u/Ok-Maximum-749

Hi everyone,

I tried indoor cycling for the first time this week, and I'm wondering whether what I experienced is typical for beginners or whether it was related to the bike and the setup.

Before the class, the instructor only adjusted the saddle height.

During the ride, I felt like I had to reach quite far to the handlebars, which made my upper body feel stretched. I don't think the saddle could be moved closer to the handlebars (or at least it wasn't adjusted).

I also have occasional neck discomfort, and I noticed that when I was seated, I actually felt more comfortable riding with my hands off the handlebars whenever it was safe to do so, because reaching forward felt uncomfortable. This made me wonder whether the bike simply wasn't fitted properly for me.

The bike didn't have a display, and the resistance was controlled by a simple knob with no numbers or markings, so I had no idea how much resistance I was actually using.

The pedals had toe cages, and I found them surprisingly awkward to use. I was wearing Mizuno Wave Sky 9 running shoes, so I'm wondering whether the thick, cushioned sole made it harder to get my feet into the cages and pedal comfortably.

I also have occasional knee discomfort, so getting the bike fit right is important to me.

I'm thinking of trying another gym that uses Keiser bikes because I've heard they offer more adjustability and a better riding position.

I also realized that I wasn't sure how hard I should be working. Since there was no display showing cadence, power, or anything similar, I had no reference point and wasn't sure whether I was pushing too hard or not hard enough.

For those of you with more experience:

• Is it normal to feel like you're reaching too far if the bike isn't fitted properly?
• Do Keiser bikes offer noticeably better adjustability and ergonomics than standard spin bikes?
• Can a poor bike fit contribute to neck or knee discomfort?
• Are thick, cushioned running shoes a poor choice for indoor cycling with toe cages?
• As a beginner, how do you know how hard you should be working? Do you go by heart rate, perceived effort, cadence, or something else?
• Does my experience sound like a beginner issue, a bike fit issue, or simply a lower-quality bike?

I'd really appreciate any advice or insights. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I'm an applied linguistics researcher. I recently completed my PhD and I'm currently preparing a postdoctoral research proposal.

I'm looking for one program, not a combination of tools.

I have ADHD, and I get overwhelmed when my workflow is spread across multiple applications. If I have to use one app for references, another for PDFs, another for notes, and another for writing, I quickly lose track of everything.

In the past, I used MAXQDA for literature reviews, and I absolutely loved it because I could:

• keep all my PDFs in one place,
• highlight important passages,
• write memos directly alongside the text,
• code excerpts across multiple papers,
• retrieve everything under a specific code when writing.

It made synthesizing dozens of papers much easier.

The problem is that MAXQDA is too expensive for me to justify right now.

I've tried Zotero, but it feels more like a reference manager than a workspace for reading, annotating, coding, and synthesizing research.

I'm looking for one application that can do most of these things in a simple, intuitive way. It doesn't have to be identical to MAXQDA, but I'd love something with a similar workflow.

If you've found a good alternative, especially one that's ADHD-friendly and reasonably priced, I'd really appreciate your recommendations.

Thanks!

I’m currently writing a paper in applied linguistics, and honestly one of the hardest things for me is navigating literature.

I don’t necessarily struggle to find papers. The problem is that I often find hundreds of papers that are somehow related, but not really the right fit for what I’m trying to argue or analyze.

Especially when writing the literature review, I get stuck thinking:

• Maybe there’s a more relevant paper
• Maybe this framework fits better

So I end up opening endless tabs, reading abstracts, jumping between theories and concepts, and feeling like I’m constantly searching but rarely arriving at the literature that truly matches my focus.

I also have ADHD, which probably makes the whole process even harder because I get overwhelmed by all the possible directions and connections between concepts.

I already use tools like Google Scholar, JSTOR, and Semantic Scholar, but sometimes I genuinely wonder whether I’m missing better workflows or tools for interdisciplinary research.

How do you find the right literature instead of just adjacent literature?

And what tools or strategies actually help you stay focused and organized while doing literature reviews?