Guaging your workout

One of the difficulties in training indoors on a spin bike is gauging your effort. When cycling outside you measure yourself with speed and time goals over a set course of terrain. The resistance on the spin bike is controlled by an uncalibrated knob, that you turn clockwise to increase resistance and counter clockwise to decrease. I have used a heart monitor pretty much from my start in spinning. It allows you to monitor your heart rate and increase or decrease resistance to push yourself harder or ease off. For the past few months I have been using a Garmin FR60 Heart Monitor that constantly records my heart rate allows me to upload the data and view a graph of my heart rate during my workouts. Quantifying your effort allows you to set goals and hold yourself accountable for them. My goal for this week was to reach the 1000 calories burned level in a one hour spin class. I was able to reach that level on Friday for a successful week of training.

It Starts At My Local Bike Shop

All cyclists need a LBS (Local Bike Shop), yes you can buy most things online or through a mail order catalog for a dollar or two cheaper. But when you need expert advise, a small but essential part at the last minute, or a free drive train adjustment to save your ride on a beautiful day, your LBS will come through for you.

My LBS is The Bike Lane of Springfield Virginia. I purchased both my current bikes from them and they have managed to keep them in running order. Thanks again Todd, Sean and Kristopher.

The Bike Lane, 8416 Old Keene Mill Road, Springfield VA



An assortment of Cycle Clothing

My Trek Hybrid getting a little TLC from a Bike Lane Technician after I abused it on a recent ride.