Quote Originally Posted by bcipam
Also tension is a personal thing. My opinion, since I am a cyclist and spin as a supplement to cycling, I try to keep the tension so I am spinning or riding as close to the way I do on the road as possible. That's not to say you won't have alot of tension on the bike to stimulate climbing, but keep in mind, when I hit a steep hill on my bike, I lower my gearing, think of that while spinning.
I also do spinning as an adjunct to road riding. I have an instructor who loves to grind out standing climbs for 5 plus minutes. I'd never do that on my bike. So, I sit & visualize a hill that I'd do a seated climb on. She is cool with whatever people want to do (unlike some spin teachers I've had.)

Also, they say "quarter turn up" - but each bike is different. A quarter turn on one bike could be Mt Everest whilst another bike might be a slight headwind. I use my own judgement.