A BikeErg is a stationary exercise bike designed to deliver a measurable, cycling-focused workout. It uses air resistance, allowing you to control intensity through your pedalling effort, while providing useful performance data such as pace, watts, cadence and distance.
In this guide, we’ll look at what a BikeErg actually is, how it works, the main benefits of using one and why it can be a useful addition to your home or gym training routine. We’ll also cover who a BikeErg is suited to and how to get the most from your workouts.
What is a Bike Erg?
A BikeErg is an indoor exercise bike built around the principles of an ergometer. The word “ergometer” refers to equipment that measures the amount of work you perform, which is why you’ll also hear terms such as RowErg and SkiErg used for other types of training equipment.
Unlike a standard exercise bike that may simply offer a series of resistance levels, a BikeErg is designed to make your effort measurable and repeatable. The harder and faster you pedal, the more resistance you create, giving you plenty of control over the intensity of your workout.
The BikeErg uses an air-resistance flywheel, which creates a smooth and responsive feel as you pedal. A damper allows you to adjust the feel of the resistance, while your cadence also plays an important role in determining how hard the workout feels.
One of the biggest attractions is the amount of information you can see while training. The Performance Monitor 5, commonly known as the PM5, can provide metrics including watts, pace, cadence, calories and distance, making it much easier to track your progress over time.
How does a Bike Erg work?
The basic principle is surprisingly simple. You pedal the bike, which turns a flywheel, and the flywheel creates air resistance as it spins.
This means the resistance responds naturally to your effort. Pedal harder and faster and the resistance increases; ease off and the resistance decreases, allowing you to control the workout largely through your own effort.
The damper on the flywheel can also be adjusted to change the feel of the ride. It is useful to think of this as changing the gearing rather than simply selecting a fixed resistance level.
Another feature that makes a BikeErg different from some indoor cycling bikes is that you can stop pedalling without the pedals continuing to turn. This gives the bike a more familiar freewheeling feel and can make it particularly appealing to people who already enjoy cycling outdoors.
What are the benefits of a Bike Erg?
There are plenty of reasons to include a BikeErg in a training programme, whether your goal is improving cardiovascular fitness, increasing cycling endurance or simply getting more active.
The biggest advantage is versatility. You can use the same machine for an easy 30-minute aerobic session, a longer endurance workout or a short, demanding interval session.
1. Excellent cardiovascular exercise
Cycling is an effective way to challenge your cardiovascular system, and a BikeErg makes it easy to control the intensity of that challenge.
You can gradually increase the duration and intensity of your sessions as your fitness improves. Because the workout is performed indoors, you also have a consistent environment where factors such as traffic, weather and hills are removed from the equation.
For people who enjoy structured training, the ability to see your performance in real time can make cardio sessions more purposeful. Rather than simply cycling until you feel tired, you can set a target and work towards it.
2. Helps build cycling endurance
If you want to improve your ability to cycle for longer, a BikeErg can be a useful training tool.
You can spend extended periods working at a manageable intensity, helping you build your aerobic base and become more comfortable with sustained cycling. This can be particularly useful during colder or wetter months when outdoor cycling is less convenient.
It also provides a straightforward way to maintain consistency. You can jump on the bike and start training without having to plan a route or worry about road conditions.
3. Develops lower-body strength and muscular endurance
Pedalling repeatedly against resistance places the emphasis on the muscles of your lower body.
Your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and calves all contribute to the cycling movement, while your core helps provide stability. The precise muscular demands will vary depending on your cadence, resistance and workout structure.
A BikeErg is therefore useful for more than simply burning calories. Regular cycling sessions can help improve your ability to produce and sustain power through your legs.
4. Low-impact exercise
One of the reasons indoor cycling is popular is that it provides cardiovascular exercise without the repeated impact associated with activities such as running.
Your feet remain on the pedals throughout the movement, creating a smooth cycling action. This can make a BikeErg an attractive option for people who want to include more cardio in their routine without making every session a high-impact workout.
That said, low-impact does not mean low-intensity. A BikeErg workout can be gentle and steady or extremely demanding depending on how you use it.
5. Makes your training measurable
One of the standout features of a BikeErg is the ability to track your performance.
Metrics such as watts, cadence, pace, distance and calories give you several ways to monitor what you are doing. The PM5 is designed to calculate work consistently, which makes it possible to compare sessions and monitor improvements over time.
This is particularly useful if you enjoy having clear targets. You might aim to increase your average power, complete a set distance faster or maintain a particular output for longer.
Having reliable data can also make your workouts more engaging because you have something tangible to work towards.
6. Great for interval training
If you like short, intense workouts, a BikeErg can be an excellent choice.
You can alternate periods of hard pedalling with easier recovery periods, allowing you to create everything from short sprint sessions to longer threshold-style workouts. The ability to change your effort immediately makes the bike suitable for a wide variety of interval formats.
For example, you could pedal hard for 30 seconds before taking 60 seconds to recover, then repeat the sequence several times. Alternatively, you could perform longer intervals at a challenging but sustainable pace.
The important thing is to match the workout to your current fitness rather than trying to go as hard as possible every time.
7. Useful for structured training
A BikeErg works particularly well if you prefer following a structured programme.
Because your performance can be measured, you can set specific targets for each session and compare the results afterwards. This makes it easier to understand whether your fitness is improving and whether your training is progressing in the direction you want.
It can also complement other forms of exercise. Someone who regularly strength trains, for example, could use cycling for additional cardiovascular work without adding another high-impact activity to their week.
8. Convenient all-year-round training
One of the simplest benefits of an indoor bike is convenience.
You don't need to wait for good weather, find a suitable route or spend time getting ready to head outdoors. If the BikeErg is already set up, your workout can start within minutes.
That convenience can make a real difference to consistency. The best exercise equipment is often the equipment you are actually willing to use regularly.
9. Suitable for different fitness levels
A BikeErg can be used by beginners as well as more experienced athletes because the intensity is largely controlled by the person riding it.
A beginner might start with a short, easy session and gradually build up their cycling time. Someone with a high level of fitness can use the same machine for demanding intervals, endurance sessions and performance testing.
The key is to start at an appropriate level. The BikeErg manual recommends beginning with short, easy workouts and gradually increasing duration and intensity rather than doing too much too soon.
Bike Erg vs a normal exercise bike
So, what makes a BikeErg different from a standard stationary exercise bike?
The main difference is the training experience and the emphasis on measurable performance. A conventional exercise bike may focus on comfort, pre-set programmes or general fitness, whereas a BikeErg is designed around the principles of cycling and work measurement.
The air-resistance system also means that your effort directly influences the resistance you experience. This creates a responsive workout where you can control intensity through your cadence and effort rather than simply selecting a number on a resistance dial.
The performance data is another important distinction. If you enjoy tracking watts, pace and cadence, having this information available during your workout can make training much more precise.
Is a Bike Erg good for beginners?
Yes, a BikeErg can be a good option for beginners, provided you start sensibly.
You don't need to begin with a high-intensity workout. Starting with short periods of comfortable cycling allows your body to get used to the movement before you gradually increase the duration, cadence or intensity.
It is also worth taking a little time to get your position right. Saddle height and handlebar position can make a significant difference to comfort, particularly during longer sessions.
If you experience persistent pain, numbness or discomfort while cycling, stop and reassess your setup rather than simply trying to push through it. Concept2 also recommends making adjustments to your position and giving your body time to adapt when you are new to cycling.
Can a Bike Erg help with weight loss?
A BikeErg can contribute to a weight-loss goal because cycling uses energy and can provide an effective cardiovascular workout.
However, no piece of exercise equipment guarantees weight loss on its own. Your overall activity levels, nutrition, recovery and consistency all play a role in determining changes in body weight.
The real advantage of a BikeErg is that it gives you an accessible way to increase your activity. You can perform short sessions when time is limited or longer workouts when you have more time available.
Can you use a Bike Erg for HIIT?
Yes. A BikeErg is well suited to high-intensity interval training because you can rapidly increase and decrease your effort.
A typical session could involve a warm-up followed by several hard efforts separated by periods of easier cycling. The exact length and intensity can be adjusted according to your experience and fitness level.
HIIT can be demanding, so it is sensible to allow adequate recovery between sessions. You don't need every BikeErg workout to be a maximum-effort session to make progress.
Is a Bike Erg good for cycling training?
For cyclists, a BikeErg can be a useful indoor training option because it allows you to maintain a consistent workload without relying on outdoor conditions.
It can be especially helpful for endurance work, interval training and maintaining fitness when getting outside is difficult. The repeatable performance data also gives you a simple way to monitor changes in your fitness.
However, indoor cycling cannot reproduce every aspect of riding outdoors. You are not dealing with real-world factors such as wind, road surfaces, traffic, corners or changes in terrain, so an indoor bike is best viewed as a training tool rather than a complete replacement for outdoor riding.
How often should you use a Bike Erg?
How often you should use a BikeErg depends on your fitness level, goals and what other training you do.
If you're new to exercise, a couple of manageable sessions each week can be a sensible starting point. As your fitness and recovery improve, you can gradually increase the amount of cycling you do.
People who already train regularly may use a BikeErg several times per week, mixing easier sessions with harder workouts. The important thing is to avoid making every session intense, as recovery is an important part of improving fitness.
What muscles does a Bike Erg work?
A BikeErg primarily works the muscles involved in pedalling, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and calves.
Your core also contributes to maintaining your position, particularly as the intensity increases. The precise emphasis will change depending on your riding position, cadence and resistance.
This makes the BikeErg a useful complement to strength training. Rather than replacing resistance exercises such as squats or lunges, it can provide additional cardiovascular and muscular-endurance work.
How to get more from your Bike Erg workouts
The easiest way to make your BikeErg training more effective is to have a clear purpose for each session.
Instead of simply cycling at the same pace every time, consider mixing easy aerobic rides, longer endurance sessions and shorter interval workouts throughout your training week. This gives you different training stimuli while keeping your workouts more varied.
Tracking your results is also worthwhile. If you record your distance, average power, pace or session duration, you can look back after several weeks and see whether your performance is moving in the right direction.
Most importantly, don't underestimate the value of consistency. A manageable workout you complete regularly is likely to be far more beneficial than an exhausting session that leaves you too tired to train again for several days.
Final thoughts: Is a Bike Erg worth it?
So, what is a Bike Erg and what are the benefits? In simple terms, it is a performance-focused indoor exercise bike that uses air resistance and measurable performance data to create a versatile cycling workout.
Its main benefits include improving cardiovascular fitness, developing lower-body muscular endurance, supporting cycling performance and providing a convenient way to train indoors. Because you control the intensity through your own effort, it can also accommodate a wide range of fitness levels.
For anyone looking for a practical way to cycle throughout the year, track their performance and add more cardio to their training routine, a BikeErg can be a very useful piece of equipment.
The biggest benefit may simply be how easy it makes structured training. Once you understand how the resistance, cadence and performance metrics work, you can create workouts that suit your goals and gradually measure your progress over time.