Bikes in the gym lie

elyob

So, I do 'cascade' at level 10 on a polar for 35 minutes. I've done 20 miles
according to the machine. That's an average speed of about 35-40mph. What a
load of rubbish, unless racing bikes are much quicker. I ride a mountain
bike and average about 12-15mph. I'm pretty sure it's not telling me
kilometres.

Still, it's nice to watch tv and cycle, but am also wondering whether any of
the 'vigorous' cyclists next to me would be brave enough to cycle on the
road.

I won't even mention the bloke who turns up in fully sponsored lycra cycling
stuff. Maybe he's a pro?? A fair weather one, maybe?

Nick

Peter B

"elyob" <newsprofile@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:F5CId.16405$GG1.13154@text.news.blueyonder.co.uk...
> So, I do 'cascade' at level 10 on a polar for 35 minutes. I've done 20
miles
> according to the machine. That's an average speed of about 35-40mph. What
a
> load of rubbish, unless racing bikes are much quicker. I ride a mountain
> bike and average about 12-15mph. I'm pretty sure it's not telling me
> kilometres.

You've got to be pretty (very?) fit to maintain an average >18mph on
undulating roads riding solo for any length of time on a good upright road
bike.
Don't forget riding a stationary bike creates no headwind, a major factor to
stopping you riding faster on a proper bike as drag cubes to the square of
the hypottynews or sumfink like that.
Even so I think the machine on which you sat and peddaled was optimistic,
maybe to inflate the egos of non-cyclists who use them and can then brag at
work about how far and fast they went, much like I imagine some of the folks
who gather for a chat in our local swimming bath delude themselves into
thinking they swim a lot :-)

Pete

Zog The Undeniable

elyob wrote:

> So, I do 'cascade' at level 10 on a polar for 35 minutes. I've done 20 miles
> according to the machine. That's an average speed of about 35-40mph. What a
> load of rubbish, unless racing bikes are much quicker. I ride a mountain
> bike and average about 12-15mph. I'm pretty sure it's not telling me
> kilometres.
>
> Still, it's nice to watch tv and cycle, but am also wondering whether any of
> the 'vigorous' cyclists next to me would be brave enough to cycle on the
> road.
>
> I won't even mention the bloke who turns up in fully sponsored lycra cycling
> stuff. Maybe he's a pro?? A fair weather one, maybe?

I had to go to the hotel gym last week because I was working away from
home. I thought the readout was about right; 200W for half an hour
(plus warm up and spin down), roughly 20mph. Can't get used to the
handlebars being so high though!

MSeries

elyob wrote:
> So, I do 'cascade' at level 10 on a polar for 35 minutes. I've done 20 miles
> according to the machine. That's an average speed of about 35-40mph. What a
> load of rubbish, unless racing bikes are much quicker. I ride a mountain
> bike and average about 12-15mph. I'm pretty sure it's not telling me
> kilometres.
>
> Still, it's nice to watch tv and cycle, but am also wondering whether any of
> the 'vigorous' cyclists next to me would be brave enough to cycle on the
> road.
>
> I won't even mention the bloke who turns up in fully sponsored lycra cycling
> stuff. Maybe he's a pro?? A fair weather one, maybe?
>
> Nick
>
>
You go 0 mph on a stationary bike and travel 0 miles, the display can
tell you anything it likes, anything other than 0 mph and 0 miles is wrong.

Succorso

elyob wrote:
> So, I do 'cascade' at level 10 on a polar for 35 minutes. I've done 20 miles
> according to the machine. That's an average speed of about 35-40mph. What a
> load of rubbish, unless racing bikes are much quicker. I ride a mountain
> bike and average about 12-15mph. I'm pretty sure it's not telling me
> kilometres.
>
> Still, it's nice to watch tv and cycle, but am also wondering whether any of
> the 'vigorous' cyclists next to me would be brave enough to cycle on the
> road.
>
> I won't even mention the bloke who turns up in fully sponsored lycra cycling
> stuff. Maybe he's a pro?? A fair weather one, maybe?
>
> Nick
>
>

IMHO gym bikes are totally useless. I gave up using them and cycled to
the gym instead; much better workout, one less journey in the car, and
more fun.

--
Chris

Tony W

"Succorso" <chris@goawayyouspammers.ivy-house.net> wrote in message
news:ct01ar$jgi$1$8302bc10@news.demon.co.uk...
>
> IMHO gym bikes are totally useless. I gave up using them and cycled to
> the gym instead; much better workout, one less journey in the car, and
> more fun.

A few years back some 'gym puke' (spotty lass employed to 'encourage' middle
aged men to do a bit more and to shout for help if they had a heart attack)
had a go at me for not 'warming down' and 'stretching' after a session in
the gym.

She looked a little bemused when I pointed out that I had a four mile ride
home but since it was a nice day I might go the long way back -- about 30
miles.

Shut the ***** up though :~)

MartinM

Tony W wrote:
> "Succorso" <chris@goawayyouspammers.ivy-house.net> wrote in message
> news:ct01ar$jgi$1$8302bc10@news.demon.co.uk...
> >
> > IMHO gym bikes are totally useless. I gave up using them and cycled
to
> > the gym instead; much better workout, one less journey in the car.

My SO pays £40 a month to be in a gym; can I have a £480 bike every
year instead please? ;-)
On the subject of optimistic readouts; my Cateye Velo tells me I have
burnt 2348 kcal over 114 km today, of which 600 must have been up the
North Face of the South Downs.

Eatmorepies

> Don't forget riding a stationary bike creates no headwind, a major factor
to
> stopping you riding faster on a proper bike as drag cubes to the square of
> the hypottynews or sumfink like that.

Air resistance = 0.5 x A x c x (v squared) - ie, double your speed and the
air resistance increases by a factor of 4.

A - frontal area
c - a constant for the moving object, it depends on shape, surface texture,
flappy clothing and the like. (And I bet c is speed dependant - that'l mess
up a nice simple equation for us then).

John

Ambrose Nankivell

In news:1106504180.005871.275690@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com,
MartinM <martinm3@wcms.org.uk> typed:
> Tony W wrote:
>> "Succorso" <chris@goawayyouspammers.ivy-house.net> wrote in message
>> news:ct01ar$jgi$1$8302bc10@news.demon.co.uk...
>>>
>>> IMHO gym bikes are totally useless. I gave up using them and cycled
>>> to the gym instead; much better workout, one less journey in the
>>> car.
>
> My SO pays £40 a month to be in a gym; can I have a £480 bike every
> year instead please? ;-)

Eh?

Surely you want a 1500 quid bike every 3 years.

> On the subject of optimistic readouts; my Cateye Velo tells me I have
> burnt 2348 kcal over 114 km today, of which 600 must have been up the
> North Face of the South Downs.

Mmm, 2348 kcal. That's about as much as I burnt today. Basic metabolism + a
bit of a walk in the hills.

A

Peter B

"Eatmorepies" <stopthere@lineone.net> wrote in message
news:35ibjrF4kfpvoU1@individual.net...
> > Don't forget riding a stationary bike creates no headwind, a major
factor
> to
> > stopping you riding faster on a proper bike as drag cubes to the square
of
> > the hypottynews or sumfink like that.
>
> Air resistance = 0.5 x A x c x (v squared) - ie, double your speed and the
> air resistance increases by a factor of 4.
>
> A - frontal area
> c - a constant for the moving object, it depends on shape, surface
texture,
> flappy clothing and the like. (And I bet c is speed dependant - that'l
mess
> up a nice simple equation for us then).

Thank you Mr. Pi's ;-)

MartinM

Ambrose Nankivell wrote:


> Surely you want a 1500 quid bike every 3 years.

Well I'm still going after 3 years, one SR, one Brevet 1000, two
Continental tours and a few 1000 more general km on a 500 quid bike so
in theory I'm due another!

> Mmm, 2348 kcal. That's about as much as I burnt today. Basic
metabolism + a
> bit of a walk in the hills.

Yes the Cateye is pretty rubbish, it just equates km to kcals with no
account of where you ride them, and of course that is on top of the
basic metabolism. Looked at a 2l bottle of Virgin Cola yesterday, that
would make short work of the 2000 kcal I burnt yesterday!