This image seems clever—adults are so dumb for exercising indoors when the outdoor option exists—except the reality is very different.
My primary and daily means of aerobic exercise is bike riding. I own a traditional bike and an indoor bike, but I ride the indoor bike about 80% of the time for a few reasons:
The stationary bike allows me to exercise anytime — a rainy afternoon, midnight, freezing temperatures, etc.
Stationary bikes offer a better workout than riding on the streets. I can ride like hell without stopping for 45 minutes on my stationary bike, but when riding outdoors, intersections and traffic force me to frequently stop and allow for rest I don’t want. While riding my outdoor bike engages muscles not required on a stationary bike, my primary reason for riding is aerobic exercise, so the harder I can ride, the better. The stationary bike affords me that opportunity.
My NordicTrack makes this even more possible by increasing tension and the angle of the bike, thus forcing me to ride in ways I could not on the streets. My bike often simulates uphill climbs with no opportunities to coast, which annoys me but is also exceedingly good for me. In real life, there is no consistency of terrain, and since I don’t live beside a mountain, these strenuous, endlessly uphill rides aren’t available to me outdoors.
Owning a stationary bike allows me to get quick workouts whenever I want. If a client tells me she’ll be 15 minutes late for our meeting, I can jump on the bike for a 12-minute ride, grab a two-minute shower, and still be sitting in front of the computer with a minute to spare.
Or, since my meeting is on Zoom, I’ll skip the shower altogether and grab one later, giving me even more time to work out.
This happens all the time. I’ll exercise for five or ten minutes if I have time to spare. Every bit counts. For those of us who understand and embrace incrementalism, this is huge.
None of this would ever happen if I only owned an outdoor bike. Not only would I have difficulty judging a ten or twelve-minute route and returning home on time, but going to the garage, pulling the bike onto the driveway, and donning the helmet would steal at least three minutes every time.
And I’d never be able to squeeze in a five-minute ride on an outdoor bike.
I can also entertain myself while riding. Elysha and I probably watch about an hour or two of television a week — not because we don’t love TV, but because we prioritize other things ahead of it. But on the bike, I can watch anything on the iPad while riding. I’ve watched hundreds of movies and many television shows, sporting events, and comedy specials while riding, making it one of the rare instances when multitasking actually works.
For these reasons, I sit atop my stationary NordicTrack bike far more often than my outdoor bike.
Though these reasons don’t apply to me, many people choose stationary bikes because they are nervous about riding outdoors, and rightfully so. The fatality rate is disproportionately high for cyclists on the road – on average, 30 cyclists die for every billion miles traveled, compared with just two per billion miles for car drivers.
I’ve had three accidents while riding outdoors in the past four years. Two were caused by uneven pavement, and one was caused by an overhanging tree limb that was more substantial than I thought. All resulted in only minor injuries, but they serve as a reminder that riding a bike in a random world can be dangerous.
Indoor biking studios like the one shown in the cartoon also offer motivation for riding hard. I can adequately motivate myself and can’t stand to be told what to do, so a spinning class would make me want to deck the person leading the class, but many people need someone to encourage them to work harder.
Indoor bikes in studios like the one depicted also allow for competition, camaraderie, and social interactions. It’s almost impossible to carry on a conversation with a fellow cyclist while riding on the road, but friends can be made before, during, or after a spinning class.
If I have a choice, I choose my outdoor bike whenever possible because as much as I love my stationary bike, I prefer the outdoors. The fresh air, my interaction with nature, and the additional muscles engaged while biking on the road are all good for me, and riding on the streets is much more fun.
But if I prioritize my health, my time with family, and my work-life balance, the stationary bike makes more sense.
