Spinning Bike vs Stationary Bike

I mention alot on Twitter that I go to spinning classes and that my gym only has 2 spinning bikes and that I hate riding the stationary bikes. Someone on Twitter asked me the difference between a Spinning bike and a Stationary bike. I honestly couldn't answer the question. I had NO clue. So I went and researched it.

The best information I found was at: http://ask.metafilter.com/81620/What-is-the-practical-difference-between-a-spinning-and-regular-stationary-exercise-bike

A spinning bike:



Vs.

A stationary bike:



"Spin bikes have a heavy, weighted flywheel that is directly mechanically linked to the pedals. This makes them like fixed-gear bikes, in that if you stop pushing on the pedals, they will tend to keep spinning due to the inertia of the flywheel. This is as opposed to regular bikes or regular exercise bikes, which have some kind of freewheel system that allows the wheel to spin freely if you stop pedaling.

There's a good deal of debate out there on fixies vs. freewheels which would apply similarly to spin bikes vs. regular exercise bikes. The biomechanics is different, it's better exercise, it's worse exercise, it's hard on your knees, it's good for your form - it depends who you ask, and these things are subjective, really. Certainly the inertia will lead to a higher pedaling cadence, which is part of the spinning experience.

Also, the shape of the bike is different - a spin bike is generally designed much more like a real road bike, and your posture on the bike will reflect that. Most exercise bikes are more upright, have wider seats, and generally are more "comfortable", at least to people who aren't used to riding a road bike. To me, they are less comfortable. Again, subjective, but different posture will focus on different muscle groups."

Now that someone has spelled out what the difference is between the two bikes, it makes alot more sense to me.

Question of the Day:

Do you prefer riding a spinning bike or a stationary bike?

Do you have a bike trainer so that you can ride at home in the winter months?

My Bum Hurts

My bum hurts and here is why:




My workout tonight was to do a 90 minute ride and then run 3 miles after the ride. It was terrible weather today, so I didn't want to take my bike out, so up to the gym I went.

I got up to the gym and the only spinning bike available had the seat picture above. The cycling still had to be done so I hopped on. Oh dear Lord it was painful. I'm sure it was quite humorous to see. I felt like I was on a unicycle because you were constantly trying to balance your weight in hopes of keeping the seat in a flat position. It never happened. I stayed on the bike for one hour and then switched to the other bike, but it wasn't any better because you can't adjust how far back the seat is, so it was uncomfortable too. BUT...it was less uncomfortable than the other bike.

I have now emailed the SDRC to let them know they need to get that fixed pronto.

Spinning Class

Last week I took my first spinning class up at the rec. center and I LOVED it. I didn't push myself as hard as I should have, but I didn't know how hard to push myself, 'cause I didn't know what to expect.

I definitely wanna go back and take more spinning classes. I just hope I can find the time (the classes are at kind of weird times). My trainer is even going to start putting those classes in my workout schedule.