Logging stationary bike vs bicycling

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G0th_ick
G0th_ick Posts: 11 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
If I know my MPH can I log biking at x mph or should I try and access my effort on a stationary bike before I get an HRM?

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  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    It depends on how closely your stationary bike mimics the effort of riding outside.

    I have TruTrainer rollers that I use in the winter; they are very close to the effort required to cycle outside, due to their resistance flywheel's properties, so I use speed on that.

    On the other hand, I have used LifeCycle stationary bikes in gyms and hotels that go ludicrously fast for the effort - as in, they will tell me I am going 20 mph at the effort it would take to cycle 15 mph on the road. In fact, it takes twice as much effort to cycle at 20 mph than at 15 mph (because over 12 mph, wind resistance is the main factor, and it increases non-linearly). I don't trust most exercise cycles unless I can calibrate them against my real-world performance.

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