Or do you usually let them go on being wrong and ignore it?
Case : My girlfriend comes home and tells me she had this great ride… on the stationary bike at her gym. She tell me she avergaed 23 mph the whole ride w/ a HR of 135.
I just couldn’t bring myself to correct her. She was so pumped about the workout and I didn’t want to be the “corrector-asshole” guy who has to be right. I could see it becoming a big fight, so I said “that’s great honey…”
I train there and know the bikes. They are way off, like 20 miles in 54min, no matter what level of resistance or cadence.
The thing is, I don’t want her to then go out on the road and be dissappointed.
But at some point she will get out on the road, and then realize the situation. I’d say let her find out that way. Unless of course, she’s going to be riding that stationary bike at the gym for months, and has a big race depending on that training… then ya gotta tell her.
You know, it depends- 95% of things can just be let go. But if someone makes statements that are potential damaging or injurious, such as “I think it’s safe to ride without a helmet- I don’t understand the fuss.” Then I speak up.
That said, certain things get under my skin, like the current carbon fiber debate on this forum. Come on people, wake up and smell the coffee- that ended *20 years *ago. I will say something about that just because it is so incontrovertably inane and is a stupid, ill-informed prejudice I have to defeat every day. It gets frustrating.
Sometime you just got to correct. A bloke at work was telling me about some cycling he did. He told me the distance and then how long it took him. It worked out to over 50km/h on the flat through a built up city. Because he was 55 and his name was Bob, not Lance or Jan or Miguel I had to correct him.
I am sure you would know but it isn’t K’s not miles that the bike is reading is it?
but this is one you can’t ignore. the approach is key. last thing you want is her thinking down the road is that you knew something was way off and didn’t say anything. bad. so the trick is to get her on an accurate system in as round about a way as possible. then she becomes the one questioning the accuracy of the one at the club…not you. always…always…better to make someone else out to be the genius.
as for correcting in general…not usually. the benefit must significantly outweigh the potential danger. most times the greater benefit comes from just keeping quiet.
you did the right thing … completely … if she gets out on the road and learns the difference, she won’t remember this moment of pride, but had you corrected her - that moment of dissapointment goes down in permanent memory!
I would let it go, then when she does go out on the road and gets bummed you can suggest that maybe the bikes in the gym are off because they are not maintained etc. She will be dissapointed in her outdoor ride, but not with you or pissed because you made her feel silly. She will probably be upset one way or the other and better for you not to be the target;)
If and when you are out on the road with her and she experiences disappointment with her speed, point out the effect of wind resistence that doesn’t exist at the gym. Then you can slip something in about how the gym bikes are not always accurate. If you come right out and diss her ride, she will be your ex-GF.
It isn’t hurting anyone that she’s wrong… it just irritates me for some reason. Maybe I just need to be right or something?
Of course, I only know alot about 2 things, triathlon and real estate. So when someone is wrong in one of those areas I usually speak up since I consider myself a educated person and may be helping.
If someone is wrong in any other area I don’t care unless they are going to hurt themselved or others. It’s not worth the arguing.
Excatly the though in my head as my mouth was about to point out she was wrong. Those 2 seconds have spared much hardship.
I will say the new Lifetime Fitness bikes are pretty accurate for stationary bikes these days. At least for a flat course. The older ones at her gym aren’t even remotely close.
Hell, I’d be happy that your girlfriend cares/knows enough to watch her HR and MPH (and that she even gets on the bike in the first place). You’re the envy of many.
