Choosing the best exercise bike for weight loss or if you are wanting to improve your cardio is a must for many people.

In fact more and more people are choosing to buy an exercise bike for home use, where they can relax and exercise in the comfort of their own home.

However with so much choice available, just how do you go about purchasing right bike for your needs? How can you check on the best exercise bikes in the marketplace, to make sure you are getting the best exercise bike for weight loss? I mean there are so many options, including an upright bike, recumbent exercise bike, a race or air bike and more.

In this article we take a look through the wide range of exercise bikes available, giving you a clear overview on the pros and cons on the types of exercise bikes available.

Upright Exercise Bikes

Closely resembling outdoor cycling, the upright exercise bike is a popular choice for many people. From beginners to well experienced cyclists, an upright exercise bike is very simple to use and comes at a minimal expense for most people. Whilst an upright exercise bike is used by both experienced and inexperienced cyclists, an upright is usually the first type of exercise bike people purchase, before moving onto more advanced models.

This type of exercise bike is often compared to a road bike, because you have the option of either sitting or standing whilst pedalling it. This is a great way to ensure that multiple muscles are being used, both when standing and pedalling or sitting and pedalling. Just bear in mind that as with riding a road bike, your body can develop back pain – due to the user taking on a “slouched” position when pedalling.  

Without doubt a upright exercise bike is a fantastic piece of fitness equipment you should consider for your home. They are usually relatively small in size, making them ideal to keep at home without taking up too much space.

Most people will choose to purchase an upright exercise bike if they are;

• Looking to exercise multiple muscles
• Training on a small budget
• Are exercising at home with minimal space

Recumbent Exercise Bikes

With a recumbent exercise bike, you have to remain sitting whilst using it. This in turn leads to many people believing that less calories will be burned when using a recumbent exercise bike. This has been proven to be untrue. Yes it’s true that not as many muscles will be worked, when you compare to an upright exercise bike. However the additional comfort that a user will experience from the seat, means you can workout on the recumbent bike for longer and therefore you should consider this mode as being a contender for one of the best exercise bike for weight loss.

As we just mentioned a recumbent exercise bike has a much more comfortable seat, which means that the user can pedal in comfort for a longer period of time. In addition this type of bike is an ideal option for anyone who may be undergoing recovery from a recent sport injury. This is due to the lower seating position enabling the user to get on and ride the bike much easier. A reclined position does mean that you have to work your legs harder though!

When we compare the price of an recumbent exercise bike to a upright bike, the recumbent will come out a little more expensive. That said these bikes do tend to be larger and will occupy more space.

It is worth purchasing a recumbent exercise bike if you:

• Currently recovering from a sports injury
• Suffer from backpain
• Need a more comfortable bike

Racer Exercise Bikes

With the clue in the name, Racers are exercise bikes geared up to provide the user the effects of racing in hill climbs and sprints. These types of bikes are an ideal solution for those people that want to pedal hard and burn many calories. These kinds of bikes enable the rider to either sit or stand as they pedal, which is a similar process to an Upright Exercise Bike as we mentioned earlier in this article.

The Racers are designed to make the rider work hard during their workout. Therefore this is a type of exercise bike may not be suitable for everyone. You will need to work harder and ride longer, to burn the required calories you have set as your goal.

With focus on a “racing” style and a much heavier workout, choose a Racer exercise bike if you are really wanting to find the best exercise bike for weight loss.

Ideally when buying a Racer you should be;

• Experienced in riding exercise bikes and/or pedalling a road race bike
• Enjoy pushing your body to the highest limits to achieve desired calorie burn

Air Exercise Bikes

Popular in the CrossFit world, air exercise bikes have a fans instead of a flywheel, that you have on a Racer bike. These bikes are known for resistance, meaning that the more effort/work you put into pedalling the bike, the greater the resistance will be from the bike. In addition to this, as well as maximising the pressure you are placing on your legs to pedal the bike, these bikes also offer the rider the option of working out their upper body. Handlebars on these bikes will move, so you get the added benefit of a lower body and upper body workout at the same time.

The Air Bike offers the user the best way of maximising the amount of calories that they will be burning. The bike has the same seating as that of the Upright Exercise Bike, but comes with dual ways of working the lower body and upper body at the same time. Thinking you’ll be getting too hot and bothered? Fear not, these bikes come with a fan that will keep you cool during your workout! Pretty good eh?

And as if this was not enough, these exercise bikes are ideal for being used at home or your home gym. They do not occupy much space, so they are certainly a popular choice for those looking to find the best exercise bikes for weight loss, that can be used at home.

An Air Bike should be considered if;

• You need to burn maximum amounts of calories
• You have a small home workout area

We are hopeful that this article on the best exercise bikes for weight loss, has helped you. But if you have any questions why not get in touch with us via our website