With different types of indoor cycling equipment available such as exercise bikes (stationary bikes), bike trainers, smart trainers & bicycle rollers, if you get confused about which one to choose then your search stops right here. Indoor cycling & training or spin classes have transformed the lives of many from housewives to pro athletes. Read this blog till the end to know everything about all Indoor Cycling Workout Equipment and their pros & cons to make an ideal choice and set up your home gym now.
- Exercise Bike for Indoor Cycling
- Bike Trainer for Indoor Cycling
- Smart Trainers
- Bike Rollers
Exercise Bike for Indoor Cycling
There was a time when indoor cycling was considered some sort of luxury and limited to exercise bikes as the only equipment. These bikes would come with a regular analogue speedometer which works with the heavy flywheel of the machine. Gradually, the traditional bikes got modernized with a smart interface that can record data, set routines, and have a live workout session on a screen attached to the stationary bike.
Pros of Stationary Bikes
- Anyone can ride these bikes even if they don’t know how to cycle. Hence, there is no risk of falling off.
- These bikes come in a ‘ready to use state, therefore, no assembling is required.
- The bikes are low maintenance with no such service costs.
Cons of Stationary Bikes
- These exercise bikes are heavy and bulky, hence not portable. This makes them difficult to move and use for home workouts. More suited for Gymnasiums
- Since these bikes are stationary, they don’t have any lateral motion and thus, they don’t offer a realistic road-riding feeling. You are likely to get bored with them over time.
- Body Posture – Not all exercise bikes come with proper geometry that fits every rider. Often people complain about back pain due to inappropriate body posture and geometry of exercise bikes.
- Outdated – Old school exercise bikes with cosmetic funky changes are nowadays affordable. But in the current times of technology and experiential workouts, these bikes are not widely preferred or used. One may find such bikes starting at INR 5000 that go on with added features in them.
Smart Stationary Bikes
These bikes come with a smart interface where you can have access to virtual rides on the TV screen with the help of some apps. Furthermore, these bikes have inbuilt Software and they work on ANT+ /BT technology connecting multiple devices that make indoor riding a wholesome experience.
All this comes with a premium price which starts from INR 70000 and goes on.
Bike Trainer for Indoor Cycling
Bike Trainers have been a blessing for many cyclists who don’t have a nice bike and want to ride indoors. With the basic design and setup, these trainers created value for many who have a bicycle at home but couldn’t ride outdoors because of different reasons. Due to its popularity and simple design, many online videos are showing how to make a trainer at home.
The setup is very easy – Just need to clamp the bike’s rare wheel axle to the trainer, making it stationary. There is a small steel hub that acts as a resistance unit, one can adjust this manually to increase or decrease the resistance.
There are further advanced trainers with Magnetic and Fluid resistance
Pros of Bike Trainers
- Bike Trainers are not expensive. And there is no service cost as such.
- These trainers are compatible with all bikes and allow anyone to ride with them as this makes the bike stationary and there is no risk of falling.
- These are lightweight, portable bikes and need less storage space
Cons of Bike Trainers
- Bike trainers are very similar to exercise bikes in terms of riding experience since both are stationary.
- The bike tire has to be changed to Trainer Tires. If one rides with a regular road bike or any bike tire, it gets bald and then worn down due to the excessive heat produced by the small steel hub rotating at high rpm and the tire is at one position as it’s fixed to the trainer. Therefore, the use of trainer tires is a must to avoid any damage to your expensive road bike tires.
Smart Trainer
Some say it’s a fancy affair and others say it’s a value. We are surely not going to debate for any side. These days smart trainers have become a next-level thing in Indoor cycling. Why? Because it brings you all new technology and the gaming experience of virtual cycling world where you ride and game. The top Popular brands making these rollers are – Wahoo, Elite, Tacx
Pros of Smart Trainer
- Smart trainers have all the inbuilt features and connect easily with virtual cycling apps. You can ride in different countries and popular cycling routes.
- The trainers respond with the visuals and increase/decrease the resistance as you do climbs and downhill. All your workout is digitalized and get recorded. Riders race with each other in different cities/countries in the comfort of their homes.
- The best part is that it takes you back to the childhood days of video gaming with friends. And of course, you can all work out at home at the same time.
Cons of Smart Trainer
- Smart trainers have all the inbuilt features and connect easily with virtual cycling apps. You can ride in different
- countries and popular cycling routes.
- The trainers respond with the visuals and increase/decrease the resistance as you do climbs and downhill. All your workout is digitalized and get recorded. Riders race with each other in different cities/countries in the comfort of their homes.
- The best part is that it takes you back to the childhood days of video gaming with friends. And of course, you can all work out at home at the same time.
Rocker Plates
To solve the above drawback, here comes the invention of Rocker Plates that make the Indoor cycling experience as realistic as it could be.
Rocker Plates are two plywood plates curved beautifully in rocket/aero design and between this two-ply, there are some linear bearings to give forward/ backward movement. There are inflatable balls on either corner for sidewise lateral motion. This rocker plate is placed under the smart trainer for a more realistic and engaging feel of virtual riding.
Bicycle Rollers
This is age-old professional cycling equipment but still, it is new to many avid cyclists and fitness enthusiasts who are looking for good options for Indoor cycling. There was a time when Bicycle Rollers were limited to the use of professional cyclists for their warm-up before the race and indoor cadence/cardio exercises. From the first look at rollers, one will not feel confident and imagine it as good as walking on a rope The phobia of falling off from rollers is something why people didn’t give it a try to it.
Cycling on rollers and having tried all the above-mentioned equipment I would say, it is like Reliving childhood! #SpinningOnRollers offers the same feeling that you had when you were learning to ride a bicycle.
You have to be cautious and keep the core muscles tight and try many such ways to keep yourself upright on Bike Rollers. This will help you a little in gaining more balance, It does take a few hours to some days to get 100% confidence and after that the feeling of riding on rollers is paramount.
Cycling on Rollers is the most engaging and thrilling workout out of all the indoor cycling equipment mentioned above. Apart from giving a realistic road cycling feel, it enhances stamina, improves balance & concentration, loses body fat faster, and builds core muscle strength.
You can refer to our blog on How to set an Indoor Cycling Workout routine to begin your home workouts. We will be soon sharing another blog where one can learn basic tricks and tips to get a quick balance on rollers and make the maximum out of it.
To understand the real-time functioning of bicycle rollers and their features, you can refer to this YouTube link: https://youtu.be/IrTPz0lw6EQ
Pros of Bicycle Rollers
- Smart trainers have all the inbuilt features and connect easily with virtual cycling apps. You can ride in different countries and popular cycling routes.
- The trainers respond with the visuals and increase/decrease the resistance as you do climbs and downhill. All your workout is digitalized and get recorded. Riders race with each other in different cities/countries in the comfort of their homes.
- The best part is that it takes you back to the childhood days of video gaming with friends. And of course, you can all work out at home at the same time.
Cons of Bicycle Rollers
- Smart trainers have all the inbuilt features and connect easily with virtual cycling apps. You can ride in different
- countries and popular cycling routes.
- The trainers respond with the visuals and increase/decrease the resistance as you do climbs and downhill. All your workout is digitalized and get recorded. Riders race with each other in different cities/countries in the comfort of their homes.
- The best part is that it takes you back to the childhood days of video gaming with friends. And of course, you can all work out at home at the same time.
What makes it a top selection is that it can also be used with Virtual riding apps. One just needs to attach an ANT+ BT speed cadence sensor to the bike. However, you do not get the automatic resistance on the up and down of the virtual cycling route as in smart trainer.
Shadowfax Roller with Action Bridge
This is a combo of ‘bicycle roller’ and ‘trainer’ that allows for effective power training for professionals. It combines the comfort & security of a trainer and offers a realistic road-like feel to the non-cyclist. Thus, adding versatility to your whole indoor cycling workout experience.
The bridge allows the bike to move naturally with the left-right tilting motion in response to your pedal stroke. And since you control the motion through handlebars, it offers a realistic road cycling feel. The “Rocking motion bridge” design and comfort allow anyone to ride on rollers irrespective of age and fitness level. The risk of falling off is eliminated and one can easily get on & off the bike anytime keeping the bike on the rollers with the bridge.
In-depth research and exploration have gone into creating this informative blog. We thank all the people who were kind enough to share their experiences and expert opinions on this different workout equipment.
Our Indoor Cycling Series:
Also, you can check out our Indoor Cycling Series, an all-rounder guide to enhance your indoor cycling experience.
Indoor Cycling Series 1: This is a perfect guide to a powerful 45- minutes step-by-step Indoor Cycling Routine and Training at home with your Indoor Bike Trainer/ Rollers.
Indoor Cycling Series 2: Record your Indoor Cycling Routines with the Best Workout Apps that come with interactive features, detailed analytics, minimal equipment, and investment.
Indoor Cycling Series 3: A step-by-step DIY process of rocker plates to transform your favorite smart trainer into exclusive designs that are ideal for your body.
Indoor Cycling Series 4: Know everything about the challenges, rewards, tricks, and easiest hacks for maintaining quick balance while riding on rollers.
Indoor Cycling Series 5: Learn how to connect Zwift or any Virtual Riding App with a non-smart trainer and what exclusive features you can enjoy thereafter.
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