The Best Exercise Bike

If you have fond memories of zipping around your neighborhood on a bike during childhood, you can recapture that lighthearted activity and channel it into health and wellness as an adult. Indoor exercise bikes, or stationary bikes, are a solid fitness solution for anyone searching for a convenient, low-impact home workout.

“[A stationary bike] is an excellent way to get in cardio at home, and riding a bike is low-impact exercise,” Stephanie Mansour, a certified personal trainer and the founder of fitness brand Step It Up Steph, says. “This means that it’s not putting a lot of wear and tear on your body like running, for example. When you run or walk, all of your weight is pounding into the pavement, but when you’re sitting on an exercise bike, there’s much less of an impact. This would be excellent for someone who has a lot of weight to lose, someone with joint issues, or someone looking to get back into exercise.”

There are two main categories of indoor exercise bikes. Upright bikes are designed to resemble a standard road bike. You sit above the bike frame on a saddle seat. The handles provide balance as you cycle, or you can stand up and pedal for a more intense workout.

Uprights work a wide variety of muscles, like your abs, glutes, lower back and shoulders. You’ll also burn more calories on an upright bike than you would on other types of indoor bikes. Some options even fold up for convenient storage. For example, there are bikes that only take up four square feet of floor space and fold in half for easy storage when you’re not using them.

“Make sure the bike you purchase will fit into the space you have allocated for it,” Mansour says. “Use a measuring tape and measure how much space you have, and then check the specs of the bike.”

Recumbent bicycles are easier to use if you have poor balance or are new to working out. The low-slung design makes room for a larger saddle seat, and a backrest supports your spine.

This design doesn’t work as many muscle groups as upright bicycles, and you may burn fewer calories than you would on an upright. They also tend to take up more space in your home and cost more money than upright designs. However, recumbent bikes give your hamstrings a solid workout, and they’re more user-friendly for people who are brand new to biking.

Choosing which bike is right for you depends on your fitness goals. You’ll want to check out upright bikes if you want a heart-pounding cardiovascular workout. If you’re recovering from certain injuries, have poor balance or want a more comfortable riding experience, a recumbent bike is right up your alley.

Mansour notes that an exercise bike is a versatile piece of workout equipment because you can control the level of intensity.

“You can ride the bike leisurely while watching TV, or crank it up and make it a really intense workout by changing your speed and resistance on the bike,” she says.

• Before you plunk down hard-earned cash for an exercise bike, ask yourself about your fitness goals. If you’re trying to get back into working out after a long break, an easygoing recumbent bike is worth checking out. If you’re more familiar with biking and want to work a greater number of muscle groups, an upright like might be more your speed.
• How frequently do you work out?  If you’re devoted to breaking a sweat most days of the week, you might not mind spending more for a premium bike. However, people who are just getting into cycling might want to save some cash and go for a budget option.
• Is biking your main pick for physical activity, or do you have other machines that you like to use, too? An upright bike will work more muscle groups and help you break a more intense sweat than recumbents. If you use weight machines or love incorporating other cardio routines into your workout, you can get away with using a recumbent bike.
• Do you have previous knee or hip injuries? Biking is a low-impact activity that can be great for injury recovery, particularly for patients with knee problems. You might notice more pain if your seat is too high or too low though. All of our top picks for exercise bikes have plenty of options for adjustments.
• Are you handy with a set of tools, or will you need help putting your exercise bike together? Each of our top four exercise bike picks comes with the option for expert assembly, but you’ll save a few bucks if you can put them together yourself. You’ll also want to consider expert assembly if you have chronic pain or a recent injury.