Trekker Posted November 16, 2011 Share Thanks Spidey and all the other Hubbers for your comments. At least I don't feel like I am alone in this battle any more. Maybe my plea will gather some momentum now Pun intended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinnekop Posted November 16, 2011 Share OK.....got a good reply from the regional girl. She is VERY good at her job and a cyclist herself (Old Pro athlete).They are busy having a look into the situation. I can only make my own assumptions having worked with VA for a couple of years.....Orders from management that were talked into low maintenance, low cost blah blah bikes and now the guys on the ground level have to gather enough 'evidence' to make management see that the stuff is not that good....... Lets see what happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dracs Posted November 16, 2011 Share Get on the new bikes and you will understand. They are hideous. Built for gnomes who can't cycle. I'm 6 foot 3 and every time i get out the saddle on the new bike, my knees smash into the bars. Not ideal. I have the same thing - have to set handle bars to highest setting and even then I brush the bars with my knees if I am in a forward position - very annoying. Also agree on the general comments about momentum and I have also had knee pain last few weeks - which if I think about it coincides with the new bikes arriving as well.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zerin Posted November 16, 2011 Share I also hate the new bikes. The old ones even with broken cranks were better than this rubbish they have installed. And I cannot get out onto a real bike more than once a week so I have to rely on spinning to keep a decent level of fitness. I have to lift the handlebars to a stupid height because when standing in the forward position my knees hit the bars. The belt sticks and creates a jerky movement which in turn causes jarring on my knees. The tension is terrible and does not adjust in a smooth fashion. Worst of all, it feels like i am pedalling fresh air. The bike also feels plastic and the settings are difficult to read. Very very unhappy and I have now had to move to another VA which is further away because they still have the old bikes. Heaven help me if they too get the new bikes :angry: :angry: I also think everyone who is unhappy with the bikes should stand up and say something instead of just putting up with it. I know that just about everyone at Roodepoort are unhappy, including the instructors. I also know that the link to this thread has been sent to the MD of VA. I wonder if he will bother to read it and reply. Edited November 16, 2011 by Zerin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNT1 Posted November 16, 2011 Share When you spin, the bike must surely hold some momentum in the flywheel, otherwise it is just a regular trainer, not? Pardon me for the noob comment, but, I thought the main difference (flywheel weight excepted) between a regular stationary bike and a spinning bike was the freewheel? Or rather lack thereof on a spinning bike? Um, momentum and flywheel is a very technical discussion, which I'm sure many members would like to have. You know, your car has a flywheel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzz27 Posted November 17, 2011 Share I also hate the new bikes. The old ones even with broken cranks were better than this rubbish they have installed. And I cannot get out onto a real bike more than once a week so I have to rely on spinning to keep a decent level of fitness. I have to lift the handlebars to a stupid height because when standing in the forward position my knees hit the bars. The belt sticks and creates a jerky movement which in turn causes jarring on my knees. The tension is terrible and does not adjust in a smooth fashion. Worst of all, it feels like i am pedalling fresh air. The bike also feels plastic and the settings are difficult to read. Very very unhappy and I have now had to move to another VA which is further away because they still have the old bikes. Heaven help me if they too get the new bikes :angry: :angry: I also think everyone who is unhappy with the bikes should stand up and say something instead of just putting up with it. I know that just about everyone at Roodepoort are unhappy, including the instructors. I also know that the link to this thread has been sent to the MD of VA. I wonder if he will bother to read it and reply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzz27 Posted November 17, 2011 Share I must agree that the new bikes are horrific - not only are they shocking but the timing of the whole exercise was badly planned. 1 month before 94.7 - really well thought out.Well done Virgin !! :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dicky DQ Posted November 17, 2011 Share You make a very valid point. But that is exactly it. A spinning bike should do that, i.e. force your legs around when you don't feel like it any more. If you have ever been on a track bike you would know what I mean. Fair enough, a track bike is way over the top as there is just no way you will get that to speed up or slow down as fast as you can do with a spinning bike. But a spinning bike should be somewhere between regular cycling and a track bike. Unfortunately the new bikes at VA do a pretty good job of not having momentum. Having momentum is the trademark of spinning and if you love spinning you will know why this is essential. Sorry dumb question does a spin bike not allow you to freewheel? if so you cannot compare this to a track bike! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dicky DQ Posted November 17, 2011 Share If you stop giving power to the pedals things should stop not keep the momentum. If you coast you need to put the effort in to get things back up to speed. Or am I missing something, is spinning for the freewheelers out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle_i Posted November 17, 2011 Share I have stopped spinning due to poor support and maintenance of the Spinning bikes at VA. I am in the process of terminating my membership and will be concentrating my efforts and taking my chances on the road... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaco-fiets Posted November 17, 2011 Share I also dont like those bikes. The geometry is bit weird for me. Dont feel comfortable on them. They also replaced all the machines in the gym with matrix machines. Allot of people since have had injuries related to this. For example the bench press benches and incline press benches were replaced by these bench press machines. Allot of people got shoulder injuries because of the angle the weights work in. Not a change for the better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trekker Posted November 18, 2011 Share If you stop giving power to the pedals things should stop not keep the momentum. If you coast you need to put the effort in to get things back up to speed. Or am I missing something, is spinning for the freewheelers out there. I cannot believe that you've never done spinning Richard. Anyway you have to go do it before the bikes at your nearest VA gets hacked out as well. Put it on your bucket-list if you have to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flymango Posted November 28, 2011 Share Having just returned from a spinning class, I have to again say that these new bikes are awful. When the resistance is high, the down stroke slips as if cycling through mud. Some guy after the class said it also happened to him and it was sweat on the flywheel. I guess I should complain to my local VA manager and not here on The Hub. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyberaver Posted November 28, 2011 Share Haven't heard anything from VA at all, I think I will mail them and see what they say on where they are. Currently finishing up my changes at home to train on an IDT. they have to get rid of these hunks of junk and get something proper back in the gyms Edited November 28, 2011 by cyberaver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squier Posted November 28, 2011 Share These new bikes suck! I would much rather spin on the old dilapidated bikes. At least it felt relatively similar to riding a bike. Hopefully everyone on this thread complained directly to VA in writing. Although, I can't see them change it. Must have been a massive capital expenditure to replace all spinning bikes nationally. Our only option really is to move to planet fitness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squier Posted November 28, 2011 Share I would also suggest leaving a comment on their facebook page... http://www.facebook.com/VirginActiveSA Let's give it a go at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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