Choosing an Exercise Bike – Some Tips

One of the most prevalent fitness exercise machines is the exercise bike but purchasing one is not as simple as going to the mall and choosing one. There are lots of things to take into account before you do this. You may want to consider not only the price, type of bike, whether you prefer an upright or recumbent exercise bike, and how comfortable and easy it is to adjust.

What is Your Budget?

Certainly this is usually the most significant consideration but you shouldn’t go for the lowest cost exercise bike on sale as it may perhaps not be long lasting, be comfortable to use or give you a good workout. A beginner’s bike at a minimum will cost you about $200, and even though this will be adequate it may not have many of the features that can be found on costlier work out bikes. For a little more, between $300 and $600 you will get a higher quality bike with some features such as heart rate control, magnetic resistance, a comfy seat and generally quiet and effortless operation.

For around $550 you will be able to obtain a first-rate exercise bike with all the features you may want. For this cost you should expect plenty of built-in workout programs, easy to use resistance control and LED display console, handlebars that are effortless to modify and a good guarantee.

Exercise Bike Comfort

Of course your exercise bike should be comfy as you will be using it for quite long periods. You will need a well padded seat and handlebars that can be adjusted easily. Are you going to buy an upright or recumbent exercise bike? A lot of people find that recumbent exercise bikes are more comfortable to use than upright exercise bikes as you sit in a more reclined position so there is not as much of pressure on your back. Upright exercise bikes, although not quite as comfy, do have the advantage that you can easily enhance the intensity of the workout by standing up to pedal just like you would do on a standard bicycle.

Changing the Resistance

Exercise bike resistance is variable in 2 ways. Most of the cheaper models use tension and a belt, higher-priced models use magnetic resistance which is quieter and more consistent. Exercise bikes that use magnetic resistance usually use a button or knob. A button is easier to use.

Heart Rate Monitors

It is really important to be able to observe your heart rate while training as this is the whole aim of riding your exercise bike in the first place! Always buy an exercise bike with an integrated pulse rate monitor so that you can change your training correspondingly. Almost all the exercise bikes do have this though cheaper bikes will often just have a pulse rate monitor built into the handlebars. The high-priced exercise bikes will have exercises that are controlled by your pulse rate so they adjust automatically to keep your heart rate at a level that you set. This is a very good feature but not essential if you can’t afford it.

Built-In Workout Programs

Many of the cheaper exercise bikes won’t have exercise integrated programs. Even though you may think this is not too much of a disadvantage you will find that simply sitting on the bike and riding will become wearisome very swiftly! With exercise programs you can change your workout and the feedback you get will assist with your motivation. Display consoles that give you feedback on your heart rate, calories burned, distance covered etc. actually do aid your motivation and keep you exercising for longer periods. A large amount of the exercise bikes in the mid-budget range i.e. between roughly $300 and $600 will give you a reasonable variety of built-in workouts and a moderately good quality display. More high-priced exercise bikes i.e. in the $600 and over range will have a much higher range of workouts and first-rate 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 is not a good idea to purchase the lowest cost exercise bike you can find as it might not last very long and you will not be satisfied with the exercise that it gives you. It is not necessary to buy a very high-priced bike but we suggest obtaining one for approximately $300 which will give you satisfactory exercise and keep your motivation high. Read more at Buying a Fitness Exercise Machine