Biking for transportation and biking for health

Indoor Bikeorbar cyclists

By Robert Nehin

For those who may not have enough time to get to the gym and get their exercise in throughout the day, there may be an alternative way to get your exercise while attending to your busy schedule.  

Choosing to ride a bicycle over driving a motor vehicle comes with a lot of benefits. They include: avoiding traffic, protecting the environment, and, if you are a college student, parking with little difficulties and getting to class faster.

They also include many health benefits. In fact, riding a bicycle for long periods of time is practically a daily workout. Here are some of the health benefits of riding a bicycle:

• Low impact – it causes less strain and injuries than most other forms of exercise.
• A good muscle workout – cycling uses all of the major muscle groups as you pedal.
• Ease – Cycling is pretty straightforward; even children can ride a bike.
• Good for cardio– cycling increases stamina, strength and aerobic fitness.
• As intense as you want – there is no resistance involved in cycling that isn’t under the riders’ control.
• A fun way to get fit –Riding a bicycle is usually associated with all of our childhood memories of going out and riding with a group of friends. The experience of riding a bicycle is liberating and is a fun way to get around.
• Time-efficient –riding a bicycle doesn’t require the static sitting that is necessary when driving a motor vehicle and, instead requires constant motion that’s needed for effective workouts. 

College students

For college students who don’t have enough free time to exercise, riding a bike to classes is more effective than walking and more time-eficient.

“How much times does it take to walk from one end of the campus to the other end of the campus? And if you have to do it a couple times of the week, you start to realize that time becomes tight. A bike, however, can be very time efficient,” said Jon Clauss, a salesman at Ricks Cycle Shop.

            Although biking through the winter is becoming more popular, some may be discouraged when it comes to riding their bike through the winter weather.

However, Bikeobar, a spinning/indoor cycling studio at 904 Elmwood Ave., can still provide the opportunity to experience the healthy benefits of biking.

BikeorBar

            Walking past the BikeorBar, you may mistake its establishment for an actual club bar; hence the name. The music pumps loudly and can be heard outside, along with a loud instructor shouting out commands. The lights are off and are replaced with disco glowing lamps hanging from the ceiling. The atmosphere is like a hybrid between a downtown nightclub and a L.A. Fitness gym. More interesting, there is a huge TV screen just in front of the indoor cyclists that shows a virtual projection of them in various environments.

“We have virtual indoor bike riding. The bikes have computers on the crank arms. The signal is then sent to the ceiling, which goes into a modem and into the TV,” said Robert Nehin, the front desk worker at the Bikeorbar.

The technology used by the Bikeorbar, coupled with the quaint, simplistic indoor atmosphere, makes the unique from other fitness centers.

“We basically created Bikeorbar as sort of an anti-big box gym. For example, you go into a big box gym, look at the equipment, and have no idea what you’re going to do,” Nehin said.

Bikeobar is a group fitness studio, meaning the classes it offers usually consist of a group of people alongside one another with an instructor leading the workout session. However, due to the nature of the exercise, the bikers are in complete control of their level of intensity.

“We set you up on a bike and give you guidance on how to set the resistance,” Nehin said.

“These bikes all have thermometers that pick up all the watts, which include the power of the pedal, rpms, and speed. It can also read your heart rate, time, distance, and calories burned.”

The indoor bikes used at Bikeobar are much different from the ones you may find at your typical gym. For instance, one of their new additions is the Stages indoor bike, which is one of the best indoor bikes on the market.

“These bikes are like the Ferrari of bikes and it gives you the impression of being on a real outdoor bike while indoors,” Nehin said.

“These bikes are direct drive so you can’t free-will, which means you have to pedal constantly. This allows for a better and more effective workout.”

Competition bewteen cyclist also adds to the workout at Bikeorbar. The small inclusive environment of cyclists provides a great atmosphere for group solidarity.

“In a group exercise, you’re motivating the person next to you while their motivating you; and you’re also working with the instructor. So In essence, you’re actually working out with a personal trainer in a small group setting,” Nehin said

Cardio exercise is one of the major benefits gained from indoor/outdoor cycling. It’s also one of the most important forms of fitness, and often overlooked. Some people, primarily men, tend to skip cardio workouts and go straight into heavy weight lifting. 

However, doing this can cause harmful effects to the body in the long run.

“Women love cardio, and guys like lifting weights, but guys need to do more cardio because the weight lifting only goes so far; you have to maintain your heart, and weight lifting doesn’t do that, which is why more guys have enlarged hearts; its because they’re not exercising it,” Nehin said.

Biking, as you can see, isn’t simply a mode of transportation, but can also be an effective, efficient, and fun way to exercise and stay fit.

Nehin said he’s seen some of the amazing results he has witnessed from some regular members at Bikeorbar.

“We’ve changed a lot of lives here,” Nehin said.

“I know some people who’ve lost up to 150 pounds riding the indoor bikes. ”