NEW Keiser Spin Bikes explained

Historically there has been a fantastic cycling culture here at the Hogarth. Both spinning and road cycling. I’ve had the pleasure of riding many a Sportive here in the UK as well as the Alps. 

The Hogarth Club has very recently invested in what I feel, the best spin bike on the market and its interactive, fully immersive Spivi system. As a cycling and Triathlon coach, this takes the member experience to a whole different level. 

There is one fact about riding a bike whether it be inside a spin studio or outside on a road bike which will remain, whatever bike you are riding and that is - you still have to ride it and put the work in!! It doesn’t come easy. 

The new bikes have been in use for a couple of weeks or so now and the feedback I’m receiving is so interesting and very exciting. The most common feedback are comments such as these - 

The bikes are a LOT harder...
What gear should I be in?
What RPM (revolutions per minute) should I be riding at? 
Is my set up the same as the previous bikes? 
There’s no hiding place now!
They are very smooth 
Why is my friend pushing a much bigger gear? 

Allow me to explain a few things that may give you a better understanding of cycling. 

Firstly, cycling is an incredibly technical sport/exercise. It’s not just about sitting on a bike and pedalling as hard as you can. 

Cycling ultimately is about power/body weight ratio. What that means is you take the amount you weigh divided by the amount of power you produce. Power is measure in “watts”. This is known as your output levels.

That’s where these bikes come into their own and why you will see people cycling in much bigger gears in comparison to others. Gearing is specific to you, your power/body weight and fitness levels. Please do not compare your gear selection to others! Take time to identify the right gears for the specific drills set out by the instructors. 

Gearing

You’ll notice that you now have a gear selection of 1 - 24. Controlled by the red lever in the middle of the handlebars. 

The first 6 gears are usually used during a rehabilitation type programme so during a spin class gears 6-24 are most commonly used. 22-24 is considered a heavy/big gear, much like riding up a steep climb. 

During my first few classes since the introduction of the new bikes I’ve set out to help you identify a few key points - 

Your “Flat Road” Gears

This sounds obvious but one of the biggest differences between the old and the new is this - Riding on a flat road does not mean riding with zero resistance (gearing) because if it did, you simply wouldn’t go anywhere or create any inertia. Your flat road gear will now have resistance and keep you in contact with the bike. Bouncing up and down on a saddle is not good. 

From what I’ve seen, flat road gears are typically ranging between 8 - 14. Remember, a bigger, heavier, stronger individual will (generally) push a bigger gear which is determined by their power and/or body weight.

Cadence/RPM

There is no right or wrong cadence and everyone has a comfort zone or sweet spot but the one thing I am certain of...it’s great to practice and experience riding with different cadence targets. In my experience I’ve found that typically people’s cruising or comfort cadences range between 80 - 90 RPM.

Climbing Gears & Cadence

Again, this is unique to you but most will have experienced a somewhat comfortable and sustainable climbing gear to a much harder heavier climbing gear. This depends upon power/body weight ratio and fitness levels but from what I’ve seen so far, these gears range between 13 - 22. 

Climbing cadence will vary depending on specific drills set out by the instructors and they can/will range between 60 - 90+ RPM so be prepared! 

Hopefully this will give you a clearer understanding of the new bikes but ultimately the difference is - you now receive feedback which is fantastically consistent and extremely accurate. With that we can now add much more specificity to classes, much more variety, much more discipline and control. 

These bikes will absolutely improve your cycling experience and is the perfect opportunity to strengthen your cycling, work on weaknesses, focus on form and technique but most of all...Enjoy it even more. 

If any of you are unsure, have any questions regarding the new bikes then please do not hesitate to contact me at the Club or via email terry@terryrodhamtriathloncoaching.com