Exercise bike recommendations

T

TheTone

WKR
Joined
Mar 4, 2012
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Anyone got a home bike recommendation? I don’t need a peleton or similar with built in workouts or programs, just something for the house to spend a half hour or more on each day for simple cardio work. I already have a really nice mtn bike and good nearby trail access; I just want something for the days when the weather stinks, I don’t feel like going hard, and killing time productively. Budget would probably be up to $750
 
Spin bikes may work for you, no electric.....some have a tablet stand. $300-$800 range for most.
 
I know my suggestion is going to go a bit against what you said. If you have a decent bike get a smart trainer and run a program like Rouvey to control it. I hated just riding in the basement even in front of the tv. I enjoy riding now with Rouvey. I can select a road some place in the world, from flat and easy to stupid amount of climbing. The video only moves at the pace you pedal at and the videos are actual videos of the road you are riding. I have a wahoo trainer and the kcker climb, so the front of my bike goes up and down to match the road you are riding and the rear adjusts to the road also. Not a cheap set up and there are good trainers for cheaper. But I enjoy rouvey and spend more time riding because it doesnt just suck
 
I put my Ridley Fenix road bike on a Garmin Tacx Neo 2 smart trainer. I am able to enter a virtual cycling world via the Zwift app (installed on Apple TV). As I climb mountains, I feel the resistance and change my gears just like I would in the real world. I can feel concrete seams, wood planks, etc. It is quite amazing how close to a real "road feel" it is. I am able to pair my heart rate with the Wahoo KICKR Headwind Smart Fan. As my heart rate increases, so does the fan velocity. I am very competitive and even when I am not in the mood to bike hard I will get into a little boxing match with someone from another country cycling at the same time (there are several realms with many routes) and I will end up getting my heart rate to 170 as I try to bury them. It really is an awesome set up.

Zwift.jpg
 
Echelon Sport. Got one from Walmart for $499 and got an ONN 10" tablet for $129 to connect the bike to for workouts. Smooth and very well made.
 
If you already have a bike there’s a ton of trainers to mount it to that would be way better than riding a stationary bike since it’d be set up for you. Since you’re asking about stationary bikes you probably don’t regularly ride a bike, then that still would be my first choice. Get a bike and a trainer to mount it to so when the time or weather works you’d have a bike get more for your money. Otherwise I’d see what’s on Craigslist and research reviews on what’s for sale. Most people buy them with good intentions and never use them so you’d get a basically new bike for a fraction of the cost. The gym I go to has Schwinn bikes that I only use to warm up on, but they are pretty nice. They sell them every few years for a few hundred $ to get new models and they seem to go fast which could also be a way to get a higher end trainer for less money.
 
TommyDom said:
I put my Ridley Fenix road bike on a Garmin Tacx Neo 2 smart trainer. I am able to enter a virtual cycling world via the Zwift app (installed on Apple TV). As I climb mountains, I feel the resistance and change my gears just like I would in the real world. I can feel concrete seams, wood planks, etc. It is quite amazing how close to a real "road feel" it is. I am able to pair my heart rate with the Wahoo KICKR Headwind Smart Fan. As my heart rate increases, so does the fan velocity. I am very competitive and even when I am not in the mood to bike hard I will get into a little boxing match with someone from another country cycling at the same time (there are several realms with many routes) and I will end up getting my heart rate to 170 as I try to bury them. It really is an awesome set up.

View attachment 369354
Click to expand...

Awesome setup!!! I ride Zwift a few times a week. I have a Canyon Soeedmax TT bike on a Kickr Core trainer. Great for training during the winter
 
Get a smart trainer, I run a wahoo kickr, and put your mtb on it. I control it through zwift (you can set the resistance/follow training programs) on my phone and watch race footage/shows/movies on my tv in the garage. You can find refurbished models and used ones for around 600-800. The smart trainers are also fairly quiet
 
Current mtn bike is a trek fuel ex8, I’m not sure I want to put it on a trainer but have considered it. I have thought about picking up a used road bike and putting it on a trainer in the winter and then would have a road bike for summer rides which gives me more use
 
TheTone said:
Current mtn bike is a trek fuel ex8, I’m not sure I want to put it on a trainer but have considered it. I have thought about picking up a used road bike and putting it on a trainer in the winter and then would have a road bike for summer rides which gives me more use
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I haven’t been on them in years, but if you already ride and had a road bike full rollers kicks it up a notch. There’s a learning curve, but great workout.
 
My advice is whatever you decide to invest your money into, make sure there is ROI. If you buy something cause it is inexpensive, but you never ride it, you lost money. If you spend more money, but ride all the time, then it was well worth it. Zwift is great because it motivates you to compete against others, but mostly yourself. You just keep pushing yourself and you see improvement. Measure your legs before you start and then measure them later. They will be tree trunks. There are many times I just want to ride and watch something else. In my Office/Exercise Room I have 2 TVs (each with an Apple TV puck). On one I have Zwift and on the other, I can watch YouTube TV, YouTube, Apple TV+, Netflix, HBOGO, Disney+, Prime Video, Hulu, ESPN, MOTV. I mainly watch sports and MOTV (My Outdoor TV) to watch mountain hunts. But I also watch a lot of YouTube hunting. I live in North Dakota and basically have to bike indoors for 6 months out of the year. This setup has changed the game for me. There is a group on Zwift called "DIRT" meaning "Dads Indoors Riding Trainers" I am not a part of that group, but I am indeed a Dad Indoors Riding a Trainer. I have tried many many indoors trainers and nothing compares.

Zwift2.jpg
 
TommyDom said:
My advice is whatever you decide to invest your money into, make sure there is ROI. If you buy something cause it is inexpensive, but you never ride it, you lost money. If you spend more money, but ride all the time, then it was well worth it. Zwift is great because it motivates you to compete against others, but mostly yourself. You just keep pushing yourself and you see improvement. Measure your legs before you start and then measure them later. They will be tree trunks. There are many times I just want to ride and watch something else. In my Office/Exercise Room I have 2 TVs (each with an Apple TV puck). On one I have Zwift and on the other, I can watch YouTube TV, YouTube, Apple TV+, Netflix, HBOGO, Disney+, Prime Video, Hulu, ESPN, MOTV. I mainly watch sports and MOTV (My Outdoor TV) to watch mountain hunts. But I also watch a lot of YouTube hunting. I live in North Dakota and basically have to bike indoors for 6 months out of the year. This setup has changed the game for me. There is a group on Zwift called "DIRT" meaning "Dads Indoors Riding Trainers" I am not a part of that group, but I am indeed a Dad Indoors Riding a Trainer. I have tried many many indoors trainers and nothing compares.

View attachment 369628
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Dang that’s a dream setup. Road bike with a trainer would save space for me
 
So I went whole hog this year after using my road bike on an inexpensive Cycleops dumb trainer with a cadence, speed sensor and HR monitor for many year. I have been doing zwift for a bit over a year (level 20 for you zwifters out there). My wife really surprised me this Christmas and this thing is a dream. Stages SB20 and I just run my Ipad with Zwift. Suprisingly power numbers with my old setup werent that far off, but there was a lot of friction in the system so I couldnt spin well. I was pushing rpms in the 60's and 70's and now routinely spin upper 80's to lower 90's. Did alp du zwift the other night and took 15 minutes off my previous time (from early last year however) You can do the dumb trainer and sensor setup for about $500 and be in good shape, but i'd recommend a smart trainer like a lot of the folks above. Ive seen a ton of them for sale used as well in our local area. Indoor trainers suck, let's face it, but programs like zwift make it bearable as you can be competitive and I actually ride with a buddy and we video chat while riding. Ive got almost 250 miles on mine already this month as the weather has been mildly crappy for mountain biking. I'll attach pics of my old and new setup. I also have a tv mounted on the wall and will watch Youtube or whatever as well.

My point is you can get by with something like I used to have or my current setup or anything in between. Lots of value in both setups, for me at least, but now I can actually ride my road bike on the road without it being a hassle...lol. Yes I did fab a crappy stand out of scrap wood to hold my ipad on the old bike.
Giant trainer.jpgSB20.jpgzwiftimage.jpg
 
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Also, fwiw, I would not do a Peleton or Nordic trac. We actually have the nordic trac and it is nice, but you are restricted to using their software. I don't like it but my wife does. Whatever you get I would recommend an open source setup so you can run whatever you want. also the peleton and nordictrac don't have a freewheel, a minor thing, but it is crazy if you are used to a regular bike.
 
TommyDom said:
I put my Ridley Fenix road bike on a Garmin Tacx Neo 2 smart trainer. I am able to enter a virtual cycling world via the Zwift app (installed on Apple TV). As I climb mountains, I feel the resistance and change my gears just like I would in the real world. I can feel concrete seams, wood planks, etc. It is quite amazing how close to a real "road feel" it is. I am able to pair my heart rate with the Wahoo KICKR Headwind Smart Fan. As my heart rate increases, so does the fan velocity. I am very competitive and even when I am not in the mood to bike hard I will get into a little boxing match with someone from another country cycling at the same time (there are several realms with many routes) and I will end up getting my heart rate to 170 as I try to bury them. It really is an awesome set up.

View attachment 369354
Click to expand...
That was my dream setup, until my buddy talked my wife into the one I just posted.... Nice!!!
 
TheTone said:
Current mtn bike is a trek fuel ex8, I’m not sure I want to put it on a trainer but have considered it. I have thought about picking up a used road bike and putting it on a trainer in the winter and then would have a road bike for summer rides which gives me more use
Click to expand...
I think you can get the kickr core for about your budget. Just need an extra cassette for the trainer. Like I said, I see them used a lot. Only prob with using a mtb is that you get a lot of wasted energy from flexing the suspension. If you have lockouts that would make it better.
 
Some very nice set ups. I have something else on the big screen and lap top running Rouvey. I only road zwift a few times and well hated the video game feel of the virtual roads. There race and training stuff is supposed to be vey good. I MUCH prefer the real roads videos of Rouvey. Try a few and see which you like best20220119_123532.jpg
 
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