Stationary exercise bicycles have been as much a fixture in health clubs and workout facilities as weights and treadmills. These machines offer a variation on cardiovascular exercise without the hazards of riding a real bike on open roads.
Safety
Riding a real bicycle for fitness presents a few safety hazards. Helmets are required by riders in 22 states and mandated by local law in 15 others, according to the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute. The BHSI estimates that 85 percent of riders can prevent head injuries from bike accidents by wearing a helmets. The Road Bike Center identified potholes, oil spots and wet metal on the road as potential dangers that can be avoided by working out on a stationary bike.
Workout Quality
While road racing has paid off for many as an exercise routine, using a stationary bike provides greater caloric and fitness benefits. Cycling Performance Tips, a website dedicated to bicycle fitness training, reports that the lack of environmental and roadway distractions allows stationary bike riders to concentrate on their workout. The website states that stationary bike training "minimizes the distractions of road biking, allowing you the concentration and focus to maximize and maintain your heart rate for the session without worrying about cars, potholes or other road hazards."
Exercise Option for Arthritics
Using a stationary cycle provides a fitness outlet for arthritis sufferers, as it takes the pressure off sensitive, achy joints. Arthritics have lost cartilage in their joints, leading to bone-to-bone rubbing and pain. According to Arthritis Today, an online publication of the Arthritis Foundation, the consistent surface angle and force necessary to accelerate the cycle removes pressure from weight-bearing joints, shifting the pain away from aching ankles, knees, hips and other potential hotspots for arthritis.
Calorie Burning
Riding a stationery bicycle offers a wellness benefit to people of any age or fitness condition. The President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition estimates that a 150-pound adult can lose nearly 175 calories in one hour of moderately-intense cycling. Moderate intensity is defined at an average speed estimate of 5 mph. Increase your speed to the vigorous level of 13 mph and you can exceed 600 calories burned in an hour.
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