While at an RV Resort I worked out in their fitness room. I take spin classes at my gym and was able to use two bikes I’ve never seen.
One was the Reebok Cycle V Bike. Spin bikes have no consoles. This was true of the Reebok Cycle. A spin class involves a group of people on stationary bikes with an instructor. The instructor gives cues to increase the tension or to decrease the tension of the bike. He or she may also give cues such as “We are now riding uphill.” In my experiences music is played loudly and the room is dimly lit. Given this information you can understand why a console isn’t necessary. The instructor is keeping the time and the goal isn’t how far you go but rather how much you push yourself. The tension becomes your very important friend in this class. The tension is adjusted by all spinning bikes I’ve seen by turning a knob either to the left or to the right.
The Reebok Cycle Spin bike has a water bottle holder attached to the machine. There was only one. In the classes I take there are two holders because we are told to drink at least 32-ounces of water. The holder on the Reebok Cycle and the one below held a 16-ounce bottle.
The bike was adjusted with a traditional knob. What was very unusual was the seat. I had never seen a spring adjusted seat. It was very easy to make the seat higher or lower. A lever was on the bike that enabled me to adjust the fairly comfortable seat. In general I don’t find stationary bike seats comfortable at all. The V Bike’s seat wasn’t horrible in comparison with others but the Tomahawk’s seat (below) was more comfortable.
Like all spin bikes it had a three position handle. In spin class we put our hands at the front of the handle; the sides of the handle or the top of the handle depending on how hard we are riding or if we are in a standing position rather than a sitting position.
The ride was smooth and quiet. The bike was easy to ride but it shook a little. I didn’t find it as sturdy or well made as the one below. It’s a small bike as are spinning bikes as compared to many stationary bikes. Spinners are more the size of a road bike and simulate a road bike fairly well.
The Tomahawk GyTech GMBH, also a spinner bike, had a more traditional seat. It didn’t have a spring adjustment. I pulled out a knob to adjust the seat’s height; I pulled out another knob to adjust the seat from front to back. There were eight settings so I could adjust the seat very close to the handles (1) or farther away (8). A knob raised and lowered the handlebars with some difficulty.
The Tomahawk in keeping with spinners had no console and had a water bottle attachment. It had a different handle but the handle allowed me to put my hands in the three positions I mentioned above.
The Tomahawk was also small. I found the seat to be more comfortable than that on the Reebok. They both had wheels on the front and were easy to move.
Spinner bikes are good for people who are training for a competition. However for the $1,000 you’ll spend you can buy what is called a trainer and put your road bike on it. It then becomes a spinner bike.
