise bike hunting!
Hi Teresa! I'm familiar with spinner bikes. Normal users don't seem to care for them. The reason is motivation. A spinner bike is used best at a spinning class (say at the YMCA/YWCA where the teacher/class provide motivation) or purchased by "road warrior" cycling enthusiasts who are highly self motivated to supplement outdoor training when they can't "hit the road". In any event, without cycling or spinning training, a spinner bike should not be considered. With a spinner bike there's shifting involved and normally no programs or electronics to guide the user through a workout. In otherwords, it isn't the spinner bike that burns more calories, but the motivation to push oneself. Also, the average person can't handle the strenuous spinner bike workouts, so paying substantially more for a spinner bike, rather than a normal exercise bike (recumbent or upright) would be a waste of money. In the end, spinning without proper training could actually have a negative impact on a person's outlook, causing them to loose interest in exercising altogether...
You'll get a great cardio workout with either a recumbent or upright exercise bike. Quality exercise bikes will run $500 - $2,000 or more. Stay away from the low end bikes and look for one with a good warranty of 10 years or more. I'd suggest Endurance exercise bikes because they have Lifetime warranties. I hope that helps... Happy exercise bike hunting!
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