Super Mario
04-02-2004, 06:58 PM
I emailed the following story to a bunch of cd-tree people and got a few responses saying I should share it on the forum. By reading some other topics in the past, it seems that some JGSI's are upset with MDA about the "infomercial bike" and now recently about the forum collapse--which does suck--so I thought this story may help out a little. I thought the home-use bike was a good idea from the start and I was worried that someone else, maybe LeMond, would do it first. I am glad to see that the Original Indoor Cycling Program beat everyone to the punch--and I instruct on RevMasters! (Spin Police please note: my club doesn't call it Spinning). Ok, here's the little story (and review)...
About 3 years ago, will call him Russ, this big muscle head guy (serious stereo-typical look of a muscle-head: 6'2", 245 lbs, no neck, an not a whole lot of body fat) comes up to me at the club I was working at then and asks me if Spinning would be ok on his knees--he's had surgery on both. He explains that although he's only 23, he has already ruined his knees from football and basketball and only lifts weights now and gets little to no cardio exercise. I told him to show up for class the next day. He shows up and has a great time! He quickly becomes a "regular" coming to class up to 3 times a week. He was one of the obnoxious/excited ones that get the class riled up. After about 3-4 months he came to class more excited than normal because his legs and knees feel so strong that he played basketball the previous night... no pain in the knees. He attributed it to Spinning.
Well, about a year after that, Russ (close friend now) becomes my roommate. He rides my Spinner (Schwinn Spinner Elite w/ smart release) a couple times a week and likes it so much, he had to have his own. He bought a house a month ago and is moving out this weekend--he feared being without the use of a bike so he decided to buy the controversial, among JGSI's, home Spinner and it arrived earlier this week. It took us 15 minutes to assemble and it actually works--it works really well. The handle bars are a little less sturdy and don't adjust as high, but overall the bike is great. The computer it came with is not the best, but I am used to one with cadence that I rigged up on mine. This bike would never hold up to the abuse and constant readjustment of a health club bike, but it doesn't have to. Russ has beat it up on a couple of rides so far and he said it feels almost the same as my bike, but he couldn't quite explain what was different. Besides the computer, it came with a Spinning floor mat, bottle, 6 DVD's and a program guide that even lets the buyer in on our secret language of terrain symbols... I watched/rode to a couple of the DVD's already and they were good too.
Russ is now down to lean 230 lbs. He now jogs, plays volleyball and basketball whenever he wants and lifts weights only to maintain. Oh, he cycles, but only indoors because he still doesn't own a bike he can ride outside!
(NOTE: Russ stopped taking classes when I left that club--they're one of those clubs that don't abide by MDA guidelines)
Thought you might enjoy that story and mini-review.
Ride on!
Mario
About 3 years ago, will call him Russ, this big muscle head guy (serious stereo-typical look of a muscle-head: 6'2", 245 lbs, no neck, an not a whole lot of body fat) comes up to me at the club I was working at then and asks me if Spinning would be ok on his knees--he's had surgery on both. He explains that although he's only 23, he has already ruined his knees from football and basketball and only lifts weights now and gets little to no cardio exercise. I told him to show up for class the next day. He shows up and has a great time! He quickly becomes a "regular" coming to class up to 3 times a week. He was one of the obnoxious/excited ones that get the class riled up. After about 3-4 months he came to class more excited than normal because his legs and knees feel so strong that he played basketball the previous night... no pain in the knees. He attributed it to Spinning.
Well, about a year after that, Russ (close friend now) becomes my roommate. He rides my Spinner (Schwinn Spinner Elite w/ smart release) a couple times a week and likes it so much, he had to have his own. He bought a house a month ago and is moving out this weekend--he feared being without the use of a bike so he decided to buy the controversial, among JGSI's, home Spinner and it arrived earlier this week. It took us 15 minutes to assemble and it actually works--it works really well. The handle bars are a little less sturdy and don't adjust as high, but overall the bike is great. The computer it came with is not the best, but I am used to one with cadence that I rigged up on mine. This bike would never hold up to the abuse and constant readjustment of a health club bike, but it doesn't have to. Russ has beat it up on a couple of rides so far and he said it feels almost the same as my bike, but he couldn't quite explain what was different. Besides the computer, it came with a Spinning floor mat, bottle, 6 DVD's and a program guide that even lets the buyer in on our secret language of terrain symbols... I watched/rode to a couple of the DVD's already and they were good too.
Russ is now down to lean 230 lbs. He now jogs, plays volleyball and basketball whenever he wants and lifts weights only to maintain. Oh, he cycles, but only indoors because he still doesn't own a bike he can ride outside!
(NOTE: Russ stopped taking classes when I left that club--they're one of those clubs that don't abide by MDA guidelines)
Thought you might enjoy that story and mini-review.
Ride on!
Mario