[Sportsandrec] Accessible Exercise Bike Option

[Ron Burzese]

Hi,

Well, I finally took the plunge and bought this sensor for my exercise bike.

For a quick review, I use a regular bicycle, on a stationary stand, commonly known as an indoor trainer. I just like the feel and fit of a real bicycle. I use the same saddle and settings to match those of my tandems. My trainer is made by Kinetic. It uses oil, in a sealed chamber, for smooth, quiet resistance, as I pedal. It feels very natural to my muscles. I’ve been using this model, since about 2000. They are bulletproof and have a lifetime warrantee. Get this, it is the only trainer that says it’s tough enough to use with two riders on a tandem! New, Kinetic fluid trainers go for $380 and up. However, you can find them barely used for around $100. I’ve purchased a few, for my friends and am familiar with the improvements over the years.

So I bought a sensor, also made by Kinetic, for $50. It is specifically designed for the resistance curve of their trainer. It sends a blue-tooth signal to my iPhone, where voiceover reads out all my stats. It keeps track of possibly 50 metrics and will even post them automatically to Strava. If you are on Strava, you can use my name to find me.

It measures distance, current, max, and average speed, the same for heart rate and cadence, which is how many rpm you are turning the cranks, like engine speed, in a car. For heart rate, you need an additional sensor, which I don’t have at this time.

It also estimates power output, in watts and estimates calories burned, based on your height and weight. It will also call out your power zone, as you ride. It might call out other things, if I set it, but I’ve not looked into that feature yet.

Basically, I set it and just ride, focusing on the music, from an older iPhone. Since I post my rides to Strava, for all my friends to see, the stats and audience provide additional incentive for me to ride a little harder.

So if you are interested, you’d need a single bike, Kinetic fluid trainer, the inRide sensor, and a fan, to keep you cool. I’ve been riding trainers for about 26 years, so know all the tricks for comfort and motivation.

It’s not for everyone, but if you are interested, I can field questions or even chat offline, if needed.

It also provides workouts, but I don’t know how practical this feature would be to use as a blind person. Once I get riding, I don’t want to have to take my hands off the bars, to feel the touch-screen. Once I get into my form and the zone, it’s game on!

By the way, when I ride my tandem, outdoors, I use another app, which uses GPS to track my rides and post them to Strava. Its called Cyclemeter. There is a free version, but I use the paid version, for like $10 per year. I used it to track my four-mile walk, for MLK Day.

Sacramento Ron