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Spin bike pace

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  • 27-03-2021 9:17pm
    #1
    ecdi
    Registered Users Posts: 101 ✭✭


    What would be considered a decent time for a beginner for a 10k on a spin bike?


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    #2
    cletus
    Registered Users Posts: 7,894 ✭✭✭cletus


    ecdi wrote: »
    What would be considered a decent time for a beginner for a 10k on a spin bike?

    I can't answer your question, but it presents another question to my mind. Do spin bikes measure distance?


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    #3
    ecdi
    Registered Users Posts: 101 ✭✭ecdi


    cletus wrote: »
    I can't answer your question, but it presents another question to my mind. Do spin bikes measure distance?

    Yea they do, how accurate they are is of course up for question.

    Let me rephrase my question.
    What would average time be for a 10k cycle on flat ground?


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    #4
    rolling boh
    Registered Users Posts: 1,988 ✭✭✭rolling boh


    I would think a little over twenty mins steady pace with reasonable fitness .


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    #5
    External Association
    Registered Users Posts: 1,295 ✭✭✭External Association


    ecdi wrote: »
    What would be considered a decent time for a beginner for a 10k on a spin bike?

    Depends on the resistance but for a complete beginner, 35-40min.


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    #6
    cletus
    Registered Users Posts: 7,894 ✭✭✭cletus


    I was going to say anything sub 30, if you're a complete beginner, is ok


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    #7
    External Association
    Registered Users Posts: 1,295 ✭✭✭External Association


    I'd use an indoor bike a lot and I'd do 16k in 30min and a reasonably high resistance. But I'm at it years. In my mid 40s, male.


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    #8
    cletus
    Registered Users Posts: 7,894 ✭✭✭cletus


    I just want to know what the OP's time was :)


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    #9
    External Association
    Registered Users Posts: 1,295 ✭✭✭External Association


    I mean with resistance really in my post. Complete spinning 20 min or so for a beginner to do 10k.


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    #10
    ecdi
    Registered Users Posts: 101 ✭✭ecdi


    cletus wrote: »
    I just want to know what the OP's time was :)

    I'm a complete novice cycling wise. Got a spin bike for fitness. Just did 10km in just under 20 mins. Going to try improve time as I go. Wanted to get a rough idea of how good/bad that is


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    #11
    cletus
    Registered Users Posts: 7,894 ✭✭✭cletus


    As external association alluded to, it really depends on the resistance setting


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    #12
    ecdi
    Registered Users Posts: 101 ✭✭ecdi


    cletus wrote: »
    As external association alluded to, it really depends on the resistance setting

    If we are having a 10k race, we are not going to discuss what resistance we are using, winner has fastest time. Or am i missing something


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    #13
    External Association
    Registered Users Posts: 1,295 ✭✭✭External Association


    ecdi wrote: »
    If we are having a 10k race, we are not going to discuss what resistance we are using, winner has fastest time. Or am i missing something

    Missing a bit.

    Take it to a road race and developed musculature etc comes into it.

    You could fly at zero resistance but your not building muscle. Which helps for bone density and strength when ageing.


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    #14
    cletus
    Registered Users Posts: 7,894 ✭✭✭cletus


    ecdi wrote: »
    If we are having a 10k race, we are not going to discuss what resistance we are using, winner has fastest time. Or am i missing something

    You have a flywheel on your spin bike. The distance is calculated (I'd imagine) using wheel rotation.

    The resistance directly affects how hard it is to rotate that flywheel. If, at no resistance, one pedal stroke rotates the flywheel, say, 5 times, and at full resistance, it makes half a rotation, then the first bike will "cover" 10k much quicker


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    #15
    ecdi
    Registered Users Posts: 101 ✭✭ecdi


    cletus wrote: »
    You have a flywheel on your spin bike. The distance is calculated (I'd imagine) using wheel rotation.

    The resistance directly affects how hard it is to rotate that flywheel. If, at no resistance, one pedal stroke rotates the flywheel, say, 5 times, and at full resistance, it makes half a rotation, then the first bike will "cover" 10k much quicker

    Ok I get ye, so it's nothing like real cycling. Unfortunately my spin bike doesn't show level of resistance so it's hard to guage. I was sweating buckets by the end of the cycle so I suppose that's a good thing. How do we measure progress on a spin bike then?


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    #16
    cletus
    Registered Users Posts: 7,894 ✭✭✭cletus


    I presume there's a display? Does it give any power metrics?

    How is the resistance controlled?


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    #17
    ecdi
    Registered Users Posts: 101 ✭✭ecdi


    cletus wrote: »
    I presume there's a display? Does it give any power metrics?

    How is the resistance controlled?

    Resistance controlled by a turn of a knob. Display is speed, distance, RPM


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    #18
    cletus
    Registered Users Posts: 7,894 ✭✭✭cletus


    ecdi wrote: »
    Resistance controlled by a turn of a knob. Display is speed, distance, RPM

    Ok, so you want to do this for fitness. As a result, absolute numbers don't really make any difference here. You just want to see progress.

    First thing, I'd take a Sharpie marker, take off resistance fully, and then mark an arrow on the knob and on the frame in line with each other. Now you have some rudimentary way of monitoring resistance, i.e. rotations of the knob.

    Look to slowly increase the amount of resistance, over a set distance, while trying to maintain your RPM.

    This might mean incremental (partial) turns of the knob. You could even make quarter, half and three quarter marks too


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    #19
    ecdi
    Registered Users Posts: 101 ✭✭ecdi


    cletus wrote: »
    Ok, so you want to do this for fitness. As a result, absolute numbers don't really make any difference here. You just want to see progress.

    First thing, I'd take a Sharpie marker, take off resistance fully, and then mark an arrow on the knob and on the frame in line with each other. Now you have some rudimentary way of monitoring resistance, i.e. rotations of the knob.

    Look to slowly increase the amount of resistance, over a set distance, while trying to maintain your RPM.

    This might mean incremental (partial) turns of the knob. You could even make quarter, half and three quarter marks too

    Good advice thanks

    I'll get on the road bike and compare times/distance!


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    #20
    fat bloke
    Registered Users Posts: 5,825 ✭✭✭fat bloke


    ecdi wrote: »
    How do we measure progress on a spin bike then?

    Do the thing that you did the last time, but quicker. :)


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    #21
    ecdi
    Registered Users Posts: 101 ✭✭ecdi


    fat bloke wrote: »
    Do the thing that you did the last time, but quicker. :)

    Ha yes. The resistance if difficult to read do it's just a matter of judging in the legs


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    #22
    magicbastarder
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 48,572 CMod ✭✭✭✭magicbastarder


    caveat here is i know nothing about spin bikes. but if you want to map your experience to the road (which is by no means something you necessarily should do), a decent time for a beginner to cycle 10km would be 24 minutes (i.e. an average of 25km/h); so if you can dial in resistance to bring you to that pace, that might give you that sort of feedback.
    someone fit would be able to average 30km/h, which is 20 minutes for the same.

    the usual advice re cycling is to keep cadence - the rate at which you're pedalling, to 80-100rpm (so a full pedal stroke just over once a second, or maybe three every two seconds); this is the most biomechanically efficient for most people.


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    #23
    Richard Hillman
    Registered Users Posts: 12,033 ✭✭✭✭Richard Hillman


    Keep yourself over a 20kph and you'll work up a sweat. 25kph and you'll be grinding it.

    A smart watch would be good to be telling you what you're doing, especially with your heart rate.

    If you're not very fit and you're doing 150bpm on your heart at 10kph, then you're doing a good job.

    If you're OK fit and you're doing 150bpm on your heart and you're doing 20-25kph, then you're doing a good job.

    It's all relative. Work up a sweat, bump your hearth rate and you're doing good.


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    #24
    ecdi
    Registered Users Posts: 101 ✭✭ecdi


    Would I be right in saying I should be cycling at the strongest resistance I can manage to keep 80-100rpm?


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    #25
    fat bloke
    Registered Users Posts: 5,825 ✭✭✭fat bloke


    If you've got something to measure cadence then that will come in handy.

    For example you could do 4x8 minute intervals with a 10 minute warmup and 4 min recovery. During every 8min block very the resistance so that your cadence for a minute is 100+, then 90 for a minute, then 75,then 60 rpm. Do that again and you're first 8mins is up. Recover for 4,then go again.
    Keeping yourself busy monitoring and balancing cadence and resistance helps the time pass quicker. It's infinitely better than just trying to slog out an aimless, featureless 50 mins or something.

    It's not a problem either to just judge your overall effort by feel. You know what too hard is and what too easy is and you'll learn to find what's "just right".


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