I've been on a fitness kick over the past couple years, and without getting too deep into what I've been up to, I wanted to start a thread on one of my key helpers- the Sunny Health and Fitness Spin bike. I scooped it up on Amazon for $240, but it's a little more now, $270. I know that most of the denizens of Ridemonkey don't give a crap about indoor riding, particularly not in a spin bike, and those that do probably sprang for a smart trainer or full-on peloton instead. Regardless, the cost of entry for this thing is so low, and the performance is so high, that I felt compelled to hang onto it and post about my adventures with it.
To start, I love having a dedicated training device. Smart trainers are undoubtedly better, but they are way more expensive, you still need to pay for a third-party service for training, and at the same time you are putting miles on your bike and drivetrain. With my dumb-bike, my drivetrain sits unbothered, my dropouts undamaged, and everything is comfortably anchored to the floor. It's relatively easy to get the thing set up close to my road bike in terms of geometry, and then it's just a matter of jumping on it and going- no messing around with air pressure, lubing my chain, or worrying about having to replace parts to stay comfortable.
So far, the Sunny has required almost no maintenance. I did have to lube the flywheel. First with a little tri-flow, then I got some silicone lube, which is the recommended solution. I've also used mineral oil (used brake fluid- thanks Shimano!) with success. I have not had to tighten the belt/chain nor adjust the brake pads nor tighten the cranks or anything- it's been a couple of years of just hard use and no issues.
I use the Peloton digital app for all of my spinning activities. I recognize that it's not a direct crossover to road or mountain biking, but it's so easy to pop into the basement and bang out 20-45 minutes of HIIT, tabata, climbing, or endurance riding that I think I'll be in great shape come riding season.
To start, here's my bike as it sits today:
Also, I fully recognize that this is a pretty ghetto setup. I haven't spent much money on it but I've gotten a ton of use out of it, and I keep adapting it to my needs, so it's working wonderfully. I totally get that you can spend $2G on a Peloton and get a cleaner setup, or $3500 on a road bike and $900 on a trainer. This isn't that- it's making the best of a cheap device and taking it as far as I can.
To start, I love having a dedicated training device. Smart trainers are undoubtedly better, but they are way more expensive, you still need to pay for a third-party service for training, and at the same time you are putting miles on your bike and drivetrain. With my dumb-bike, my drivetrain sits unbothered, my dropouts undamaged, and everything is comfortably anchored to the floor. It's relatively easy to get the thing set up close to my road bike in terms of geometry, and then it's just a matter of jumping on it and going- no messing around with air pressure, lubing my chain, or worrying about having to replace parts to stay comfortable.
So far, the Sunny has required almost no maintenance. I did have to lube the flywheel. First with a little tri-flow, then I got some silicone lube, which is the recommended solution. I've also used mineral oil (used brake fluid- thanks Shimano!) with success. I have not had to tighten the belt/chain nor adjust the brake pads nor tighten the cranks or anything- it's been a couple of years of just hard use and no issues.
I use the Peloton digital app for all of my spinning activities. I recognize that it's not a direct crossover to road or mountain biking, but it's so easy to pop into the basement and bang out 20-45 minutes of HIIT, tabata, climbing, or endurance riding that I think I'll be in great shape come riding season.
To start, here's my bike as it sits today:
Also, I fully recognize that this is a pretty ghetto setup. I haven't spent much money on it but I've gotten a ton of use out of it, and I keep adapting it to my needs, so it's working wonderfully. I totally get that you can spend $2G on a Peloton and get a cleaner setup, or $3500 on a road bike and $900 on a trainer. This isn't that- it's making the best of a cheap device and taking it as far as I can.
Last edited: