Kettler Exercise Bike

Exercise Bike Buying Guide

Buying an exercise bike? A bike is a great way to build fitness, lose weight and get fit. Plus they're convenient and one of the most comfortable to burn calories in the comfort of your own home.

But how to choose the best? This buying guide will show you what to look for when buying so you can find the best exercise bike for your needs - while avoiding the lemons!

First, ask yourself which class of bike you want. There are two general classes of exercise bikes:

1) recumbent

recumbents are the latest exercise bikes on the market with seats like president or a bucket. Your body is placed in a supine position and angle of your legs semi in front of you to reach the pedals instead of hanging on as an upright bike.

2) Wheels Vertical

They are also called "Stationary bikes" although this term has now become a catch-all term for both upright and recumbent. These are the traditional exercise bikes that have been around for years and are similar in form traditional outdoor bikes.

An offshoot of the standard upright bike is the "dual action bike" stationary. These bikes have movable bars or levers on arm handles incorporate the upper body in training.

Know what you want before you start comparing different exercise bikes. Personally, I have owned both and after a while upright bike seats just do not feel too comfortable if you know what I mean. But the choice is yours.

The next thing you should choose is your budget. How much are you willing to pay for your bike?

There are really three categories of awards:

1) Less than $ 500

2) Between $ 500 - 1000

3) $ 1,000 +

Less than $ 500: While there are bike over year average of less than $ 500, do not expect to get a high quality machine for this price. If you do not plan on using your exercise cycle much or if you're on a budget, this may be a good price point for you.

Between $ 500 - $ 1000: Unlike treadmills or elliptical, you can usually get a very solid, higher quality exercise bike for your home in this category.

Most exercise bikes in this category offer magnetic resistance and high grade consoles that give you feedback on your workout. You should also expect several built-in workout programs, foot straps and heart rate monitors.

$ 1000 +: These exercise bikes are the cream of the cream for the home exerciser or they are advanced commercial quality for the health club. Examples of motorcycles in this category include spinners and commercial bikes like Life Cycle, Kettler and Star Trac.

Remember that exercise bikes - in general - you get what you pay for so try to spend as much as you can and get a high quality machine that will last.

These are really the 2 most important features to decide on the type of bike and the price you can afford. Here are some more features you need to know about choosing an exercise bike.

Resistance

There are several types of resistance, you will find in your exercise bike

1) Direct Tension - offers you a manual adjustment of resistance

2) Air - resistance is provided by pedaling against the airflow of a fan blade

3) Magnetic Resistance - this is the most sophisticated type of resistance allowing magnetic currents to create and track resistance. It generally allows for a greater variety of fitness levels.

Magnetic resistance is generally considered the best option because it tends to be quieter and offers better feel for, even when pedaling.

Training Options

Most exercise bikes give you information on speed, distance traveled and time of the workout. The more sophisticated you go, you will also find things like total calories and fat burning resistance level, heart rate and program mode.

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