What to Look for When Buying an Exercise Bike
One of the most popular fitness exercise machines is the exercise bike but purchasing one is not as simple as going to the store and choosing one. There are lots of things to consider before you do this. You will want to think about not only the price, type of bike, whether you want a recumbent or upright exercise bike, and how comfortable and effortless it is to adjust.
What is Your Budget?
Obviously this is always the most principal consideration but you shouldn’t go for the lowest cost exercise bike available as it may not be long lasting, be easy to use or even give you a good workout. A beginner’s bike at a minimum will cost you roughly $200, and though this will be acceptable it probably won’t have many of the features that can be found on costlier exercise bikes. For not much more, between $350 and $600 you will get a higher quality bike with some features such as magnetic resistance, heart rate control, a comfortable seat and typically quiet and effortless operation.
For about $600 you will be able to purchase a first-rate exercise bike with all the features you may need. For this price you ought to expect plenty of built-in workout programs, easy to use display console, and resistance control, handlebars that are effortless to change and a very good guarantee.
Comfort of the Exercise Bike
Evidently your exercise bike should be comfy as you will be spending quite a lot of time on it! You will want a well padded seat and handlebars that adjust without problems. Are you going to buy an upright or recumbent exercise bike? Many people think that recumbent exercise bikes are more comfy to use than upright exercise bikes as you sit in a more reclined position which puts 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 exercise by standing up to pedal just like you would on a standard bike.
Adjusting the Resistance
Exercise bike resistance is adjustable in two ways. The majority of the cheaper models use a belt and tension, higher-priced models use magnetic resistance which is quieter and more dependable. Magnetic resistance is usually adjusted with a knob or a pushbutton. Most people find it easier to use a pushbutton.
Monitoring Your Heart Rate
It is really crucial to be able to monitor your heart rate while training as this is the whole aim of riding your exercise bike in the first place! Always purchase an exercise bike with a built-in pulse rate monitor so that you can alter your training appropriately. Virtually all the exercise bikes do have this though cheaper bikes will often only have a pulse rate monitor built into the handlebars. The costly exercise bikes will have exercises that are driven by your heart rate so they adjust automatically to keep your pulse rate at a level that you set. This is a very nice aspect but not crucial if you can’t afford it.
Integrated Workout Programs
A lot of of the cheaper exercise bikes do not have exercise integrated programs. Even though you may believe this is not too much of a drawback you will discover that merely sitting on the bike and riding will become monotonous very swiftly! With workout programs you can alter your workout and the feedback you get will help with your motivation. Consoles that give you feedback on your heart rate, calories burned, distance covered etc. actually do aid your enthusiasm and keep you exercising for much longer. Most of the exercise bikes in the mid-budget range i.e. between about $300 and $600 will give you a realistic range of incorporated workouts and a fairly good quality display. More high-priced exercise bikes i.e. in the $650 and above range will have a very wide range of workouts and first-rate LED displays with a complete range of feedback information.
Conclusion
Certainly, as with other fitness exercise machines, when buying an exercise bike, you get what you pay for. It is not really a good idea to buy the lowest cost exercise bike you can find as it might not last very long and you won’t be pleased with the training that it gives you. It is not necessary to buy a very high-priced bike but we suggest buying one for approximately $300 which will give you good exercise and keep your motivation high.