There are 2 schools of thought when it comes down to the best way to build this momentum: heavier is better or lighter is better. Generally speaking, the more momentum your flywheel builds, the smoother your ride is going to be. This momentum helps the pedals continue moving throughout your pedal stroke, eliminating any unwanted gaps or pauses between strokes. In order to get a smooth feeling ride, the flywheel needs to build momentum as you pedal. And this is because the flywheel is directly related to providing the resistance and feel of the bike.Īnd by “feel”, I mean how smooth or fluid it is during its pedal action.ĭoes the bike offer a continuous, smooth acting pedal action or does it feel choppy or uncomfortable to pedal? The answer to this is largely based on the flywheel. Most people, myself included, start with the weight of the flywheel when reviewing an exercise bike. Ok, we all know what flywheels are and why they’re important to the function of our exercise bikes. Marketers love to say that their bike has a “perimeter weighted flywheel”, but in reality, they all do- it doesn’t mean anything. Oh, pretty much any flywheel you see now will be “perimeter weighted”, meaning most of the weight is positioned on the outside of the disc. Most home ellipticals also use weighted flywheels and those systems usually work very similarly to exercise bikes. Regardless of which type of resistance a bike uses, you can see how the flywheel is necessary to create it.Īnd even though we can’t see the flywheels on traditional upright bikes and recumbent bikes, they are still in there. Magnetic resistance systems are great because nothing actually touches to create the resistance, unlike older school systems that use felt pads and friction- these resistance systems work too, but eventually the felt pad breaks down and has to be replaced. Moving the magnets away from the metal disc reduces the resistance. The resistance is increased by moving these magnets closer to the flywheel (the flywheel is made out of metal, which is magnetic by the way). If your bike uses a magnetic resistance system, there will be magnets on either side of the spinning flywheel. This disc is connected to the pedals via a chain (chain drive) or belt (belt drive). On spin bikes, it’s easy to see the flywheel because it’s clearly visible (it’s the big disc sitting in the front or back of the bike). What Is A Bike’s Flywheel?įirst things first- all exercise bikes use a flywheel to create the resistance for you to work against. After reading, you should know everything you need to to decide for yourself which camp you belong in. In this article, we’ll dive head first into this debate as we look at both sides. Fortunately, this is just the question I’m here to discuss. The answer to this age-old question will require a little more discussion. Ok, fine, but which is better- light flywheels or heavy flywheels? Well, if you’re looking for a good workout, then yes, flywheel weight does matter. The same is true for bikes that come with light flywheels- these bikes will advertise how light they are and why light flywheels are the way to go.īut when it comes down to it- does an exercise bike’s flywheel weight really matter? If a bike comes with a heavy flywheel, the manufacturer will boast this fact and go into why having a heavy flywheel is better. If you’ve been searching for an exercise bike lately, you may’ve noticed that the weight of the flywheel is always discussed.