What to Look for When Buying an Exercise Bike
One of the most prevalent fitness exercise machines is the exercise bike but buying one is not as easy as going to the shop and choosing one. There are various things to reflect on before you do this. You will want to take into account not only the outlay, type of bike, whether you prefer an upright or recumbent exercise bike, and how comfortable and uncomplicated it is to adjust.
What is Your Budget?
Of course this is usually the most crucial concern but you do not want to go for the cheapest bike on sale as it may perhaps not last for very long, be easy to use or even give you a good workout. A starting bike at a minimum will cost you about $200, and although this will be acceptable it won’t have many of the features that can be found on higher quality exercise bikes. For not much more, say between $350 and $600 you will get a higher quality bike with some features such as heart rate control, magnetic resistance, a comfortable seat and generally quiet and smooth operation.
For roughly $550 you will be able to buy a first-rate exercise bike with all the features you may want. For this cost you should expect lots of built-in exercise programs, easy to use resistance control and LED display console, handlebars that are effortless to modify and a very good warranty.
Exercise Bike Comfort
Of course your exercise bike should be easy as you will be spending quite a lot of time on it! You will need a well padded seat and handlebars that can be adjusted without problems. Are you going to buy an upright or recumbent exercise bike? Many people think that recumbent exercise bikes are more comfortable to use than upright exercise bikes as you sit in a more reclined position which puts a reduced amount of stress on your back. Upright exercise bikes, although not nearly as comfortable, do have the advantage that you can simply increase the intensity of the exercise by pedalling standing up just as you would on a normal bicycle.
Changing the Resistance
Resistance on exercise bikes is amendable in 2 ways. The majority of the cheaper models use a belt and tension, higher-priced models use magnetic resistance which is quieter and more consistent. For those using magnetic resistance it is adjusted either by a knob or a pushbutton, which most people find easier to use.
Heart Rate Monitors
It is really crucial to be able to observe your heart rate while training as increasing your heart rate is why you are exercising. Always purchase an exercise bike with an integrated heart rate monitor so that you can change your workouts accordingly. Nearly all the exercise bikes do have this although less expensive bikes will often merely have a pulse rate monitor built into the handlebars. The high-priced exercise bikes will have exercises that are driven by your pulse rate so they adjust themselves to keep your pulse rate at a level that you decide. This is a very good feature but not crucial if you can’t pay for it.
Integrated Training Programs
Several of the cheaper exercise bikes do not have exercise integral programs. Even though you may think this is not too much of a disadvantage you will discover that just sitting on the bike and pedalling will grow to be wearisome very quickly! With exercise programs you can change your workout and the feedback you get will help with your enthusiasm. Consoles that give you feedback on your heart rate, calories burned, distance covered etc. truly do improve out your motivation and keep you exercising longer. Most of the exercise bikes in the middle range i.e. between about $300 and $600 will give you a reasonable collection of incorporated workouts and a reasonably high-quality display. More expensive exercise bikes i.e. in the $600 and above range will have a much higher range of workouts and first-rate console displays with a whole range of feedback information.
Conclusion
Certainly, with exercise bikes, as with other fitness exercise machines, you get what you pay for. It isn’t a very good idea to buy the cheapest exercise bike you can find as it might not last very long and you will not be pleased with the exercise that it gives you. It is not necessary to buy a very expensive bike but we recommend buying one for approximately $300 which will give you good exercise and keep your motivation high. Read more at Exercise Bike Tips.
Tags: exercise bike, exercise equipment bikes, recumbent exercise bike, upright exercise bike
