Originally Posted by
bbattle
Yep. You can crank that resistance knob and have sparks flying off that wheel if you want. Or, you can sit off to the side and barely toodle along while you gossip with your friend.
I did some spin classes years ago and brought my own cleats, pedals and saddle. The instructor was a triathlete who had a tough program that thankfully didn't include any of the "jumps" Machka mentioned. Not sure how much the spin class helped my cycling but it certainly didn't hurt.
Doing a lot of weightlifting with my legs seemed to help my sprinting but I didn't notice any improvement on my climbing.
My biggest problem is the local spin class is at 0530. Getting up in time is sketchy for me as my alarm clock(the dog) likes to sleep until 0600. Maybe as the sun rises earlier I'll be able to get to another class.
As for riding on a trainer at home; I'd rather watch paint dry or grass grow. I sold my trainer and bought better winter cycling clothes. But at this time of year, I'm working the "vampire" shift; it's dark when I get to work, it's dark when I leave. The gym gets me to the weekends.
The gossip crowd usually hangs around stationary bikes in the big room; not so much in the spinning room.
In the past, spinning helped my outdoor riding. Perhaps not to the levels of greatness of some in this thread, but I noticed a difference. I will keep this group posted in a couple of months when I start riding outdoors regularly again how it worked out this season, since I am spinning 2 to 3 times a week specifically to keep some semblance of cycling shape through the winter months.