Difference between spinning and turbo trainers

blatchcorn
blatchcorn Posts: 35
edited November 2011 in Training, fitness and health
I am considering starting a cycling club at my uni.
We have a room for spinning bikes and was wondering if we could do turbo sessions on spinning bikes?

Comments

  • jgsi
    jgsi Posts: 5,062
    You can, but for a more realistic feel to the 'ride', use bikes on turbos... certainly cheaper if everyone brings their own kit.
    I attend an hour long club turbo nite once a week in a hell hole with 7 or 8 other turbos.... it's pretty intense.
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    TBH I'd not bother lugging a bike and turbo around for one session.
    If you have the spin bikes there - go for that and see how it goes.

    Its not easy to ride a bike and carry a heavy turbo and kit with you - maybe easier with cars but do many students run one ?
  • ut_och_cykla
    ut_och_cykla Posts: 1,594
    Getting a good cardio vascular workout on a spinbike is easily possible. I'd go with Cougie - use 'em if they're there.

    The difference in training is perhaps position (not your bike) and the flywheel effect (which is after all not a million miles from riding a fixie) but its still cycling. Even if they are more like gym warm up bikes its still possible - but proper spin bikes are loads better.

    People might want to bring their own pedals and it goes without saying (but I'll write it anyway!) make sure the place stays as cool & well ventilated as poss.
  • KnightOfTheLongTights
    KnightOfTheLongTights Posts: 1,415
    ut_och_cykla wrote:
    and the flywheel effect (which is after all not a million miles from riding a fixie) but its still cycling.

    was thinking about this the other day after a 90-min class - your legs never stop working do they, unlike on a ride

    surely in one sense this is 'a good thing' - in terms of say muscular endurance? Even 'mental endurance'?
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    Well i got my fixed wheel winter bike after a club ride years ago when one of our ex members showed up. He was on the WCPP then and had a powermeter on. That showed him that he was freewheeling on the club run about 50% of the time. Thats probably because he was so much stronger than the rest - but I figured I'd give the fixed a go. It feels like a harder ride than gears, but I'd maybe only say 5 - 10% harder ?

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