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You just finished a 30-minute ride and the screen flashes your results: 15.2 Miles! 285 Calories! Average Speed: 30.4 MPH!
You feel incredible. You’re faster than you ever were on your outdoor bike. You’re a machine.
Then, you visit a friend and try their bike. You pedal just as hard, but their screen shows an average speed of… 18 MPH. What gives? Did their expensive bike break? Or… is yours wrong?
This confusion is rampant. In user forums for all major bike brands, you’ll find threads like, “I think my Echelon speed sensor is broken,” or “Why is my Peloton distance so much lower than my old bike?”
Let’s clear the air on this once and for all. Your bike is (probably) not broken.
It is, however, lying to you.
And that’s okay, because all of them are. The “speed,” “distance,” and “calories” you see on almost every home exercise bike are not measurements. They are estimates. They are marketing numbers, not scientific data.
This guide will break down why these numbers are fiction and, more importantly, teach you what you should be tracking instead to reach your fitness goals.
Part 1: The Fiction of “Speed” and “Distance”
When you ride a bike outdoors, “speed” is a simple calculation: how much ground you cover over time.
Indoors, you are not covering any ground. You are stationary. So… what is “speed”?
The “speed” and “distance” on your screen are invented numbers.
Here’s how they’re calculated. Your bike knows two things for sure:
1. Your Cadence (RPM): How fast your pedals are turning.
2. Your Resistance Level: The “level” you’ve set (e.g., Level 20 out of 32 on an Echelon).
The manufacturer creates a software formula (an “algorithm”) that looks at these two numbers and estimates how much “power” or “watts” you are generating. It then converts that estimated power into an arbitrary “speed.”
Cadence (RPM) x Resistance Level = Estimated Power (Watts) -> Converted to “Speed” (MPH/KPH)
The problem is, every manufacturer uses a different formula.
Brand A’s “Level 20” is not the same as Brand B’s “Level 20.” Brand A’s formula for converting watts to speed might be wildly optimistic to make you feel good, while Brand B’s might be more conservative.
This is why you cannot compare your “speed” on an Echelon to your friend’s “speed” on a Peloton or Schwinn. It’s like comparing apples and oranges. It’s meaningless.
So, what about “Power Meters”?
You may hear about high-end “power meters” that cost 1,000+ on their own. These are different. They use “strain gauges” (tiny, hyper-sensitive sensors) inside the pedal or crank arm to measure the actual force you are applying. This is a real measurement. Almost no home exercise bikes under 2,00g (including most Echelon, Schwinn, and basic Peloton models) have true power meters. They are all estimating power.
Part 2: The Biggest Guess of All: “Calories Burned”
If “speed” is an estimate, “calories burned” is a fantasy.
The number on your screen is another software guess, based on your (already estimated) power output.
Estimated Power (Watts) x Time = “Calories Burned”
This calculation is missing the single most important variable: YOU.
A 250-pound athlete and a 120-pound beginner will burn a wildly different number of calories at the same power output. Your bike’s “calorie” number doesn’t know your age, weight, height, sex, muscle mass, or metabolic rate.
It is, without exaggeration, the most meaningless number in all of fitness. It’s often inflated by 30-50% (or more) to make you feel successful.
Do not ever base your diet or your “reward” meal on the “calories burned” number from a piece of gym equipment.
Part 3: What to Track Instead (The Metrics That Matter)
Okay, so I’ve just told you that all the main numbers on your screen are meaningless vanity metrics. You’re probably thinking, “Then what’s the point? How do I track my ‘goals’?”
The answer is to stop tracking the bike and start tracking your body and your relative progress.
Here are the three things you should actually be tracking.
Metric 1: Relative Progress (The Only Way to Use “Levels”)
The number on the screen is meaningless, but its change over time is everything.
You cannot compare your “Level 20” to anyone else’s. But you can compare your “Level 20” this week to your “Level 20” last week.
This is how you track progress:
* Old Goal: “I want to ride 15 miles.” (Meaningless)
* New Goal: “Last week, 30 minutes at Level 15 felt hard. This week, I’m going to try 30 minutes at Level 16.” (Meaningful)
* New Goal: “Last month, I could only hold 90 RPM at Level 12 for one minute. Today, I did it for three minutes.” (Meaningful)
Your bike’s resistance levels are consistent with themselves. Use this to your advantage. Your goal is to make the same numbers feel easier. That’s fitness.
Metric 2: Heart Rate (Tracking Your Engine)
This is the first real piece of data you can get. Your heart rate is your body’s honest, objective response to the workload.
Forget “speed.” Focus on your heart rate zones.
* Zone 2 (Endurance): You can hold a conversation. (e.g., 120-130 beats per minute).
* Zone 4 (Threshold): You’re breathing hard and can only say one or two words. (e.g., 150-160 bpm).
A chest strap (like a Polar or Wahoo) is the most accurate way to measure this, and most smart bikes (including Echelon) can connect to them via Bluetooth.
Your new goal isn’t to hit “30 MPH.” It’s to spend “20 minutes in Zone 2.” This is how athletes train.
Metric 3: RPE (The Pro’s Tool)
This is my favorite, and it’s the most powerful tool of all. It’s completely free and requires no technology.
RPE stands for Rate of Perceived Exertion.
It’s a simple 1-to-10 scale of “how hard does this feel to you, right now?”
| RPE Scale | How It Feels |
|---|---|
| 1 | Sitting on the couch |
| 2-3 | Very easy, like a warm-up |
| 4-5 | Moderate, you’re breathing, but can talk (Endurance / “Zone 2”) |
| 6 | Getting tough, can still talk in short sentences |
| 7-8 | Hard, breathing heavily, can’t hold a conversation (Threshold / “Zone 4”) |
| 9 | Extremely hard, can’t talk, can only hold this for 1-2 minutes (HIIT) |
| 10 | All-out, 100% sprint, cannot hold for more than 30 seconds |
This is the metric that matters. Why? Because it’s honest, and it scales with your fitness.
When you start, “Level 10” on your bike might feel like an 8/10 RPE. After six weeks of training, that same “Level 10” might only feel like a 5/10 RPE. That is concrete proof that you got stronger.
A good workout plan isn’t “go 25 MPH.” It’s “do 5 intervals of 3 minutes at an 8/10 RPE, with 3 minutes of recovery at a 3/10 RPE.”
Conclusion: Ditch the Vanity Metrics
Stop worrying about the “speed sensor issues.” Stop comparing your “distance” to someone on Instagram. Those numbers are designed to be a fun, arcade-like part of the game, not a serious training tool.
The real data isn’t on the screen. It’s in your body.
If you want to truly track your goals, focus on the metrics that matter:
1. Relative Progress: Is “Level 15” easier than it was last month?
2. Heart Rate: Are you spending time in the correct training zones?
3. RPE: How hard does the effort feel?
When you make this shift, you stop competing against a meaningless number and you start competing against your old self. And that’s a race you can win every single day.
