nlel

I’ve got a JTX Cyclo 6 exercise bike and the resistance control needs constant adjustment to maintain the resistance I want. I’m guessing this is pretty normal and the bikes not faulty.

unterhausen

It develops resistance with a band around the wheel, right? I wouldn't expect to have to adjust that to maintain the same resistance, if that's what you mean.

nlel

There’s a little control knob which you can use to increase or decrease the resistance. I’m thinking maybe it’s auto adjusting the resistance based on my rpm. Perhaps at the resistance I’m trying to use I’m not doing enough rpm so it lowers the resistance down automatically to a level to suit.

Ed Wiser

That’s why people buy smart trainers. As the software adjusts the resistance on the bike.

nlel

I just did a 5 minute workout pedaling really fast and the resistance knob still went down. It’s no bother I can easily keep adjusting it manually whilst riding.

spelger

possible that heat is causing a decrease in resistance. i used to train on a CompuTrainer, you really needed to ride for about 10-15 minutes before calibrating because as the rear tire heated up it became softer and easier to ride on.

AdkMtnMonster

Resistance is futile.

Ride on!

nlel

The bike was £ 569 at that price you expect perfection, it wasn’t a cheap one.

unterhausen

It's still just a strap erg trainer, so you are living with the limitations of the technique they are using to supply resistance. We used to have a Tunturi with similar construction. I don't remember it changing resistance as it warmed up. The outer diameter of the flywheel should be smooth. I wonder if they skipped that step on your trainer. I don't think there is anything automatic about it. I know that's a lot of money, but it's relatively inexpensive for a bike.

nlel

Yeah I don’t mind manually adjusting the resistance knob every minute or two, it’s within easy reach and only takes a second.

nlel

Just completed a 30 minute ride and adjusted the resistance knob 10 times. I adjusted it when it looked like it was only slightly out of position. So that’s an average of once every 3 minutes.

nlel

What I’ll do from now on is adjust the resistance knob every 3 minutes to keep the resistance up where I want it. It kind of preempts it.

onecf

I wouldn't think that the control knob should adjust without you wanting it too. If it's moving on its own (or not moving but the resistance changes anyway), then I'd say that's a problem - unless it's a smart program where the resistance is supposed to auto-adjust during the workout. I'm not familiar with that kind of bike so I'm not sure if that's even a thing.

nlel

It’s no problem I just manually adjust it every three minutes, problem solved. Also breaks my thirty minute ride into three minute stages.

nlel

Did a 30 minute workout today and for once I didn’t have to adjust the resistance knob. It stayed put for the whole journey, I can only think I had the resistance set a bit higher than normal? Strange... I’ll see how it goes over the next few days, I was kind of getting used to adjusting it every 3 minutes.

nlel

Just did a 30 minute workout. I didn’t need to adjust the resistance knob as it only moved a little bit from its starting position. It seems to be a lot better than before where I needed to keep readjusting it every 3 minutes.

Maybe the silicon oil I lubed it with a week ago is finally having some effect.

nlel

Just did a 30 minute workout, the resistance knob started in this position...



Then after 30 minutes it ended up in this position...



Probably shouldn't do it at all but its a lot better than before, and if it only needs adjusting once every 15 minutes that is a lot better than before.
Probably shouldn't move at all but its a lot better than before, and if it only needs adjusting once every 15 minutes then its not too bad.

nlel

Just did a 30 minute ride and the control knob stayed in the same position throughout. So whatever it was seems to have resolved itself. Touchwood.

nlel

This was yesterday before my 30 minute ride...



and after...



Then today before my 30 minute ride...



and after...



Seems to have sorted itself out nicely. The only thing I can think of is maybe I over lubricated it and now its settled down and bed in.

unterhausen

I suspect it had some small defects that have been smoothed over by the torque strap.

Ed Wiser

The knob isn’t changing because the strap is. Worn in and is not providing the resistance it did before. 560 pounds is not a lot of money for a piece of indoor bikes any more.
on my smart trainer Wahoo Kickr bike the resistance changes every few seconds. Based on the GPS of the route.

nlel

I didn’t want an expensive smart bike as I wouldn’t want to pay any monthly subscription fees.

Ed Wiser

You don’t have to buy a monthly subscription for smart bikes or trainers. Only Peloton requires this. I understand you are just seeing if you like this. The problem is that a spin bike does not equate to a smart trainer experience at all.

nlel

Even BitGym one of the few iPadOS apps which sort of work with my dumb spin bike is £ 7.28 a month or £ 65.54 a year. It works with my bike but you have to adjust the resistance manually and there’s no way of translating the apps suggested resistance settings to the bikes.

So it’s fine if you just use it to ride the landscapes.

nlel

Well I lowered the resistance until there was virtually none and rode for 15 minutes, then I put it back up again because I didn’t like it and now the resistance knob is moving by itself again.

Looks like I’m going to have to do another 30 minutes to an hour or so adjusting the resistance knob every 3 minutes until it stops moving again.

Once I get it back to where it was I’ll never lower the resistance that much again.