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I know I’m not the only person that spends too much time on the computer.   Even though I walk an hour a day as part of my fitness routine, there are many times I am gaming or blogging where I sit at my desk for hours on end.   Wouldn’t it be great to combine my exercise bike with my computer?  I’d seen a few high tech and low tech solutions before with the same exact idea, so I take no credit there.  The goal of my project was to use my current exercise bike, existing materials around the house, and any extra parts from the local Home Depot.  I wanted something strong and simple, and also reversible if it didn’t work.  For less than $20 dollars in purchased materials I was able to accomplish my goal.  This may not work with all exercise bikes.  I apologize in advance for the quality of the pictures.  My wife lost my good camera at Disney World’s Animal Kingdom, and my backup camera isn’t cutting it.  The cad pictures were created and rendered using Solid Edge.  The mess of wires on the floor belongs to a home lan which I didn’t want to disconnect just to make a pretty picture. 

The following parts I had on hand already.

• Computer
• Wide-screen Monitor
• Exercise Bike (Marcy Deluxe Recumbent Bike)
• Monitor Stand
• Rigid Mousepad (Razer eXactMat Mouse Pad)
• Keyboard (Timberwolf Gaming Keyboard)
• Some screws, washers, nuts, and duct tape
• desk or table to attach the monitor stand

Parts purchased from Home Depot:

• 1 1/8 x 3/64 x 36″ perforated angle iron, qty:1
• 1 1/8 x 3/64 x 36″ perforated steel strip, qty:2
• 1/2 x 2″ L shaped bracket, qty:2
• rubber bath mat, qty:1

Tools Used:

• Metal hacksaw
• screwdriver
• pliers
• allen wrench
• scissors

Directions:

1.  Remove the handlebar from the Exercise bike using the Allen wrench provided by the manufacturer.  Save the bolt as we will reuse it later.

2. Place your keyboard next to your mousepad on a table.  If your mousepad is not a rigid one, you will need something stiff under it to give support.  Measure the length of them together.  In my case the distance was 32 inches.  Using the hacksaw, cut the angle iron and one of the perforated strips to that length.

3. Cut the other perforated strip into five 6″ pieces.  If they are not perfectly the same, it doesn’t matter.  As long as the perforated holes line up, that is what is important.

4. Assemble the parts from steps #2 and #3 as shown. I used nuts, bolts and washers found around the house.

5. Attach the assembly to the exercise bike using the same bolt we removed from the handlebar in step one.  It doesn’t have to be centered.  I offset my shelf so that the gamepad and mouse pad are where I feel most comfortable.

6. Wrap the bathmat around the frame on the side your mousepad will be.  Secure it with 2 strips of duct tape wrapped around it.  This it to provide friction for the mousepad.   Trim away the excess bathmat using scissors.

7. Add the two little right angle brackets as shown . Bend them using the pliers so that they won’t catch on your clothing.

8.  Place your keyboard and mousepad onto the assembly.

9.  Adjust your monitor height and exercise bike seat.  Be sure your knees do not hit the keyboard.  Hide and secure any cables that may hang down around the pedal area. 

 

I’ve been very satisfied with the final results.  I’m able to watch videos, edit my blog, play games and surf the net while riding.  The only time I have to “put my foot down” so to speak, is when I am playing FPS games like Battlefield 2.  I guess I can’t ride a bike and snipe at the same time.  I do have a few issues with the final build that could be addressed.  I removed the speedometer because it blocked too much of my monitor.  This assembly simply slides on and off and I never used it anyway.  Another related issue is that the metal plate that held the speedometer is pretty ugly.  I use it to mount a clip-on microphone and hang my headphones on, but a person could easily hacksaw it off if they aren’t tall enough to see over it.  Another issue is that my mouse hangs down when not in use.  You could add a cradle if this bothers you.  The keyboard and mousepad are not attached so that you could move them over to a desk.  They could secured better if you wanted a more permanent solution.

Originally I had the idea to mount the monitor onto the bike as well.  I built a little frame in the front and secured the monitor to it.  This didn’t work for one simple reason.  The vibrations from pedalling, however slight, shook the screen.  It really tired out your eyes.  The current system doesn’t have that effect.  Another idea I thought would be cool would be to have the bike generate the power for the computer.  Besides not being simple, The power requirements would be too great.  I keep my computer on 24/7 usually, so impractical. 

Anyway, hope you enjoyed the article.  Obviously few if any readers will have the same exact parts around the house, but hopefully it will give you an idea of what worked in my case.  Send me a link for any of you that built your own version of a computer exercise bike.  And keep drinking that spiru-tein.