A DIY Peloton at-home stationary cycling solution for introverts

Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2017/04/05/diy-peloton-for-introverts.html

7 Likes
Cycling has always been my favorite cardio exercise
Have you tried coitus?
Peloton is designed to bring all the fun of a high-intensity spin class into your home
"Hurray!" ~ No one
I found the Sunny Health SF-B1002, with a 49lb flywheel.
And, just to be helpful for a damn minute, when that wears out, try a magnetic bike, which has no brake to wear down or out.
16 Likes

I have a recumbent-style exercise bike in the basement at home. On rare occasions, but not within the past couple of years or so, I have been known to ride it while watching halves of movies on a tablet.

…I’ve gotten through about one movie and three halves of other movies I didn’t feel like going back to, that way.

1 Like

Very nice write-up, I hope this keeps working out :wink: for you.

8 Likes

Funny I have the exact same bike setup! The saddle is indeed terrible but I bought a $10 Zacro Gel Bike seat and now it is super comfortable: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H71AZ36/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

3 Likes

10 Likes

We also have a recumbent, set up facing the living room TV, although I’m just as likely to not bother watching anything and just Zen out. It’s a good place for me to think about projects I want to do, like a quilt or a storage shed, and get the snags mentally worked out before I actually start.

4 Likes

What little TV we do watch, we watch while riding on actual bikes - mounted on fluid trainers. If you have a bike that feels comfortable already, you can go on using it indoors. It takes only a few minutes to clamp the back wheel in. The trainer also has a remote control for resistance that mounts on the handlebar.

A fan is essential. I like the tall vertical kind that oscillates. I add a bluetooth headset as well. The trainer is fairly quiet, but it’s more considerate to put on headphones than to crank up the volume on the TV audio.

I do like the idea of having a coach and pursuing specific goals. After cycling indoors for a few decades off and on, the one thing that has worked consistently is to watch something on TV that takes my mind off what I’m doing. You might think this is bad for training, but I find it to be the opposite. If I’m being entertained, I can push the training pretty hard and notice the fatigue less.

3 Likes

I have two fantasies about my recumbent exercise bike - making a shelf for my laptop so I can use it while cycling, and setting up a VR/Google streets set up where physical activity gets mapped to motion through a virtual landscape. The second is too intimidating an amount of work and I’ve been reluctant to start on the first because I’m convinced that if I do it, the old bike will crap out before I’m finished making it.

5 Likes

I use the Asuna: 4100 https://www.walmart.com/ip/ASUNA-4100-Commercial-Indoor-Cycling-Bike/46010417

The cheapest price is at Walmart, yes I did not want to spend cash at that retailer, but it was like half of what I found elsewheres. I use the Peloton app for $12 a month, works for me…

1 Like

I have a Peloton. It’s pretty swell. Instructors are great.

1 Like

Listen, Maude. I’m sorry that your stepmother is a nympho, but I don’t know what that has to do with… you have any Kahlua?

I like the big heavy flywheel. BUT I recently scored a minty Cycle-Ops fluid trainer from the dump. No complaints!

(not me)

2 Likes

even from the downstairs neighbors?

1 Like

Whatever it takes to motivate a person to keep in shape, I approve of. The only thing I would do different is that I prefer my stationary bike to have a comfortable seat. I understand that the seat options are limited on my real bikes, but there is no reason to be uncomfortable in the exercise room. We have one of these-


It is a lot less portable than the one you recommend, and the display is a little dated. I pretty much just focus on maintaining a set cadence with varying resistance, which is what I do on the road bike.
Also, I like your view.

1 Like

cycling solution for introverts

Never seen a spin room? Stationary cycling is much more social than actually riding a bike.

I’m amazed the trainer is so inexpensive!

I’ve been recently considering getting a drum roller style trainer, and had seen prices on Amazon as cheap as $150, but I assumed it was one of those “we’ll word the ad so the person’s paying for a zeroxed image, rather than the real thing” scams.

I should look into this again…

I bought one of those sunny bikes from Amazon last year. I’ve had a ton of success in turning it into a $300 coat hanger. Seriously, the only problem I have with it is the seat. I can barely walk after being on the thing for 10 minutes.

1 Like

3 Likes

I paid a little over £100 for mine a year or two ago. It’s not bottom-of-the-range but was reduced at the time. They’re not really that complicated.

1 Like