A stationary bicycle (also known as exercise bicycle, exercise bike, spinning bike, spin bike, or exercycle) is a device used as

exercise equipment Exercise equipment is any apparatus or device used during physical activity to enhance the strength or conditioning effects of that exercise by providing either fixed or adjustable amounts of resistance, or to otherwise enhance the experience or ...

for

indoor cycling Indoor cycling, often called spinning, is a form of exercise with classes focusing on endurance, strength, intervals, high intensity (race days) and recovery, and involves using a special stationary exercise bicycle with a weighted flywheel in a c ...

. It includes a

saddle A saddle is a supportive structure for a rider of an animal, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is equestrian. However, specialized saddles have been created for oxen, camels and other animals. It is not know ...

, pedals, and some form of handlebars arranged as on a (stationary)

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered transport, human-powered or motorized bicycle, motor-assisted, bicycle pedal, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two bicycle wheel, wheels attached to a ...

. A stationary bicycle is usually a special-purpose

exercise machine An exercise machine is any machine used for physical exercise. These range from simple spring-like devices to computerized electromechanical devices to recirculating-stream swimming pools. Most exercise machines incorporate an ergometer. An ergome ...

resembling a bicycle without wheels. It is also possible to adapt an ordinary bicycle for stationary exercise by placing it on bicycle rollers or a trainer. Rollers and trainers are often used by racing cyclists to warm up before racing, or to train on their own machines indoors.

History

The ancestors of modern stationary bicycles date back to the end of the eighteenth century. The

Gymnasticon The Gymnasticon was an early exercise machine resembling a stationary bicycle, invented in 1796 by Francis Lowndes. Its function was to exercise the joints, either "in all parts of the body at once, or partially.""Gymnasticon," J. M. Good, O. Gre ...

was an early example.

Types

Some stationary bike models feature handlebars that are connected to the pedals so that the upper body can be exercised along with the lower body (much like an

elliptical trainer An elliptical trainer or cross-trainer is a stationary exercise machine used to stair climb, walk, or run without causing excessive pressure to the joints, hence decreasing the risk of impact injuries. For this reason, people with some injuri ...

). Most exercise bikes come with mechanisms to apply resistance to the pedals, enhancing the intensity of the exercise. Resistance mechanisms include

magnet A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, steel, nickel, ...

s, fans, and

friction Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and material elements sliding against each other. Types of friction include dry, fluid, lubricated, skin, and internal -- an incomplete list. The study of t ...

mechanisms. Some models allow the user to pedal backwards to exercise

antagonist muscle Anatomical terminology is used to uniquely describe aspects of skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, and smooth muscle such as their actions, structure, size, and location. Types There are three types of muscle tissue in the body: skeletal, smooth, a ...

s which are not exercised in forward pedaling. Exercise bicycles are typically manufactured using a crankshaft and

bottom bracket The bottom bracket on a bicycle connects the crankset (chainset) to the bicycle and allows the crankset to rotate freely. It contains a spindle to which the crankset attaches, and the bearings that allow the spindle and crankset to rotate. The ...

, which turns a

flywheel A flywheel is a mechanical device that uses the conservation of angular momentum to store rotational energy, a form of kinetic energy proportional to the product of its moment of inertia and the square of its rotational speed. In particular, a ...

by means of a belt or chain. The bearings on these moving parts wear with use and may require replacement. Specialized indoor bicycles manufactured using a weighted flywheel at the front are used in the indoor cycling exercises called

spinning Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

. A variety of indoor mini-cycles, sometimes referred to as exercise pedallers, have emerged as portable, low-cost substitutes for traditional stationary bicycles. They are useful when exercisers are unable to access their stationary bicycles from their homes or local gyms when travels or at work.

Uses

Exercise bikes are used for exercise, to increase general fitness, for

weight loss Weight loss, in the context of medicine, health, or physical fitness, refers to a reduction of the total body mass, by a mean loss of fluid, body fat (adipose tissue), or lean mass (namely bone mineral deposits, muscle, tendon, and other conn ...

, and for training for cycle events. The exercise bike has long been used for

physical therapy Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is a healthcare profession, as well as the care provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through patient education, physical intervention, disease preventio ...

because of the low-impact, safe, and effective cardiovascular exercise it provides. The low-impact movement involved in operating an exercise bike does not put much stress on joints and does not involve sporadic motions that some other fitness equipment may require. However, as with typical biking, extended use of a stationary bike has been linked to decreased sexual function. Stationary bikes are also used for physical testing, i.e. as ergometers for measuring power. Traditionally this is done by imposing a certain level of resistance mechanically and/or measuring this. gives a good overview. Modern ergometers and even many consumer exercise bikes are fitted with electronic sensors and displays. Ergometers, such as CEVIS (Cycle Ergometer with Vibration Isolation and Stabilization System), are used in space (e.g. in the ISS) to counter cardiovascular deconditioning in the microgravity environment. Exercise bikes are frequently used in cardiac rehabilitation programs to help individuals recover from heart-related conditions or surgeries. The controlled and adjustable nature of stationary biking makes it an ideal choice for gradually improving cardiovascular health after cardiac events.

References

{{Reflist Cycle types Exercise equipment

History

Types

Uses

See also

References