Magnetic Resistance vs Contact Flywheel - A Detailed Comparison (2023)

FAQs

Is flywheel or magnetic resistance better? ›

The magnetic flywheel system is more accurate as these are typically computerized and you will just punch in which level you want to be at. It's the type that you see so often in the commercial gyms because these bikes are very popular. So if you want accuracy, this may be the one to go with.

Friction wins on the cost as it is much cheaper, it gives a constant resistance and it has harder resistance when compared to the way magnetic resistance is used in spin bikes.

While flywheels come in a variety of weights ranging from light to heavy - it's important to note the weight of the flywheel doesn't impact the amount of resistance or tension you experience while cycling on an indoor cycle bike.

Most spin bikes are in the range of 30 lbs to 50 lbs and for most people this range is fine for providing them with the smoothness and workout they want. The big benefit of the heavy flywheel is the natural and smooth riding motion that gives a better and more efficient riding experience.

Cast grey iron flywheels are cost-effective, have good castability and wear resistance nature, but it is ideal for vehicles engines that run less than 6000 rpm. Nodular iron or ductile iron is preferred over grey iron for its impact resistance, elongation and yield strength ductile properties.

Magnetic vs friction

Magnetic spin bikes, like the Peleton, use magnets to create resistance. As the flywheel spins, it passes between two magnets.

If installed correctly, magnetic resistance should not require maintenance. There is no wear and tear on either the flywheel or the magnets.

With a heavier flywheel, you can generate more resistance and momentum, and be closer to the feeling of travelling uphill during your workout. For indoor bikes, the recommended flywheel weight is about 18-20kgs, whereas the weight can be around 20-22kg for commercial bikes.

A magnetic resistance cycle bike is sure to provide challenge throughout your fitness journey. Due to magnets never touching the flywheel, magnetic cycle bikes are virtually silent. Along with a quiet and smooth ride, you can expect little to no maintenance.

Bowflex VeloCore Bike

The Bowflex Velocore exercise bike leans from side to side so you feel like you're riding a real bike, instead of just pedaling away in your living room. While it's just as expensive as a Peloton, the Bowflex VeloCore's unique design and large display makes it a compelling alternative.

What resistance is best for exercise bike? ›

There's no need to do leg-presses on the bike. Find a heavy resistance at or about 85% max for steady climbing and no more than 80% for any standing intervals. Keep cadence at or below 120rpm at all times.

Low maintenance costs, a long expected lifetime, fast response, and roundtrip efficiency of about 90% are of the main advantages of flywheel systems. The main disadvantages are high cost, self-discharge risk, and appropriateness for smaller capacities only (from 3 kWh to 130 kWh) [18].

The heavy flywheel helps RPM recovery, allows the engine not to lug during the gear transmission. The light flywheels decrease the inertia, so it gives a quick response to acceleration and deceleration. For this reason, light flywheels are used in the sports car.

An engine with a light flywheel, will also tend to idle more roughly, generally have a less smooth power delivery and may even be noisier especially if converting from a dual mass flywheel to a lightweight flywheel.

Since flywheels are solid, unsprung components of a vehicle's driveline, a lightweight flywheel will decrease parasitic loss at a constant rate, improving a vehicle's horsepower and torque output (measured after the flywheel) throughout it's entire rev range.

Heavier flywheels imitate the way a road bike works. It's why flywheel weight is often important to cyclists who train indoors during the winter. Once momentum builds and the cyclist gets into a rhythm, a heavier flywheel also allows for a smoother and more comfortable ride.

When you install a lightweight flywheel, there is no torque loss from the engine. End of story. A flywheel, by it's very nature, is an energy storage device. It's purpose is to either absorb excess energy from the engine, or average out the energy being put into the transmission, when an imperfect rpm vs.

The energy required to spin up a single-mass flywheel is much less than that of a dual-mass, meaning your car will be much more responsive. The biggest difference can be seen in cars with lower power outputs. A car with 150 horsepower will spend a significant amount of its power rotating the flywheel.

One of the most important factors is weight. Standard weight flywheels offer better drivability, especially in stop and go traffic. However, their weight causes your engine to rev and decelerate slower. Lightweight flywheels are used when fast throttle response is more important than drivability.

Flywheel Weight Matters

For street driving and drag racing, steel provides the heavier Flywheel needed for moving the car quickly from a dead stop. On the other hand, an aluminum Flywheel or Flexplate is ideal for Road Racing, Autocross, or Circle Track Racing.

Is Peloton just a fad? ›

Peloton was not the only pandemic hobby that turned out to be a fad: in kitchen cupboards across the land, bags of flour are going rancid and kombucha scobies are shrivelling up. But the financial outlay for those pastimes was minimal, whereas most models of the Peloton bike cost upwards of $2,500.

Generally speaking, you can get a more intense workout on a spin bike than a stationary bike. Spin bikes require greater muscle activation, including some upper body and core, whereas the workout on a stationary bike is really just isolated to the legs. They also have a heavier flywheel.

Look for spin bikes with magnetic resistance. They provide quiet and smooth operation and require little to no maintenance. The last thing to consider is connectivity. Look for spin bikes that provide Bluetooth connectivity to smartphones and tablets.

If your exercise bike features a magnetic resistance system and you experience resistance issues, it may be due to the magnets shifting from their position because of loose bolts or screws. To fix the issue, make sure the magnets are secured properly in their designated position.

Many exercise bicyclists prefer speed to resistance, so they avoid using tension altogether. The main drawback is that they miss the muscle-building potential of using resistance on an exercise bike. Other cyclists use too much tension and put themselves at risk for injuring their knees or damaging their bikes.

The idea is that the rubber creates smoother operation of the clutch release and reduces vibration in modern cars. The main reason these jobs tend to be more expensive than with typical older type clutch jobs is the price of the parts. A standard style flywheel is much more durable so does not often need to be changed.

The Peloton and the Echelon bikes both work on manually controlled (knob style) magnetic resistance systems.

Pedaling faster reduces the resistance you're pushing against with each stroke, which shifts a good portion of the stress of pedaling from your leg muscles to your heart and lungs.

Can a high resistance stationary bike build muscle? ›

Riding a stationary bike can help build strength in your legs and lower body, especially if you use a higher resistance. The pedaling action can help strengthen your calves, hamstrings, and quadriceps. Additionally, it can work the muscles in your core, back, and glutes.

This type of exercise bike is great for people wanting to enhance their muscular strength and stamina. If you want to increase strength, burn more calories, and get better at cycling, it is best to add more resistance to your workouts. In this case, using magnetic resistance bikes is an ideal option for you.

Aim to maintain a cadence (measured on the cycle console in revolutions per minute or RPMs) of 80 to 100 RPMs on “flat ground” (low to moderate resistance) and 60 to 80 RPMs on “hills” (moderate to high resistance).

This is called 'crossing the chain' – using the large chainring (most resistance) at the front and the large (least resistance) cog at the back. It may cause your chain to slip, not shift properly, and will stretch and damage the bike chain over time.

Flywheel recently and abruptly shut down the Home Bike service following a legal battle with their competitor, Peloton. The bike does still work in that you can still pedal and adjust the resistance and technically get a workout. But the app is no longer so there are no classes, no competition, and no stats.

DMFs can last more than 100,000 miles but may go bad in as little as 20,000 - it depends on the quality of the part and especially your driving style. Drivers who are not smooth in their clutch engagement cause serious amount of wear every time they get behind the wheel.

For example, it could be caused by rough engine starts, heavy loads, driving in the wrong gear, and slow cranking speeds. i Overheating. This can be deadly for the discs as they can crack or warp, and it is often caused by a slipping clutch.

Heat - Excessive heat is a big cause of most dual mass flywheel failures. A slipping clutch generates heat; if your clutch is worn, you can still save the flywheel if you get the clutch replaced early enough.

Many people consider 40 LB to be ideal, but anything over 20+ pounds is going to be heavy enough to generate a good amount of momentum. Most high-quality cycle bikes on the market with a smooth feel will incorporate a heavy flywheel system since these bikes are much easier to manufacture.

What are the pros and cons of a lightweight flywheel? ›

The main advantage of a lighter flywheel is the speed of the engine can change more rapidly, both increasing and decreasing. The main disadvantage is there is less energy stored in the flywheel to help you start from a stop.

With a lightweight flywheel, right away you will notice the engine revs more quickly. You free up the horsepower your engine is already making and send it to the rear wheels rather than have it dissipate as parasitic losses.

If you plan to go lightweight for street use in a CARB State, you need to consider opting for a flywheel that weighs at least 15 lbs (please do your own research on what works successfully). Anything below 15 lbs will trigger misfire detection and subsequent Limp Mode.

In C.I. engines the flywheel required is heavier compared to S.I. engines the reason may be the C.I. engines are used in heavy vehicles also the compression stroke of diesel engine is more compared to S.I.

A light flywheel doesn't increase any horsepower or torque instead it decreases parasitic losses caused due to continuous rotation of the flywheel. Utilizing a lighter flywheel decreases your delay in power and torque which was previously being used to rotate a heavier flywheel (due to it's higher inertia).

Cast grey iron flywheels are cost-effective, have good castability and wear resistance nature, but it is ideal for vehicles engines that run less than 6000 rpm. Nodular iron or ductile iron is preferred over grey iron for its impact resistance, elongation and yield strength ductile properties.

One reason why racers use light flywheels is to reduce parasitic drag on the crank, just like deleting power steering and an alternator would reduce drag on the crank, thus "freeing up horsepower". Right? Freeing up horsepower should increase mpg because less load is on the motor.

Magnetic resistance has a lot of advantages over friction – its quiet, no dust, minimal maintenance, no replacement of pads and you get levels of resistance you can use for setting resistance.

Magnetic resistance uses magnets to create tension against the flywheel. Unlike contact resistance, the magnets don't actually make contact with the flywheel. Instead, the magnetic force applies varying degrees of resistance as the magnets gets closer or further away from the flywheel.

For indoor bikes, the recommended flywheel weight is about 18-20kgs, whereas the weight can be around 20-22kg for commercial bikes.

What are the disadvantages to light weight flywheel? ›

Fitting a lighter engine flywheel has some drawbacks. While the engine can rev more easily, it also means revs drop quickly when you're not accelerating. As a result, shifting and pulling away from a stop smoothly becomes more difficult.

In the case of a heavy flywheel, it is hard to change the rotational speed of the engine. As it takes a moment to accelerate the heavy flywheel, the rotational speed of the engine does not rapidly increase even when the accelerator pedal is depressed.

The main disadvantage of the single mass flywheel is the noise, vibration and harshness of operations. Dual mass flywheels consist of two flywheels, one attached to the crankshaft and the other to the clutch.

Since flywheels are solid, unsprung components of a vehicle's driveline, a lightweight flywheel will decrease parasitic loss at a constant rate, improving a vehicle's horsepower and torque output (measured after the flywheel) throughout it's entire rev range.

The lower moment of inertia in the aluminum flywheel provokes an instant response, delivering not only faster acceleration and deceleration, but also suppressing wheel spin. In addition, the component is not very expensive and the installation process not very laborious.

Flywheels are typically made of steel and rotate on conventional bearings; these are generally limited to a maximum revolution rate of a few thousand RPM.

The controversial ad, “the Gift that Gives Back,” featured an attractive family during the holidays with the husband surprising his wife with a Peloton exercise bike. The backlash was swift and brutal, causing the company's stock to lose $1.5 billion in value at one point.

December 16, 2021

The New York Times reported that Peloton removed its online ad featuring actor Chris Noth after The Hollywood Reporter published an article in which two women accused the actor of sexual assault.

Peloton, the beleaguered at-home gym equipment maker, is laying off about 500 employees in the company's latest effort to bolster its deteriorating finances.

The magnetic flywheel system is more accurate as these are typically computerized and you will just punch in which level you want to be at. It's the type that you see so often in the commercial gyms because these bikes are very popular. So if you want accuracy, this may be the one to go with.

What is the downside of using a flywheel system? ›

The drawbacks of flywheels are the small capacity and high power loss, ranging from 3% to 20% per hour.

The lowered mass means that the flywheel rotates much more easily under the engine's power. This makes it ideal for acceleration in the lower gears when engine speed needs to change rapidly and is a popular modification for cars yearning for a perkier powertrain.

DMFs can last more than 100,000 miles but may go bad in as little as 20,000 - it depends on the quality of the part and especially your driving style. Drivers who are not smooth in their clutch engagement cause serious amount of wear every time they get behind the wheel.

A damaged flywheel will make it much more difficult to change gears as the clutch plate may not disengage properly. Cracked flywheel discs are more likely to warp, causing clutch and transmission problems.

Flywheels usually last around 80,000 to 100,000 miles, if not more, but as soon as you notice symptoms of an underlying problem, you should have your car checked by a mechanic.

Fitting a lighter engine flywheel has some drawbacks. While the engine can rev more easily, it also means revs drop quickly when you're not accelerating. As a result, shifting and pulling away from a stop smoothly becomes more difficult.

On the other hand, aluminum Flywheels work better when you're already moving instead of taking off from a dead stop. Therefore, aluminum is a much better choice for Circle Track Racing, Autocross, and Road Racing or anytime you need your RPMs to accelerate quickly out of the turn or drop rapidly to take a sharp turn.

flywheel, heavy wheel attached to a rotating shaft so as to smooth out delivery of power from a motor to a machine. The inertia of the flywheel opposes and moderates fluctuations in the speed of the engine and stores the excess energy for intermittent use.

Energy storage efficiency

This force increases friction. This can be avoided by aligning the flywheel's axis of rotation parallel to that of the earth's axis of rotation. Conversely, flywheels with magnetic bearings and high vacuum can maintain 97% mechanical efficiency, and 85% round trip efficiency.

Following are the types of flywheel used in vehicle:

Solid disc flywheel. Rimmed flywheel. High-velocity flywheel. Low-velocity flywheel.