How to Use Your Magnetic Exercise Bike: A Beginner’s Guide to the Knob and Monitor

Congratulations on your new exercise bike! You’ve assembled it, placed it in the perfect spot, and given the pedal a test spin. You’ve already noticed the best part: it’s incredibly quiet.

But now, you’re facing two things that might seem a bit… basic.

1. A simple LCD monitor with a single button.
2. A knob that just turns, and turns, and turns.

Your phone is smarter. Your watch is smarter. It’s easy to look at this simple setup and think, “How do I get a real workout with this?”

Welcome to the most important lesson in home fitness: you don’t need a $2,000 smart bike to get fit. You just need to understand the tools you have. As your guide, I’m going to demystify this “dumb” bike and show you how to turn it into a powerful training partner.

Part 1: The “Engine” — What Is Magnetic Resistance?

First, let’s talk about why your bike is so quiet. Old-school bikes used a physical friction pad—like a brake on a car wheel—that squeezed the flywheel. This was loud, jerky, and the pads would wear out.

Your bike uses magnetic resistance. Here’s the simple version:

Inside the bike, there’s a heavy metal flywheel. When you pedal, it spins. As you turn the resistance knob, a set of powerful magnets moves closer to (or farther from) that spinning flywheel.

Crucially, the magnets never touch the flywheel.

Instead, they create a magnetic field that the metal wheel has to spin through. This generates something called “eddy currents,” which create an opposing force. It’s like trying to stir a spoon through thick honey versus water. The closer the magnets, the “thicker” the resistance feels.

Why this matters to you: * It’s Silent: No friction, no noise. You can ride at 5 AM without waking anyone. * It’s Smooth: The resistance is perfectly consistent, with no jerking. * It’s Durable: No pads to wear out. The system is built to last.

Part 2: The “Dashboard” — How to Read Your LCD Monitor

This is the part that confuses most new owners. That little screen looks like a cheap 1990s calculator. But it’s giving you vital information. Let’s break down those letters. You typically “select a mode” by pressing the single button to cycle through them.

• TIME: This one’s easy. It’s your workout duration.
• SPD (Speed): This is the most important metric for training. It does NOT mean “miles per hour.” On most spin bikes, this number represents RPM (Revolutions Per Minute), or how fast your feet are turning. This is your pace. A “flat road” pace is often 80-100 RPM. A “heavy climb” might be 60-70 RPM.
• DST (Distance): This is a relative number. It’s not “miles.” The bike is just calculating (Time x Speed) and giving you a number. Don’t compare this to riding a bike outside. Its only value is to compare today’s workout to yesterday’s. Did you go “further” in the same amount of time? Great, you’re getting fitter!
• CAL (Calories): Treat this number as a motivator, not a fact. This monitor has no idea who you are. It doesn’t know your age, weight, gender, or fitness level. The “calories burned” number is a very, very rough guess. It’s almost certainly wrong. Just enjoy watching the number go up and know that you are, in fact, burning calories.
• ODO (Odometer): This is the “lifetime” distance your bike has traveled since you got it. It’s fun to watch this tick up over months and years.

Part 3: The “Gear Shifter” — Mastering the Resistance Knob

Your bike doesn’t have smart control that automatically adjusts. YOU are the smart control. That knob, especially one with 100 micro-levels like on the CHAOKE 8723, is your tool.

So, how do you “set up the resistance”? You don’t. You find it. And you find it by feeling it.

We’re going to use a system professional athletes use: RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion). It’s a 1-to-10 scale of how hard you feel you’re working.

• RPE 1: Watching TV on the couch.
• RPE 3-4: A light, “all-day” pace. You can hold a full conversation.
• RPE 5-6: You’re working. You can still talk, but in short sentences.
• RPE 7-8: This is hard. You can only say one or two words. You’re breathing heavily.
• RPE 9: “I can only do this for 60 more seconds!”
• RPE 10: An all-out, maximum-effort sprint you can only hold for a few seconds.

Your First Workout: Finding Your Zones

Hop on the bike. Set a 15-minute timer. Your goal isn’t to get a killer workout. Your goal is to learn your knob.

1. Find Your “Flat Road” (RPE 4):

   • Start pedaling at a comfortable pace (aim for 80-90 RPM on your monitor).
   • Turn the knob all the way down to zero resistance. It feels like you’re spinning on air.
   • Now, slowly start turning the knob (to the right, or “plus” side) one click at a time.
   • Keep turning until you just start to feel the “push.” It should feel like you’ve shifted into a gear. You could do this for 30-45 minutes. You can talk easily.
   • Stop. Look at your knob. This is your Base Resistance. Memorize this feeling.

2. Find Your “Push” (RPE 6-7):

   • From your “Base,” keep pedaling at the same 80-90 RPM.
   • Now, turn the knob a quarter-turn (or a few full turns, depending on the bike).
   • Your legs should slow down. You have to push to maintain that 80-90 RPM. Your breathing gets heavier. You can’t sing along to the music anymore.
   • This is your Push Pace. It’s where the real fitness gains happen.

3. Find Your “Climb” (RPE 8):

   • From your “Push,” turn the knob another quarter-turn.
   • Now it’s hard. Your pace (RPM) will probably drop to 60-70. You have to stand up out of the seat to turn the pedals. You are breathing hard and can’t talk.
   • This is your Climb.

Go back and forth between these three feelings. Turn the knob back to Base. Feel your breathing recover. Turn it up to your Climb. Feel the work. This is all indoor cycling is.

Part 4: Putting It All Together for Your Workout

A simple bike like the CHAOKE 8723 is a perfect example of this in action. Its sturdy, I-shaped base and 350lbs weight capacity mean it won’t wobble when you stand up for that “Climb” (RPE 8). And its 100 micro-levels of resistance give you fine-grained control to find the exact RPE you’re looking for.

Now, you can use online classes (even free ones) that say “add resistance” and you’ll know exactly what to do. You’ll just turn your knob from your Base to your Push.

A Simple 20-Minute HIIT Workout

• Warm-up (5 minutes): Pedal at your Base (RPE 4). Keep your RPMs around 80.
• Workout (12 minutes):
  • Push: 2 minutes at your Push pace (RPE 6-7).
  • Recover: 1 minute at your Base pace (RPE 4).
  • Repeat this block 4 times.
• Cool-down (3 minutes): Turn the resistance all the way down and spin your legs out slowly.

That’s it. You just used your “dumb” bike to do one of the most effective forms of cardio exercise.

The most important part of any fitness equipment is comfort and stability. Before you ride, make sure your bike is set up for you. Use the 4-way adjustable seat to get the height right (your knee should have a slight bend at the bottom of the pedal stroke) and find a comfortable handlebar position.

You have the tools. You have the knowledge. You don’t need a fancy screen to tell you when you’re working hard—your body already knows. Your job is to learn to listen to it.

Now, go get your workout in.