Things to Consider When Buying an Exercise Bike
While some people enjoy jogging, hiking or even cycling to keep themselves healthy, others prefer to exercise in the comfort of their own home and the most popular tool for keeping yourself in shape or even getting rid of a few pounds at home is the stationary bike. If you are buying an exercise bike for the first time, there are a few things to consider if you want to exercise properly and be safe at the same time.
Basic Features
You can find a variety of bikes with a multitude of features for everyone’s taste, exercise intensity or schedule, but the most important thing to keep in mind when you’re buying an exercise bike is to check for the basic or must-have features such as resistance levels, adjustable seat and basic measurements displayed on the monitor.
Any decent stationary bike should have various resistance levels to fit the intensity of your exercise. If you are looking to progress through the levels while exercising often, a bike with more levels would be better for you as you can simply change the resistance often, without feeling like you jumped to another level too fast. The resistance levels can be adjusted and should be shown on the display, along with the speed you are cycling at, for how long you used the bike and the total amount of calories burned during your exercise session, these are also must-have features for any bike on the market.
Even though it doesn’t look like a basic feature if you are new to stationary bikes, an adjustable chair is essential for your comfort, after all, you are looking for comfort when you are buying an exercise bike. Not only that but if your weight, height or the ratio between them are unusual you should check how adjustable the chair actually is to make sure you won’t feel like sitting on a fence while cycling.
Optional Features or Accessories
As mentioned before the basic features should be a part of any product on the market nowadays, but you might also think about other features or accessories when you’re buying an exercise bike that will make your sessions more enjoyable. Checking your heart rate when exercising is a must nowadays, but not all of the stationary bikes out there have this feature included.
You might also like a cup or bottle holder on the bikes so you won’t be afraid of spilling the water or stop exercising just to keep yourself hydrated. Maybe you would like to listen to your favorite song when pedaling and you should know there are bikes with mp3 players near the main display that could help you do this without bringing your smartphone with you. There are a lot of optional accessories to make your exercise sessions better so make sure you check these out also when shopping for a bike.
Safety Mechanics
Various studies show that an excessive amount of kids are injured due to exercise equipment, stationary bikes included of course. Make sure the chain and flywheel are always covered if you have kids around the house so you can avoid that. Some bikes come with a full cover and some don’t so take this also into consideration when looking for stationary bikes.
There are many factors to consider when you’re buying an exercise bike, but these should help you make an informed decision and choose the best stationary bike out there that would fit your needs and keep you in shape at the same time.
