Cycling Forums - View Single Post - spin bikes (aka spinning cycle or group cycle)

02-22-2005, 12:42 PM

chrisbastock@ntlworld.com wrote:
> Dear All,
> I am a student at Staffordshire University, studying a
> BA(Hons) in Product Design. For my final year I am going to be
> designing a new spin bike (aka spinning cycle or group cycle), but at
> the moment my knowledge is limited. Who better to ask, than people who
> are into fitness or cyclists? So in my investigation I was told to use
> the Google Groups for help. In my research I will be looking at
> existing Spin bikes. So if people could reply with problems that have
> occurred when using the bikes, I would be very grateful. An example of
> this could be sitting on the bike, paddling, or the general style. This
> would be a great help to me and vital research for the project.
>
> Thank you for your time and hope to hear from people, soon.
>

I think UseNet is a fine resource to get *ideas* about different
designs. My health club has a maintenance contract for all their
equipment and I'm sure a company that does that kind of work could tell
you what breaks and how often. But those of us that use the spin bikes
have a better idea about what we'd change functionally. The only spin
bikes I've used are called Star Track V-Bikes, so all my comments refer
to them:

1. Most of the adjustments are good, but there is no way to adjust
saddle tilt - and they all feel too "nose down".

2. All the adjustments are made with individual levers which are too
short for a good tight clamp, and too long in some places to go all the
way around without being obstructed by some other part.

3. These bikes have the SPD/toeclip dual-sided pedals - probably the
best compromise, but I wish I could use my regular road shoes.

4. The grips are always sliding off the ends of the bars (slowly, over
many classes) - put an end plug in there that holds 'em on!

5. These bikes have a dial that adjusts the resistance on the flywheel.
It works fine but there's no indicator to show what resistance you're
using - there should be.

6. The feet don't adjust to account for uneven floors so sometimes you
get a bike that rocks around.

7. No place to put your walkman if you're riding outside of class.

I can think of a lot of things I'd put on a super-expensive bike, like
power meters and cadence sensors, but I figure these 7 items could be
incorporated into a reasonably priced machine.

--
My bike blog:
http://diabloscott.blogspot.com/

02-22-2005, 12:42 PM	#4 (permalink)
Diablo Scott Guest Posts: n/a	Re: spin bikes (aka spinning cycle or group cycle) chrisbastock@ntlworld.com wrote: > Dear All, > I am a student at Staffordshire University, studying a > BA(Hons) in Product Design. For my final year I am going to be > designing a new spin bike (aka spinning cycle or group cycle), but at > the moment my knowledge is limited. Who better to ask, than people who > are into fitness or cyclists? So in my investigation I was told to use > the Google Groups for help. In my research I will be looking at > existing Spin bikes. So if people could reply with problems that have > occurred when using the bikes, I would be very grateful. An example of > this could be sitting on the bike, paddling, or the general style. This > would be a great help to me and vital research for the project. > > Thank you for your time and hope to hear from people, soon. > I think UseNet is a fine resource to get ideas about different designs. My health club has a maintenance contract for all their equipment and I'm sure a company that does that kind of work could tell you what breaks and how often. But those of us that use the spin bikes have a better idea about what we'd change functionally. The only spin bikes I've used are called Star Track V-Bikes, so all my comments refer to them: 1. Most of the adjustments are good, but there is no way to adjust saddle tilt - and they all feel too "nose down". 2. All the adjustments are made with individual levers which are too short for a good tight clamp, and too long in some places to go all the way around without being obstructed by some other part. 3. These bikes have the SPD/toeclip dual-sided pedals - probably the best compromise, but I wish I could use my regular road shoes. 4. The grips are always sliding off the ends of the bars (slowly, over many classes) - put an end plug in there that holds 'em on! 5. These bikes have a dial that adjusts the resistance on the flywheel. It works fine but there's no indicator to show what resistance you're using - there should be. 6. The feet don't adjust to account for uneven floors so sometimes you get a bike that rocks around. 7. No place to put your walkman if you're riding outside of class. I can think of a lot of things I'd put on a super-expensive bike, like power meters and cadence sensors, but I figure these 7 items could be incorporated into a reasonably priced machine. -- My bike blog: http://diabloscott.blogspot.com/