Exercise Bike

January 24, 2013 2:12 PM

I'm looking at buying a gym quality exercise bike, which bike should I buy and what price range should I expect?

I have a fitness depot close by that I can check out... http://www.fitnessdepotottawa.com/bikes.htm

Where else should I check out? How long does a typical exercise bike last?

I'm looking for an upright bike. One preferably that doesn't use belt resistance. I believe most gym bikes use magnetic resistance, please correct me if I'm wrong.

posted by MechEng to health & fitness (7 answers total)

I have one very like this one, which I got at a Black Friday sale at least 10 years ago. It is still going strong.
posted by bearwife at 2:31 PM on January 24

There are bikes that have digital readouts, pre-programmed training rides with automatic resistance changes, built-in HR monitors, etc. Then there are the stripped-down mechanically braked "spinning" type bikes, with greatly adjustable seats and pedals with toe cages and clip-in for cycling shoes. Which were you thinking of?
posted by the man of twists and turns at 2:55 PM on January 24

I repeat, I do not want belt or mechanically braked bikes.
posted by MechEng at 4:01 PM on January 24

Something that my husband checked out when he bought his exercise bike was how much noise it made while he was pedaling, because some of them were noisy enough to drive him crazy.
posted by telophase at 5:04 PM on January 24

Check put the Sears Putlet. We got a Nordic Track treadmill for $450. Awesome deal!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 5:25 PM on January 24

Honestly, I'd go in there and sit on a few of the things. I'm happy with my bike (which uses mag resistance) but the most important thing is how your bottom feels, or will feel after 45 minutes on the thing.

I bought my bike (Korean model, probably not available in the US) two years ago and it sill works like a charm. It's got a rather chintzy digital readout that I have had to replace the batteries in exactly once.
posted by bardic at 1:21 AM on January 25

Something worth considering is that you can take a regular bike and attach it to a rear wheel resistance trainer unit. You need to put a smooth tire on the back wheel but then you have a winter indoor option as well as a fair weather outdoor option. In many cases the cost is comparable. There are a lot of interesting options here to connect up your trainer with programs like Trainer Road to create your workouts and to keep you engaged.

A little related advice from someone who has logged hundreds of saddle hours on the indoor bike trainer:

* Get a pair of padded bike shorts. They really help. Wash them between uses every time.
* Your butt will hurt at first and until you have spent two weeks adapting your intuition about which seat/saddle is right will be dead wrong. At first you will want the softest cushiest thing known to man and two months later you will prefer a firmer saddle.
* Get a fan. You get hot surprisingly fast even in a cold basement. An ideal set up is a variable speed fan. I'm fond of the Lasko tower fans. I use two of them.
* Get something to stare at other than the wall. Watching videos or listening to good music helps. The clock moves excruciatingly slow when you are on a trainer bike.
posted by dgran at 8:14 AM on January 25