How long can I last on a bike and do work at the same time?
It’s 2:44 PM on a Sunday, and I’m in my garage, testing whether it’s reasonable and feasible to ride a stationary bike and get work done at the same time.
Treadmill desks are much talked about and now starting to gain acceptance as a way to walk and work at the same time.
Standing desks are also coming into favor because they offer a much more desirable ergonomic situation than a normal desk.
I’ve been asked recently whether a cycle powered work station, or pedal desk is feasible. Obviously, it’s been done before, but reviews aren’t great with the current products out there, and my questions have always been, is it really worth doing? Are you going to be productive? Would you keep it up?
Today, I’ve set up a folding table with a couple large paint cans under each leg, to get the table up to a height of about 45 inches, which is just enough to set up a cruiser bike on a heavy duty rear kickstand with an integrated pedal generator.
I can sit comfortably, pedal easily (making about 20 watts – I’m really pedaling easy so I can also type at the same time), and get some work done.
2:50 – The moment of truth. Is this going to make it harder to work? No.
I’m feeling fine. I’ve got my laptop plugged into a powerpack, just to test how long the battery will really power a laptop, and my bike is plugged into a grid tie inverter, sending my 20 watts back to the building.
I know 20 watts is a little lower than I could produce with an optimized system (correct gearing, and a different inverter), but I’d say a good rule of thumb for cycling/working productivity would probably settle in at about 30 watts.
It really is pretty easy. My legs and heart will be able to handle this for a lot longer than my butt will enjoy sitting on this cruiser bike seat (even though it is far more comfortable than a regular bike seat).
I’m sitting upright, and the movement of my legs isn’t having any sort of negative effect on my typing. I have to remember to keep my back straight, but the keyboard is exactly where it needs to be. My elbows are at a right angle, and there is no discomfort at all.
I can also easily take my hands off the keyboard, take a drink of water or use the mouse, and continue to pedal without a break in rhythm. It takes a little bit to get used to using the mouse while pedaling, but nothing I couldn’t figure out. I probably wouldn’t want to be using photoshop to edit photos, but otherwise it’s fine.
This feels really good! I’m now going to take a minute to check my heart rate and count my cycling rpms to get an idea on how that all works together.
- Heart rate: 96
- Cycling RPMs: 68
I notice that if I am not typing, my rpms go up slightly, pushing my watt output (electricity watts – not the watts you see on the cardio machine at your gym!) up another 50% from 20ish to 30 or more.
Then when I go back to typing, it bumps back down. Not breathing hard at all, although I am breathing deeply. It feels like a slightly faster than normal walk on a sidewalk. Purposeful. My butt feels fine so far.
3:04 – How long could I realistically keep this up?
If I’m creating 20 watts, that’s enough to power my laptop and run my smartphone (my phone is livestreaming the NFL playoffs on the NFL network app). If I start doing the math, let’s say I work an eight hour day, and I use a pedal desk for a total of 90 minutes. That could be:
- 12 minutes an hour – 12X8 = 96
- 25 minutes every couple hours
- 3 – 30 minute sessions
- Or 2 – 45 minute sessions
Based on my experience so far I’d probably start with 3 – 30 minute sessions:
- One when I just show up to work, and I’m probably checking emails, getting my mind right, and planning the day
- One right before lunch or if I have a conference call or meeting
- One toward the end of the day when I am feeling a little low on energy, and I have a writing, reading, or some sort of task that requires some focus, but not too much fine motor skill work (like editing pictures).
3:10 – I’m still productive, so what are the other benefits?
What does pedaling 90 minutes a day at 30 watts mean in terms of electricity generation (I’m saying 30 because I think that’s a reasonable optimized average)?
Let’s say I work 5 days a week, 50 weeks a year, for a total of 250 days.
90 minutes at 30 watts = 45 watt hours.
45 watt hours X 250 = 11,250 watt hours or 11.25 Kilowatt Hours.
Moneywise, that’s only about a dollar. So there better be some other benefits or this is just a gimmick!
Let’s talk calories burned. Based on a few different calculators I’ve found on the internet that calculate calories per hour, I’d say a rough estimate would be about 400 extra calories burned for the 90 minutes I’d be pedaling while I work.
That comes out to about 100,000 extra calories burned over a year. Since it’s widely accepted that it takes about 3,500 calories to burn a pound of fat, we’re looking at about 28 pounds that could be lost by changing nothing except adding this to your daily routine!
That’s a legitimate benefit!
And as a personal trainer, I also know that the benefits of getting my heart rate up for an extended amount of time are great as well.
3:17 – Pushing through to 45 minutes.
- Heart Rate: 96
- Cycle RPMs: 68
Still breathing just fine, and my output in watts is a little bit higher (around 30), probably because I adjusted my sitting position a little bit and have a little bit more efficient pedal stroke now.
It definitely feels a bit harder now. There are a couple obvious reasons. If my power output is 50% higher (20 watts to 30 watts), that means I’m putting out more energy. I’ve also been going for awhile, so the same effort feels a little harder.
I’m also losing some mental focus. I’m going to get to 45 minutes, and then take a break for awhile.
So far I’ve had a great, easy time. I’m a tiny bit warm, but really not bad at all. If I were in an office (especially a warm one), and I planned on doing this for 45 minutes, I’d definitely want to bring in an extra shirt and some deodorant.
But I don’t think I’d have that problem if I did 25 minute sessions. It’s frankly just not that hard to pedal, and since the bike is very stable and comfortable for me, there’s really no downside.
3:27 – A quick final burst of energy!
I’m going to stop typing and pedal at a bit higher cadence for the last minute. Done! I feel great!
3:33 – Finishing up the hour standing up.
I’m now using the desk as a standing desk as I take a break from the bike.
Ideally, I’d have an adjustable desk so I could raise it up a few more inches. I’ll be done for today, but I have had a great time!
I didn’t notice any negatives in terms of productivity at all.
I could do everything on my laptop and phone just as easily if I were sitting down and not moving my legs.
Physically, I kept my heart rate up around 95 for the entire time, without any real feelings of overexertion or having to “push myself”.
I had to remind myself several times to keep my back straight, since I didn’t have a back support. This is ultimately a good thing for core strengthening, although I’m sure it would take some time for my body to adjust. My butt got a little sore by about 35 minutes, but it wasn’t really that bad, and I’m sure I’d also get used to that.
In the last 5 minutes, I did lose a bit of focus, and I’d attribute that to low blood sugar. Easily remedied by good nutrition.
Mentally, I feel great. I really did accomplish 2 things at once. I wrote a nice long blog post, and I exercised for 45 minutes. I know it would be very easy to do another 45 minutes later, or probably do another 30 minutes, and then finish off with 15 minutes.
I’m obviously completely biased, but I’ve convinced myself 100% that a pedal desk is a great thing:
- You get your work done
- You get exercise
- You are not sitting still on a chair, which we all know is bad
- You are making enough electricity to power the laptop and phone you’re using
- You could change nothing else in your entire life except adding this activity and lose weight!
- BONUS: You could ride this same bike home at the end of the day!
3:56 I’d rather be pedaling!
I’ve been standing for awhile getting this post uploaded onto my blog, and I gotta say, it’s a lot less comfortable to stand and work than it is to pedal and work. A lot less comfortable!