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Exercise Bike
Riding an exercise bike is the perfect way to build fitness, besides also losing weight and staying fit. But which one do you choose and how? First, decide which class of exercise bike you want from the two general classes of exercise bikes:
- Recumbent bikes: These are the more recent exercise bikes with bucket seats. You are seated in a semi-reclining pose and your legs are at an angle before you to reach the pedals instead of hanging down as in a traditional or upright bike.
- Upright bikes: Also called stationary bikes, these are the traditional exercise bikes that we’ve had around for years.
- Dual action stationary bike: An offshoot of the standard upright bike, the dual action stationary bikes have movable bars or levers on the handles to take your upper body weight. This bike will give you aerobic activity and upper body toning.
There are others in the market too, such as the magnetic frictionless resistance bikes which provide a greater variety of workout levels. More advanced bikes also have feedback mechanisms that display readouts of speed, distance, time, total calories and fat burned, among others. Finally, the bike you choose will depend on your needs and wants and the type of workout you want to do.
Next, decide the budget. There are three price categories:
- Under $500: You won’t get a top-of-the-line bike for this money, so buy it only if you don’t want to exercise too much, or if you’re on a budget.
- Between $500 and $1000: For this price, you can get a good quality exercise bike with high grade consoles and feedback mechanisms, in-built workout programs, foot straps and heart rate monitors.
- $1000 and above: You get the best quality of home exerciser for this money such as Life Cycle and Star Trac.
Other bases to buy an exercise bike:
- Resistance: You’ll find a range of resistance levels in your exercise bike such as:
- Direct tension: You can adjust the resistance level manually
- Air resistance: If you pedal against the airflow of a fan blade, you can get air resistance
- Magnetic Resistance: This level of resistance allows for magnetic currents that create and track the resistance level. This has a large variety of workout levels, is quieter and gives a smooth feel while pedaling.
- Workout details: Look for information on speed and the distance you walk on your bike’s display screen, including the total calories you burn, resistance level and heart rate and pre-set workouts.
- Warranty: You can find exercise bikes with a variety of warranties from 90 days to lifetime warranties for different bike parts. But the longer the warranty, the higher the quality of the machine.
If you do think of using an exercise bike a lot and are a regular exerciser, invest wisely and buy yourself a bike that will serve you well and long.
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