Resistance

[forza]

Hello,I'm looking for some guidance selecting an exercise bike for my home gym. My son wants the Concept2 BikeErg while I was leaning toward the Bowflex C6/Schwinn IC4. I am not a bicyclist. I want the bike for some cardio conditioning and I also like to use a stationary bike to build hypertrophy in the legs. I like to make the resistance very high so I have to struggle very hard to peddle and do sets like you would when strength training. I want to know if I can achieve this with the BikeErg. I understand that the damper can make the resistance harder but would it be equal to that of a bike with magnetic or friction resistance? I became concerned when I recently read a review and the reviewer complained of the resistance of the BikeErg being insufficient. I also want add that I do not intend to stand when peddling--only sit as my intention is to blast my quads. Another thing that confuses me is the relationship between cadence and resisistance on the BikeErg. If I understand correctly, when the cadence slows the resistance decreases--but if you set the resistance high through the damper doesn't that force your cadennce to slow down and thus then decrease the resistance? Thanks.

[Citroen]

Do you think that posting on a forum that's owned and managed by Concept2 is going to get you anything other than a recommendation to get a Concept2 Bikeerg?

You won't get anything for any Brand-X exercise bike.

[Slothful1]

As Citroen says, you're unlikely to find unhappy Concept2 customers here, but you might be lucky to find someone who has done the research and has covered other makes.

I can't compare about how the BikeErg feels relative to other brands, but I have found there is more than enough resistance available well before my fitness runs out. There are a number of power users who are happy with the BikeErg - Casey Clarke is more active on Facebook but might respond here (you can also look for the BikeErg group on Facebook and try your question there).

The key metric that should be of interest is power (watts). The more you're putting down (and for longer) the harder you're working. You can choose to apply that power with lower cadence, but higher drag, or the other way around.

I did a range of combinations for someone who asked on another thread, which might be of interest. I ran out of steam when the resistance got too much, and couldn't do 100 rpm on max drag, but there are other beasts here who probably could.

Dave

[CaseyClarke]

Hello,I'm looking for some guidance selecting an exercise bike for my home gym. My son wants the Concept2 BikeErg while I was leaning toward the Bowflex C6/Schwinn IC4. I am not a bicyclist. I want the bike for some cardio conditioning and I also like to use a stationary bike to build hypertrophy in the legs. I like to make the resistance very high so I have to struggle very hard to peddle and do sets like you would when strength training. I want to know if I can achieve this with the BikeErg. I understand that the damper can make the resistance harder but would it be equal to that of a bike with magnetic or friction resistance? I became concerned when I recently read a review and the reviewer complained of the resistance of the BikeErg being insufficient. I also want add that I do not intend to stand when peddling--only sit as my intention is to blast my quads. Another thing that confuses me is the relationship between cadence and resisistance on the BikeErg. If I understand correctly, when the cadence slows the resistance decreases--but if you set the resistance high through the damper doesn't that force your cadennce to slow down and thus then decrease the resistance? Thanks.

The resistance (Drag factor) on most new BikeErg's goes up to around ~230. If you understand wattage (?) then you'll be generating around 350 watts at 70 rpm on max drag, so it's stiff enough, but I have ridden on bikes with far greater resistance than this.

Sitting will make it tougher, which is probably want you want. Generally the higher drags force you to stand more, as if you were pedalling up a hill out of the saddle.

Cadence and resistance? No, the resistance (drag) does not decrease if you pedal slower. You'll just be generating less power.

It's far simpler than the rower or skier. Power / pace in /1000m) is just a simple combination of your resistance (Drag) and your RPM's.

[forza]

Thanks for the replies. Most of the technical stuff mentioned is over my head. I was all set to buy the BikeErg because my son(who is going half with me) really wants it bad. What made me pause was this statement in a negative review I found: "I'm no great cyclist, but I found even the highest resistance on the BikeErg to be rather light. By contrast on my bike on a trainer, I can apply enough resistance to make it feel as if I'm pedaling through molasses." It is important to me to have enough resistance to feel as though I was pedaling through molasses, mud, or up a big hill. The reviewer at one point makes reference standing up out of the saddle--something I do not do since I'm trying work my quads and not throw my bodyweight into it. When I use a stationary/exercise bike I like to set the resistance so high that I can't push for much more than 30 seconds, the rest and do it again and again. I'm 62, but still have strong legs--can still squat 315lbs. for reps. Can the BikeErg resistance be set high enough where someone of my leg strength could struggle to pedal(while seated) and would have to stop after 30-45 seconds? I hope this way of phrasing it is more specific and thank you again very much for your input.

[Allan Olesen]

Do you have access to a bike, which can show you how many Watt you produce and which cadence you are at?

That is really the best comparison. If you can say: "I need a bike with enough resistance to produce X watt at Y rpm", then people here can chime in and tell you if the BikeErg can fulfill that.

[jamesg]

could struggle to pedal(while seated) and would have to stop after 30-45 seconds?

The type of use you describe is short, from a dead stop, with repetitions.

The action seated, high drag, dead start, one leg at a time, cranks with top/bottom dead centers, does not suggest it will be easy to accelerate the flywheel to high speeds, so a quasi-static situation is possible; adjusting the drag level will let you adjust your time to failure.

[CaseyClarke]

Can the BikeErg resistance be set high enough where someone of my leg strength could struggle to pedal(while seated) and would have to stop after 30-45 seconds?

No. No chance. It doesn't go that high. You'd have to be seriously weak to have to stop after 30-45 seconds, even on max drag.

[jamesg]

From a dead start and seated, for how long can you maintain up to say 80% of maximum effort in Watts, against maximum drag? When forced to stop, why? How long would rest need to be, to repeat say 5 times?

Can work like this be considered HIIT, say 20s on, 10s off, repeat? If so, might be better than doing it on a rowerg, at least the action is continuous.

[johnlvs2run]

Can the BikeErg resistance be set high enough where someone of my leg strength could struggle to pedal(while seated) and would have to stop after 30-45 seconds?

If you went flat out for 30 to 45 seconds, you'd certainly be slowing down at that point and would have to stop or pedal much more slowly for recovery. Note the considerable slow down between the fastest age 60+ 200 meter ranking for last season compared to the fastest 60+ 1 minute.

The Bikeerg is like time trial bikes used on the roads and the track. Track cyclists who do the 1k time trial have to be very strong, and could certainly not keep going the same pace. Track cyclists who do the 4k pursuit are not as fast at the 1k and visa versa.

If you saw the same review that I did, he was comparing the Bikeerg to a spin bike, which is not the same thing. Personally, I would not want a spin bike but some people like them.

[forza]

I want to thank everyone for their responses. Some seemed conflicting so through the bike finder I found a gym 30 min. away that had several BikeErgs. I don't know how that reviewer could say that the resistance was rather light even at max. At first I set the damper on 10 to test it and when I pedaled lazily I was astonished at how easy it was-- I was thinking how could a $1,000.00 bike possibly have such weak resistance? But than I decided to give it all I had and blast away as hard as I could and it was a much different story! (remember I'm sitting and strictly pushing with leg power). I struggled to reach a minute pushing in this all out fashion--rested and repeated for several sets and had difficulty walking up a flight of stairs in the gym afterwards(granted I am working my way back into shape after recovering from surgery but still am above average strength). Correct me if I'm wrong but it seemed the harder you try to work on this thing the harder it gets. Rather than being weak if you can't pedal long at full blast with damper on 10 it seems it may actually be the opposite--that the stronger you are the more difficult it becomes--if I'm right can the resistance be almost limitless? and thus be used for progressive overload training? Again, I'm not technical like you guys, I have no knowledge or understanding of things like wattage,drag, etc.
It looks like I am getting the BikeErg as my son who is a NASM certified trainer insists it is the best for its price and he is sharing it and splitting the bill. I was seriously favoring another bike for the same price because it actually has a better warranty, and touts silent magnetic resistance, has apparently a more comfortable seat and caged pedals, but while the overall customer ratings are very good their were a number that complained of the magnetic resistance being to strong at the lightest setting and not high enough at the highest setting. Meanwhile,nearly every BikeErg customer review gives it 5 stars. I realize that the pedals can be changed but does anyone know why the BikeErg does not have the covered pedals--as it seems all other bikes do and I have read that they work the leg muscles more completely because of the pull on the upstroke? Also, it was hard to tell in the gym environment but does the BikeErg generate any more noise than an average household fan?

[Allan Olesen]

Correct me if I'm wrong but it seemed the harder you try to work on this thing the harder it gets.

I have never tried the BikeErg, but since it has the same fan mechanism as the RowingErg, I am pretty sure that the resistance will increase with the square of the velocity.

So if you increase the velocity 2x, the resistance will increase 4x. (And since power is velocity * resistance, your power will increase 8x).

I don't know the characteristic of a magnetic resistance bike, so I don't know how that increases with velocity. I have used gym bikes with pure friction resistance, and those have constant resistance, not increasing with velocity.