Have stationary bikes fallen out of favor?

December 1, 2005 8:35 AM

Have stationary bikes fallen out of favor?

For several months I've been going to a gym. Besides the freeweights , etc., it has the usual bland assortment of aerobic exercise equipment: steppers, elliptical trainers, and both recumbant and upright stationary bikes. I don't remember the brand, but they all have the same sort of boring interface with a bunch of red dots representing your exercise level, various settings for interval training, endurance training, etc. Nothing special.

Oddly, though, they only have 2 or 3 upright stationary bikes, as compared to 10+ each of recumbant bikes, steepers, and elliptical trainers. Furthermore, nobody (except me) uses the upright stationary bikes. Lots of folks, both men and women, use the recumbant bikes, steppers, and ellipticals.

This works great for me, as I never have to wait in line, but what's the deal? Why doesn't anybody use upright stationary bikes anymore? Or is this just a local, isolated phenomenon?

posted by LordSludge to sports, hobbies, & recreation (20 comments total)

Minor beef: Recumbent. Don't hurt #1's feelings.
posted by fixedgear at 8:56 AM on December 1, 2005

I think they're out of favor for the simple reason that recumbents are more comfortable. Walking/running/climbing trainers do different things -- they recruit core groups to keep your balanced. There's a tiny bit of that in a stationary upright, but it's trivial by comparison with an elliptical walker or a real bicycle.

There are still some utilitarian reasons for riding upright on the road (visibility, hill-climbing, wheel-size), but there are few for riding upright on a rack. I.e., no real advantage, unless you're on an airdyne. (Which are great, imho, btw.)
posted by lodurr at 8:56 AM on December 1, 2005

Often they have whole rooms devoted to "spinning", but yes the elliptical things seem to be eating all the other cardio machines.
posted by jamesonandwater at 9:00 AM on December 1, 2005

Recumbents are a better workout. You can use them at higher resistance for longer periods of time (they're a good bit more comfortable).
posted by nixerman at 9:27 AM on December 1, 2005

I've noticed this elliptical fad myself, and I don't understand it. Those elliptical machines do not feel right for me; I prefer the bikes over any other cardio. But I do chose recumbent over stationary, because it feels better on my back.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:28 AM on December 1, 2005 [1 favorite]

loduur said it: elliptical machines are popular because - assuming that you don't hold on - you use core muscles to balance.
posted by fixedgear at 9:36 AM on December 1, 2005

PinkSuper: I've known people who had a hard time with ellipticals because of their knees and hips. The same people often do well with those funky Tony Little-style swing-walk machines. ("Gazelles"?) Same idea: If you don't hold on, it recruits core muscles for balance, so in principle they help your back. (They'll make it a bit sore at first, though.)
posted by lodurr at 9:40 AM on December 1, 2005

Yea, that's where it felt weird- in my knees. I felt like I was being thrown around, and my knees were all weird.... I only tried in for a minute or two before giving up, and that was two years ago. Maybe not holding on is the key? I'll have to give it another shot.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:47 AM on December 1, 2005 [1 favorite]

The rule of thumb I've always heard is that if it makes your muscles sore, it's (usually) OK, but if it makes your joints hurt, you shouldn't do it.
posted by lodurr at 9:55 AM on December 1, 2005

I have slightly dodgy knees, and a personal trainer recommended a recumbent bike rather than an upright one because (he said) it caused less stress on the knees. But yes, he also preferred to make me use an elliptical trainer than either type of bike because it gives a better all-round workout.
posted by littleme at 9:57 AM on December 1, 2005

Working out is not about what is "in" or "out" of favor. Working out is about what makes you feel good and your body look good. If an exercise machine doesn't feel right to you and you are sure you are using good form, don't use it anymore. This is particularly true if you are not of average size.

I think the bikes in question (red dot interface) are LifeCycles. They are good bikes.
posted by ilsa at 10:40 AM on December 1, 2005

Number one reason I use a recumbent to an upright? I can hold a book on a recumbent!
posted by jdroth at 11:06 AM on December 1, 2005

Why doesn't anybody use upright stationary bikes anymore?

The stationary bikes are always full at my gym, because they're 1) right in front of TVs, and 2) new-ish. There are some older stationary bikes at my gym that aren't used. Could part of the issue be that the elliptical stuff is just newer, and people prefer newer gear? I mean, i'd think you see the same thing with regular steppers -- they're relatively unused at my gym now. For example, now that i've hit the newest treadmill at my gym (with built-in fans -- FINALLY!) I would probably use an elliptical over the old treadmills just because I can't stand to go back to them. The only real maligned piece of equipment at my gym is the cross-country skiing, mostly because i think people are afraid of looking silly.

Personally I never feel like I can get a really good workout on the recumbents -- it feels like you can't really pump the pedals as much as you can on a upright.

I felt like I was being thrown around, and my knees were all weird.

Yeah, IME this is what it's supposed to feel like -- when you get going in one direction, reversing takes some effort. The elliptical has an inconsistent feel, I'm assuming, because, uh, it's elliptical.
posted by fishfucker at 11:20 AM on December 1, 2005

ilsa: Of course I'll use what works for me. I was just curious why other people aren't using upright bikes anymore. Just seems strange to me. And, yep, "LifeCycle" sounds familiar.
posted by LordSludge at 11:24 AM on December 1, 2005

I think people believe they're "taking it to the max" when they're using something like an elliptical trainer...I think there's a general impression that these other machines give you a more complete workout in less time. And who rides bikes any more? Hello! We're in the 21st century! But seriously, I'd expect there'll be a swing back in the direction of stationary bikes when all these newfangled gizmos lose their honeymoon appeal...
posted by johnsmith415 at 11:42 AM on December 1, 2005

Actually, as long as you don't let yourself space out and under-exert, elliptical machines do give a more complete workout in less time (if you're going by muscle groups used and rate of calories burned), according to this article. [NYTimes link]

Check out the graphic link on the left, which compares cardio machines (I don't quite understand what the "monotony factor" is all about, but I guess that's why they pay fitness experts to be experts).

It doesn't address upright vs recumbent bikes, though, so I guess it's kind of tangential...
posted by tentacle at 12:20 PM on December 1, 2005

If you look at just burning calories vs. workout time, I (and most everyone I know) burn more calories quicker on an elliptical than on a stationary bike (either up-right or recumbent). Also, it seems like I get my heart-rate up to target quicker and with less leg-fatigue on an elliptical. Of course, this is allso true for the "cross-trainers" or step machines, and also the rowing machine, so I use these more often than the ellipticals, which often have a long waiting list.
posted by muddgirl at 12:43 PM on December 1, 2005

Kind of a weird question, I guess, but the NYTimes article gave some good answers. So, tentacle for the win!
posted by LordSludge at 1:56 PM on December 1, 2005

I own a recumbent bike - a nice one. When I travel, if the choice at a hotel is an upright stationary bike or no bike at all, I choose no bike at all. IMHO, uprights are too tough on the back.

And yes, recumbents are boring in and of themselves, but I can read while I burn calories.
posted by WestCoaster at 3:12 PM on December 1, 2005

Upright bikes totally hurt my back... and like everyone else has said, I much prefer being able to read while on the bike.
posted by antifuse at 3:35 AM on December 2, 2005