Exercise bikes work your legs, heart and lungs without putting impact or stress on your joints. They have always been very popular pieces of
cardiovascular equipment because the exercise motion is very familiar to most people; you simply pedal as you would on a regular bike. You can set your own pace, and even read while exercising.
Your exercise bike should be comfortable and adjustable. Many people buy an exercise bike based on price alone, not thinking about how comfortable theyll be while theyre riding it.
Insist on buying an exercise bike that has an easily adjustable seat and handlebars, and consider the seating options closely.
There are two main exercise bike seating choices:
Recumbent Exercise Bikes: The recumbent bikes have the advantage of placing your body and back in a more comfortable position. You actually sit in a reclined position with your feet pedaling out in from of you.
Upright Exercise Bikes: The more traditional seating option. You sit just like you were riding a mountain or road bike.
Most of the people who arent bike enthusiasts will be more comfortable on a recumbent bike. Theyre easier on your back and bottom. The only disadvantage to recumbent bikes is its harder to really crank on the workout intensity because you cant stand up and pedal like you can on an upright exercise bike.
Exercise bikes provide adjustable resistance in one of two ways. The cheaper models use a tension belt. And the mid to high priced exercise bikes use magnetic resistance. Magnetic resistance is the superior choice for consistency and quiet operation.
Magnetic resistance operation will vary by bike manufacturer. Youll either use a knob or pushbuttons to control the intensity of the magnetic resistance. Opt for pushbutton resistance if you can afford it.
It is very important to have your exercise bike equipped with some form of heart rate monitor. Most bikes have at least a pulse grip point on the
handlebars to check your heart rate while exercising.
The whole point of riding an exercise bike is to get your heart rate up. If you dont have a heart rate monitor youre shooting yourself in the foot right from the get go.
Higher end bikes will come standard with pulse driven workouts. That means the exercise bike will adjust the workout intensity based on readings from the built in heart rate monitor. A great feature to have if you can afford it, but
not essential.
The display console and number of built-in workout will vary greatly with each exercise bike. The cheaper exercise bikes have a poor display
(or no display) and no built-in workouts. This drawback can lead to quick boredom with lack of user feedback and motivation.
When you move into the higher range there are a lot more choices. Expect a minimum of 5 built-in workouts and a display console that gives you feedback information on heart rate, time, distance and calories burned. Some exercise bikes in this price range have pulse driven workout programs. Most bikes also come with a nice led readout to help you track the progress of your workout.
About The Author
Jon Walker is an ex-professional soccer player and is now a contributing author and publisher to http://www.exercisebikeadvice.com an online resource that provides you with information, articles of interest and a selection of the internets best retailers of exercise bikes