BikeErg Cycling Class

Concept2 employees are always trying new and different workouts to keep our training room fun and to test out ideas we can share with the broader Concept2 community. The BikeErg inspired us to try a more typical indoor cycling class workout, with a class leader, music, inspiration and motivation—the whole experience. Since we don’t have an in-house cycling class instructor (yet!), we used an app. We have mostly used CycleCast for different length workouts, but there are many options and we recommend that you test a few to find one that works for you.

Setting up for Class

Five bikes, give or take a few, are usually set up in our workout room. It’s motivating to follow along to an instructor by yourself, but even more fun with a group. We used Bluetooth to connect the phone's app to the room’s stereo receiver and the instructor’s voice and music boom out through the room. Warning: it definitely turns into a sweat fest, so have your water bottle and towel handy.

Choose your cycling class, adjust the BikeErg to your desired fit, and go!

Employee Observations

Before you start the class, spend some time riding at a damper setting of 1. How comfortable is it? How high can you get your rpm? Move the damper to a 4 and make the same observations. This will help you figure out how you’ll need to adjust your exertion to meet the class instruction. Resistance is affected by both the damper setting and cadence. You will adjust the resistance during the class by changing your cadence (rpm) and/or damper setting.

In a typical class like this, the instructor will tell you what your rpm should be, sometimes going up to 120, and how much resistance to put on. At some point, he or she will tell you to “back it all the way off,” meaning the resistance. 120 rpm on the BikeErg is a serious load for most people, even at the lowest damper setting. Concept2 employees found that you need to make some mental adjustments to the instruction, especially if the class calls for a high cadence and low resistance, but it’s a quick learning curve. All of us who have tried the app found that it was very easy to find the right cadence and damper setting to have fun for the entire class—and, most importantly, get a satisfying workout!

The classes we followed led us through intervals, hill climbs, standing, technique drills—all of these are great ways to get in a workout on the BikeErg. The BikeErg gives the rider a lot of control and is flexible for different types of riding.

Overall, the workout goes by fast—it’s motivating and fun to do as a group. You have your choice of apps (search for “spinning workout” or similar terms in your app store of choice) and we promise that you will sweat your way through a great workout!