For those of you that do spinning

[princesscko]

Hi,
I'm in the dark about "clips": what are they?

-Chiquita

[Cid]

I'm pro-clip, too. I can't imagine trying to get the most of my pedaling without them. Chiquita, clips are shoes and pedals that connect with a "clip". There's a clip on the sole of the shoe that slides into the pedal. It can be a trick to get in and out of them but you get used to it...and now that I'm used to it I wouldn't bike or spin any other way. I don't race, either.

I've REALLY enjoyed the benefits of spinning. It has and is increasing my aerobic base and is the hardest cardio I've found to date. DH and I use Spinervals when we can't ride outdoors but we may pick up some from Chris Carmichael for the winter. The music in Spinervals is pretty cheesey, but I'm not bothered by it...maybe I'm hurting too much to let it bother me! I've never taken a class, so I can't comment on that. I've noticed that my legs are stronger and leaner, spinning/road biking takes the weight off of me fast, my lactate threshold is higher, and my aerobic capacity is increasing.

Hope that helps. I love that there's bikers/spinners at this site. I'm pretty new to it so I love reading about others' experiences. Keep us posted!

CinDee

[Cid]

I just checked out the spinervals site and the new workouts look GREAT! Those will hold me over until Hardcore gets here.

CinDee

[icklemoley]

Debra, i did actually! Good memory.

I try to get as much information as i can about things and this time i found more good than bad. Though i agree that too much cardio isn't good...as i do none i thought this might be a good way to get some cardio in that is enjoyable.

Wayne.

You can pull up and push down with the straps/cage combination already present on the spin bikes. The difference is minimal believe me. The return on your money is not worth it for something like spin in my opinion.
T.

Hi Debra!
I am actually trying to keep Wayne from spending money when he doesn't need to! LOL! I've used both systems of pedals/shoes. The cage/strap system is fine if you have the form down and the difference is minimal. You can still pull up and push down if you tie in tightly. I think most people just only seem to think about push/pull AFTER they go buy their fancy clipless systems to be honest. I'd probably use them on a road time trial where you need every last millisecond of advantage but otherwise I view these as needless expense, especially for beginners.
T. :-)

[BayouGal]

Hi Gymratt,

Would you mind telling me how and where you might purchase the new Johnny G spinning videos separately? I do have the old VHS tapes, and you are right, they are outdated. I have a really good bike, so I would like more DVD's for variety. Thanks for the info... Sandra

Wayne, as many of the others have said, it is good for cross-training purposes. I also go through phases where I don't spin for a few weeks and then I come back and do a few workouts in a week. Very intense and a nice change of pace from other forms of cardio. Good luck!

[Cid]

T, you're right...it's probably a needless expense at the beginning. I'm just so used to the clips now that it drove me nuts to not have them on my mountain bike (my mb now has clips, of course:-) ). I'm finding this whole biking/spinning thing highly addictive after only 7 months of regularly cycling...many needless things to buy!

Wayne, do you have that article still? I'd love to read it. Also, if you decide to try spinning/cycling, you might need more than just water during the workout. Perhaps it's just my own physical makeup, but I've found that anything over 30 or 40 minutes (depending on intensity) is too much for just water. I always have Gatorade with me and I'm discovering that I need food, too. Yesterday DH and I did a 22 mile ride and even though I had plenty of fluids I ran out of steam on our last hill with about 5 miles to go. I take in some food on any spin over an hour, too.

Hope to hear from you!

CinDee

[Gretzky]

I had baskets on my spin bike for over a year and just changed to clips. I think Trevor is right that if I had concentrated hard enough with the baskets, I could have worked the push/pull thing a little more; however, now it's just automatic and I have to say I love them.

I ride outside, too, and would never have clips here in NYC! I recently rode 84 miles in an organized ride with my Trek hybrid and old-fashioned pedals (although I will admit to hard soled bike shoes) and will give Coach Troy's Spinervals credit for getting me ready to ride this one. My friend and I were actually annoyed with the "clickers" as I call them. At some points we had to carry our bikes up flights of stairs and then ride single file over a bridge and do some hairpin turns. All of the riders with clips slowed everyone down as they had to pull over and "click" back in, and then on the turns get off their bikes and walk. I also saw six (6!) people fall over at stop lights with the feet clipped in. Laughed every time! Not saying that they don't have their place, but I think in an urban environment, they are more trouble than they are worth.

Just my .02.