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Lemond Revmaster 2.0 |
| This is "that" yellow bike. The bikes designer is Paul Swift, a major player in the "real" world of cycling; with 8 national cycling championships and a Goodwill Games Gold medal, this man brings a lot to the table in respect to bike design. I personally prefer a perimeter weighted flywheel with a chain, stronger inertia, and for me that's what simulates a bicycle when you add variable levels of resistance. The Lemond is VERY well built and from a maintenance standpoint; it just doesn't get any better. BUT, when you ride a Johnny G Spinner Pro,Elite NXT either by Schwinn OR Star Trac for any extended period of time; then get on this bike; it just feels different. REALLY different.
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Schwinn Evolution
& Evolution SR |
| This IS the newest offering
from Nautilus Schwinn since their separation from Mad
Dogg Athletics and Spinning® I can assure you, after
tuning thousands of bikes and spending countless hours
riding, testing and teaching, the Evo’s are very
well put together. Improvements include a totally redesigned
monocoque style frame, bombproof downhill MTB splined
BB and crank assembly as well as a major amount of stainless
steel in all the critical areas. In addition to being
one of the coolest looking bikes out there,( you just
wanna climb on and pound the crap out of this bike), the
SR features a newly designed Smart Release that can be
adjusted without dis-assembly, PLUS, it is resistant to
“Super Maintenance Guy”( that’s the
guy in the gym with a big toolbox, but typically no knowledge
of mechanical psychology, but he can “fix”
ANYTHING) with the industrial sized can of chain lube,
lurking and waiting to contaminate the clutch and ruin
the buttery ride. Schwinn continues to utilize the dual
resistance pad set up, if you take care of your bikes
and are proactive, you simply cannot compare the range
of motion the Schwinn Indoor Cycles provide with all the
others who use the top mount Uni pad for resistance. Great
improvements make this bike worthy of the badge that adorns
the front of the bike and keeps the product true to the
Nautilus/Schwinn heritage. |
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Star Trac
NXT |
| Well what can you say about
Star Trac’s newest bike to carry the Spinner®
name? Plenty, for sure. This is the first aluminum framed
commercial grade indoor bike I’ve seen and it’s
built like a brick @#%&*^!! Not sure what the grade
of Aluminum is, but I’ve spent quite a few hours
testing this bike personally and it’s a likable
piece of equipment. This is also the first Spinner I’ve
seen NOT to carry the Johnny G branding alongside the
Spinner title. This is product review so I’ll stay
away from that can of worms but I’ll say this much,
JOHNNY G IS SPINNING, PERIOD!! I know the man, and if
he were an actual bike, he would be like the NXT; high
performance, a bit finicky and begging to be tested to
the limits. Gone is the usual amount of slop associated
with square handlebar and seat towers, this bike has a
cool new oval design to the towers giving the rider a
locked and loaded feel once they achieve the desired ergo
settings. I have heard some complaints from taller riders
about hitting their knees cuz the rear end of the bars
are a little bit in the way, but with a conscious effort
you wont need an icepack. Also, if you get the wrong mechanic
“adjusting” this bike, its gonna feel like
a chainsaw in short order. Keep rookie bike techs away
from this hot rod. Too bad it doesn’t have teeth
so it could defend itself : ) |
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Johnny G Spinner
Pro® & Elite® by Star Trac |
| Johnny G started it all, in
his garage, almost by accident. Now it’s a fitness
revolution. He took his idea and a raw bike design to
Schwinn® and it came to the masses. Together they
set the standard. When his company Mad Dogg Athletics
split with Schwinn®, people wondered what would happen.
Well I personally knew that Johnny would never settle
for anything but the best machines to continue the Spinning®
legacy. His team shopped long and hard for a suitable
replacement, searching for a company with the same beliefs
and standards that makes Spinning® what it is today.
Star Trac® IS that company. The new bikes are built
stronger and better than ever. And best of all, probably
the easiest bike to own from a club stand point. Star
Trac® started with a completely redesigned frame combined
with wider stabilizers and oversized levelers. Easy to
keep clean with bombproof paint, the secret to the paints
durability is its zinc rich primer. The drive train utilizes
fat beefy crank arms to transfer the rider’s horsepower
to the bikes sweat repealing flywheel. Combine all these
upgrades with a resistance mechanism with over 40 FEWER
parts than the old bikes and these are the dream bikes
for fitness facilities. Did I mention the cool fender
to keep sweat off the flywheel OR how ‘bout the
pop pins that tighten with just a couple of turns. It’s
pretty clear Star Trac® was a good choice for Johnny
G and company. Accept no substitutes, if your gonna Spin®,
do it on a Johnny G Spinner® by Star Trac®. |
