Stationary bicycle

{{Short description|Exercise equipment}} {{Redirect|Stationary bike|the short story by Stephen King|Stationary Bike}}

thumb|Stationary bicycle [[Image:magnetic resistance stationary bicycle exercise bike.JPG|thumb|Magnetic resistance mechanism]] alt=Exercise bike 2020|thumb|A hybrid exercise bike and elliptical machine A '''stationary bicycle''' (also known as '''exercise bicycle''', '''exercise bike''', '''spinning bike''', '''spin bike''', or '''exercycle''') is a device used as exercise equipment for indoor cycling. It includes a saddle, pedals, and some form of handlebars arranged as on a (stationary) bicycle.<ref>{{Cite web|archive-date=22 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722205407/https://livehealthy.chron.com/health-benefits-routinely-riding-stationary-bike-1809.html|url=https://livehealthy.chron.com/health-benefits-routinely-riding-stationary-bike-1809.html|title=What Are the Health Benefits of Routinely Riding a Stationary Bike?|website=livehealthy.chron.com|language=en|access-date=2019-07-22}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|archive-date=22 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722205407/https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/fitness-basics-exercise-bike-is-back|url=https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/fitness-basics-exercise-bike-is-back|title=Fitness Basics: The Exercise Bike Is Back|last=Sarnataro|first=Barbara Russi|website=WebMD|language=en|access-date=2019-07-22}}</ref>

Resembling a bicycle without wheels,<ref>{{cite book|first1=Claire|last1=Walter|first2=Annette Tannander|last2=Bank|year=2000|title=The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Fitness|page=143|isbn=0028636589|url=https://archive.org/details/completeidiotsgu00clai/page/143/mode/2up}}</ref> a stationary bicycle is usually a special-purpose exercise machine that may be adapted for stationary exercise from an ordinary bicycle by placing it on bicycle rollers or a trainer. Rollers and trainers are often used by racing cyclists to warm up before racing, or to train indoors on their own machines.

==History== The ancestors of modern stationary bicycles date back to the end of the eighteenth century. The Gymnasticon was an early example.

==Types== Some stationary bike models feature handlebars that are connected to the pedals so that the upper body can be exercised along with the lower body (much like an elliptical trainer). Most exercise bikes come with mechanisms to apply resistance to the pedals, enhancing the intensity of the exercise. Resistance mechanisms include magnets, fans, and friction mechanisms. Some models allow the user to pedal backwards to exercise antagonist muscles which are not exercised in forward pedaling. Exercise bicycles are typically manufactured using a crankshaft and bottom bracket, which turns a flywheel by means of a belt or chain. The bearings on these moving parts wear with use and may require replacement.

Specialized indoor bicycles manufactured using a weighted flywheel at the front are used in the indoor cycling exercises called spinning. alt=Men and women on exercise bikes|thumb|People on exercise bikes

A variety of indoor '''mini-cycles''', sometimes referred to as '''exercise pedallers''', have emerged as portable, low-cost substitutes for traditional stationary bicycles.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Thompson |first1=Van |title=The Fastest Way to Lose Weight While Using a Mini Stationary Bike |archive-date=18 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190818084321/https://livehealthy.chron.com/fastest-way-lose-weight-using-mini-stationary-bike-9369.html |url=https://livehealthy.chron.com/fastest-way-lose-weight-using-mini-stationary-bike-9369.html |website=Chron |publisher=Hearst Newspapers, LLC |access-date=9 March 2019}}</ref> They are useful when exercisers are unable to access their stationary bicycles from their homes or local gyms when travels or at work. thumb|A folding mini-cycle, built with a friction mechanism

==Uses== Exercise bikes are used for exercise, to increase general fitness, for weight loss, and for training for cycle events. The exercise bike has long been used for physical therapy because of the low-impact, safe, and effective cardiovascular exercise it provides. The low-impact movement involved in operating an exercise bike does not put much stress on joints and does not involve sporadic motions that some other fitness equipment may require.{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}} However, as with typical biking, extended use of a stationary bike has been linked to decreased sexual function.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Simon|first1=Harvey B.|title=Biking and sex—avoid the vicious cycle |archive-date=14 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161114170220/http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/biking-and-sex-avoid-the-vicious-cycle-201209145290|url=http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/biking-and-sex-avoid-the-vicious-cycle-201209145290|website=Harvard Health Blog|publisher=Harvard University|access-date=14 November 2016|date=14 September 2012}}</ref>

Stationary bikes are also used for physical testing, i.e. as ergometers for measuring power. Traditionally this is done by imposing a certain level of resistance mechanically and/or measuring this.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Friction-loaded cycle ergometers: Past, present and future|year=2015|doi=10.1080/23311916.2015.1029237|archive-date=1 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201035724/https://www.cogentoa.com/article/10.1080/23311916.2015.1029237.pdf|url=https://www.cogentoa.com/article/10.1080/23311916.2015.1029237.pdf|access-date=23 November 2017|last1=Vandewalle|first1=Henry|last2=Driss|first2=Tarak|journal=Cogent Engineering|volume=2|s2cid=46022112|doi-access=free}}</ref> gives a good overview. Modern ergometers and even many consumer exercise bikes are fitted with electronic sensors and displays.

Ergometers, such as CEVIS (Cycle Ergometer with Vibration Isolation and Stabilization System), are used in space (e.g. in the ISS) to counter cardiovascular deconditioning in the microgravity environment.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cycle Ergometer with Vibration Isolation and Stabilization System (CEVIS)|archive-date=24 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170124014323/http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/841.html|url=http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/841.html|website=www.nasa.gov|publisher=NASA|access-date=14 November 2016}}</ref>

Exercise bikes are frequently used in cardiac rehabilitation programs to help individuals recover from heart-related conditions or surgeries. The controlled and adjustable nature of stationary biking makes it an ideal choice for gradually improving cardiovascular health after cardiac events.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Indoor cycling training in rehabilitation |date=2021 |pmc=8628460 |last1=Gloc |first1=D. |last2=Nowak |first2=Z. |last3=Nowak-Lis |first3=A. |last4=Gabryś |first4=T. |last5=Szmatlan-Gabrys |first5=U. |last6=Valach |first6=P. |last7=Pilis |first7=A. |journal=BMC Sports Science, Medicine & Rehabilitation |volume=13 |issue=1 |page=151 |doi=10.1186/s13102-021-00379-w |pmid=34844646 |doi-access=free |archive-date=17 February 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260217132440/https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s13102-021-00379-w.pdf |url=https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-021-00379-w}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:Cycle types Category:Exercise equipment