Exercism bike?

Drez · July 2020

I need to lose weight and get in shape. I'm still not totally comfortable doing any prolonged outdoor stuff. I was thinking of getting an indoor bike. Not really $Texas level like Peloton, but maybe something like a Bowflex.

I have lost about 20 lbs since COVID-19 began, thanks to dietary changes (less sugar, no milk or creamer, less snacking, and far less alcohol). But I need to go the extra mile and start really committing to exercising. I like the idea of indoor biking and I have the room for it now.

Anyone have any opinions on this, either on what product to get or on my idea in general? This is my current exercise routine:

So, there you go. Is it moving too fast to jump to cycling? I like running, but I just am not feeling that now and a bike is more compact than a treadmill. I like biking in general.

I'll share more details about my weight and whatnot if you need for recommendations. I'm not what I would personally call corpulent, but my weight is unattractive and unhealthy, plus I believe I have high blood pressure. It's hard to tell because I tend to suffer from white coat syndrome so I rarely get accurate readings at the doctor's office. When I got my COVID-19 test, my BP was like 200 over 150. About 5 minutes later it was still high but lower, like 180 over 140. If I had stayed later I'm sure it would have been closer to "normal" which has happened before, but that was a quick in and out visit. Actually...yeah, I should get a blood pressure monitor too. Anyway, I feel like biking can help with that too.

thatassemblyguy · July 2020

Depending on how you want to do things - my setup is a normal bike that is hooked up to a fly wheel trainer. It's a "dumb" system in that it doesn't have any feedback on how fast you're going, etc.

The advantage is that the bike you use can be taken from indoor to outdoor with minimal fuss (there's always going to be fuss, but this setup is minimal).

The disadvantage is the wear and tear on the bike chain, so if you're not used to doing maintenance on the bike this option will be less good than one of the Bowflex like options that are enclosed and likely use belts.

see317 · July 2020

The bike is going to be far easier on the knees than a treadmill, so you've got that going for you.

You said you're not looking to spend Peloton money, how much cash are you looking to drop?

You might want to check your local Craigslist or Facebook market to see if you can get a second hand bike for a few bucks plus picking it up.

Drez · July 2020

Thanks to you both. Good suggestions but I’m not too concerned with the money and not really interested in second hand tbh. I just don’t want to spend 2+ grand on a Peloton. I definitely want a techie solution. This may seem weird but I doubt I’ll do any outdoor cycling even after COVID.

Bowflex is around 1 grand. I’m comfortable with that, but I really just started looking into this and literally the only two brands I know of are Peloton and Bowflex.

I’m in an apartment so I don’t have tooooo much space but the Bowflex looks like it would fit comfortable. Any other brands I should look at? Any other concerns I should consider before going with an indoor bike for exercise?

Should I be adding other stuff to my routine or is it sufficient to start with the cycling exclusively for now?

edit: One of the differences between Bowflex and Peloton is that Peloton comes with a screen built in, for Bowflex you need to supply the screen. But I actually have a Surface Pro that I barely use anymore so I’m hoping that will work.

Shadowhope · July 2020

Last February I picked up a Sunny Health & Fitness SF-B1423C Chain Drive Indoor Cycling Bike through Amazon, as well as a universal tablet holder for the bike. The total cost was about $300 CDN. The electronic monitor is pretty minimal, with just pace/time/distance/calories burned, and no way to connect it to anything to export the data. Sunny is a pretty popular entry level brand for exercise bikes, as they make reasonably high quality stuff without any bells and whistles.

Here's an up to date article on Tom's Guide suggesting exercise bikes.

All things considered, I'm happy with my Sunny bike, and if I was getting a second bike I'd get another Sunny.

HappylilElf · July 2020

Kamiro wrote: »

If you're worried about space, you may want to consider a rowing machine that you can fold up against the wall.

Very much this. Very easy to store with the right model and it's going to give you a better workout than just a bike.

That said if you go that route take it easy and slowly ramp up the resistance. Don't do what I did by messing up my wrist and shoulder by trying to get to the max resistance too soon :P

SatanIsMyMotor · July 2020

We bought an Echelon Connect about 6 months ago and really like it. It's essentially a Peloton but 1/3rd of the price because you're not paying the Peloton brand tax.

My wife really enjoys the on-demand classes but be warned that there's a subscription involved.

dispatch.o · July 2020

If you can find a refurbished or used Airdyne or Assault Bike I promise you will hate it in every good way you can hate exercise. Air bikes are fucking hate machines of awful that will give you the best workout you can find and challenge you to almost throw up if you feel like really hitting it.

The Airdyne is more expensive new but I've seen both listed on Craigslist pretty regularly at varying prices. I have an Airdyne but have tried an Assault Bike and would say I'd be plenty happy with one if I had it. AFAIK they sell the parts for repair and such in a way that even fixing one when something wears out isn't that bad. Unlike most one time purchase and throw away when it breaks exercise equipment.

Burtletoy · July 2020

HappylilElf wrote: »

Kamiro wrote: »

If you're worried about space, you may want to consider a rowing machine that you can fold up against the wall.

Very much this. Very easy to store with the right model and it's going to give you a better workout than just a bike.

That said if you go that route take it easy and slowly ramp up the resistance. Don't do what I did by messing up my wrist and shoulder by trying to get to the max resistance too soon :P

If you do go the rowing machine path, do not get the cheap Sunny one, or any other 'piston' style rower. The pistons get heated within a few minutes of use and as they heat up, it lowers the resistance and also gets pretty dang hot to the touch

furbat · July 2020

Can I suggest joining a fitness center instead? Yes, you have to deal with insecurities and exercise in public but trust me no one cares and most of the other people there are in the same boat as you.

It will be cheaper. There may be free classes you can join. There will probably be cycling/spin classes. The act of going to a gym commits you to actually exercising.

Hell with the money you save on a exercise machine, you can get a few sessions with a personal trainer and work on some resistance training.

I started going to a local YMCA several years back instead of running by myself and working out at home and it made a world of difference.

Drez · July 2020

Thanks, but I don't even want to go outside to run or ride a real bike right now. The people in my neighborhood are goblins with no respect for social distancing.

Also, I dumped literally years' worth of money into NYSC a couple of years ago without ever using it so I'm very leery about paying any establishment right now. Maybe later, once I kickstart my push toward personal fitness, but not yet.

I'm actually psyched to get some gear in my home where I can modulate the climate/temperature myself and not have to deal with anyone. I feel motivated. My only concern is:

a) If I do go with Bowflex, there's a 45 day delay in delivery
b) I don't even know how I would receive it - my building has some strict rules about accepting packages. Basically, for anything over 40 pounds it would require actual movers, just to take the box(es) up to my apartment

Drez · July 2020

@furbat I do agree with you philosophically, though, and in different circumstances I'd probably do exactly what you are recommending. Thanks for your suggestion.

Drez · July 2020

Thanks to everyone else, too. I have a lot to chew on and I'm still not sure which direction to go in. The rowing machine looks like a good option too, but I saw a photo of a family member's C6 Bike (Bowflex) and I feel like it's the perfect shape/size for my room and that went a long way toward my interest. I don't really want to move whatever device I get around too much, but I do see the value in that. Maybe I'll look at some YouTube videos on some of the suggestions made here.

SatanIsMyMotor · July 2020

You're going to find there's a wait with almost any in-home equipment right now. About 10 people we know bought an Echelon bike after seeing how much we were enjoying ours and the wait times have been upwards of a month or so. That said, 2 of our friends ended up getting two separate bikes sent to them too so it seems to be more of process issue than one of inventory.

mts · July 2020

I think the most economical is to get a wheel trainer for a a regular bike since then you can go outside and ride

Ethea · July 2020

Drez wrote: »

Thanks, but I don't even want to go outside to run or ride a real bike right now. The people in my neighborhood are goblins with no respect for social distancing.

Also, I dumped literally years' worth of money into NYSC a couple of years ago without ever using it so I'm very leery about paying any establishment right now. Maybe later, once I kickstart my push toward personal fitness, but not yet.

I'm actually psyched to get some gear in my home where I can modulate the climate/temperature myself and not have to deal with anyone. I feel motivated. My only concern is:

a) If I do go with Bowflex, there's a 45 day delay in delivery
b) I don't even know how I would receive it - my building has some strict rules about accepting packages. Basically, for anything over 40 pounds it would require actual movers, just to take the box(es) up to my apartment

So the bowflex C6 spin bike is a re-colored Schwinn IC4 which is a bike I just accepted delivery a week ago. Here are my thoughts:

The delivery wait is in business days so adjust your expectations accordingly and will take as long as they warn. Others have reported purchasing the IC4 from amazon or dicks but the only small small amounts and they go up for sale randomly.
The bike+box wieghts 110lbs and is too large for one person to move safely. If you have to take it up / down stairs movers sound like a reasonable solution
The bike uses a magnetic flywheel. This roughly means that resistance is controlled by changing the spacing between the large wheel and a couple of magnets.
- This is great as it means no noise when you pedal ( also helps the bike doesn't have a chain belt )
- Resistance has a nice linear grading with no sharp increases at the end
- It does mean that rough delivery can cause the magents to be misaligned. On delivery you should make sure the magnets are equally spaced away from the center fly wheel
The bike overall has a great build quality. The frame is is lighter compared to high end professional spin bikes ( e.g. AC Carbon ) but it matches what peloton provides and will be more than sufficient for the vast majority of users. I did an hour class where I was out of seat for the majority of time without the bike moving.
The bikes biggest weakness are the stock pedals and the lack of proper tools to install the pedals. Improperly installed pedals will strip the crank arm on the bike, causing the pedal to fall out and you either have to re-tap the crank arm or get a new crank arm. The provided pedal wrench is a joke and shouldn't be used, and they provide no lubricant to reduce the chance of cross threading. The better option is to buy new pedals, a pedal wrench, lube and just install better pedals to start. It will add ~60 the price but will save you more in the long run ( replacement crank arms are taking 60days to ship ).

SatanIsMyMotor · July 2020

I'd also encourage you to invest in some biking shoes with clips if you're replacing pedals. You'll get a better workout and find it far less cumbersome.

tinwhiskers · July 2020

SatanIsMyMotor wrote: »

We bought an Echelon Connect about 6 months ago and really like it. It's essentially a Peloton but 1/3rd of the price because you're not paying the Peloton brand tax.

My wife really enjoys the on-demand classes but be warned that there's a subscription involved.

@SatanIsMyMotor

Which of the models of the Echelon did you go with?

Simpsonia · July 2020

One thing to keep in mind is that exercise bike seats are almost all uniformly awful. They are big fat cushioned things that can be bad for you. You look at any serious cyclists' bikes and they have very skinny saddles with very little padding. It's not about weight or aerodynamics, it's about support. When in the saddle, you want to be on your 'sit bones'. You want them supported (with a firm seat) because with big cushy seats your sit bones sink in and the rest of the seat starts compressing sensitive tissues and nerves that you have running between the bones to your legs. This is why a lot of guys report numbness in their groin after starting to ride a bike for any significant length of time, they've been crushing delicate nerves but sitting on a shitty saddle. So, if you plan to spend a significant amount of time working out on a bike, look at getting a better saddle. Unfortunately, this kind of needs to be sized a bit, since the distance between everyone's sit bones varies. Your friendly local bike shop should be able to help you out.

Image of the sit bones and the nerves that run between them.

Also, I'll echo the recommendation above to get a bike and hook it up to a fly wheel trainer.

Drez · July 2020

A part of what I want is the whole virtual spin class thing that comes/is compatible with some of these bikes.

But I don’t really know much about this technology. Can you point me in the right direction so I can read more about this fly wheel trainer stuff?

SatanIsMyMotor · July 2020

tinwhiskers wrote: »

SatanIsMyMotor wrote: »

We bought an Echelon Connect about 6 months ago and really like it. It's essentially a Peloton but 1/3rd of the price because you're not paying the Peloton brand tax.

My wife really enjoys the on-demand classes but be warned that there's a subscription involved.

@SatanIsMyMotor

Which of the models of the Echelon did you go with?

We have this one: https://echelonfit.com/products/echelon-smart-connect-bike-ex5

dispatch.o · July 2020

Simpsonia wrote: »

One thing to keep in mind is that exercise bike seats are almost all uniformly awful. They are big fat cushioned things that can be bad for you. You look at any serious cyclists' bikes and they have very skinny saddles with very little padding. It's not about weight or aerodynamics, it's about support. When in the saddle, you want to be on your 'sit bones'. You want them supported (with a firm seat) because with big cushy seats your sit bones sink in and the rest of the seat starts compressing sensitive tissues and nerves that you have running between the bones to your legs. This is why a lot of guys report numbness in their groin after starting to ride a bike for any significant length of time, they've been crushing delicate nerves but sitting on a shitty saddle. So, if you plan to spend a significant amount of time working out on a bike, look at getting a better saddle. Unfortunately, this kind of needs to be sized a bit, since the distance between everyone's sit bones varies. Your friendly local bike shop should be able to help you out.

Image of the sit bones and the nerves that run between them.

Also, I'll echo the recommendation above to get a bike and hook it up to a fly wheel trainer.

Even with the correct seat you will be a little sore initially so don't overdo it. After a week or two at 20min a day the soreness should be gone. Don't assume it's your seat.

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