Exercise Bike Buying Tips
If you’ve made the decision to buy an exercise bike, then you’re well on your way to improving your health and fitness and achieving your weight loss goals. Unfortunately, there’s still one big decision left to make – choosing the right exercise bike. In this article I aim to help you find the best exercise bike for you by listing seven key exercise bike buying tips.
1) Set A Budget
As with any big buying decision, setting a budget is crucial. If you don’t set a budget before you start selecting exercise bikes you’re either going to end up out of pocket (by purchasing an exercise bike you can’t afford) or end up disappointed (because the exercise bikes you have been looking at cost more than you can afford). Therefore, before you do anything else, choose a maximum price that you are willing to pay for an exercise bike and then stick to this price throughout the rest of the buying process.
2) Measure Your Workout Space
After you’ve settled on a maximum price for your exercise bike, you then need to think about how much space you actually have for it. If you have an expansive home gym with lots of open space, you’ll be able to buy a larger exercise bike with no problems. However, if you’re going to use the exercise bike in your living room or your bedroom, you will need to double check the dimensions and make sure the exercise bike you choose is small enough to fit in the room and cycle on without cramping your style.
3) Decide Whether You Want An Upright Or Recumbent Seating Position
Another important decision to make when buying an exercise bike is the seating position. Exercise bikes with an upright design are very similar to regular outdoor bikes and if you are planning to use your exercise bike to train for an outdoor race, you may prefer this design. Additionally, upright exercise bikes are more flexible and allow you to use them sitting down, standing up or leaning forward. Finally, many experts believe that upright bikes offer a more intense workout than recumbent exercise bikes.
On the other hand, recumbent exercise bikes provide you with lower back support and place less strain on your knees, so if you have problems in either of these areas, you’ll probably find this design more comfortable. Recumbent exercise bikes are also easier to cycle on for longer periods, so if you are planning to do longer, stamina building workout sessions, a recumbent design may be better for you.
4) Choose The Type Of Resistance Control You Need
There are generally two types of resistance control on exercise bikes – manual and electronic. Exercise bikes with a manual resistance control are generally cheaper but since you have to lean and change the resistance manually, they can disrupt the flow of your workout. Exercise bikes with an electronic resistance control do cost a bit more to buy but since you can change the resistance at the push of the button, you get a much smoother ride.
If you generally cycle at the same pace, you’ll probably be fine with a manual resistance control. However, if you do lots of interval training on your exercise bike and are constantly changing speed, you’ll be better off buying a bike with an electronic resistance control.
5) Choose How Much Resistance You Need
Another thing you’ll need to consider when buying an exercise bike is how much resistance you actually need. If you just want an exercise bike that gives you a light workout and gradually improves your fitness, an exercise bike with a limited range of resistance may be suitable for you. However, if you’re training for a race or want to lose a lot of weight, you may need an exercise bike with a wider range of resistance.
The resistance on an exercise bike is determined by two things – the flywheel and the magnets. Exercise bikes with a large, heavy flywheel and a large number of magnets offer a much wider range of resistance than exercise bikes with a small, light flywheel and fewer magnets. Exercise bikes with electromagnetic resistance also generally offer a much wider range of resistance than ones without, so bear these features in mind when choosing your exercise bike.
6) Check Out Existing Customer Reviews
If you follow the steps above, you should be able to make a shortlist of exercise bikes that do what you need at a price that’s affordable to you. To whittle down this shortlist down into your final choice, checkout what other customers have to say about each exercise bike on your shortlist. If there’s any overwhelmingly negative feedback towards any of the exercise bikes, remove them from your shortlist. Then with the remaining bikes, see what the customers like best about each one, match that up to the features that are important to you and make your final choice.
Summary
I hope these tips have helped you choose an exercise bike that suits your needs. Buying an exercise bike is a big decision but if you follow the tips in this article it’s one that will most certainly pay off. Good luck and happy cycling.
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