What to look for in an exercise bike.

If you're looking for a way to get in shape and maintain a healthy lifestyle that will give you a good cardio workout without stressing your joints, then maybe an exercise bike is just what you need. Although treadmills are still probably the most popular exercise machine out there; the treadmill is not ideal for everyone, some can't use a treadmill safely, because of the high impact that using a treadmill can put of your joints. If you have very sensitive joints for any reason, you'll have to try a different means of getting a daily workout.

An exercise bike is an excellent choice. A lot of people seem to gravitate to exercise bikes, probably because they are familiar with the overall design, having ridden bikes as kids. Most people realise that riding a bicycle is good exercise, so it only makes sense that if you can perform the same motions indoors you should be able to get similar health benefits.

So what should you look for when you are shopping for exercise bikes?

The first thing to decide is the style of bike to go for, be it an upright bike or a recumbent bike. The upright exercise bike looks very similar to a real bicycle, with handlebars, a seat, and pedals underneath. The alternative is a recumbent exercise bike, you actually lay in and pedal with your feet straight out in front of you. There is many arguements as too which is best most fitness experts seem to agree that either type of exercise bike will work well; your choice is down to personal preference and comfort level as to which bike you should buy. For instance, those with chronic back problems may find the recumbent exercise bike much easier to work with.

When looking over the exercise bike candidates, the same general rule of thumb applies here as it does in other exercise machines. You generally get what you pay for. In other words, most of the really cheap exercise bikes will not hold up well over the long haul. So expect to pay at least $600 to $1000 for a good piece of equipment, and $1500 or more for a really heavy-duty gym quality machine.

The best plan is too go to a store and give one a try, this will help you decide which is right for you. See how comfortable it is for you to use as you exercise. Does this seat fit you as it should? Can you adjust the seat level to give you a comfortable travel distance to the pedals?

A welcome addition to an exercise bike is a heart rate monitor. This is a good piece of equipment to have for almost any exercise machine that you want to use. In fact, some machines are even coming with interactive heart rate monitors that keep an eye on your heart rate level and adjust your workout automatically to help you burn the most calories per session. If you can get an exercise bike with this feature, it can be well worth it, it is ideal to use to control you workout getting much more from your workout.

Also make sure that the display on each model gives you the information that you would really like to have as you workout. Does it keep track of the time that you have been on the machine? Does it show the calories you have burned? Does it display your heart rate level? Does it allow you to adjust the resistance of the machine as you workout? Having this extra information can make workouts more fun and give you a better guage of your progress.

As you test out each machine, take notes on each model, both its strengths and its weaknesses, and then compile the information after you have looked at a good representation of all exercise bike models available. By keeping the suggestions listed above in mind and doing your homework you should be able to make the best exercise bike choice possible for your needs. Don't forget to look on the internet once you have checked out the model you like and the features you require as some of the better deals can be found there.