How to select an exercise bike
Posted by admin
First let me start with an advice: Before getting too involved in technical specs and let your money roll – What is your intentions for getting an exercise bike? My answer for you would be: The right bike for you is the one that will keep you coming back for more exercise. So more functionality is not necessarily better. When that is being said, let’s look into the technical stuff.
Exercise bikes is a stationary bikes, usually for indoors use. They look and behave at various degrees similar to their rolling counterparts. The mechanical behavior of the bike is usually what makes you love it or hate it. Different solutions have been made to make them feel like real bicycles:
- A flywheel is used to add momentum to make the bike feel like it is moving forward. If the flywheel was missing the pedals would stop immediately when you stop pedaling.
- Transmission is usually made via a belt or chain from the pedals to the flywheel. This is to avoid making the feet spin at the same speed as the flywheel, making the momentum of the flywheel even greater.
- Different resistance mechanisms are installed on different bikes. Several are available: Friction bands, breaks, fans, electromagnet or magnetic repulsion are the most common resistance mechanisms.
- Seats and handlebars are adjustable for ride comfort.
Different exercise bikes can be ranked according to how similar they are to regular bikes:
- Real cycles on rollers or trainers. These are special setups that you can fit a regular bike on. Rollers are like the ones you test cars on and trainers lift the back wheel up and add resistance.
- Spin bikes. Spin bikes have transmission and large flywheels. They look and feel like regular bikes and are typically used in spinning exercise classes where uptempo music and a coach set an energetic frame to the spinning session. Resistance is typically adjustable breaks. Workout computers are rarely fitted.
- Upright / regular exercise bikes are usually the best choice for having at home due to high versatility, functionality and low price. They usually have a smaller flywheel. Earlier models usually had friction bands or fans for resistance, second generation had permanent magnets and the latest models have electromagnet resistance.
- Recumbent exercise bikes have a seat so you can sit on the bike like in a chair, with your feet in front of you.
- Mini exercise bikes / portable exercise bikes. Some can be used with a regular chair. Others are foldable for portability. I would not recommend these as they would not feel like a bike and would not add sufficient resistance.
For home use I would opt for the third option: Upright exercise bikes have evolved to good alternatives with low cost and high functionality.
Always test a bike before buying one. The simplest models seem to have a problem with varying resistance, probably due to too few magnets. Check for a smooth ride, that the maximum and minimum resistance levels are acceptable, and how easy you can fine tune the resistance. This is the most important part of the bike.
Almost all newer upright exercise bikes come with a workout computer. You can have a bonanza of functionality on these. The things you have to decide if you want are typically:
- Preset programs. Many bikes adjust resistance according to a program, so you don’t have to think about this.
- Heart rate monitoring. Heart rate is measured via ear clips or handlebars. Simpler models show heart rate. Advanced models couple the heart rate with programs so you can lie within some preset target heart rate. You can skip this option and buy a portable heart rate monitor if you like to.
- Cooling. Some bikes have cooling so you wont feel so sweaty
- Cadence and exercise monitoring. Most bikes measure speed, energy usage etc.
- Entertainment. Some newer bikes have built in games or connectors for mp3-players. I prefer a television in front of me instead.
So there you have it – Now you have everything you need to know before getting your own exercise bike.
Leave a Reply