Do not use Spinning Bike for Endurance Training

[slabs]

Got this advice from an article I read:

 

ENDURANCE TRAINING: 5 to 6 months before the event

Focus on getting hours in the saddle and get to love your bike. Make sure you work up your weekly hours to a minimum of 10hours/week at the end of this phase. This would be mainly low intensity rides (65 – 85% of maximum HR), going over hills at a constant pace and generally just getting a feel for the bike. Weather-permitting, these rides should mostly be done outside on either a mountain or road bike or at worst on an indoor trainer (and not a spin bike!)

 

All common sense, but why not use spinning bike as part of the training? All I can think is that the setup is different to a bike, but could there be another reason?

[rouxtjie]

Its fooooooorkin boring, think you might lose motivation after doing 1 week's worth of LSD rides on a spinning bike. Just my opinion though.

[NotSoBigBen]

Spinning bikes/IDT/rollers are the devil! Only to be used under extreme conditions when riding is impossible (a hurricane perhaps?)

[slabs]

Agree that it is very boring and not so good for the behind! But when you have no other choice this is always an option. Obviously best training is on your bike, but it is not always possible and you get forced indoors. I literally do about 1-2 sessions a week indoors.

 

Just was thinking there could be some other reason....

[Lukep]

Agree that it is very boring and not so good for the behind! But when you have no other choice this is always an option. Obviously best training is on your bike, but it is not always possible and you get forced indoors. I literally do about 1-2 sessions a week indoors.

 

Just was thinking there could be some other reason....

 

I am not an expert but I have read that the reason why spinning bike are not recomened is because they have not relationship to the gearing and feel of an actual bike,

1. No gears= resistance is purely perceptive

2. The fly wheel carries the momentum which is far greater than the momentum you would carry on a real bike

 

 

I have never heard of any objection to IDT's besides the mind numbing boerdom they create. Other than that rollers and IDTs (where an actual bike is used) are supposed to improve the pedaling effciency of the rider according to what I have seen

Edited November 2, 2011 by Lukep

[Eldron]

I would hazard a guess at problems with the fixed gear and knees/ankles.

 

Indoor trainers are fine because they mimic real bikes but spinning bikes with fixed gears will add some stress to your knees/ankles.

 

That said - I do 90 min plus track sessions and no knees problems to report. Yet!

[RocknRolla]

Agree that it is very boring and not so good for the behind! But when you have no other choice this is always an option. Obviously best training is on your bike, but it is not always possible and you get forced indoors. I literally do about 1-2 sessions a week indoors.

 

Just was thinking there could be some other reason....

 

 

i would also like to know what the authors reason would be for not doing endurance on the spinning bike. Perhaps the weighted wheel, that gains momentum?

[mark ellis]

I find it easier to eat KFC and Mac D when on the spinning bike

[Cycling Addict]

Know of guys successully completing Epic (top 50) with mainly spinning

Edited November 2, 2011 by Cycling Addict

['Dale]

I find it easier to eat KFC and Mac D when on the spinning bike

:lol:

['Dale]

The risks are often not just physiological, also psychological.

 

What I sense the author is saying that the best training is to get on that saddle, feel the wind push you back, feel the rugged rolling resistance of the road or path and notice how much more core strength it takes to keep this entity moving forward.

AND THEN GET USED TO IT...

 

Spinning bikes are fixed, yah.

Does maybe not test endurance fully as the flywheel has it own momentum.

Edited November 2, 2011 by ' Dale

['Dale]

Cool response from cyclingnews.com:

 

 

I’m currently living in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. There is some great riding in Cambodia but around Phnom Penh it is flat, dusty, busy and dangerous. Basically, it’s no good for training.

 

As a result, I have been doing most of my training on Spinning bikes.

I'm not feeling as strong as I might expect from the work I have been doing. Is it possible to get race fit purely on Spinning bikes? If not, what sort of balance is required?

 

Cheers,

 

Laurence

 

James Hibbard says:

 

Hello Laurence,

 

My concern about training exclusively on a spin bike is that many have a flywheel mechanism which can allow one to simply “float” through the recovery stroke. This stands in contrast to a set of rollers, or even a trainer, where one’s pedaling is quite similar to actual riding and one has to engage their posterior chain much more on the recovery stroke.

 

I am not sure about the logistical possibility of this for you, but for someone in your situation it would be best to have your actual bike and at least a trainer (if not a set of rollers and a trainer).

 

The rollers would be a great tool to work on your pedaling technique, while a trainer works well for longer and/or more power-oriented efforts.

 

Best of luck!

[capeofstorms]

Hi,

 

It is simply not wise to spend more than an hour on either a spinning bike or IDT. Endurance training MUST be done on the road. By definition I would assume endurance to be 3+ hour rides. Who would spend this amount of time on either an IDT or spinning bike? Your ass simply won't be happy

[Just Keep Pedaling]

"Know of guys successully completing Epic (top 50) with mainly spinning"

 

Cycling magazines like to regurgitate the same stuff again and again without ever bothering to find out if its legit. I think the consensus here is unless you on a pro team you will probably do 'ok' by training equivalent hours on a spinning bike. That being said after an hour on a spinning bike I am ready to go home but after 5 hours on my real bike outdoors I can still go on.

[Gman1834]

One reason to use the IDT.

['Kaze Pete]

Hi,

 

It is simply not wise to spend more than an hour on either a spinning bike or IDT. Endurance training MUST be done on the road. By definition I would assume endurance to be 3+ hour rides. Who would spend this amount of time on either an IDT or spinning bike? Your ass simply won't be happy

There is enough evidence that targeted IDT sessions will have the same effect as just riding around, LSD sessions on an actual bicycle.