Spin bikes
- Thread starter Childte
- Start date
Trixoo
Cathlete
Can you give us an idea of what you would like to (or more accurately are willing to) spend? Prices vary from a low of $300 to over $2000.
Also, have you ever been on a spin bike? Which brand and model was it and what did you like and dislike about it?
This will help in figuring out what you might like best If you've never been on a spin bike, I strongly suggest going to a few different gyms with different model bikes to give them a test drive. It will be worth it in the long run. Note that your butt and associated regions will be very sore the first 3-4 times you spin...this will happen with any bike, but after the first few times you will acclimate and won't have that problem any more.
Also, have you ever been on a spin bike? Which brand and model was it and what did you like and dislike about it?
This will help in figuring out what you might like best If you've never been on a spin bike, I strongly suggest going to a few different gyms with different model bikes to give them a test drive. It will be worth it in the long run. Note that your butt and associated regions will be very sore the first 3-4 times you spin...this will happen with any bike, but after the first few times you will acclimate and won't have that problem any more.
Trixoo
Cathlete
In the UK (sorry for the interrupted post). I hope some of our British Cathletes pop in here to advise. Here are some thoughts. It may be way more than you ever wanted to know or think about, but it's stuff I've learned along the way.
Right now the biggest difference in spin bikes are the type of drive they have (belt or chain) and their resistance mechanism (friction or magnetic). Belt driven bikes are very quiet, virtually silent in some cases, while chain driven bikes are noisier (not necessarily noisy), but some feel chain driven bikes best mimic the feel of riding outside. I have one of each and like them both. In the long run, a chain driven bike will likely need more maintenance than a belt driven bike.
I also have one friction bike and one magnetic (the friction is belt driven, the magnetic is chain driven), and like them both. Magnetic drives are very smooth and you need only make small adjustments to feel resistance changes. They are essentially maintenance free. You usually have to crank friction driven bikes like mad to feel significant resistance changes. Sometimes that feels satisfying, but it definitely takes longer to make big resistance changes, which isn't always desirable. Also, some individuals feel that friction bikes don't offer consistent tension, that it drifts (lessens) during a ride. I haven't noticed this with any of the friction bikes I've used, but I am always adding more tension if I think I can take it, so maybe it is happening and I just don't realize it. Anyway, it makes some folks nuts, but has never been an issue for me. This doesn't happen with magnetic resistance bikes, although there are times I wish it would so I could get a little break. ;-)
One of the most important factors in spin bikes, if you're going to use it a lot or want it to last a long time, or if one of the riders is heavier than average, is something you really don't see: the bottom bracket. Manufacturers that use strong bottom brackets plan for your bike to be used forever. You usually only find this on higher end, gym quality bikes, but it's worth asking about when you're looking at models. One of the gyms I worked out at had older model Spinner NXTs which had really flimsy (for commercial models) bottom brackets, and the crank arms were always breaking or the pedals started to bend until the crank bolt (term?) snapped. Spinner has fixed this in more recent models, but it made me aware of how important this is. Of course our gym's bikes were ridden by people of all shapes and sizes 6 hours a day every day. My guess is that won't be happening at your house! Oh, and the Spinner NXT is a great bike...very comfortable and a great ride, but not cheap.
A really fun thing is having a bike with an on board computer that tells you your cadence (among other things if you're really lucky). You don't need this for Cathe's DVDs, but if you decide you really like spinning and want to branch out to other workouts, this can be useful and fun to have.
So, what models to consider? The absolute best model for you is the one on which you can get the most comfortable fit. I wanted a Keiser M3 so badly. They're gorgeous, maintenance free, magnetic resistance, belt driven bikes with a great computer. Fortunately a gym not too far away had them and I was able ride it a few times before buying. Good thing, since no matter what set up I tried, I could not get comfortable....the handle bars were always too far away so I felt I was straining my back during the entire ride. I'd never experience any kind of problem like that before and it didn't occur to me that fit could be a problem until that happened. Make sure your bike is adjustable enough that you can get comfortable on it.
Aside from that, some really good brands that have models in a variety of price ranges are Spinner and Schwinn Fitness (not to be confused with Schwinn, which makes exercise bikes like the "air dyne")...Schwinn Fitness is owned by Nautilus. Livestrong also makes a decent bike in the price range you want (they advertise it here as 1/2 off, but it's never sold full price, which would e $2k, which it's definitely not worth). I'm sure there are many other brands that aren't coming to mind right now. I do hope some of our Cathletes from the UK can help out regarding brands available to you that aren't sold n the US.
Hope this helps (and hasn't needlessly overwhelmed you). Good luck!
Right now the biggest difference in spin bikes are the type of drive they have (belt or chain) and their resistance mechanism (friction or magnetic). Belt driven bikes are very quiet, virtually silent in some cases, while chain driven bikes are noisier (not necessarily noisy), but some feel chain driven bikes best mimic the feel of riding outside. I have one of each and like them both. In the long run, a chain driven bike will likely need more maintenance than a belt driven bike.
I also have one friction bike and one magnetic (the friction is belt driven, the magnetic is chain driven), and like them both. Magnetic drives are very smooth and you need only make small adjustments to feel resistance changes. They are essentially maintenance free. You usually have to crank friction driven bikes like mad to feel significant resistance changes. Sometimes that feels satisfying, but it definitely takes longer to make big resistance changes, which isn't always desirable. Also, some individuals feel that friction bikes don't offer consistent tension, that it drifts (lessens) during a ride. I haven't noticed this with any of the friction bikes I've used, but I am always adding more tension if I think I can take it, so maybe it is happening and I just don't realize it. Anyway, it makes some folks nuts, but has never been an issue for me. This doesn't happen with magnetic resistance bikes, although there are times I wish it would so I could get a little break. ;-)
One of the most important factors in spin bikes, if you're going to use it a lot or want it to last a long time, or if one of the riders is heavier than average, is something you really don't see: the bottom bracket. Manufacturers that use strong bottom brackets plan for your bike to be used forever. You usually only find this on higher end, gym quality bikes, but it's worth asking about when you're looking at models. One of the gyms I worked out at had older model Spinner NXTs which had really flimsy (for commercial models) bottom brackets, and the crank arms were always breaking or the pedals started to bend until the crank bolt (term?) snapped. Spinner has fixed this in more recent models, but it made me aware of how important this is. Of course our gym's bikes were ridden by people of all shapes and sizes 6 hours a day every day. My guess is that won't be happening at your house! Oh, and the Spinner NXT is a great bike...very comfortable and a great ride, but not cheap.
A really fun thing is having a bike with an on board computer that tells you your cadence (among other things if you're really lucky). You don't need this for Cathe's DVDs, but if you decide you really like spinning and want to branch out to other workouts, this can be useful and fun to have.
So, what models to consider? The absolute best model for you is the one on which you can get the most comfortable fit. I wanted a Keiser M3 so badly. They're gorgeous, maintenance free, magnetic resistance, belt driven bikes with a great computer. Fortunately a gym not too far away had them and I was able ride it a few times before buying. Good thing, since no matter what set up I tried, I could not get comfortable....the handle bars were always too far away so I felt I was straining my back during the entire ride. I'd never experience any kind of problem like that before and it didn't occur to me that fit could be a problem until that happened. Make sure your bike is adjustable enough that you can get comfortable on it.
Aside from that, some really good brands that have models in a variety of price ranges are Spinner and Schwinn Fitness (not to be confused with Schwinn, which makes exercise bikes like the "air dyne")...Schwinn Fitness is owned by Nautilus. Livestrong also makes a decent bike in the price range you want (they advertise it here as 1/2 off, but it's never sold full price, which would e $2k, which it's definitely not worth). I'm sure there are many other brands that aren't coming to mind right now. I do hope some of our Cathletes from the UK can help out regarding brands available to you that aren't sold n the US.
Hope this helps (and hasn't needlessly overwhelmed you). Good luck!
