I want to ride my bicycle.

January 10, 2006 7:58 AM

I would like to buy an exercise bicycle for a friend who wants to cardio train, but has terrible knees. However, I know nothing of exercise bicycles.

...and it seems like there's a lot of options out there. The two brands I've had recommended to me are Keys Fitness and Schwinn, but there are more categories of bikes-that-don't-move than I was aware of. Upright? Recumbant? "Indoor Cycling"?

What are the pros and cons of upright or recumbant bikes? Which ones are better for someone with bad knees? Does anyone have any personal recommendations?

For a budget, I'm looking towards the less-expensive end of things. I don't need a crazed featureset, I want something that works well, isn't going to fall apart, and is worth the money spent.

Any suggestions or personal experiences would be appreciated.

posted by Jairus to health & fitness (8 comments total)

Recumbents are no easier on the knees, and they are murder on the hips, so you might want to consider that. People with advanced knee disease generally don't have perfect hips or ankles, because they're walking in ways that spare their knees at the cost of overstraining the other joints.

While bicycling in general is generally quite knee-friendly because of the limited range of motion required, it does require the knees to flex freely in that range and to bear quite a bit of weight. So not everyone with 'terrible knees' is going to do great on a bike.

I'd suggest not buying this as a surprise. Make your friend come out and try some with you. Or, if he already has a bike he likes, consider an indoor trainer.
posted by ikkyu2 at 8:11 AM on January 10, 2006

I'd suggest not buying this as a surprise.

Ditto. Both exercise equipment and bicycles are something that you need to fit to a person (if nothing else, seat shape and type of handlebars on an upright exercise bike are going to be a function of preference and anatomy, and aren't always interchangeable like normal bicycle bars and seats), and your friend needs to talk to his doctor before starting any exercise regimen that's going to work his bad knees.
posted by mendel at 8:17 AM on January 10, 2006

What about a hand bike? They're often promoted for elderly or the disabled, but I can attest that they're just fine for everyone.

Personal story: There used to be a hand bike in the corner of the room in my HS weight room. We'd often challenge the new guy to do 10-15 minutes on it. Man, that thing would *destroy* you, both aerobically and uh, muscle-ically.
posted by unixrat at 8:17 AM on January 10, 2006

I used to pedal in a high gear (slow but more force), I eventually noticed the knee strain. It is definitely important to keep the cadence up and the force down!
posted by Chuckles at 9:06 AM on January 10, 2006

There is a lot of good advice about buying exercise equipment in general, and some postings specifically about bikes (recumbent and otherwise) in this very recent Q&A - highly recommended.
posted by WestCoaster at 10:10 AM on January 10, 2006

Interesting, I too was under the impression recumbant was easier on the knees.. Agreed that you wouldn't want to surprise someone with this.
posted by joshgray at 12:10 PM on January 10, 2006

I'd suggest not buying this as a surprise.

It wouldn't be a surprise, but thanks for the warning. I can't imagine what kind of reaction someone would get if they bought someone else exercise equipment as a surprise gift.

There's no problem with going out together and trying out bikes, but that doesn't change the fact that neither of us will have any idea to look for, what brands will fall apart, what styles will be the most effective for cardio and lightest on the knees, etc.
posted by Jairus at 1:46 PM on January 10, 2006

I recently shopped around for an exercise bike but ended up not getting one because I really didn't want a big ugly piece of exercise equipment in my living room. I was similarly overwhelmed by options. The salespeople tended to poopoo the idea that recumbents were an easier workout or were easier on the knees, they just said that they're more comfortable for some people, especially on the back and arms. I was just looking for something sturdy that didn't look like a cheap 80s boombox. For that reason I liked the Schwinn Aerodyne a lot. It seems silly to get a new one though -- definitely test drive new but buy one of the bazillions available at garage sales, on Craigslist, etc.
posted by kmel at 2:01 PM on January 10, 2006