Real Bicycles Vs. Stationary Bicycles: Differences in Use

March 26, 2023 11:11 AM

I'm attempting to train for a long-distance bicycle tour. I have a recommended training plan, but it began in February and the weather here is garbage for cycling, so I've been hitting the gym to use a stationary machine. That experience...does not resemble riding my actual bike. How do I adjust for the difference?

I am planning to ride RAGBRAI this summer, and I'm following their recommended training plan in order to get ready. The plan started in February, when the weather here was terrible, and as of today there is still a few inches of snow on the ground, and the temperature is below freezing. So I've been going to the gym to get my miles in since I started the plan. I've been able to ride outside only twice this year.

The stationary cycle that I use at the gym has a "random hills" setting, where you tell it how long you want to ride, and it periodically adjusts the resistance in the pedals randomly, to simulate going uphill or downhill at varying grades. You can also specify a "level", rated from 1 to 20, which represents the amount of resistance on what the machine represents as "level ground".

However, the experience I'm having, in terms of the physical effort and the time involved, is very different from riding my real bike. In order to get the stationary bike to feel roughly like what it feels like to pedal my real bike on level ground, I have to set the resistance up above 15. However, even with the level set as low as 12, the highest "grade" that the machine will simulate in the course of a ride is damn difficult...more difficult than climbing real hills on the real bike. Difficult enough that I have a hard time sustaining it. I've yet to find a middle ground that works.

So, I end up setting out to do, say, a 10 mile ride, which I end completing much faster than it would take me to do the same 10 miles in the real world, because the "level" segments are too easy. Because I'm worried about falling behind where I need to be in terms of making progress, I've been pedaling much faster than I ever do on the real bike. At the end of ride, I'm worn out, and broke a sweat, and feel like I got good exercise...but I'm not sure it's the right kind of exercise for the event I'm preparing for.

I'd like to figure out how to make the experience in the gym feel more like my real bike, not just for this training plan, but because I intend to stick with cycling until I'm no longer able to continue, and with winters here being what they are, I'm going to have to use the gym for months at a time every year. Any advice on making it work would be most appreciated.

posted by Ipsifendus to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (9 answers total)

Best answer: For the money you spend for a gym membership, consider instead an indoor trainer that you can put your own bike on. They can be simple, where you use your gears to provide resistance, or more sophisticated where the trainer creates resistance and measures your power output. this second kind can be combined with a number of online training apps that can be refined to get what you need.
Then, remember that a good bit of the early training will simply be getting your sit bones used to being on a saddle for longer times (get a good, comfortable saddle), and your shoulders and arms used to the riding position for prolonged times.
Most endurance training benefits happen at a lower intensity than you might imagine. Training for the hills can be in short HIIT sessions.
posted by OHenryPacey at 11:53 AM on March 26, 2023 [4 favorites]

Best answer: A stationary bike can provide a rough equivalent of your actual bike. But a trainer with your bike attached as noted above will be a better workout. People are always selling lightly used trainers on various selling groups. Check your town/city’s FB bike-specific page.

You note that you are pedaling faster on the stationary bike. That is actually good! Leg speed is your friend! Being able to maintain a cadence of 80-90 rpm is the sweet spot.

Depending on your history of endurance activity, you may not have to build an endurance base as much as a total beginner.

Part of the training for the ride will be learning to drink, eat, and stay comfortable for several days in a row. Can you comfortably drink while riding? Eat? Look around and be aware of your surroundings? Does your bike fit you comfortably?

Good luck!
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 12:31 PM on March 26, 2023

Best answer: Came here to recommend an indoor trainer, too. It will give you the better simulation of hills and such that you're looking for, but it's also valuable because you're on your actual bike, and so have more opportunity to observe and adjust for a safe, comfortable, and sustainable riding position -- these things are as important as endurance/strength for tours and other long rides.

Even if you're not using the literal actual bike you'll be riding for RAGBRAI, a real bike is still much closer to any other real bike than a stationary bike at the gym.

Bonus, if you're anything like me: Sometimes it's a lot easier to motivate myself to train when I don't have to make the effort to look presentable and leave the house. :)
posted by rhiannonstone at 1:07 PM on March 26, 2023

Best answer: Nthing the indoor trainer because you will be riding your actual bike in your actual cycling position, and not a stationary bike with a huge cushy seat in an upright position. You don't need a smart one, you can get a dumb one for cheap now; but the smart one assists in making it less boring if you connect it to apps and stuff.

But barring that, I would stop paying attention to the "distance" that the exercise bike claims and train solely on heart rate and time. Training for hills isn't too useful on any indoor bike because in reality you're going to change your gears and your seating position, not just stomp up the hills.
posted by meowzilla at 3:45 PM on March 26, 2023

I have a fancy stationary bike at home, and I spend a lot of time on it training for a long-distance ride. Having one at home is great because it's always there, and it takes me less than 5 minutes to start a workout. But this advice will work on a bike at the gym or at home, either way.

First, get a heart-rate monitor. Doesn't matter what it is, as long as you can read it constantly while riding.

Next, do a workout where you warm up for 10 minutes at low resistance, and gradually increase resistance to the point where you're panting heavily, and can't speak a word between breaths. This is technically called "ventilatory threshold 2" (VT2). This is probably about 90% of your absolute max "I'm being chased by a bear" heart rate. Make a note of your heart rate at this level, and plug it into this calculator to work out your training zones. Make a note of all your zone ranges.

Most of your workouts should be steady Zone 2 with a 5-minute warmup in Zone 1, and should last at least an hour. Once or twice a week, do some Zone 4 intervals that last at least 8 minutes, with 2–3 minutes to recover between them (longer recovery if your intervals are longer). This should be really hard. If you can do 4x8 at Zone 4, you're doing well. Always give yourself 5-10 minutes to warm up at Zone 1 before cranking it up. If you want to spice things up, add some 3-minute Zone 5 intervals to your training plan: you should be able to do at least 6 in a workout, with 3-minute cooldowns between. Add some easy spinning after to pad out your workout to an hour. Don't do more than 2 interval sessions total in a week. The rest of the time is steady Zone 2.

Note that when you crank up the resistance on a normal gym trainer, it can take as long as 2 minutes for your heart rate to catch up with the increased resistance, especially on your first interval of the day. So you may find you're overshooting the resistance at first—there will be some trial and error working out what level of resistance is right. And as you get fitter, you'll be able to tolerate slightly higher resistance at a given heart rate.
posted by adamrice at 4:12 PM on March 26, 2023 [1 favorite]

Nothing interesting to add but ragbrai is so so fun!! You're going to have a blast.
posted by mwahlalala at 4:54 PM on March 26, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: If you can, snag and indoor trainer and investigate Zwift. Feel free to send me a mefi mail to discuss more!
posted by kbanas at 5:59 AM on March 27, 2023

Agreed with kbanas. If you get a good indoor setup with a smart trainer and Zwift, it can be a lot of fun.

I did RAGBRAI a few years ago and it was a blast. If you're an avid cyclist you should have no problem. For me, getting enough time in the saddle beforehand was my biggest concern, more so than level of fitness. RAGBRAI can be pretty leisurely if you want, with plenty of stops for beer and pie and pork tenderloin sandwiches.
posted by slogger at 7:01 AM on March 28, 2023

Long running needs time on your feet, and long rides need time in the saddle.

Flywheel bikes in the gym are more like real cycling -- albeit fixed-wheel track bikes. A home smart trainer will do better than gym devices, but I find it hard to calibrate my bike's wheel speed and my exertion versus perceived effort out on the roads and trails. The recommendation for a heart-rate monitor is essential to bridge the gap.
posted by k3ninho at 12:46 PM on March 31, 2023