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Bikes - part one: Ride inside
As winter draws nearer in the north of the world, it’s time to set your members up for their indoor workouts by taking advantage of the latest developments in indoor cycling
Bikes are hot, with Peloton continuing to capture the imagination of consumers, Barry’s adding a cycle workout to its class mix and bike sales booming.
Now’s the time to ensure your gym is set up to welcome members in for their winter training sessions with top of the line bike tech that outperforms what most people can afford to have at home.
With sales booming during lockdown, Wattbikes are the weapon of choice for many keen cyclists.
The top of the range, the Wattbike AtomX, with its high-definition touchscreen, automatically adjusts resistance for each individual rider, to maximise every pedal revolution.
The Wattbike Hub is the ‘brain’ of the bike, acting like a coach or personal trainer, providing riders with relevant training plans and workouts, while testing performance and analysing training data.
A new ‘climb’ mode lets riders tackle iconic mountain routes from events such as the Tour de France and the Giro, with the bike’s smart tech changing the resistance automatically to map the gradient of the virtual ride.
Also new to the Atom X is custom-built electromagnetic resistance, designed to make the bike more reactive. Special sensors read rider data 1,000 times a second to give high level performance feedback.
The Wattbike’s performance computer enables the accurate measurement of 40 parameters and when combined with a customisable ride setup and the feel of riding a real bike, provides the user with an effective, efficient power-based training solution.
To find out more about the Wattbike range, go to: www.wattbike.com
Precor offers its Spinner range of indoor bikes in three models – Ride, Shift and Chrono – all designed with a heavy, perimeter-weighted flywheel to give a distinctive ride, consistent with the Spinning philosophy.
The bikes give a range of readouts, depending on model, including cadence (pedal RPM), watts and average watts, heart rate, time, distance and calories burned – they also have a low battery indicator.
An optional Studio Console provides an easy-to-read LCD screen for all three models, automatically pairing with ANT+ compatible heart monitors and allowing the bike to connect with Precor’s Spivi system of shared workout content.
Spivi also serves up summary reports and riders’ feedback, to help them adjust and refine their workouts.
The bikes’ power console, has an ultra-bright, always-on LCD colour screen which doesn’t require batteries The open base of the bike design and the aluminium stabilisers make cleaning easier – an important consideration in the age of COVID-19. Spinner bikes also have aerodynamic, rounded tubing to stop the pooling of liquids on flat surfaces, and ensure quick shedding of liquids, while stainless steel and aluminium frames and parts provide a rust-resistant frame for longevity in rust-prone areas.
Precor also offers an instructor certification in Spinning.
To see the full range of Precor bikes, go to www.precor.com
Ideal for metric-focused group cycling, the Schwinn AC Power bike from Core Health and Fitness has been designed to enhance the indoor cycling experience.
The bike has a crank arm powermeter from 4iiii®, which can be connected to the Motosumo phone app via Bluetooth, transforming members’ smartphones into personal consoles.
Schwinn’s Echelon consoles on the AC Power bike show direct power output and can be connected to a group display or leaderboard system via ANT+. The console also runs off a generator, removing the need for batteries.
Schwinn’s range of Power bikes come with a choice of drive trains – the AC Power, with its Carbon Blue belt gives the feel of a road bike, while the SC Power model, with its PolyV belt gives a smoother ride.
The AC Power has ergonomically designed, performance handlebars to replicate the feel of an outdoor bike and comes with the Schwinn Fit System which enables easy seat and handlebar adjustments, so members can get in the right position for a sweet ride.
The Schwinn AC Range features magnetic resistance for zero drive train maintenance.
Bikes can be customised to add your gym’s branding, with a range of 19 colours to choose from and a choice of pedal styles.
Also available on the AC Power is on-bike LED studio lighting, in blue, green, orange, pink, red, yellow or white, that powers on when the wheels turn, adding drama to the cycle studio environment.
Schwinn rounds out the packages with marketing support and instructor training.
To find out more about Schwinn bikes, go to corehandf.com
With 13 bikes in its portfolio, Technogym has to have a model for every application and situation.
In news hot off the press, the Technogym Bike – originally launched as a consumer product – is now also available for in-gym applications, enabling operators to develop their gym floor offering of non-supervised group classes.
Built on the Technogym Live platform, the bike enables anyone to join a wide range of classes, both live and on demand.
These are delivered via the bike’s 22” HD touchscreen display, which creates an immersive environment for users to enjoy the wide range of custom-made content on offer.
In terms of ride characteristics, the bike’s six-rib Poly-V Belt with Kevlar cords gives a smooth, quiet ride, but with an authentic road feel. Kevlar cords are harder wearing than many traditional belt drive materials, allowing a virtually maintenance-free product, which doesn’t need tensioning or lubricating.
For studios, another Technogym bike, – the Group Cycle Connect, tracks workouts, enabling users to improve their performance through the delivery of an immersive riding experience.
The bike uses the same Poly-V belt with Kevlar cords to give a silent ride, as well as featuring the Technogym four-way adjustment system. Users can sign in to the wifi-connected, self-powered console via a range of connections to track and save workout data, including Bluetooth Smart, QR code, NFC, the Technogym mywellness key or Technogym key.
The touchscreen is back-lit to ensure visibility in darker environments and it only takes one touch to change settings, ensuring that the cadence of the workout is maintained.
The bike’s flywheel resistance uses the strongest available permanent magnets (made from neodymium) to give a smooth ride, while from a practical standpoint, the bike has ‘splashproof’ design, to protect electronics from moisture damage during heavy use.
The Group Cycle Connect has also been designed with wheels and minimal incline, to make it easy to move and ensure that studio spaces can be optimised.
To see the full Technogym product line, go to www.technogym.com
Body Bike
body-bike.com
Cybex
cybexintl.com
Les Mills THE TRIP
lesmills.com
Life Fitness Lifecycle
lifefitness.co.uk
Matrix Fitness
uk.matrixfitness.com
Precor Spinner
precor.com
Schwinn
corehandf.com
Scifit
scifit.com
Stages Cycles
stagesindoorcycling.com
Technogym
technogym.com
