Anyone have a spinning bike at HOME?

[celticgarden]

Cough Cough. Ummm, I'm new here. I used to be into Mt. Bike trail riding BK (before Kids). Have gotten into abysmal shape and I'd like to try spinning. Trouble is, no time for a gym, kids still young, so schedule is inflexible. I have a home gym in the making: weight machine, treadmill. I'd like to add a stationary bike or spinner. I've seen Kettler spinners and Johnny' Gs at online auctions and they don't seem exhorbitant. What is your recommendation for a chair-bound FT working mom who loved loved loved to bike but does not have the freedom any more? Does ANYONE here have a stationary bike or spinner at home?

TIA

Linda in CT

[annie]

I don't have a spinner at home, but have ridden a couple different kinds. I use the Schwinn spinner at spin class, but I have also tried a Lemond spin bike that a friend has at her home. It was so smooth, so quiet, so easy to use that I would recommend that over the Schwinn any day. I believe it costs a bit more, but I think it'd be worth it.

The other option, if you have a bike you like to ride, is to get an indoor trainer and put your own bike on it. If it's a mountain bike, you'd want to get slicks to exchange for the knobby tires or the noise while you're riding would drive you crazy! Also, it would wear those knobbies down real fast. This is a much cheaper option.

Good luck! It's great that you want to get back into some type of biking again. Sometimes you've got to to whatever it takes.

annie

[trekkie]

I just purchased a Johnny G spinner. For the money, it's great. You also get great video with it.

I don't have time to go to the gym and I also have a makeshift home gym and just recently added the spinner. It's a great workout.

I discovered spinning before I discovered biking. If it wasn't for spinning, I would never have decided to get a road bike, which is only two weeks old, so I'm really a newbie.

I can't advise about trainers, as I don't have one, but a spinning bike will give you a fantastic workout and you can adjust the tension to your fitness level.

Whatever your decision, enjoy.

Trekkie

[VenusdeVelo]

I have a Johnny G also at home but would agree that the Lemond bike is much smoother. What I am not sure of is how it holds up. The Johnny G's need some TLC now and then to cure squeaking noises and such. Either one should serve your needs, however, Annie's suggestion (I think it was Annie) would be less expensive and more true to riding. I have a Cyclops wind trainer as well as the TACx trainer (hubby and I both ride indoors) and the TACx is a very nice, elecronic trainer for the $$ -- it's about $400 (half the price of a spinner) and you get a monitor with power output, mph, resistance, etc. The Spinervals tapes go nicely with a trainer. As far as the spinner bikes, I have one because I teach, but, you need to have discipline with it -- not as many tapes geared towards spinning (so you have to improvise with Spinervals tapes if you want to) and my saving grace is I have LOTS of spinning class CDs with motivating music. I play them, watch Tour de France DVDs and I am not as bored. I find without that, I am less bored with my TACx and Spinervals (beware, some Spinervals DVDs are butt-kickers, take their rating system seriously!)

Good luck, hope you find the best program for you!!

[Moneypenny]

I have a spinner "Schwinn IC Pro" at home and just purchased spinervals DVD. The spinner gives a great workout but, How do you keep track of the RPM, distance, etc. I wish there were computers made for these like the bike computers. Also using the spinervals tapes the changes in resistance are in gear ratios. How do you select a comparable resistance to gear ratio?

[Trek420]

I have a Cycleops fluid trainer, right now my mountain bike is on it

more about this at:

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...light=cycleops

[celticgarden]

Well, just purchased a Kettler spin bike. It ought to last me to the grave. DH is going to be pissed when it shows up, oh well. This office job has taken a huge toll on my rear end, I want to change that. Kids are 8 and 4 so they are pretty good about cooperating with mom's basement activities. My 8 YO can do his homework while I spin (evil cackle).

I will let you know how it goes. I was a little amazed that this thread was still here, but cheers to all you women cyclists!

Linda

[VenusdeVelo]

The Spinervals site (spinervals.com) has a conversion chart for gearing ratios/resistance vs using a spinner. Here you go, it's somewhat simplistic, but if you print it out, laminate it and put it on your spinner, it might be a nice guide (I know I get lazy sometimes!!).

http://www.spinervals.com/index.php?...011ef221d2c47c