OK, so apparently treadmill running is easier than outdoors running, and you need a 1% gradient or so for it to compare interms of speed.....
How much 'easier' is it to use a gym exercise bike than to cycle outdoors?
I've not done a lot of cycling, but on my MTB am truly rubbish and slow....however, at the gym I seem to be able to go lots faster. I guess I'm more focussed on the exercise bike, for shorter periods of time, but I also assume it must be 'easier'
0 ·
Comments
On the road or off road you have balance, obstacles, wind resistance, different ground conditions and friction..
So, with cycling to go faster gets increasingly harder due to the greater air resitance.
In summary it's easier because:
1. gym bike is lying - calibration is probably wrong.
2. easier as you're not working against the air in front of you.
most peeps using gym bikes or turbos will do their sessions according to HR and not speed. or will do them according to power output if they have a funky turbo.
I have a three hour turbo session on DVD which is a lot harder than a three hour session on the road.
I'm lost?
As a comparison I did 40 miles on Sunday and covered about 15 mph. I do live in a hilly area. So as you can see nowhere near the speed of the stationary bike and yet I was seriously shattered at the end of that ride! but then I guess I was out for longer...
I see the stionary bike and outdoor biking as two different things altogether.
One question though. I don;t have a turbo so I use the staionary bike. Now is this as good as long as I work with HR, or is it better to use a turbo?
Which writes better, this chalk or this (admittedly hard) cheese?
A turbo session is more intensive than a road ride - theres no freewheeling, coasting, descending, waiting at junctions or traffic lights. Three hours on a turbo is very hard. Three hours on the road isnt so bad.
Best for you is lots of real riding. If you cant do that, then do some riding and some turbo. The gym bike lags behind both.
Of course spin bikes are an altogether different proposition to gym bikes - they're good and you get a nice view in the classes too. :-)
[blush]