Hello!

I have a fairly expensive exercise bike stored at my house and have been using it daily. I was wondering if anyone has had weight loss success using an exercise bike? I do use the elliptical a lot at the gym, but the bike at my house is very convenient. Pros and cons of the bike?

The elliptical and the exercise bike are both good forms of cardio exercise. What do you do for strength training?

Yes, I use the bike a lot. I have recurring foot problems -- badly arthritic joint in my big toe & plantar fasciitis, both in my left foot :-( -- which keep leading me back to using an exercise bike for most days of the week.

I've been able to get very good cardio workouts on the bike. I can't believe how much my breathing & endurance have improved since the same time last year. Now when I do go running, if I stop, it's usually due to foot pain, never to laboring in my breathing & heart rate.

But I push myself on the bike. I put it on the "random" setting for hills & I set the resistance up to three or four. (I have to use five on the brand of bike in my commercial gym.) I ride for an hour straight & I make myself work hard for the entire hour. I try to keep it about 110 rpm, and at least 95 rpm on the hills.

The drawbacks have been the monotony. (If you do this six days a week, like I do, you'll be less eager to get in the saddle over time.) I try to make sure my iPod is fully charged & full of good tunes. Also I prefer to have CNN or some other visual stimulus, even with the sound off.

Another drawback is saddle sores on my butt. I get them even in spite of wearing padded cycling shorts of decent quality. (That's another thing you'll want to invest in -- I have five pair now & buy them whenever there is a good special.) Maybe I'm the only one on this site who rubs her butt raw in spots, because I notice people don't seem to talk about this. I go through a lot of extra-strength cortisone ointment.

Also, now & then I will get a uniquely placed cramp that runs along the back of my leg from my butt down into my upper thigh. I have to stretch a lot when I get off the bike to relieve it. And sometimes my left hand will get numb from gripping the handlebars. A lightweight padded pair of gloves helps this, too.

The funny thing is, I've been using an exercise bike for a couple years now, have gradually worked up the resistance, and do about 15-18 miles a day on it. But I haven't ridden a real bike in years. I mean, the kind you'd actually have to balance on & steer, as well as peddling like a madwoman. I'm all about the peddling & that's all.

Well, I just recently started lifting weights 3 days a week. However, I only know the arm and upper body exercises, so I'm hoping to do a session with a trainer at my gym to get me familiar with other lifts.

saef: Wow, thanks for the insight! So far I can handle 30 minutes at a time (2 sets, a 15 minute break in between) on the bike at level 8 (it goes up to 16) and I usually do the hills or plateau setting. The good thing is, my bike is in the room with the TV so monotony isn't exactly a problem yet. Dah! Yes! I got a saddle sore yesterday and have been wondering what it was!!! I will definitely invest in some cycling shorts, I had no idea they could make a difference. Thank you so much for all your help!

I have a nice Lifecycle at home that I often ride when the weather precludes me for hitting road on my regular bike and it gives me an AWESOME workout. I can make it very, very challenging and there is no coasting either!