Let's get this straight. A perfectly functional recumbent stationary bike need not cost a big pile of money. Moderate priced bikes offer great value and help you reach your fitness goals. But spend too little and you may waste all your money.
See, some pieces of equipment just look like exercise bicycles. They're really exercise bike shaped objects (EBSO). Here's where that gets you.
The Come-Apart Problem
Pedaling a stationary bike puts great force on the machine. If it was a real bike, that force would send it hurtling down the road. Since it can't roll on down the road, something else may happen. What may and often does happen is a slow come-apart.
Poor design and construction leads to machine self-destruction. Welds crack, joints loosen and the looser it all gets the more it moves and the more it comes apart. Sure, you can do maintenance and attempt to keep it all tight, but in many cases it's a losing fight.
Cheap exercise bikes loosen and come apart over time. And the time may be much less than you ever thought.
Swaying Fears
Related to coming apart is the rock and roll you get when pedaling a bike. See, exercise bike fitness results from lots of pedaling and the harder and longer you pedal, the faster you improve. The best bikes just sit there rock solid and absorb all the punishment the rider can inflict.
Lesser bikes, lighter built, sway and move when the pedal force goes up. That in no way encourages more vigorous riding so what happens? Little, weak bikes get used easy and not for long. If nothing else, a wobbly bike feels like it might dump you off and who needs that?
Pain In The Seat
Recumbent bikes exist to make riding more comfortable so you ride longer, harder and more often. Put a poor seat on one of these beasts and that will not happen. The seat must not only be comfortable. It better be adjustable too.
Otherwise a poor fit leaves you with a great excuse to leave the thing parked and what good does that do?
Electronics Death
The better bikes use magnetic drives for a quiet smooth ride. But there's more. Electronic drives team with computer power to fight the number one stopper of exercise bike workouts. It's boredom.
Programmed workouts fight boredom with simulations of real world riding adventures. It's like a game you see. It's a game that keeps you going and keeps you improving.
That's why more powerful electronics and reliable electronics means more fitness and greater actual time in the saddle. That's the way to win.
No Fun... No Ride... No Fitness
Let's face it. Get a solid, fun to ride machine and you spend more time exercising and less time coming up with excuses. Especially with a home based exercise machine, you also get convenience and comfort. It's much easier to work in workouts if the equipment is right there and not a pain to use. Using it may be painful, but it's a pain that produces results not the pain of aggravation and frustration.
The recumbent stationary bike at it's best makes working out more enjoyable and less of a pain. Get too little bike though and it's an exercise in frustration as you watch and feel it do a come-apart as the money you spent virtually evaporates.
Looking for a better way to get in shape? Riding a
Schwinn recumbent stationary bike is one great way to fight your way back into shape.
Learn more about
Schwinn exercise bikes at another of our articles.
Occupation: Writer
Al is a former GM engineer and a rural living skills practitioner. He likes to write about his experiences.
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