Free activity logging and Fitbit® support now available!

How to Pedal the DeskCycle

Pedaling the DeskCycle is easy. Just sit back in a comfortable chair and pedal away.
The wide front leg and low center-of-gravity provides rock-solid stability. No rocking back and forth like the cheaper bikes.

The precision flywheel and dual belt V-drive keeps the pedals moving smoothly and quietly. This lets you focus on your work, the movie you're watching or the videogame you are playing without distraction.

 

For Slick Floors or Higher Resistances
If you use the DeskCycle on a carpeted floor at the lower resistances then you don’t need to be concerned about how to pedal the DeskCycle. But if your floor is slick or if you’re using in a swivel chair, then you will likely need to pedal downward.

How to Pedal downward

  1. Start pushing down on the pedal when the pedal arm reaches the 1 o'clock position (just past the highest pedal position).
  2. Stop applying force to the pedal when it is at it's lowest position.
  3. You should be pedaling downward throughout this range as shown by the arrows in the picture.
  4. Point your toes forward. This keeps your heels from hitting the floor or leg.

Tips

Train yourself at the lowest resistance

When you first get the bike, set the resistance to level 1. Practice pedaling at this resistance for at least a week. Focus on pedaling downward as shown in the above diagram.

Increase the tension gradually

After using the DeskCycle for a week on level 1 you can increase the tension to level 2. Try the bike out for a couple of days before increasing the resistance. When pedaling while working, we reccomend keeping the resistance setting to a level 3 or lower.

Your upper body should be still

When you pedal you should focus on keeping your upper body still. Only your legs should be moving. Keeping your head still makes it easier to focus on your work. One of the advantages that a bike has over a treadmill is that you can keep your head still.

How far away should the bike be?

Your knees should be bent about 25 degrees from fully-extended when the pedal is farthest away from you.

How tall should my chair be?

As long as you can reach the pedals your chair can be any height.

The height of the chair will determine which muscles you use.

  • Lower chairs tend work your hamstrings and glutes more.
  • Higher chairs will work your quads more.

The important thing to remember is to pedal downward. This will keep the bike in place.

Troubleshooting

If your knees hit your desk

If your desk is short, your knees may hit the underside of your desk when you pedal the bike. In this case you can do one or both of the following things to lower your knees.

  1. Lower your chair.
  2. Move the bike farther away from you and extend your legs more.

If your chair rotates when using the bike

If your chair rotates when you pedal then you are pedaling forward. Pedaling downward will eliminate this problem.

If your chair rolls away from the bike

Pedal Downward. When you pedal downward, the bike and chair should stay together when used on carpeted floors.

For hard slippery floors, you can either lock your wheels on your chair or use the Velcro® tether.

The DeskCycle™ comes with a long Velcro strap that can be used to tether the bike to the chair as shown in the picture below. The strap is made from Velcro Loop material. On the back side of one end is Velcro Hook material.

Do I need the tether?

Most people don’t need the tether. Pedaling the bike downward will keep the chair and bike in place when you are on carpet, even with rolling chairs. The tether may be needed if you use a rolling chair on a smooth surface. In this case the tether keeps the chair from rolling away from the bike.

Installing the tether

  1. Position the bike in front of the chair.
  2. Sit in your chair and pedal the bike. Your knees should be bent about 25 degrees from fully-extended when the pedal is farthest away from you.
  3. Route the Velcro strap as shown in the picture below. Keep the strap as low as possible. Stretch the loop tight and attach the end with the Hook material to the Loop material to make a tight loop.
  4. Pedal the bike to make sure the distance is correct. Adjust if necessary.
  5. With a pair of scissors, cut away the excess Velcro strap. This will make it easy to create the same size loop later!