3 Best Affordable Exercise Bikes Reviews | Stationary Bike Reviews

Remember what the exercise bikes looks like? It was once popular in homes and gyms way before today’s high-tech exercise gizmos that made their way into our lives. You might unknowingly have one stashed away in the garage that you have long forgotten about or been using one as a clothes hangar.

When you’re starting on a fitness journey, it is important to find an exercise program that you will enjoy doing. Stationary exercise bikes are a good choice for beginners or someone with joint problems such as in the knees or back, which make running or jumping difficult. Exercise bikes are easy on the joints and to use as compared to elliptical trainers or treadmills.

These bikes have helped millions of people across the globe to achieve their ideal fitness, health goals, weight loss targets and they certainly will be able to help you too. Cycling on a bike can help you burn a lot of calories that you don’t need and can improve the overall function of your lungs and heart. With proper use, cycling on a stationary bike can also help you raise your heart rate accordingly into the fat burning zones for your body type and age.

Stationary Exercise Bikes Comparisons

Features	ProGear 100s	Bladez Fitness Echelon GS	Sunny Health & Fitness SF-B1423

Adjustable Seats
LCD Display Type
Flywheel Weight	22 lbs	40 lbs	40 lbs
Dimensions	36 x 29 x 9 inches	48 x 19 x 43 inches	47 x 20 x 44 inches
Product Weight	70 lbs	10 lbs	94 lbs
1 Year Warranty
Price	View on Amazon	View on Amazon	View on Amazon

The Benefits of Having an Exercise Bikes At Home

Apart from being easy to use, exercise bikes are also portable and take up very small spaces. You can place one at home if you don’t have access to a gym. Also, as these bikes are meant to be used indoors, you no longer have to let the weather decide your workout routines for you. Plus, you can work out while watching your favorite videos and it’s a good way to sweat off the stubborn fats and excess calories you might have – Remember, sweat are the tears of fat.

Cycling at 15 kilometers an hour or approximately 9 miles an hour burns up to 3 calories per kilo of bodyweight every 30 minutes. Assuming you weigh a hundred kilograms, that’s a burn rate of 300 calories every 30 minutes! Go on for an hour (600 calories) and you would have burn off almost whatever you had for lunch.

Let’s all face it, apart from our health and fitness goals, most of us exercise to look good and feel good. We would kill for those shapely thighs, calves, butt, hips and even a toner tummy. Well lucky for you, these look good benefits are the byproduct of exercising. Having a bike at home will definitely help you achieve that dream body that you have always wanted. I mean, given the chance you want to look a lot better than you are now right?

If you’re like most of us and would like to achieve your fitness and health goals with an exercise bike, we are here to help. We have shortlisted 3 exercise bikes for you that we think are good enough to be used at home.

Exercise Bikes You Should Consider For Your Home

ProGear 100S Exercise Bike/Indoor Training Cycle

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Sitting on the ProGear 100S will make you feel you’re on a racing road bike due to its handlebars and sitting position, which feels pretty cool. Pedaling on it also feels like you’re on a real bike because of its chain drive system. The bike uses a 22 lbs flywheel and has toe cages to keep your foot from slipping when you accelerate to higher speeds.

You will like the bike’s hardware configuration because you can pedal in both the seated and standing positions. This easily allows you to do a wide range of interval trainings, like the ones that you see in gym spinning classes where they suddenly all stand up to sprint and slow down. The seat is also comfortable to sit on and can be adjusted 4-ways to the user’s preference.

The resistance on the bike can be adjusted with a knob in front of you but there are no resistance levels, which means that you have to estimate the resistance levels by feel. The resistance is controlled by a friction pad which will wear out over time but you can get replacements from the supplier.

This bike comes with a non-backlit LCD display which gives you the time, speed, distance, calories burned and your heart rate. However, there are no pre-programmed workouts for you to follow. The build of the bike feels sturdy enough and doesn’t feel like toppling over when pedaling really hard.

Bladez Fitness Echelon GS Indoor Cycle

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It is obvious that the Bladez Fitness Echelon GS is a heavy-duty bike. The frame is made out of steel that is so oversized, you are almost guaranteed to have a non-wobbly workout even during the toughest exercise routine. Both the seats and handlebars are adjustable for you to fully customize the bike to suit your preferences. The pedals come with toe cages and you don’t have to worry about slipping when you’re going really fast.

This bike comes with a 40 lbs flywheel and uses a belt drive to bring the noise down during use. Resistance is adjusted with a knob but does not have fixed levels, so you will have to feel for the resistance level that you want. A felt pad is used for the resistance which will wear out over time. But not to worry, replacement pads can be attained from the supplier.

The console on this bike features a non-backlit LCD display which will display the amount of calories burned, time, distance and speed. The console starts itself when you start pedaling and turns off when there are no activity for 4 minutes. There are no pre-programmed work outs for you to follow.

What you will get from the Bladez Fitness Echelon is a good basic bike that you and your family can use at home. This bike in our opinion, will be best suited for beginners or for those who want a moderate to intense workout.

Sunny Health & Fitness Indoor Cycling Bike SF-B1423

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Sunny Health & Fitness, a widely known brand for exercise machines built the SF-B1423 stationary bike with a belt driven system and a 40 lbs flywheel. The pedals come with toe cages as well so you don’t have to worry about slipping off.

One noticeable aspect of this bike is its low noise level and smoothness of its ride when you’re cycling. You definitely won’t be waking anyone up at 2am should you decide to work out at that timing. Also with such a low noise level, you wouldn’t need to turn the volume on the television up or use headphones while watching your videos.

Its resistance is controlled by a knob that has a braking feature inbuilt into it. You can stop the flywheel from spinning by pressing down on the knob and the friction pad that is used to control the resistance, will press down onto the flywheel. The resistance levels can be increased slowly by turning the knobs. However, there are no markings for resistance levels hence you will have to feel for the level of resistance that you want.

The console features a non-backlit LCD display and is very basic, you can only track your speed, time, distance and calories burned. The speed and distance is only measured in miles and there are no pre-programmed workouts for you to follow. The overall build of the bike is solid and sturdy enough so you don’t have to worry about wobbling or falling halfway through your workout.

Buying Exercise Bikes Guide

There are a few important points that you will need to consider when you are making your first stationary bike purchase.

Build & Stability: The quality and stability of the machine is extremely crucial. After all you wouldn’t want to fall and crash with your machine during your workout.

Riding Style: Would you rather a bent forward sitting position like a racing bike or be pedaling in a seated upright position?

Size of The Bike: This is one of the factors that is often neglected. You need to consider the space and area that you will want to place the bike in before you decide on one.

Flywheel Weight: The heavier the wheel the more fluid the pedaling, the higher the resistance and vice versa.

Other Considerations

One of the main considerations before you buy a bike is what you will be using it for. For example, would the exercise bike be a rainy day’s alternative or be your main exercise activity? If it’s the latter, you might consider getting one from the top range of models. If it’s the former or you wouldn’t know whether you will ever stick to an exercise program, a mid-range bike would suit you better.

Recumbent Bikes – It’s the kind that you lie or sit back when you’re pedaling and tends to be favored by the elderly or those in rehabilitation because they have minimal impact on the joints. However that does not mean that they are easier to use. When you’re lying back, you will need a lot more effort to turn the crank as compared when you’re seated upright and have gravity on your side.

Used Bikes – If you have a gym membership or know a gym nearby, you might want to consider getting a used bike instead if you’re unsure whether you will be committed to your program. Gyms usually sell their equipment away at very low prices when they have new ones coming in. You might want to consider that as an option as well.

Maintenance – Don’t take it for granted that your bike will last even if you don’t maintain them because sweat is very corrosive. Be sure to wipe the bike down at least once every week and lubricate visible moving parts regularly to avoid nasty squeaks and rusting. Also check on your friction pads once in a while and get spares from the store once you start to see the end of its lifespan.

Bike fitting – Make sure the bike fits you well before you make your purchase. When you’re at the store make sure that the seat height is good for you and you’re not sitting too far from the handlebars. Wearing your training shoes when you’re testing bikes out is a good practice because you will know exactly how you will feel when you’re training. Do not just pedal on the bike for a few seconds at the store, be sure to go on for a minute or two so you will know the comfort level you’re getting after a while at training.

Conclusion

Now before you hop onto a bike and start pedaling away, remember to know your equipment and how to safely operate it. Learn how to tune the intensity of your exercise at the start and slowly build it up. Always remember to have your shoes on and you can get a pair of padded shorts or gel seat covers if the seat is a bit too hard for your liking.

Good luck and have loads of fun with your new bike!