5 Indoor Cycling Tips to Make It More Comfortable & Fun
Hi, Dave here! I’m coming to you today with five indoor cycling tips to help enhance your indoor riding experience and make it more FUN.
Cycling Tips to Have More Fun & Be More Comfortable
Cycling is so much fun, but there are definitely some ways to make the experience even better. I’ve been riding indoors, outdoors, and in a velodrome for many years, so I’ve figured out a few things that I want to share with you today.
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Follow these tips for a better indoor biking experience:
1. Managing Sweat
When you’re inside on a stationary bike, you’re going to sweat more than you might think. So, let’s talk about managing sweat.
First, I like to wear a headband when I ride—specifically the Halo sweatband. This sweatband has a rubber gasket that creates a seal across the bottom of your forehead which is great because it keeps the sweat from running into your eyes.
Second, grab a towel…or two. You’ll want a loose towel for mopping up sweat on your forearms, head, or wherever you sweat the most. You can just drape a regular towel over the handlebars, but that’s not the best option.
A spin towel is much better because it’s set up to slip right over the handlebars to soak up the sweat while you’re riding. If you ride every day, I suggest getting 2-3 spin towels so you’re not constantly doing laundry!
The next thing is a good mat under your stationary bike. A rubber mat helps with stability if you’re riding on carpet, but it also keeps the carpet from getting super gross and funky. In fact, the salt in your sweat can ruin the carpet over time.
If your stationary bike is on tile or wood, a good mat protects the floor from any scratches. The MYX Fitness bikes are super stable, but it’s a good idea to protect the floor.
Plus, a mat is also easier to clean!
2. Insulated Water Bottle
Get yourself a good insulated water bottle. I’ve been using a Camelbak Podium for years. It has a nice thin layer of insulation to keep your water cold longer to help cool down your core when you’re riding.
At the minimum, get a regular water bottle.
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3. Get the Right Shoes
You’ll have a much better indoor cycling experience if you get a pair of shoes that’s designed for indoor cycling.
You can use road bike shoes, but look on the bottom for an SPD cleat. An SPD cleat works best with the MYX spin bike.\
You’ll notice on one side of the MYX bike pedal there’s a little cage to hold the front of your foot. On the bottom, there’s a special clip that works with the SPD cleat to clip your shoe right into the pedal.
You can use a regular athletic shoe, but it won’t feel as good because a regular shoe is flexible and doesn’t offer the stability you need if you’re going to stand up and go hard on the bike.
Good biking shoes are much stiffer and that stiffness makes for a better biking experience because it helps you keep your foot flat during the pedal stroke. With a stiff biking shoe, you can also pull up at the bottom of the pedal stroke because you’re firmly clipped to the pedal.
Pulling up during your pedal stroke has the added benefit of using your hamstrings and glutes while taking a little pressure off of your hip flexors, which gives you a more complete, efficient, and safe pedal stroke.
If you’re going to do hybrid workouts between the bike and the floor, you can also get some hybrid bike-athletic shoes that have the SPD cleat.
4. Wear Bib Shorts
For me, the MYX bike has a pretty comfortable seat because I’m used to those rock-hard racing saddles. Some of my friends and clients who aren’t as used to biking feel a little uncomfortable on the seat.
When I’m riding on my rock-hard road bike saddle, I use bib shorts with built-in padding. It makes the experience much more comfortable.
I prefer the bib shorts with shoulder straps because it keeps your shorts in the right position.
5. Proper Bike Setup
So you tried the bib shorts but you’re still uncomfortable? Bike setup is essential to a good biking experience. Here are a couple of things to try.
Saddle
Don’t be afraid to replace the saddle. It’s easy to remove and you can take it down to a bike shop and find a saddle that works better for you.
Saddles aren’t one-size-fits-all, so if you need a different saddle to be comfortable, please change out your saddle.
Bike Position
When you’re sitting down, you’re doing the same motion over and over with only a little variance between sitting and standing.
You can give yourself a repetitive use injury if you don’t set your bike up in the right position. If you’re using the MYX bike, there’s a video on bike setup so take a look at it.
But, then remember that it’s okay to tweak the setup a little until it’s comfortable for you.
If you feel pain in your knees or lower back, definitely tweak the bike position—try raising or lowering the handlebars or moving the seat.
Pay attention to your back, knees, and hips. If anything hurts, your bike isn’t set up right.
A lot of people have their seats too close to the handlebars, so pay attention to that.
If you share your bike with someone, use a marker to put your initials in the perfect position for you. Then, you can easily move the setup for each person who uses the bike.
Indoor cycling is a zero-impact, low-stress activity if your bike is set up correctly! You should be able to bike whatever your age or fitness level.
Indoor Cycling Fun & Comfort
So, these are the five important things I wanted to talk about—managing sweat (with towels and a headband), a good mat under your bike, and an insulated water bottle.
Pay close attention to the shoes and setup because they’re probably the two most important things to keep you from having any feet, knee, or hip issues.
Prefer to listen instead of reading? Check out this video:
I hope these indoor cycling tips enhance your experience! If you’re anything like me, you’re going to love your indoor bike Indoor cycling is a GREAT workout and a total blast. Enjoy!
If you’ve got ANY questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. I’d love to help you reach your fitness goals!
