[Sportsandrec] Questions in response to Accessible Exercise Bike Option (Ron Burzese)

Mon Apr 23 19:05:43 UTC 2018

I appreciated the April 4 post from Sacramento Ron about his new Kinetic
sensor for his trainer and have a few questions.  Ron, you said it is
specifically designed for the resistance curve of their trainer.
 I want to use a sensor with my iPhone on spin bikes I use at my local
health club.  In addition to the one designed specifically for their
trainer, does Kinetic or another company sell other sensors that work with
stationary spin bikes?  The bikes used at my health club is called StarTrac
Spinner NXT.  I can check to get the size of their wheel or what you call
the resistance curve if needed.  They have already told me they don't have
anything I can plug into the  bike's current visual display that will give
me voice feedback on cadence, etc.
Your post also mentioned you use an app called Cyclemeter for outside riding
on your tandem.  I am interested in getting the paid version.  Am I right it
will give you cadence, and does it automatically announce your cadence at
intervals you can set, such as every two minutes?  If I can avoid it, I
don't want to take my hands off my handle bars to fiddle with a screen while
riding.
Thanks in advance for your feedback.
Bob Hartt
Tuesday Night Tandem Group
Alexandria, Virginia

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Today's Topics:

   1. Accessible Exercise Bike Option (Ron Burzese)

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Message: 1
Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2018 17:39:10 -0700
From: Ron Burzese <rrburzese at gmail.com>
To: sportsandrec at nfbnet.org
Subject: [Sportsandrec] Accessible Exercise Bike Option
Message-ID: <D396BFA0-287F-449C-84F7-716463CFE8B3 at gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain;	charset=utf-8

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

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