The Bike Desk Revisited

Updated 10.6.2015
Ii seems a bit odd so soon after declaring the standing desk the winner over the treadmill desk (at least in my case because I don't have a real treadmill desk designed for an office) that I am messing around again with my bike desk— which again isn't an official one, but rather a semi-recumbent bike I bought that works with the standing desk I have. That's not an accident, the desk was bought to go with the bike, but not for use as a work space. Rather, the bike was supposed to be a way for certain sedentary members of the family to move a bit more while they did their usual evening TV viewing. Didn't work out, so I repurposed it into a bike desk for work.

Bike desks, however, are harder to use than treadmill desks because, unlike the treadmill motion which you don't even notice after a bit, to keep the pedals moving takes conscious effort. People have studied the different types of desks, and while treadmill desks and standing desks don't effect productivity negatively, bike desks do. Both treadmill and bike desks both require a user to do two things at once, only the bike desk doesn't fade into the background.

The study results match my experiences with the bike desk, at least initially. More recently I've found that pedaling while reading doesn't affect my concentration too badly. And I've even been able to type (I'm pedaling as I type this)— as long as I don't have to do any intricate coding or deep concentration. I will say this, my arms aren't "moving up and down" while I pedal, so the results may have had something to do with the ergonomics of the desks. Using a recumbent bike means that the seat is similar to a chair, rather than a unicycle. There are also small pedal machines that can be put under a standard desk, such as in this article.

So why try again?

So with all the known issues with bike desks why try again? It all started with a book I was sent to review as part of a different portion of my life. As I've noted, I use my treadmill desk less now because of the noise it makes. I still use it, just not for as long each day. Most of the day is spent at my standing desk. However, I found that I didn't like holding the book while standing, and so decided to sit. The recumbent bike was conveniently near my standing desk and a window, and so I sat down there. And as long as I was sitting, I may as well pedal. As noted above, my concentration was unaffected, and so began a new habit.

The bike desk does have dome advantages over the standing desk. Pedaling requires more energy than standing, the amount of NEAT (non exercise activity thermogenesis) for pedaling at a slow speed is roughly the same as walking at a treadmill at a slow speed. Standing uses more NEAT than sitting, but much less than walking or pedaling. Walking less each day lowered the number of NEAT calories I expend, and changed my energy balance. Since I really don't want to have to eat less, this is was not a small issue.

Standing is also a bit harder than anticipate. Initially, I thought that standing requires no more thought than sitting, but this isn't entirely accurate. Standing completely still may not require any more thought, but the reality is that while standing you have to keep moving. I think the reason that walking slowly works better is that more muscles are being used to distribute the load. I know that for me, a day of standing is much more tiring than a day of walking.

Another advantage to pedaling over standing is that because I'm moving I'm a little warmer during the day. Not warm enough to perspire or raise my heart rate, but enough to keep my feet and fingers warmer. Something that was sometimes an issue when just standing. The final advantage is that the recumbent bike is near a window and so have natural lighting. That's not an advantage over the standing desk of course because it too is near the window. The treadmill alas must remain in the unnaturally lit and unheated basement, making the bike desk an even better option as winter approaches.

Bottom Line

I'm trying to use the bike desk a bit more. I start most mornings at the treadmill, then will switch to the standing desk. Now I have another option if I decide I'd like to sit for a bit.

Disclaimer