Exercise bikes
 

Do you own one? Do you like it? Please share your opinions, and let us know what brand and model you have :)

I don't own one...but at the gym they have some low tech spin bikes that I really like. I'll look and see what brand they are....

what i would look for if I was going to buy...

Can I ride standing up? Key for getting my heart rate up
Is it fairly low profile? I don't want it to take up much space.
It would be nice if I didn't need to plug anything in...if I do have to plug it in it had better give me useful info.. :cb:
Resistance level needs to go really high - to give me room to get stronger and still be able to get a good workout.
It needs to feel stable - not cheapy or wobbly.

A lot of bikes I have tested at sports equipment stores don't meet most of these criteria....maybe I need to find a gym who just bought new models or something.

I have a gym quality recumbent bike - LifeFitness R7i (it's about five years old so the model # is probably out of date). I've owned 'home' exercise bikes before and found them to be poor quality and uncomfortable so was willing to spend the money for the quality and durability. I haven't been disappointed. :) It's as smooth as silk, built like a rock, and hasn't needed any repairs or maintenance.

The resistance goes to 20, though I've never gone above 6 for long, so there's resistance to spare! It doesn't need to be plugged in.

I saved several hundred dollars by buying the model without the built-in heart rate monitor. It came with a Polar HR strap that reads out on the display, so it's no big deal that there aren't built-in monitors in the handles.

Highly recommended!

http://us.home.lifefitness.com/resou...mages/r9i4.jpg

This is the 9i, identical to mine but with the built-in HR monitors in the handles.

I have used a bike at the gym for the past 8 months. I like the lifeFitness recumbent cycles a lot. I also like the feel of Nautilus upright but they are new in the club and seem to be broken a lot.

I purchasesd a Schwinn airdyne a few years ago and I don't like it although you can get a really good workout on it. It does not have resistance levels, but works with air. There is always some resistance because of this.

The reason I am not crazy about the bike is that it doesn't fit me right, and you have to use your arms all the time. I thought I would like that but I don't. It is sturdy and built well and if the above stuff works for someone I'd recommend it.

There is a new model of the bike with a smaller wheel, mine has a large wheel. It is nice when working out because it is a fan for a sweaty body. If you get cold easy it would be bad.