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Exercise bikes are a very popular feature of many fitness
gyms, and they are quickly
becoming a staple of the home
exercise machine industry
too. They offer the advantages
of a good, solid cardio workout
combined with a very low impact
technique. They are perfect
for folks who have injuries
or sensitive joints that don't
take well to higher impact
machines like treadmills.
So what do you look for when
you shop for exercise bikes?
The first thing you are going
to find is that there are
two different styles of exercise
bikes available. One is the
upright bike and the other
is the recumbent bike. You're
probably very familiar with
the former, although you may
have seen the latter and did
not realize it. The upright
bike looks very much like
a regular bicycle, only it
seems to be missing one or
both wheels. The recumbent
bike on the other hand has
a strange appearance, as if
the petals had been taken
from their position on the
bottom and moved out in front
of the machine instead. And
most of the time an exerciser
actually lays down into the
recumbent bike in order to
exercise on it. When you consult
the independent exercise bike
reviews and ratings both online
and off-line, you find that
it really doesn't matter much
which type of bike you choose.
Either an upright or recumbent
exercise bike will give you
the exercise that you need.
Which you choose depends more
on your own personal preference
and comfort level. Some things
that you need to look for
on the best exercise bikes
are easy and extensive height
adjustments that will fit
almost anyone. Any exercise
machine will not be used very
often if it is not comfortable
enough to be used regularly.
So make sure that the seat
fits you, or that you can
get a seat that will fit you
without too much trouble.
Pedals should be easy to operate
and have a method of strapping
your feet in place so they
don't fall off. For safety
sake, make sure that all moving
parts are covered with some
sort of shroud, eliminating
the possibility that small
children or others can get
caught in the machine and
suffer injury. The bike that
you choose should also match
your weight level. Each machine
comes with its own weight
rating that you should observe
very carefully. The very best
exercise bikes have high weight
ratings, on up to 300 to 400
lbs. So if your purpose of
buying the exercise bike is
to lose weight, be sure that
the model you choose will
support your current weight
level. A heart rate monitor
is a very important piece
of equipment for almost any
exercise machine to have available.
It will help you monitor your
workouts more closely, and
make sure that you are getting
the most calorie burning exercise
for the time that you are
investing. The best exercise
bikes even include an interactive
heart rate monitor that will
adjust your workout intensity
for you as needed to make
sure that you are burning
the most calories possible
in the time allotted for your
exercise session. Also consider
the warranty when you buy,
looking for a warranty that
provides for at least the
first full year of use including
labor. To get most of these
features that we have discussed
as being common on the best
exercise bikes, you can expect
to pay anywhere from $600
- $1500 for a high quality
bike. So do your homework
and test drive each model
you are interested in beforehand
to find the exercise bike
that will work best for you.
Thad Pickering writes on many
consumer related topics including
fitness. You can find exercise
bike ratings and the best
exercise bike by visiting
our Home Fitness website.
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