Exercise Bike Buying Guide
Buying an exercise bike? An exercise
bike is an excellent way to build fitness, lose weight and get
fit.
But how do you choose the best one? This
buying guide will show you exactly what to look for when
shopping so you can find the very best exercise bike for your
needs!
First, ask yourself which class of
exercise bike you would like. There are 2 general classes of
exercise bikes:
1) Recumbent Bikes
Recumbent bikes are the newer exercise
bikes on the market with the chair-like or bucket seats. Your
body is placed in a semi reclining position and your legs angle
out in front of you to reach the pedals instead of hanging down
as on an upright bike.
2) Upright Bikes
These are also called "Stationary bikes"
although this term is now becoming a catch all term for both
upright and recumbent bikes. These are the traditional exercise
bikes that have been around for years and are similar in form to
traditional outdoor bikes.
An offshoot of the standard upright bike
is the Dual Action Stationary bike. These bikes have movable
bars or levers on arm handles to incorporate your upper body
into the workout.
Know what you want before you start
comparing different exercise bikes. Personally Ive owned both
and after a while upright exercise bike seats just dont feel too
comfortable if you know what I mean. But the choice is yours.
The next thing you need to decide on is
your budget. How much are you willing to pay for your exercise
bike?
There are really 3 price categories:
1) Under $500 2) Between $500 - 1000 3)
$1000 +
Under 500: While there are some above
average exercise bikes under $500, dont expect to get a top
quality machine for this price. If you dont plan on using your
exercise cycle much or if youre on a budget, this may be a good
price point for you.
Between $500 - $1000: Unlike treadmills
or elliptical trainers, you can usually get a very solid, higher
quality exercise bike for your home in this category. Most
exercise bikes in this category offer magnetic resistance and
high grade consoles that give you feedback on your workout. You
should also expect several built-in workout programs, foot
straps and heart rate monitors.
$1000 +: These exercise bikes are either
the cream of the crop for the advanced home exerciser or they
are commercial grade for the health club. Examples of bikes in
this category include spinners and commercial bikes like Life
Cycle and Star Trac.
Always remember that with exercise bikes
- in general - you get what you pay for so try to spend the most
that you can and get a quality machine that will last you.
These are really the 2 most important
features to decide on: the type of bike and the price you can
afford. Here are a few more features you should know about when
choosing an exercise bike.
Resistance
There are several different types of
resistance youll find in your exercise bike
1) Direct Tension - offers you a manual
adjustment of resistance
2) Air - resistance is provided by
pedaling against the airflow of a fan blade
3) Magnetic Resistance - this is the
most sophisticated type of resistance allowing magnetic currents
to create and track the resistance. It generally allows for a
greater variety of workout levels.
Magnetic resistance is generally viewed
as the best option since it tends to be quieter and provides a
more even feel when pedalling.
Workout Options
Most exercise bikes give you information
on speed, distance traveled, and time of the workout. The more
sophisticated you go, youll also find things like total calories
and fat burned, resistance level, heart rate and program mode.
You can also get exercise bikes with
numerous preprogrammed workouts and information storage as well
as iFit compatibilit and Interactive Disc players.
It really depends on your personal
preferences whether you choose a bike with 10 preset programs
and an ultra high tech computer display or one with just a
simple display.
However, keep in mind that in general,
the higher priced bikes have more sophisticated options and are
built with higher quality materials.
Warranty
Exercise Bikes come with a variety of
warranties from 90 days to lifetime warranties on different
parts of the bike. For example, parts and labor may be covered
for 6 months, electronics for 1 year and the frame for a
lifetime. In general keep in mind that a longer warranty is
indicative of a higher quality machine.
Final Note: It is also important that
you decide how much you are planning to use your exercise bike.
For example, if you are new to exercising and not sure youll use
your exercise bike much, you might want to save some money and
go with a cheaper model.
If however you plan on using the bike a
lot and/or are a regular exerciser, invest a bit more and get a
machine that will last.
Thats it - good luck and have fun!
For more information on related products
and services, please choose from the following menu of items:
Home Gyms
Treadmills
Exercise Bikes
Elliptical Trainers
Rowing Machines
Weight Benches
Inversion Tables
Heart Rate Monitors
Trampolines
Weights
Dumbells
About The Author:
Charles ONeill is a personal trainer and
contributing writer to
http://www.Exercise-Bike-Review.com For more buying tips,
best buys and recumbent bike reviews, visit:
http://www.Exercise-Bike-Review.com
21-01-06
