segacs
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
From roughly April to November, I commute to work by bike a few times a week. More specifically, by Bixi bike, which for those of you who are unfamiliar with it, is our local bikeshare program. I don't own my own bike, but I use Bixi as a complement to public transit quite heavily during the season.
I'm a total fairweather cyclist, only go when it's nice out and not too hot, not too cold, etc. On average I'd say I cycle two mornings a week out of five to the office (~30 minutes in downtown traffic), plus a lot of shorter trips of 5-10 minutes for errands or going out and about.
Bixi bikes aren't the most elegant things in the world. They're built like tanks, so they're stable but they're also heavy as heck. They have nice wide cushy seats, only three gears, and are designed for stability over speed. The fact that you can take them from one station and dock them at another means I tend to do a lot of one-way downhill trips and use other lazier methods to get back uphill. I'm accustomed to biking in traffic, which means a lot of red lights, stops, and being on the lookout for crazy drivers. The bikes are also built so that you're sitting very upright, which gives you better visibility in traffic and which I also find much more comfortable. They're designed for commuters, not racers. I usually cycle in my work clothes or jeans or whatever I happen to be wearing. I've even biked to evenings out in a dress and heels.
All that to say... I recently signed up for a spinning class, as part of a fitness resolution and to try to stay in some semblance of cycling shape during the off-season. But I'm discovering that Bixi and spinning are two totally different animals. For one thing, the spinning bikes are modelled after road bikes, so they have a much more hunched-over position, which I'm realizing is hell on my back and on my, erm, lady parts (for lack of a more polite term). For another, they're made with those pedals where you're supposed to clip in special cycling shoes. I don't own special cycling shoes, so they have those baskets to put your feet in, but they're hurting my feet in my gym shoes.
I don't really want to invest in a whole bunch of gear just for an occasional exercise activity, but I don't want to injure myself either. For those of you who cycle a lot, any advice on how someone who usually only cycles to get from A to B can get more enjoyment out of a spinning class?
I'm a total fairweather cyclist, only go when it's nice out and not too hot, not too cold, etc. On average I'd say I cycle two mornings a week out of five to the office (~30 minutes in downtown traffic), plus a lot of shorter trips of 5-10 minutes for errands or going out and about.
Bixi bikes aren't the most elegant things in the world. They're built like tanks, so they're stable but they're also heavy as heck. They have nice wide cushy seats, only three gears, and are designed for stability over speed. The fact that you can take them from one station and dock them at another means I tend to do a lot of one-way downhill trips and use other lazier methods to get back uphill. I'm accustomed to biking in traffic, which means a lot of red lights, stops, and being on the lookout for crazy drivers. The bikes are also built so that you're sitting very upright, which gives you better visibility in traffic and which I also find much more comfortable. They're designed for commuters, not racers. I usually cycle in my work clothes or jeans or whatever I happen to be wearing. I've even biked to evenings out in a dress and heels.
All that to say... I recently signed up for a spinning class, as part of a fitness resolution and to try to stay in some semblance of cycling shape during the off-season. But I'm discovering that Bixi and spinning are two totally different animals. For one thing, the spinning bikes are modelled after road bikes, so they have a much more hunched-over position, which I'm realizing is hell on my back and on my, erm, lady parts (for lack of a more polite term). For another, they're made with those pedals where you're supposed to clip in special cycling shoes. I don't own special cycling shoes, so they have those baskets to put your feet in, but they're hurting my feet in my gym shoes.
I don't really want to invest in a whole bunch of gear just for an occasional exercise activity, but I don't want to injure myself either. For those of you who cycle a lot, any advice on how someone who usually only cycles to get from A to B can get more enjoyment out of a spinning class?
