Exercise bike opinions

Long story short, I have a muscular disease and try to exercise in a controlled way on an exercise bike. This allows me to work my arms and legs without too much fear of falling over or straining my back.

Anyway, I love my moms schinns cross trainner, you know it works your legs and arms. Ive bought the walmart or kmart generic model, cost about a hundred bucks and breaks in 3 years. I in the mean time bought a standard exercise bike you jsut petal that has the large fly wheel in it and a leath resistant belt, man that was hard to get constant resistance and the hub that held the petals on fell apart. I also got a recurbument(SP?) bike where you sit on a seat with a back and side handle bars and the petals are out in front of you. I like it, however my legs are almost too big for my pants and my upper body is about the same.

Anyway, Ive broken another cross trainner bike I got from kmart and want to buy another one. This one uses air resistance and for my taste is a bit too easy to ride. I was thinking about the next model up for 300 bucks at walmart that uses electric resistance motors to give you 8 programs of resistance. Then they have some elptical(SP?) style ones where you stand up and it is like walking without the impact of a treadmill. Lastly in the middle they have one that allows you to row it or work the arms like most cross trainers.

So? Which do you guys think? Standard air cheap cross trainer. Elptical, electric resistance cross trainer or the rowing cross trainer?

Unfortunately you have already found out, you get what you pay for. But if you read reviews on exercise equipment like I have for treadmills, they want you to buy a $2,000 rig. I wish there were reviews on ok equipment for the working class guy. Having said that if you can stand up ok, I like eliptical trainers over exercise bikes. You can vary the resistance, not sure how it's done as I use the one at the gym. I do know that for resistance setting, I have not gotten over the halfway mark as far as exercising for any length of time. Also although they don't seem popular anymore, I have gotten a helluva workout on rowing machines. Not the cheap pneumatic arm ones but the good ones where you pull a rope that is turning a big metal flywheel. A bit hard on the back though and I don't know if home versions are available or how much they would be. Next time at Walmart, I'll have to look at the equipment you mentioned and see what I think. Hopefully other's with experiences on these things can comment.

What you want is a Schwinn Airdyne!! accept no substitudes. I purchased mine used for $25. I've seen them go for $50 - $200 used. all in good condition. hard to wear them out.

You want the old style with spoke wheel. they've been making the same basic version for 20+ years. resistance goes up non-linear just like riding.

the wind generated keeps you cool and you can give an upper body workout too.

I've also got a set of krieler rollers. those require a little more attention to use. great to keep in shape during winter months.

I second the Schwinn Airdyne! I want one as well! I've tried many different exercise bikes and this is "THE ONE" for me! I also have a treadmill, Nordic Track, & a Bow Flex...I'd really like to add the Airdyne.

Cy, I'd love to find a deal like you got! You "SCORED"!!

That is what my mom has, Schwinn Airdyne. I like it too, it keeps you cool and the resistance goes up quicker with the speed you petal it than the hundred dollar models from wal and kmart. I like the pegs up front that allow you to rest your legs out of the way from the petals while you just work your arms. Of course it is her and she I do not believe will let me have it or buy it.

I too will see if i can see some of these bikes in person or maybe join a gym or visit one to see some of these things in person.

About the elptical ones. Is it impact like a tread mill? I want to be easy as possible on my joints, but it looks like the eliptical would be the way to go.

I think I started off at 5 minutes every other day, then every day, then slowly built up to 20 minutes. Then 20 minutes twice a day. After a few months I was able to do 30 minutes a day, twice a day and now three times a day.

I have had an older Tunturi model that was bought used at a garage sale for $2. These were several hundred dollars when new. This bike has thousands of hours on it and is still going strong. The Tunturi uses a high quality large flywheel and has a caliper brake style resistance setup which is very smooth and the pads last a *long long* time. You might find one in the used classifieds or on-line for $50 or less(maybe a lot less).

I have an eliptical trainer that I'm very pleased with, but of all the eliptical trainers I have tried, it's the only one I like. There is quite a range of variation in the geometries of those things and the way they make you move. I can't say it strongly enough: try it out in person unless you're one of those people (I'm not) who can climb on anything and go. Good luck.

I have had very good luck buying high-end exercise equipment used. The only negative is that you might have to be patient.

Do the research and find exactly the high-end piece(s) you want. Then religiously check the want ads of big newspapers. I look for good stuff being sold under one particular set of circumstances. This may sound really cold but there is a whole sub-group of people out there whose exercise equipment represents a gigantic monument to failure -- which they must look at whenever they go into their living room.

That's who I'm looking for. Either they bought it themselves out of despairation and it didn't work out, or, worse (or better /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif) yet -- their husband, wife, sister, etc. bought it for them. Now they see it every time they come into the room and often they get to the point where they'll dump it for a song.

At the risk of sounding even more cold, if you identify correctly how much it hurts them to look at the piece you may do really well. I picked up a Total Gym 2000 that was in like new shape for $175 a few years ago.

Be patient. Keep looking around the way you are now, but also do the research on all of the high-end dream stuff that you would never even think that you could afford. Check the paper every week. You never know. Someone in your town may have one of those 'monuments to failure' in their bedroom and they may be gritting their teeth ten times a day as they walk by it.

If you've done your research you can snap it up when you see it.

Thanks, lots to consider. Being 6 foot 3 and 300 pounds with a size 14 shoe, I do have worried about a one size fit all style of equipment. I see from reviews frm the cheaper ones at amazon that they are junk til you get to 300 bucks. The guy at gnc more or less said what you guys did. If you get something cheap, you will always replace it where something expensive would stay on.

Incase you are wondering, after some bending and tighting of bolts it folded back and I dragged it to the dumpster today. I was petaling it and felt it do like a wheelie and lean to the left like it has before. I leaned right to get it to balance out. It just tilted back more and more til I felt my back get poked by my head board. I then just slowed down reached back to the bed to fall into it in a controlled manner. TH ebike just folded back to let me off.

I am a bit mixed here. I have no help with delivery, so would need it shipping to my place.

I did see one on display at walmart on the platform, but I doubt i could climb up on to it then onto the machine to test it right there. Maybe they will lower it to the ground for me to try it?

I shopped around the net. Regardless of where I got it, it would be a while before I got it shipped. I went looking at target, kmart and found one at kmart for 154 bucks. They loaded it in my dads suv and he slide it out into the seat of my electric wheelchair and wheeled it inside. It wasnt that hard to put toghether, but man it is a work out. I am covered in sweat in ten minutes.

I also got a weight kit from target to use while on the recumberment bike i have. I started with 3 pounds, not to 5.