Bring the Outdoors to Your Living Room!
Traditional outdoor bikes are a great way of keeping in shape and spending time outside, breathing fresh air. The only problem is, you can’t go for a ride any time you want, as you are too dependent on the weather conditions. There is nothing you can do if it rains outside, unless you enjoy to ride your bike that way. It’s more of the same during winter months, with ice and snow covering every inch of tarmac and dirt roads.
Even if the road is dry, your hands are pretty much tied, because riding your bike in the cold is one of the most unpleasant things you can treat yourself to. And there’s nothing worse for me than going outside to ride my bike, just to have my enthusiasm cut short because of a sudden change in weather. Since my self-motivational skills are pretty rudimentary, it only takes a couple of such occurrences for me to give up riding completely, and spread out on the couch, embraced by the warm rays of my laptop screen.
Reading this rant of mine, one would come to a conclusion that there aren’t too many seasons during which you can ride your bike in normal conditions. But, I believe I have stumbled upon a solution that circumvents the issue of weather. It’s called the Magnet Steel Indoor Exercise Bike Stand, and it transforms your beloved road warrior into a home exercise bike, which provides you with an equally effective workout at any given time, under any conditions. Let’s take a look at it.
Features and Specifications
The Magnet Steel Exercise Trainer turns your traditional road bike into an indoor exercise bicycle. All you need to do is attach it to the stand. It features a sturdy steel frame that support most users, and it’s compatible with both road and mountain bikes sporting 700c, 26 or 27 wheels. Making sure that the wheels stay in place is dealt with easily by operating an adjustment knob. There are 5 internal resistance settings available which determine how hard you should pedal for the rear wheel to move.
One thing I have to recommend when using these is to get yourself a wheel block, so that the back wheel is never in any danger of lifting off the ground while pedaling. The manufacturer doesn’t mention any weight limit for people to use this stand safely, but I’ve heard people weighing 220 pounds said that they’ve worked out using the trainer stand without any problems or mishaps whatsoever, because the bike, once mounted to the stand, never shoved even slightest signs of instability.
And I realize this will come off as redundant when I say it, but this indoor trainer can also be folded, in case you want to put it away once you’re done using it or take it with you, if you’re travelling, for instance.
Noise
From what I’ve heard, there are several different opinion whether or not this stand makes too much noise, and I have to clarify the fact that the stand doesn’t make noise itself. The noise comes from the bike, or, more specifically, its tires. Even though you will have to turn up the volume of the TV somewhat while you’re exercising, it’s within the boundaries of what’s considered normal. Just like with any kind of constant, repetitive noise, you will get used to it and after a while it will fade into the background.
Installation
The installation itself is pretty straightforward, as long as you use the images as guidance, since the written instructions were put together by someone whose native language is a mix of broken English and Martian. Trying to figure out how to find the right position of the locking mechanism, solely by reading the instructions is like trying to write an essay in Chinese, using only Google Translate.
The Summary
The Magnet Steel Exercise Stand ticks all the right boxes for those cycling buffs who want to keep in shape regardless of the weather conditions, in the comfort of their own home. There is not much that can go wrong here, since the stand itself is extremely robust and sturdy, capable of withstanding at least 220 pounds of weight. The fact that it has several resistance levels makes it more challenging and versatile, and pretty much perfect if you are looking to brush up or improve on your cycling skills and endurance.
But don’t just take my word for it, go on Amazon and read some of the user reviews there, and get one for yourself at a discount price!
Further Information