With more and more people choosing to work out and build their cardio on spin bikes, the questions around the flywheel and its importance are yet to be answered.
Does spin bike’s flywheel matter? Yes, the flywheel weight matters as it affects the functionality of your spin bike. The spin bike’s flywheel weighs range from about 8 lbs to 40 lbs, and the heavier the flywheel, the smoother, quieter the motion will be.
The heavier the flywheel, the more you can feel of riding an outdoor bicycle. Lighter the flywheels, easier to start with for a great rider. But it should be noted that your workout intensity mainly depends on the resistance rather than the flywheel weight (the flywheel weight does affect your workout intensity). No matter what weight your flywheel is, you are guaranteed to get the cardio benefits from using a spin bike.
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What Is the Flywheel on a Spin Bike?
The flywheel is one of the most important parts of a spin bike, which gives you an outdoor cycling experience by storing momentum to provide resistance as you cycling.
Let’s make it simple; if there were no flywheel on your bike, there would be no resistance. Without resistance, you would not have to put any effort, and the wheel will go on rotating without any action from you.
You might find it as a big wheel on the rear of your bike, depending on the design and model of your spin bike.
Things to Note About the Flywheel Positioning
You must understand the flywheel before you start working out on your cardio routine. It is also important to understand the details to have a good and effective exercise session every time you hit the bike. Flywheels are usually positioned under the seat of the rider or at the rear.
Heavy flywheels are designed for intense workouts. The heavier the flywheel, the more effort is required to start or stop the motion. However, the action is much smoother in heavy flywheels.
Light flywheels are easy to ride since the effort required in them is very optimum. They are faster but very risky due to possible injuries as the control shifts from the person to the pedal.
Heavy flywheels have to be positioned in the front or beneath the seat so that the pedals can be moved smoothly and without any problems. On the other hand, light flywheels should be positioned at the rear, just like most modern bikes.
Why Is Flywheel Important?
The working of the flywheel is what makes the spin bike so important. Without the flywheel, there would be no point in the spin bike or your workout, for that matter. Simultaneously, the flywheel prevents many uncertain and unforeseen accidents and injuries that would be caused to you due to its infinite inertia.
It is also critical to keep the speed of the rotation in your control. If you want to decrease the speed, you can decrease your effort, and the flywheel would decrease the bike’s speed.
So, a flywheel resists and controls your bike’s speed, but at the same time, it is the flyweight that facilitates a smooth and safe ride on your bike.
How Does a Flywheel Work?
A Flywheel stores the energy that you put in as you are pedaling. This energy, then, is used to rotate the wheels further. It stores the energy from your effort and releases it to make your cycling smooth and realistic.
The reason flywheels are so large is that the effort has to be high to store that kind of energy. And such an effort can only be generated through the use of large wheels.
The velocity is also controlled smoothly with the flywheel as it resists the velocity, contrary to what happens in a freewheel. Some flywheels have generators to store the energy and release it as and when required.
Is Flywheel Bigger the Better?
Bigger flywheels will need a lot of effort to pedal and rotate, but they will keep you safe from injuries and other body parts from cycling.
So it is good for those who are into fitness wants to level up their fitness level. Lighter flywheels do not need a lot of resistance, and they also provide higher speeds.
But they have their own downsides. They are not very comfortable and will pose a lot of challenges while you pedal on them. So, it really comes down to what you need.
How Heavy Should My Flywheel Be?
There are multiple opinions on this, which differ from person to person according to their fitness needs. For the beginner, they must focus on the right pedaling technique.
But in general, any 8kg to 12 kg flyweight would be good for beginners and professionals.
Contrary to widely followed opinions, a light flywheel will not be the perfect one for beginners since the control over speed is less in light flywheels. Even though you want to choose a budget spin bike, I still recommend going with a heavy flywheel system.
But for heavy flywheels, the initial energy required is more, but the further workout remains easier due to the heavy flywheel’s smooth motion.
Is an 8kg Flywheel Enough?
That depends on what kind of workout you are looking for and what kind of expertise you already have in cardio exercising.
For an overall good exercise with the best results, go for an 8kg flywheel or more than that. And don’t go below 8kg because then there will be many bumps and discomfort while you pedal.
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