Exercise Bike Buyers Guide
What's the budget?
Quality exercise bikes will start at just under £150 for a model such as the Reebok 3 series bike, through to just over £1500 for all singing, all dancing models such as the Life Fitness C9i. Cheaper bikes will have less ability to adjust, fewer programs and less stability, some may have belt or fabric brake resistance rather than electromagnetic resistance. You need to decide which features you require and then compare prices within your budget.
What space do you have?
Measure the space that you are planning to use for your exercise bike and compare it against the dimensions given by the manufacturers and suppliers. Recumbent cycles will generally take up more space due to the nature of their construction.
Recumbent or upright
An upright cycle, such as the Life Fitness C1 Lifecycle, offers the same position as a traditional push bike and tends to work the front of the thighs whereas a recumbent cycle, such as the Tunturi e30R, offers a more reclined position with greater support to the back and works the backs of the thighs more.
Exercise programs
A number of exercise bikes and cycles offer variable programs which can help with motivation by varying routines. Some, such as the Life Fitness C3 Advanced allow for programs to be set based on monitoring heart rate.