I want your opinion on desk bike pedals, please?

desk bikes and other larger but still small bikes have varying crank sizes, and that means your legs will have a greater range of motion for the larger ones, but they won't fit under your desk.

the best quality with the smoothest motion i have used are the desk cycle and the magnetrainer, both among the most expensive. i currently use the magnetrainer because it has 5" long crank shafts, so it has a 10" pedal rotation while the desk cycle has the more common 3 1/2" cranks with a 7" rotation; for frame of reference, most regular full sized exercise bikes have a 14" crank rotation.

since every rotation is larger, you probably burn more calories because you're actually moving more, assuming the same speed and resistance and duration, and i find i like the feel. in any event, i find the larger motion helps with my knee flexibility.

if you need something that fits under your desk - and read the reviews, because some people just can't fit them under their desks - perhaps an underdesk eliptical might add more motion than the bike.

If you aren't chained to a desk by work then there are far better choices - including a stationary bike which would actually allow you to put a decent amount of effort into the pedals.

So, I'm imagining someone who wants to be more active, but is sitting watching Netflix all day (which I've done many times, mind you), so they get these free-standing pedals to put in front of the sofa and sort of lazily pedal them while still sitting there watching Netflix.

Well, that would certainly increase your calorie burn somewhat.

However, spending more of your day doing something active would be even better. By active, I mean ANY activity where you are moving rather than sitting still. Gardening is usually a good choice.

Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »

So, I'm imagining someone who wants to be more active, but is sitting watching Netflix all day (which I've done many times, mind you), so they get these free-standing pedals to put in front of the sofa and sort of lazily pedal them while still sitting there watching Netflix.

I want to add to this. Should be obvious, but let's say it out loud anyway: the # of calories you burn pedaling depends how much energy you put into pedaling.

So think how much energy it takes to ride a bike up the hill with your full body weight plus the bike's weight plus the water you're carrying, etc. And then think how much energy you put into those free standing pedals under your desk at work, or while zoning out to Netflix.

With a bike, you have to keep putting energy out until you get home. With the pedals, you can stop so you can hear something, and then get distracted and forget to start again. But the most important thing is how much energy you put into an outdoor bike (because you have to) and how little you put into indoor pedals.

Spin class is a whole different thing, it's not like either one. People burn a lot of calories in spin class because of the excitement (and maybe competition) in the group, because of the the trainer leading the class motivating everyone. People go to spin classes because they want to work hard enough to be uncomfortable, to improve their fitness. People don't go to spin class as something to do in the background while they focus on whatever.

Every time this topic comes up, I get interested because I hate just sitting at my desk at work, not being able to move. But then I look under my desk and there's no way in hell a desk bike pedal thing would fit.