Exercise Bike Or Hitting The Road? Examining The Pros & Cons

The flexibility of cycling is one of the many reasons it has remained a viable form of transportation. Despite the transformations in how we travel and the number of options available, there’s still nothing that quite blends the convenience, physical exertion, and affordability that cycling offers.

Today, we’re going to examine whether hitting the road is a better idea than having an exercise bike sitting at home. We’re going to look at the pros and cons and try to determine which option trumps the others, or whether it is simply a matter of personal preference.

Living In A World Of Technology

If you live in a big city, then getting out on a bike can be tricky. It also depends on which city you’re in. For instance, cycling in Amsterdam is much more convenient than in London. For those of us who live in more rural areas, bikes can be convenient for a short trip into town, but not quite what we’re looking for if we need to travel a bit further afield.

We’ve seen how the world, especially since the beginning of this decade, has gravitated toward technology. Activities that have been wholly transformed by the arrival of the internet.

Exercise bikes have tapped into this global technology, helping people compete against others and race on virtual courses worldwide, tapping into the idea of vast, digital competition, the likes of which we have seen dominate video gaming over the last decade, as you can see in the link below.

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Embracing The Future

From a broader entertainment perspective, we have seen how technology has revolutionized the world of betting, with casino companies and cryptocurrency now significant drivers of how we interact with online apps and ideas.

At Thunderpick, the market combines these factors and offers a range of virtual markets; it’s a microcosm of what we’ve seen unfold across the world of digital entertainment of late, and for many people, jumping on an exercise bike can offer even more convenience and takes up less time, which are some of the key reasons why technology’s presence is invaluable in the modern market.

Now, for some people, this still doesn’t mean that their bike can sit in their shed or their garage and gather dust. While the best stationary bikes can be just as affordable as some high-spec road bikes, that’s not the whole equation. Feeling the air, hitting the road, and exploring natural terrain or new parts of the city or countryside are the foundations of cycling. All of this gets lost if you are sitting on an exercise bike in your garage, even if it is more convenient and safer to do so.

Maintenance Costs & Safety

A lot of us don’t choose to cycle out on the road purely for the love of the game; for some people, it is cheaper to get a road bike, especially when you know how to do the repairs yourself. This is clearly a steep hurdle for those of us who use exercise bikes at home, as it can be costly to get someone out to diagnose and fix the issue.

There’s also the safety aspect, and as we touched on in our introduction, if you live in a busy city, getting out on a bike can be daunting. In London, despite calls for Britain to become a “great cycling nation” (whatever that means), the roads are harrowing, thin, full of rubbish, poorly lit, as well as bumper to bumper car traffic; it is not a pleasant experience.

If I lived in London, I’d cycle around purely to save money, not because it’s safer. So, for those who want to embark on a cycling experience to boost their health, a home exercise bike is often a good choice.

Instead of having to get the bike out and take it on the harsh roads, often in harsh conditions, you can set it up in the most convenient location in your home and save yourself some time. Although you can face off against people online and try to beat best times, it also doesn’t have the visceral experience of getting out in nature and feeling the fresh air.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, people either cycle on an exercise bike or take one out on the road for a range of reasons, primarily depending on their circumstances. As is the case with so many areas of our lives, the hyper-convenience of technology has resulted in a world where we save time, money, and, in the case of using exercise bikes, a safer alternative.

While this might not be enough to completely shift the market decisively in one direction or another, there’s plenty to explore from a pro and con point of view. There’s no reason not to opt for both, but in a world where cost-effectiveness and health can be a fine balancing act, it’s clear to see why so many people plan their flag in one camp or the other.