Exercise Bikes are effective and popular workout machines that are often the preferred choice of many exercisers, from beginners to fitness fanatics. They are very easy to use and can effectively work your heart, lungs and lower body muscles. You can workout in comfort whilst watching TV or listening to music with the comfortable and adjustable seats and handlebars found on most exercise bikes.

Whatever your shape or size, most exercise bikes are adjustable for comfort. However, some exercise bikes have a weight capacity. Please check this in the product descriptions before buying, or if you are not sure just give us a call on Freephone 0800 0130 156 and we will be very happy to help.

There are 3 main types of Exercise Bikes available:

These machines are most like traditional bikes. They have normal bike seats and you sit upright whilst pedalling. Many features are available on the standard upright bikes, such as exercise programmes and heart rate control, which are all covered below.

Recumbent Exercise Bikes can be a great choice if you suffer from back or knee problems, or simply want to take advantage of the comfortable training sessions they offer. The seat is at a low level and the pedals are placed in front of you so your legs don't bend too much. This can offer excellent forms of cross training for athletes such as runners because very little impact is placed on your joints. Your back is also supported throughout the workout which is a great advantage over many other exercise machines.

Dual action cycles are designed for a high intensity, full body workout that uses moveable handlebars to work both your legs and arms in one session.

Exercise bikes often come with a wide array of programs in the console. Over 4 programs are usually enough. Programs are predefined settings that vary the resistance during your workout. This provides a specific workout such as fat burning or endurance. Many models will also have a manual program feature for you to create your own.

Exercise bikes have adjustable resistance levels for you to increase or decrease the intensity of your workout, depending on your condition and fitness goals. The main types of resistance found in our Exercise Bikes are:

This lets you pedal quietly without friction. You can increase or decrease the resistance easily by turning a dial on the bike.

This super smooth resistance is controlled in the exercise bikes console and is usually found in top of the range models.

Resistance is regulated by a heavy wheel and maintained by kinetic energy built up by your pedalling.

There are two methods of controlling the resistance found in exercise bikes; Manual (by turning a dial) and electronic (by using a button). Controlling the resistance can have an effect on your heart rate. If you increase the resistance the pedal movement will become harder and therefore your heart rate will increase, along with the intensity of the workout. If you don't want to worry about adjusting resistance to keep your heart rate where it needs to be for optimum results, you might want to consider a machine with electronic resistance control and heart rate control programs.

Heart rate control means your heart rate is monitored, often by pulse sensors in the handlebars or a wireless chest strap. Some of the exercise programs in the console will often include heart rate control. This adjusts the resistance to increase your heart rate, in line with your chosen goal. This is an invaluable feature if you are trying to lose weight and don't want to worry about your heart rate, which needs to be in a specific target zone for the best results. This all depends on your gender, age, and body type which can be entered into the computer program of some models, or found in the product manuals. Heart rate control on exercise bikes is normally a little more expensive, but definitely worth it if you want to see fast results and enjoy safe training sessions. It eliminates the guesswork and the need to increase speed while you are working out. If you don't require it, you can save money and every model will have a pulse monitoring system as standard. No heart rate control simply means that resistance and speed won't be automatically changed to move your heart rate to the desired level for your chosen workout.

Exercise bikes have always been a very popular piece of home gym equipment. Cycling provides a fun cardiovascular workout and an effective lower body toning session in one. There are many models available for you to choose from, suiting all budgets and needs. We hope the information in this guide helps you make a more informed decision. If you require any more assistance please don't hesitate to contact us on 0800 0130 156, we are very happy to help.