Spin bike for garage gym - newbie help please

[OriginalFDM]

Hi Guys

Sorry if this is the wrong place for this but as someone who doesn’t cycle in the real world, I thought this would be a good place to get a steer as a cycling ignoramus!

This year I’ve been on a get fit mission and am in the process of moving away from a gym membership to move towards a garage/home solution.

At present all my cardio comes from intense interval training on a treadmill, but my knees are suffering terribly from daily high speed impact.

Yesterday at the gym I tried a spin bike for the first time and really enjoyed the low impact nature of the exercise. I think it helped that the bike had a screen which played some rolling scenery so it helped pass the time, but either way, I thought I’d hate it but actually rather enjoyed it.

I’m looking at the possibility of sacking the gym membership off altogether and getting a spin bike for home.

What sort of money does one have to spend to get something decent? Any particular brand or models to look at?

I kept seeing the peloton adverts and went on their website, laughed at the price and quickly moved on....£2k upfront as well as £40/mo is a non starter. Don’t mind spending up to £1k on the bike IF it’s worth it - guessing it’s a bit of a ‘diminishing returns’ game with exercise gear and that something for £500 will be much better than something for £100 but maybe only marginally worse than something for £1000...

All tips much appreciated! I figure if the bike doesn’t have a screen I could get some sort of clamp to strap an iPad to the thing and watch a ‘class’ video on YouTube while I ride...

Edit - something like this looks like it might fit the bill as a basic bike to strap an iPad to for ‘entertainment’ while I work out ...

https://www.powerhouse-fitness.co.uk/bodymax-b15-b...

Edited by OriginalFDM on Monday 30th December 11:47

[MrThomo]

Can't help with a spinning bike but are you interested in ever cycling out on the road? if yes you could consider buying a road bike and a turbo trainer? Wahoo and Tacx seem to get the best reviews although much cheaper / starter units are available.

I have just recently purchased a Wahoo kickr for my garage set up and will never look back. Hook it up with Zwift (£12pm) and away you go (I did already have a bike so didn't need to factor that into the budget)

Good luck!

[OriginalFDM]

MrThomo said:

Can't help with a spinning bike but are you interested in ever cycling out on the road? if yes you could consider buying a road bike and a turbo trainer? Wahoo and Tacx seem to get the best reviews although much cheaper / starter units are available.

I have just recently purchased a Wahoo kickr for my garage set up and will never look back. Hook it up with Zwift (£12pm) and away you go (I did already have a bike so didn't need to factor that into the budget)

Good luck!

Thanks. I thought about it but I’m more interested in getting an efficient workout in than the act of cycling per se. So an indoor solution is the way to go for me.

I run outdoors in the summer and it’s only the naff weather that’s forced my exercise regime indoors. So it’s going to be more of a winter pursuit!

[nammynake]

Even if you never ride outside a road bike plus turbo is arguably the best option....plus a Zwift subscription. Pick up second hand bike for £200 or less plus smart turbo for £300-£500 will get you a good setup and you can easily sell both the bike and turbo if/when you get bored.

[OriginalFDM]

nammynake said:

Even if you never ride outside a road bike plus turbo is arguably the best option....plus a Zwift subscription. Pick up second hand bike for £200 or less plus smart turbo for £300-£500 will get you a good setup and you can easily sell both the bike and turbo if/when you get bored.

I’m not against it in principle but what’s the argument for a road bike and a turbo if I have no interest in using the road bike outdoors? Would it make more sense to buy a standalone indoor bike?

[nammynake]

Very very few cyclists who also train indoors use a spin bike. The vast majority use a turbo or rollers. Personally I think the overall experience is much better on a turbo - from the position, pedalling ‘feel’ and the degree of engagement with apps like Zwift. You can buy standalone turbos but they are well north of £1k. A bike used solely indoors will need minimal maintenance - just the occasional chain oil and wipe down to avoid sweat corroding the bike (you can easily avoid by covering with a towel while riding).

Suggest you look up some videos on YouTube to see what it’s all about, particularly smart trainers and Zwift.

[bigandclever]

I’ve had a kieser m3 for a few years now, done thousands of miles on it. Coupled with sufferfest videos, amongst others, works for me. Got a real bike for outside.

The thing’s going to outlast me, it’s *solid*, but I did check and they’re now about 1500quid so probably outside your budget.

[OriginalFDM]

Thanks that’s useful! I think that’s the key difference here - that I’m fundamentally not a cyclist and this is a fitness tool to me rather than an extension of an existing hobby.

I’m not really trying to replicate/substitute the feel or experience of real cycling which I guess a lot of cyclists want in an indoor setup

[frisbee]

OriginalFDM said:

I’m not against it in principle but what’s the argument for a road bike and a turbo if I have no interest in using the road bike outdoors? Would it make more sense to buy a standalone indoor bike?

A road bike and turbo with something like zwift will give you a pretty good simulation of riding outdoors, if you ride at a 20mph the turbo will apply resistance to feel like 20mph, if you ride up hill you have to change down gears etc..

A spin bike with a nice big flywheel would be absolutely fine if you just want to do a bit of cross training.

[MOBB]

Star Trac NXT spin bikes are really nice and can be picked up for good value on eBay

[S6PNJ]

bigandclever said:

I’ve had a kieser m3 for a few years now

Another vote here for Keiser!

I was (now lapsed) a qualified spin instructor on Keiser M3 bikes - they come up second hand or reconditioned on eBay etc but the one to get is the M3 plus (M3+)
They are one of the few bikes that will give you an (estimated) power output and don't rely on friction but use 'back emf' or eddy currents in the rear wheel to determine the hardness.

[smn159]

OriginalFDM said:

my knees are suffering terribly from daily high speed impact.

Unless you have a serious knee condition, your knees shouldn't suffer from daily running and any pain should be eased with better technique. For example, worst case, if you're heel striking with a dead straight leg with a 'bouncy' running style, large forces will go through your knees and hips. This can be fixed with gait analysis and some changes to your running to more a a mid-foot / bent knee style. Download something like Coaches Eye and get someone to video you on the treadmill so that you can see whats going on in slo-mo

If you really want a cycle trainer though, follow the advice given and get a bike / turbo / Zwift subscription - you're far less likely to get bored with it after a couple of weeks!

[CrouchingWayne]

OP - given you’re not too concerned about cycling specifically you should ask this in the Health forum as there are plenty of general fitness threads in there.

If you’re not too interested in cycling specifically have you considered other cardio forms (rowing machine, airdyne style bike)

I’ve not used one yet but the Concept2 BikeERG might be worth a look for a stationary bike based on their kit usually being great quality.

[Chainsaw Rebuild]

I would say get a road bike and a turbo trainer. I know you aren’t a cyclist but you will then have the option to ride outside in the summer if you want. Which will be a welcome change for one thing.

Also you might want to do an event to give you something to train towards, for example the London to Brighton.

Alternatively a concept 2 rowing machine would be good. It’s an excellent workout and a concept 2 is very tough.

[Wilmslowboy]

I have one of these, they pop up for sale from time to time (Cycle trader Uk etc) at closer to £1k

Stick your ipad, Iphone etc on it - works brilliantly.

The power adjusts automatically (and also has buttons on the drops to adjust gears etc) and comes with a number of inbuilt training routes and tests.





There are quite a few gyms going bust so their bikes are available...

https://www.bidspotter.co.uk/en-gb/auction-catalog...

[MB140]

My works gym is full of Watt bikes. Links to your phone via Bluetooth. Use the phone for all the training rides etc. Seems to work okay. eBay seems to show quite a lot for sale as does fb marketplace.

[Paul Drawmer]

Whatever you do, stay away from anything with a friction control.
If you want a proper workout, then you will need to measure your output in some way and electronic resistance is the best method of also providing feedback for a fitness app of some sort.

Cycling is great for knees, enables a proper workout without impact issues.

A secondhand wattbike would be great; my budget option is an old bike with road tyres on a smart turbo trainer.

I would suggest that you get clip in pedals and cycling shoes with cleats. It may seem like overkill, but when you're working hard, the last thing you want to worry about is losing contact with the pedals.

You will also need proper cycling shorts

[anonymous-user]

In OP it says

"Yesterday at the gym I tried a spin bike for the first time and really enjoyed the low impact nature of the exercise. I think it helped that the bike had a screen which played some rolling scenery so it helped pass the time, but either way, I thought I’d hate it but actually rather enjoyed it."

My 2p worth is that it probably makes sense to have a few more sessions on the spin bike at the gym before concluding that parting with hundreds of pounds to have one in the garage is the best idea

Hopefully each additional ride merely reinforces the decision. If that is the case, use the additional time to understand what bits of the spin bike you are using are good / bad and base your buying decision on that.

If, however, after a few rides, you decide a spin bike isn't the right option, get one of these instead

https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/283483416521

that seems to be a popular use for many very lightly used spin bikes

[MikeGoodwin]

JPJPJP said:

if, however, after a few rides, you decide a spin bike isn't the right option, get one of these instead

https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/283483416521

that seems to be a popular use for many very lightly used spin bikes

Ha

I had a Sole used for this purpose

Hated it. Nothing worse than cycling static indoors even with a fan. Id sooner have a cheap road bike hooked up to a turbo trainer, at least you can bring the bike out on the road when you want.

[Wilmslowboy]

JPJPJP said:

If, however, after a few rides, you decide a spin bike isn't the right option, get one of these instead

https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/283483416521

that seems to be a popular use for many very lightly used spin bikes