How to Choose a Recumbent Bike

A recumbent exercise bike provides comfort with its chair-like seats covered with thick cushioning, offering great lumbar support. It supports your back and, unlike an upright exercise bike, puts less pressure on your knees while burning calories and toning your legs and glutes.

Recumbent bikes usually feature larger, entertainment-oriented consoles with LCD screens. These not only offer additional comfort but also provide engaging workout programs to keep you motivated during your pedaling sessions. These machines are excellent for individuals who are serious about their cardio workouts and are also recommended for people with limited mobility, back pain, or seniors who prefer a low-impact workout.

If you work out regularly at the same resistance, you might soon feel like you’re not making any progress, and the workouts may become monotonous. Therefore, consider a product that offers a variety of pre-loaded workouts and allows for exercise programming with a wide range of resistance levels. Many bikes also feature heart rate-controlled programs. The weight of the flywheel is another important factor to consider; a heavier flywheel will provide smoother motion during your workout. On low-quality bikes, you may experience less resistance as you pedal faster and more resistance as you slow down, causing uneven motion that can be bad for your knees. This is due to the low weight of the flywheel. Hence, look for recumbent bikes with a flywheel that weighs at least 22 pounds.

The way the machine displays information is another important consideration. Opt for a bike with a console that continuously displays your heart rate either through a large numeric display or an always-on graphical chart. Some bikes require you to press a button to display this information, which disappears after a few seconds.

Other features to consider include:

• An adjustable seat that provides excellent back support. Rubber seat backs and cushioned seats are great for maintaining your position during intense workouts with high resistance levels.
• A side bottle holder on the seat that is easily accessible without needing to change your position.
• Transport wheels, especially if you plan to move the bike frequently.
• Feedback provided by the machine. Some machines display useful information like calories burned, distance traveled, and the number of pedal strokes.
• If comfort is a priority for you, consider bikes with features such as Bluetooth connectivity for your music player, built-in cooling fans, speakers, and a tablet holder.
• Large, dual-sided pedals.
• Keep in mind the space you have available when choosing a recumbent exercise bike as they can be quite large.