The indoor cycling world is diverse. From the participant who never rides outside, to the competitive cyclist who races outdoors, to every measure of two-wheel enthusiast in between, there is much to gain by having a controlled and safe environment to train in. As indoor cycling instructors, you know this well, but now there are more reasons than ever to talk it up to your outdoor riding fanatics that normally wouldn’t be caught dead in a “spinning” class.
Today, on the cusp of 2016, there are more reasons for even the most resistant cyclist to give our indoor approach to riding and training a second look. The recent surge in teaching tools is now becoming more and more prevalent in studios, whether they are upgrading or newly opening. This will have a positive impact in being able to attract more cyclists to the indoor cycling studio.
At first, the tech surge was in bikes with computer displays on them instead of simply a red knob for turning up the resistance. Within the last five years, however, every manufacturer has added a display and most of those displays now include some form of power meter. Granted, the cycling purists are sometimes not too excited about some of the ways power is measured on a stationary bike, just as we at Cycling Fusion are not very interested in “distance” or “speed” indications on a bike that is obviously stationary.
Nevertheless, power, cadence (RPM), and heart monitoring tools have indeed changed everything in our industry.
This has provided many more fun and challenging ways instructors can teach indoor cycling, as these are essential training tools for any type of rider, beginning to advanced, outdoor cyclist, or solely an indoor enthusiast.
In the coming weeks, I will be posting about “Teaching Technology for Indoor Cycling Instructors,” and will cover topics like the following:
- Heart Monitor
- Teaching Apps
- Group Exercise Heart Rate or Power Displays
- Class Competitions with “Speed” or “Distance”
- Class Competitions with Power
- Ride Simulation (Computer Generated)
- Virtual Cycling (1st Person Video)
- Personal RPM Recorders (for bikes that do not have RPM or cadence meters)
- Personal Power Meters (as in the PowerCal)
- Video Playlists
Let us know if there is anything you want us to cover related to technology!
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I like the DVD you (Gene Nacey) did on power training on the Keiser bikes. It is the best “tool” I have. Global Ride DVD’s are boring, and some of my students will void a class if they know in advance I plan to show one.
Thanks for the comment Leyann. In fact that has inspired me to make that the first place to begin with this series – heart straps or devices that you can use to establish cadence even on bikes that do not have consoles/computers.
I will be so grateful to you if you do so.
Gary
Looking forward, I have been looking for Personal RPM Recorders (for bikes that do not have RPM or cadence meters).