Exercise bikes

Hi. I was wondering if anyone has knowledge of exercise bikes with magnetic resistance and if they are safe to use with a PM. I bought one not realising it was magnetic but can't find any information on the manufacturer's site. I am a bit scared to use it now so any information would be greatly received.

4 Comments

Magnets too small

by Theknotguy - 2015-07-02 02:07:21

There is nothing around the typical home in the US, Canada, the UK, France, and probably Germany that will bother a PM. Typical items in the house don't have magnets big enough to bother a PM and that includes exercise equipment.

Magnets have to be the size of the magnets they use for reading the PM and they have to be almost resting on the PM before they will have any influence. Obviously most people don't have magnets of that size lying around the house.

I have previous posts getting into long discussions about RFI (Radio Frequency Interference) and magnets that gets into a little more detail if you care to go through the search area on the forum.

Enjoy your exercise equipment.

Not To Worry

by tactheemt - 2015-07-02 10:07:52

I bought an exercise bike as well and was concerned when I seen the warning in the manual. I called the manufacturer of my pacemaker, and they said the magnet in the wheel was considered a small risk, and to avoid close contact with the wheel area, but since the seat was a safe distance from the wheel that it would be fine to use. I hope you have fun! I sure do! ;)

http://www.medtronic.com/patient-services/cardiac-emc-guide/household-hobby-items/index.htm

Thank you

by Val60 - 2015-07-03 03:07:20

Thank you both for your reassurance. I did search the site and found a thread of comments which was helpful. Just as a point of interest though to Theknotguy I think we really can't use induction hobs for cooking unless you get the none pm householder to do it all!

Looks like I have no excuse not to use the bike now! Thanks again.

Induction OK too

by Theknotguy - 2015-07-03 08:07:32

Actually if you look around this forum, you'll see several who have used induction cooking with no problems. The magnetic field produced isn't strong enough to bother the PM.

If you check the Medtronic's site (my PM) you'll see they suggest a minimum of six inches between the magnet and the PM. That means you'd have to be hugging the equipment while it was running before it would be a problem. There's a lot of equipment I wouldn't be hugging while it was running. Even then it may not be a problem.

Was working at the woodshop drilling Kreg Jig pocket screw holes. Forgot I had the PM and was leaning on a running DeWalt drill. My PM was actually lying on the drill as it was running. No problem.

In the meantime, it'll be back to the work, work, work of pedaling your exercise bike. Hope it helps in your recovery.

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