Stationary bicycles are a useful alternative to conventional bicycles. Although few things in the bicycling world compare to ascending a stunningly beautiful mountain pass on your road bike or following a twisting path through the woods on your mountain bike, a stationary bicycle has three important advantages: convenience, comfort and safety. According to the website WeightLossForAll.com, stationary bikes are "light, easy-to-use and many modern exercise bikes can be folded away easily."
Convenience
Few pieces of home exercise equipment are as convenient as a stationary bike. Exercise bikes take up little room in your house or home gym and can be tucked away relatively easily, especially compared to a treadmill, squat rack or ski machine. Stationary bikes are convenient for busy people because the level of preparation required for a bout of stationary biking is significantly lower than the amount of preparation required for a road or mountain biking outing. Not only do you save preparation time by using a stationary bike, you also save the expense and resources associated with hauling your bicycle to a trailhead or quieter country roads; a major advantage for city dwellers, especially.
Comfort
According to physical therapist Matthew Goodemote, indoor cycling is an effective way for you to get a cardiovascular workout without placing undue stress on your body's weight-bearing joints. Goodemote adds that it's a good training option for those with balance problems, as no effort is required to keep your bike upright or to lean into turns. With stationary biking, you don't have to worry about weather conditions or flat tires, wearing multiple layers or carrying large amounts of food with you. Stationary biking is particularly advantageous for cycling enthusiasts living in colder parts of the country who, instead of retiring from cycling for the winter, can keep their cycling-related fitness at a high level until warmer temperatures arrive.
Safety
The website MassBike.org states that, in 1999, "there were 750 bicycling fatalities and 51,000 bicycling injuries resulting from traffic crashes in the United States." Perhaps the most significant advantage of indoor cycling is that your likelihood of suffering a traffic-related injury is nil. You don't need to wear reflective clothing, mount lights on your bicycle or use protective gear, and you don't need to worry about changing climatic conditions or vehicles uninterested in sharing the road with cyclists. Indoor cycling smoothes your riding experience, saving you from the jarring impact of bumps or potholes on poorly maintained roads.
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