Lately, indoor fitness equipment like indoor cycling bikes and magnetic bikes are gaining popularity. This is because they offer a complete, exhilarating workout at the comfort of your gym or home. Depending on the flexibility of your schedule, an hour on this equipment gives you an exhilarating workout. With recent modifications, indoor bikes give you almost the same experience as if you were riding outdoors in the open wind.
To find out which of these two is the right product for you, this article offers a complete analysis of their features and benefits. While they are both good for a cardio workout, they have subtle differences between them. For instance, the indoor cycling bike might be a bit overwhelming for a rookie because it offers an intense workout. A magnetic bike on the other hand, can also be tweaked to high resistance levels but is less noisy about it. A magnetic bike is also relatively more expensive than a standard indoor cycling bike.
How do the Indoor Cycling and Magnetic Bike compare?
Equipment | Indoor Cycling | Magnetic Bike |
|---|---|---|
Muscles Strengthened | Lower body mainly- quads, abs, knees and calves | Lower body muscles- hamstrings, thighs, abs and calves |
Amount of Calories Burnt per hour | 400-800 kcal | 400-800 kcal |
Intensity Level | Higher than normal stationary bikes | Can reach high levels that the front wheel does not even budge |
Indoor Cycling vs Magnetic Bike – What are the differences?
Type of Workout
With its front flywheel that is quite heavy, you should expect an intense workout with an indoor cycling bike. Ideal for pro cyclists and fitness enthusiasts, an indoor cycling bike is best suited for short, pumped sessions. A magnetic bike on the other hand, is low impact enough for lengthy workouts at your own pace. The resistance can even be set so high that the front wheel just stops turning entirely.
If you are usually busy and you do not have the luxury of a 2-hour workout, an indoor cycling bike might be the product for you. Even if you only have 30 minutes to spare, you can be assured of a gainful workout on the indoor cycling bike as it is pretty intense. If you are a rookie to cycling or you are not keen on going too hard, a magnetic bike works just fine.
With both, you can get the type of workout you want because of the various resistance levels available.
Muscles Toned
Like most indoor bikes, an indoor cycling bike places its primary focus is on your lower body. Besides a cardiovascular workout, this product works your hips, knees and thighs. In an indoor cycling bike, you can be assured of total toning of muscles especially after intense workout sessions over a long period of time.
A magnetic bike also works just as well by toning your abs, hips, knees and thighs. Like other indoor bikes, it is also an effective cardiovascular workout product. With both an indoor cycling bike and magnetic bike, you should consider supplementing your cycling sessions with other workouts. For instance, consider lifting weights or using dumbbells so that your upper body gets worked as well.
Calories Burned
Depending on your preferred level of resistance, you can lose between 400 and 800 calories an hour on both bikes. This is quite something because according to the Business Insider, a Tour de France cyclist loses up to 1200 calories on a 100 mile cycling course. Indoor bikes like indoor cycling bikes and magnetic bikes are therefore not badly off as they can be relied on to lose weight as well.
The high number of calories burned on an indoor cycling bike and magnetic bike is usually possible because of the engineering of this equipment. They are designed to create the outdoors feel where you pedal hard on whatever road terrain you are on.
Performance Analysis
Modern versions of these indoor bikes come with display consoles. This makes it easy to monitor your progress. Some models go further by providing virtual reality options and performance metrics. With these bikes, you are able to gauge whether you growing in your fitness levels. You can do this by assessing the mileage covered vis-à-vis your resistance and revolutions per minute.
Price
Indoor trainers can be a tad expensive. Not surprisingly, a magnetic bike is quite more expensive than a indoor cycling bike. Nonetheless, there are many budget options for both. Buying a quality second-hand trainer also is not wrong as long as you have confirmed the credentials of the seller.
Indoor Cycling Bike Overview
An indoor cycling bike is indoor fitness equipment that is guaranteed to give you intensive cardio workouts. With a proper stance and speed, you can lose up to 500 calories per hour on this bike. Depending on your level of resistance and bike pedaling speed, this figure can go up to 800 calories.
Officially released during the Olympics in 1980, the indoor cycling bike has gone through many modifications. Some of the latest models of this product have many notable features that make an indoor riding experience similar to biking outdoors. One example is its flywheel that is made entirely out of steel. Its heavyweight (38-42 pounds) provides the added resistance to simulate the outdoors. It also gives you great stability.
Another noteworthy feature is its braking system that matches your pedaling pace. The ease of adjustments is also good. On the indoor cycling bike, you can modify the seat height, seat position and handlebars position according to your height. The current set-up is to have the seat on your hip level and the handlebars well placed enough to reach with comfort. The pedals also have cleats that allow you to firmly secure your shoes to the pedal.
Finally, modern ones have been tech-powered to give you your performance analysis on a digital console. Models like the L1 post for you your revolutions per minute, heartbeat and time for personal assessment.
It has a few cons though. For instance, it is not exactly friendly to the elderly or people who have chronic knee/back pains. An indoor cycling bike is also not the go-to bike for people who are entirely new to indoor cycling. They are rather intense for beginners.
Pros
- For a bit more adventure, you can switch up your stance and pace on it
- Easily adjustable according to the rider’s height
- Easy to use at the comfort of your home
Cons
- Not ideal for really long workouts as they can take a toll on your knees and back
- The seat may be a bit uncomfortable
Magnetic Bike Overview
Similar to the indoor cycling bike, a magnetic bike has a front flywheel. The only difference is that the flywheel on a magnetic bike is powered by the electric currents that go through the magnets that are linked to the magnetic bike. Simply put, the performance on a magnetic bike depends on currents. If you increase the dial on your bike and choose higher resistance, this is made possible with the channeling of increased currents through the bike.
Other noteworthy features of this indoor bike are the easy adjustability of the levers and the low noise production. Compared to other bikes, a magnetic bike is relatively quiet. This is because it is all determined by how close the contact pads come to each other. Regarding its adjustment features, you can easily flick through the different levels of resistance on a magnetic bike. To add, a magnetic bike is also known for its highly accurate settings.
To work on your endurance and lose calories while at it, you will not go wrong with a magnetic bike. In fact, if you choose, you can set the resistance so high that the front flywheel does not even move at all. You can therefore be assured of an intense workout that is still low impact to not put unnecessary strain on your joints. The only downside with this bike is that is quite pricey compared to other products with its kind of benefits.
Pros
- Highly durable with low chances of wear and tear
- A real calorie burner at fast and intense speeds
- Offers accurate settings
- Runs quietly
Cons
- Quite more expensive than other indoor bikes
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Final Verdict
Finding the perfect fitness product for you can be a bit overwhelming. To the untrained eye, they might all look the same. This article is designed to make you familiar with all you need to know about an indoor cycling bike and magnetic bike. In a nutshell, an indoor cycling bike is well suited for riders who want high intensity workouts. A magnetic bike on the flipside,
In terms of its tech-features, an indoor cycling bike is rather simple. Some models come with an LCD screen that enables you to monitor your performance. By assessing your speed, revolutions per minute, distance and calories burned, you are able to know if you are having effective workouts. Another added feature in some models is a water bottle holder.
Hi, my name is Marjorie, a health and fitness expert.
Sports and fitness have always been my area of expertise since I could remember. For me, one of the greatest things I accomplished is opening my own gym as well as starting this blog on indoor bikes and fitness. Indoor bikes have brought a massive break for me and my clients, they have enabled me to look past some of my client’s many challenges during work out and achieve the best results they can. I would say that I am proud to help people understand the benefits that come with indoor bikes when it comes to fitness and health and how to find the best one for the cause.