If you are having trouble figuring out the differences between these two bikes, you are at the right place. While they might look similar, there are a few significant differences and benefits you should know about. They both engage the body in similar motions and require more or less the same level of fitness. However, if you want to purchase your bike for indoor use, choosing between spin and upright bikes can be quite tricky, so you should properly familiarize yourself with the pros and cons of each bike before indulging in any purchase. Below you can also find our top choice for each bike type where you get the most value for your money.
Our Top Choice Spinning Bike
Our Top Choice Upright Bike
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Spinning Bikes
If you are looking for a bike that does replicate a road bike as much as possible then this is the bike for you. The main difference between spinning and upright bikes is that the former allows the users to train in various positions and maximize fat-blasting. Indeed, contrary to regular stationary bikes, users will easily be able to stand up and pedal on spin bikes. Standing up engages your whole body while drawing every single muscle group into the workout. This also adds quite a bit of variety to your training, which can be motivating for users who tend to get bored easily.
Also, while very few spinning bikes come with display consoles, all of them normally sport reinforced frames that don’t budge, no matter how vigorously you cycle. They also tend to accommodate heavier weight capacities than their upright counterparts. These types of machines are more suited to interval and strength training, which can bring a drastic boost to your stamina.
The other difference between spin and stationary bikes lies in the flywheel mechanism. Spin machines traditionally sport much heavier flywheels, which once again demand greater effort and burn more calories. In fact, the heavier the flywheel the better, which is why the most advanced models sport flywheels weighting up to 48 pounds, as is the case with the Sole SB700. Best of all, by keeping the bike in motion, these flywheels make the workout less hard on the joints, which translates to a lower risk of injury.
Upright Bikes
Unlike spinning bikes, they do not allow athletes to stand up because the pedals are not as reinforced. On the plus side, however, this kind of stationary bikes do come with padded seats to make your workouts more enjoyable, even if you exercise for several hours at a go. Most of them also come with additional amenities such as water bottle holders and display consoles to track the number of calories burned, distance covered, pedal strokes and other such information.
Upright bikes also tend to be less expensive than spinning ones, which can be quite an advantage to new users who aren’t willing to invest a lot of money in gym equipment. Upright bikes are great for casual users who want to lose or maintain weight while getting some good cardio exercise. They aren’t recommended for serious athletes and professional bikers that need an alternative in winter months for their road bike.
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