It is difficult to find a piece of fitness equipment that is more universally dreaded than the infamous echo bike. It is agonizingly slow. It burns. It snuffs any remaining oxygen out of your lungs. It certainly is not what most would consider to be “fun,” and it will likely never be that. However, you can take steps to make the echo bike less intimidating.
Oftentimes, fear is rooted in the unknown. Do you know what your sustainable wattage or miles-per-hour is? Do you know what your reach pace is? Do you know how to convert distance in meters on other machines to distance in miles on the echo bike? If the answer is no, chances are your whole-hearted hatred for the echo bike is, in part, due to a lack of exposure.
The echo bike is a beast of its own, and if you expect it to be comparable to a rower, ski erg, or a C2 bike, you are bound to dislike it. But, if you embrace the fact that the echo bike is going to feel wildly different than any other machine and familiarize yourself with it, then it will become less overwhelming. Dare I say, you may even come to like it.
What steps can you take to do so? When appropriate, make use of the echo bike in warm ups and workouts. Ask a coach to help modify the distance or calories so as to achieve the same stimulus. Before you know it, the echo bike will be no big deal!
