My New Best Friend: My CycleOps

By Barbara Day, M.S., R.D., C.N.

Most women get jewelry, clothes or even household items for their birthdays, but I get fitness equipment. I enjoy getting high-tech fitness equipment, but the challenge is to really use it. In fact, research suggests that many pieces of fitness equipment become clothes racks, but not this particular piece for me. My husband gave me a Pro 300PT CycleOps stationary bike. My New Year's resolution is to become a better cyclist in 2006, and my new “best friend” is going to help me with that goal.

The Pro CycleOps looks like an ordinary stationary bike, but it's so much more! Unlike the spinner I used to use, when you turn the tension up and down, you don't have any idea of how hard you are working. But the Pro 300PT is equipped with the PowerTap technology, which is a power-measuring hub that captures essential training metrics like torque and wheel speed into the easy-to-read, bar-mounted PowerTap computer. What makes the PowerTap so special is that it records biometric information including power, heart rate, speed, distance, time, cadence and energy.

If that's not good enough, to know exactly where you are while on your ride the data can be downloaded to your pc via a simple USB connection, and the software allows you to analyze your ride on your pc and keep track of your highs and lows while plotting your progress in every measure. The computer displays and records power (current, average and max), heart rate (current and average), cadence (current and average), energy expenditure in kjoules, ride distance (miles or kilometers), ride time and has a programmable odometer. The computer can store up to 150 hours of data files before the information needs to be downloaded. In fact, the electronic user interface can be tailored to accommodate your own training program. Since, I'm not really into computers, I don't get obsessive about the numbers. But I am interested in what's actually happening while I am on the bike. I like to feel as if I have gotten a good workout and knowing what my heart rate is doing, the watts and cadence are all of interest to me.

I have my Pro 300PT strategically located in front of my TV, which has a DVD player so I can pedal to my heart's content. I don't have to worry about the temperature, the windchill, the ice and snow on the roads, the cars flying by or even the darkness. The Pro 300PT has an incredibly smooth ride and is equipped with adjustable seat and a multi-position handlebar with a hand brake, which makes for a very comfortable ride. In fact, you can even position the seat and handlebar to replicate your regular bike. The 48-pound heavy-duty flywheel provides for fluid starts and stops. Even though it has a wide, stable footprint it doesn't require a lot of space for setup.

The Pro 300PT sells for $1,899.99. You can purchase your Pro 300PT locally at Scheller's Fitness and Cycling, 8323 Preston Highway or 11520 Shelbyville Road. In fact, each location offers the ability to try before you buy. Once you climb on board you will realize it's an effective training tool when it's too cold to ride outside.

Barbara Day, M.S., R.D., C.N., is a nutritionist with a master's degree in clinical nutrition, a registered dietitian and has over 30 years of experience in promoting healthy, active lifestyles to consumers. She is the publisher and nutrition editor of Kentuckiana HealthFitness and Kentuckiana Healthy Woman and a runner, cyclist and hiker.