Stationary Bike claims to truly simulate mountain climbs.

cajun_cyclist
cajun_cyclist Posts: 493
edited November 2011 in Pro race
This really looked cool on the telly, the Pro Forma Tour De France Stationary bike, the bike simulates mountain climbs or inclines and declines as well with it's shifting handlebars and seat, see the spring like attachment on the back and it has a google map system in it that you can simulate conditions of many roads, Tour de France mountain climbs included.

http://www.proform.com/tour-de-france/

le-tour-bike-373x400.jpg

It's probably outside of my budget but the idea sounds splendid. If only the health club would get one, that'd be nifty. I always heard that if you ever ride on rollers in the house and you wanted to simulate a mountain ride, you actually had to put the bike on a sort of incline/upward angle so what they are saying about this product is that it does the work for you. I'm not sure about stationary bikes, I know, many have a "Hills" function but I think that just makes it harder to pedal and you are not really "going uphill", I wonder if you set it to a super steep incline, I've done some over 25% I believe.

Has anyone tried these? Looks like it's made it's way into a few spinning classes. The next big deal in stationary bikes.

I'd really like drop bars though, I'm not into the "aerobic (?)" bars that much. Has anyone tried these? Any tips? I know this could go into the "Training thread" but they call it the Tour De France bike, of course, you still could not readily simulate the higher altitude unless you were doing it in one of those tents

Comments

  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,283
    Andy Schleck did a review of one. Said it was OK, but he fell off when he set it to "downhill".
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • cajun_cyclist
    cajun_cyclist Posts: 493
    Good one Doc! :lol:

    It appears 20% is the limit on how steep it can go, up and down if I understand that correctly.

    http://www.ohgizmo.com/2011/07/22/profo ... our-route/ Some frank reviews on this so perhaps one should be wary, may not be everything it's cracked up to be... but it's an interesting idea.

    And I was hoping I could follow one of the GTs by putting the actual course roads in it and following the peloton. Novel idea though. Perhaps it will come along in development.
  • pottssteve
    pottssteve Posts: 4,069
    No tA Doctor wrote:
    Andy Schleck did a review of one. Said it was OK, but he fell off when he set it to "downhill".


    Then as he went up the next hill he dropped his chain.


    Then Phil Gilbert went past him on a rowing machine.


    etc.... :)
    Head Hands Heart Lungs Legs
  • ozzzyosborn206
    ozzzyosborn206 Posts: 1,340
    isit just me or are the pedals in completely the wrong place? look too far forward?
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,530
    ozzzyosborn206 wrote:
    isit just me or are the pedals in completely the wrong place? look too far forward?

    hinault1978.jpg

    Nah.

    Exagerated because there isn't a downtube.
    _
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    Does look odd.

    I'd like a go of it but as our gym has just got new spin bikes I can't see we will get these.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,383
    Have to say I don't see the point - It's not the angle of the road that makes climbing hard, it's fighting against gravity - Put the bike on a TT and whack a few telephone books under the front wheel...? Turn the fan up a bit higher and raise the resistance a notch to simulate a windy day?

    OK, it's a bit of fun but it seems an awful lot of money for something that offers no training benefit whatsoever....
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • phreak
    phreak Posts: 2,905
    I might be wrong but I was under the impression that raising the front wheel (by whatever means) did provide a training benefit as it uses your hamstrings more, and that simulates climbing on the road. When riding on the flat it's more your quadriceps that are doing the work.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,383
    I ll get some phone books next time I'm on the TT then.....
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • phreak
    phreak Posts: 2,905
    Aye, I put a couple of bricks under the front wheel. Does the trick quite nicely.
  • cajun_cyclist
    cajun_cyclist Posts: 493
    Phreak and Ddraver bring up good points.

    A treadmill for running seems similar, it's not actually like walking or running up a hill IMO but you are exercising the muscles you might if you were running uphill. At an incline too, it does get rather cardiovascular, so that does seem similar. Gravity is another factor. So, really treadmills have been doing this for years, I never set the treadmill at too high of an angle but may try doing so as a test.
  • cajun_cyclist
    cajun_cyclist Posts: 493
    edited November 2011
    whooah, my double post was there for ? 9 days but I do see the Gitane photo above by another poster now comes out fully on the page. So, I will just use this edit to say that.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,383
    ^Well, you say that but you are taking a step up hill on a treadmill (the foot at the front of your stride is higher than the back), while it's not exactly the same, I think it is more akin to running up hill, but with this you re not moving anywhere so it's just an angle thing.

    ...and if it made that much difference, would nt road bikes have adjustable forks a la long travel mountain bikes so the position was the same for every gradient? (and that is not really because of the angle of the bike...)
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • jimmythecuckoo
    jimmythecuckoo Posts: 4,712
    No tA Doctor wrote:
    Andy Schleck did a review of one. Said it was OK, but he fell off when he set it to "downhill".
    We need a cymbals smiley for that quality of comedy :D
    http://fendrieneu.home.blog
    My blog and pod...
    Beers of Belgium Cycling Club UK

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