To Spin or Not to Spin

Hi! My name is Gabriel Fernandez –  Sales Representative at Best Used Gym Equipment.

Here at Best Used Gym Equipment we receive a lot of walk-ins. A lot of their questions are about purchasing a Spin Bike for their homes. As you probably know I like to ask a lot of questions. Here are a few questions I would ask.

Do you do (Spinning) regularly?

Do you usually do road cycling?

Another I ask is, what is the purpose for you to purchase a Spin Bike? Or where will you be putting your Spin Bike? These questions allow me to understand the reasoning of purchasing a Spin Bike.

The first thing I do is to ask the client to please try different manufacturers of Spin Bikes, believe it or not, they are all different.

For me the most important is comfort, everything we sell is extremely durable but what I look for my clients is comfort first especially if is a home user.

What are the different types of spin bikes?

With the spin bikes there are different forms of comfort. One may be how the seat and handlebars adjust, is it a pop pin or a turn and pop pin.

Two, the design of the frame is very important too depending on your height.

The next most important to me is whether it is a chain driven or belt driven spin bike. This is a night and day difference in regard to the ride of the Spin Bike.

The chain driven Spin Bikes are built for durability and are a rougher ride.

The belt driven (Spin Bike) which I highly recommend is a lot smoother more comfortable, and as durable as a chain driven bike. The negative side on a belt driven (Spin Bike) is you must apply some resistance to the fly wheel because it may be too easy.

Gym owners will usually stick to a chain driven Spin Bike because it’s easier to maintain they believe it’s more durable and it is what spinners are accustomed to.

As you know we purchase a lot of our items from gyms. We do not get many belt driven Spin Bikes but when we do we sell them very fast.

Should you buy a spinner bike? 

Going back to my frequently asked questions to a potential buyer for the home. I usually ask if they do spinning.

If they say yes, then I ask what spin bike do you use?

I feel if they are familiar with a specific bike why show them another bike, they already know how the bike adjusts, how the bike feels, and the chances of them using it regularly are greater.

If they say no, then I take them to a belt driven bike that is easy to move. Some of the bikes are hard to move because of their weight distribution. That’s why I try to find an aluminum framed Spin Bike they are lighter and easier to move.

If they say they ride outdoors usually I try to find them a spin bike that has the fly wheel in the rear. It is a different ride and it allows them to feel a little like they are riding outdoors. I also like to find them handle bars that adjust forwards and backwards with a little more extension. The bike I would recommend for them would be a chain driven.

The most common answer to my question – why are you buying a spin bike is, because they want to lose weight and they feel if they have the (Spin Bike) in front of the TV they would work out for 30 to 45 minutes. 

As much as I want to sell a spin bike I highly do not recommend a Spin Bike for a person that doesn’t do much (Spinning) and is trying to lose some weight.

The Spin Bike is extremely uncomfortable it’s only fun when you’re in a class or a group setting with the music loud, you are competing, and you see other people sweating and pushing themselves hard, that’s the fun of (Spinning).

There are a lot of Spin Bikes now that are providing you with screens that allows you to see different instructors. Or you could put your spin bike in front of a TV and see YouTube with different instructors.

I can see if you do (Spinning) regularly you will enjoy this. In my personal experience it has not worked out, I have tried several Spin Bikes with several different YouTube videos or embedded screen on the Spin Bikes and it is sad to say. I returned all the Spin Bikes back to the show room to sell them.

Conclusion

This blog may sound like I’m against Spin Bikes for your home. I am not, I am against Spin Bikes if you are not a spinner or a cyclist outdoors. I wouldn’t recommend a Spin Bike for an inexperienced person, what I would recommend is a water rower or air rower. I hope this blog helped you to answer your question whether to buy a Spin Bike for Home