Starting rehab

[TXbike]

Hello all, I’m super excited I just purchased my BikeErg and am eagerly waiting for it to arrive. I do have a question that hopefully someone can help me out with. I currently have a broken ankle and had surgery the beginning of February. I’m starting rehab this week and was one of the reasons for buying the bike. I’m a newbie with no understanding of all the talk about resistance/watts and such. My question is if I put the damper at 1 and go slow will that be too much resistance to start rehab with or is it pretty easy. I basically want to stretch out the tendons and get my foot back with mobility until I build my strength back up. Thanks for any suggestions!!

[jamesg]

I basically want to stretch out the tendons and get my foot back with mobility until I build my strength back up.

Resistance is equal to the force applied. At low drag, the flywheel will spin faster and accelerate quicker, for any given force applied. But it's you that sets the force, not the machine.

[Cyclist2]

What jamesg says is true, but it's a little different feel on the BikeErg, where the wheel turns continuously (as opposed to the RowErg, which is a periodic motion, accelerating the wheel with each stroke).

My question is if I put the damper at 1 and go slow will that be too much resistance to start rehab with or is it pretty easy.

The answer is no, that won't be too much resistance. It's like pedaling a real bike in low gear. Go slow at damper one and it will feel very easy. You can increase the drag factor (damper setting) and/or pedal faster to increase the resistance as jamesg points out. You will figure it out quickly.

Good luck with your rehab, and have fun!

[TXbike]

Thank you! I just received it yesterday and got it put together last night. 100% correct on what you guys were saying. I was actually able to complete the WOD for today. I wasn’t breaking any records but the accomplishment of doing it is awesome. I really thank this was a very good investment in my healing and overall health.