# Expresso Bike



## Muaythaibike (Oct 26, 2007)

My gym just got 2 in.. Anybody ever try one. First experience was OK... Cool interface.. But wondering what folks think as a trainer??????


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## Lifelover (Jul 8, 2004)

I tried one last winter when my spin class was full and I couldn't get a bike. The video part was pretty cool and did make it a little interesting. The bike however, had the normal "unsmooth" feel to it that you get with non flywheel exercise bikes.


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## Muaythaibike (Oct 26, 2007)

wow nobody else has any comments... I have been using it for the past two weeks and it is growing on me.. The workouts are from 35 to 60 m in. I dont get the spin feling I do when I ride the spin bike but the hills seam pretty good. Please opinions. My objective is to ride stronger in the spring. Am I helping that cause by riding the expresso? No I dont have a trainer...It the very least it seams better than the stationary bike. Hills, rpm heart rate, distance, grade, time, average speed etc..plus its fun to ride which brings me back...


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## theBreeze (Jan 7, 2002)

I am an instructor and trainer at a YMCA. We have had two of these bikes for almost a year now. They are very popular with both cyclists and "regular" folks alike. My observation is that when people use them they stay on longer and work harder than some other types of cardio equipment. There are a couple middle aged ladies that always come in the afternoon to workout together. In the past they just got on a couple recumbent bikes, chatted and looked at magazines for about 15 minutes, not very effective. Now they challenge each other on the "Dragon " video game, ride for close to 30 minutes and really work up a sweat.

Regarding whether this will help your outdoor cycling, consider it a type of "cross training." Any cardio you do is going to help maintain your fitness. If you need to work on your "spin" then try to get on a spin bike occasionally. Don't know when your first "event" might be, but don't bust yourself on every workout. You need those base hours of steady aerobic work, 65-85% of your max HR. It's going to feel to "easy" but go with it. Throw in at bit of interval work once a week, but not maximun intervals, just near LT. Save the really hard stuf for when you are back on your bike as soon as the weather allows.


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## Muaythaibike (Oct 26, 2007)

IT Does not appear that many people have any experience with this bike. Therefore the low reply rate. Well I have been riding this bike for the past two weeks and have made some determinations. The workouts are relatively short from 30-40 min. But the bike makes you work the whole time. No coasting on downhills. And for hills, they will kill you if you want. I find that after 40 min I am pretty well spent. Shirt is soaked and it does bring up my heart rate quite a but. So I can say that I am improving my fitness level. What I am still not that sure of is how this will translate to my real bike in the spring. Any comments are appreciated.


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## Muaythaibike (Oct 26, 2007)

Come on, anyone else... You guys always have opinions...


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## lv2ride (Sep 7, 2006)

*I love them...but*

Our club has 3 bikes in. I like them a lot more than regular stationary bikes. The one caution is that some bikes are calibrated differently. I knew this my friend didnt. we went in to the club to race together (this is a fun feature that you can race others on the same route). I was on the bike that gives me a 60-70 watt advantage. He is a much stronger rider than i am and was frustrated when I won the race!!!

All in all a fun way to train indoors


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## Muaythaibike (Oct 26, 2007)

Wow good to know.. Yea you can actually invite anybody to race you as long as they are logged on... Plus you can race yourself. If you did the course before you can race against your time. Pretty sweet...as a ghost


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## MWPDX (May 29, 2008)

o...m...g... I want!... I haven't been to my gym in quite a while :blush2: but I've been meaning to go back there lately... maybe I'll go check and see if they have these. it looks like fun. I remember this one video/arcade game thing where you'd ride a bike around and it was like you were flying... this sounds like that but way more advanced... I loved that game.


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## nealric (Jul 5, 2007)

Back from the dead... 

My gym just got a few of these in. I find them to be an excellent workout, but I feel that they tend to reward low-cadence mashing over smooth spinning. Anybody else feel that way?


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## drillingmonkey (Aug 13, 2011)

I LOVE this machine!! You have to concentrate and focus on your ride and then wanting to give that last burst of energy at the finish makes me work harder in my workout.


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## Peter_leo (Aug 26, 2011)

Get yourself a real bike and enjoy the great outdooors.


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## drillingmonkey (Aug 13, 2011)

Peter_leo said:


> Get yourself a real bike and enjoy the great outdooors.


No idea who you are aiming that remark at, I do have a real bike, myself, and ride outdoors 15 miles per day. The Expresso is nice because when it is 105 degrees here in dry west Texas, a good indoor challenge is a lot of fun and a good amount of exercise, and I do not have to dodge traffic..


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## tystevens (Jul 10, 2008)

My gym has a few of them. I have fun on it for a few minutes, then it becomes more like work and less like a video game, and I go do something else. For some reason, I can't stand exercise bikes at all -- I'd much rather use the treadmill, EFX, or stairmaster if I have to get my cardio indoors.


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## uzziefly (Jul 15, 2006)

Wait, so does the bike make espresso as well?


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## theBreeze (Jan 7, 2002)

I see this thread has gotten bumped up. An update on our bikes. (I work at a YMCA.)

We had two of these bikes an they were very popular. Unfortunately when one of them needed a new part the company was no longer in business! Our facilities manager tried for months to find parts, the fitness equipment company we contract with never carried these bikes and could offer no help. Finally we had to get rid of them and replace them with another brand. I don't know if this is unique to New Mexico or what the problem is.


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## psycleridr (Jul 21, 2005)

Shame about them going out of business. I think the product was very good. Tried them a few time in various hotel across the country. Helped keep me motivated to "catch" the next guy and it seems like there was one guy I could never drop. They do tend to reward gear mashing versus spinning as my normal cadence is mid to low 90's but this thing was hard and avg ended up being low 80's.
Like any fitness machine they need to be calibrated often to be accurate so no surprise that different machines gave different readings


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## drillingmonkey (Aug 13, 2011)

I am still loving this bike! I like being able to go back on previous races and being able to challenge my ghost and improve my time. It is so flat, dry and hot here during the afternoon, that being able to ride these sometimes 35% grades, and I can use my clip in shoes which adds a whole new workout. I lost four pounds the my first week with this machine (and of course proper diet, etc..) Most people at my gym are still too intimidated and only a handful are able to complete an entire race. I am hooked..


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## rcjunkie3000 (Sep 5, 2009)

I used it yesterday at a hotel in Vegas. For cross training and to get a cardio workout its great. Its like an interactive video game and racing other cyclists or the game's default cyclists is fun. You actually have to steer the handlebars on the course, oh and gear selector switches. I did the 20miler and found it amusing that the course had 41% grades to climb. It wasnt hard at all  However, I did not sweat as profusely as when on my Cycleops PT trainer

For the seasoned cyclist who uses a normal stationary bike with a weighted flywheel, you may find that this equipment is strictly for cross training or for "fun". For serious training for races etc, stick to the stationary bike with a weighted flywheel. I do prefer riding my stationary bike but the Expresso bike will do when traveling. I may also hit the dreaded treadmill to sweat even more. 

Still at hotel...will spin on the regular wighted indoor bike (they have one!), will be at buffet after


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## Christine (Jul 23, 2005)

Just got off one. Silly, fun, pretty intense b/c even though it incorporates "hills," there's no coasting, and the momentum from a downhill doesn't carry you up the next *at all!*

But I can break a good sweat for 25min or so, just enough time to do some arm weights and take a shower during lunch. 

Found this thread by Googling "expresso bike machine"


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## Jim Bronke (Mar 13, 2018)

Anyone know if the person you challenge gets notified? That would be cool.


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## Lrobby99 (Nov 10, 2014)

I really enjoyed the Expresso bikes at the gym I formerly belonged to. Challenging yourself to beat the shadow of your recent best time is decent stamina training of sorts. 
And the programs are colorful and fun. However, I see these bikes break down a lot, and there is a subscription fee too. Now it's just me, my Nautilus, and a big screen at home and I save a lot of money.


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## Jim Bronke (Mar 13, 2018)

*Subscription Cost*



Lrobby99 said:


> I really enjoyed the Expresso bikes at the gym I formerly belonged to. Challenging yourself to beat the shadow of your recent best time is decent stamina training of sorts.
> And the programs are colorful and fun. However, I see these bikes break down a lot, and there is a subscription fee too. Now it's just me, my Nautilus, and a big screen at home and I save a lot of money.


Three years is $775 and one year is $275​ is serious


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