Recumbent bikes are the perfect bikes which works on the leg muscles while supporting the back and shoulders. They have so many advantages over other traditional bikes but there are certain injuries such as knee pain, legs numbness or Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) which might arise if you choose any random recumbent bike from the market.
Contents
There are more than 5 recumbent bike models coming every quarter and many bikes have innovative features which you’ve never heard of. That’s why we spent hundreds of days testing these recumbent bikes and for the matter of fact, most of them sucked. We’ve put together this comprehensive guide to help you find the best recumbent bike for your home gym.
Our Top Recumbent Bike Picks
To be more specific, here is our list for the best recumbent bikes. You can click through for more in-depth recumbent bike reviews.
Best Recumbent Bike Reviews 2023
#1 Schwinn 270 and Schwinn 230 Recumbent Bike
Both the models Schwinn 230 and 270 are the best recumbent bikes that are currently available in the market. In fact, they are the best pick among the rest. Both the bikes come with an attractive display that has ample space to show all the important workout data. However, the good thing about the two bikes is the 4 pre-set profiles. This allows you to quickly toggle the settings for another user while keeping your own saved.
Both the bikes are also loaded with features that are going to make your workout sessions more comfortable. A feature unique to these models, the goal-tracking feature lets you know when you hit a new personal best. The bikes are also equipped with inbuilt fans that come with 3-speed modes. The air flow can be adjusted according to the height of the user.
With the powerful speakers and high-quality audio output, you can pump up your workout sessions easily. The bikes are also equipped with a stylish tablet stand.
The sturdy design of the bikes makes it easier for you to get on and off the bike easily. You can also adjust the seat according to your comfort. The bikes are also equipped with oversized pedals, grip heart rate sensors and a side-mounted bottle holder.
Overall, both the bikes make the perfect choice in terms of performance and as well as design. You can go for either of them expecting the same result.
#2 Exerpeutic 900XL – Xtra Large
On the second spot, we have the Exerpeutic 900XL – Xtra Large bike which gives you value for your money. This full-sized recumbent bike despite its affordable price tag is loaded with features like a large LCD display, 8 levels of magnetic resistance and hand-based heart rate sensors.
This is perhaps the most comfortable bike that you can use. This bike truly lives up to its XL part of its name with its large backrest and seat cushion. The comfort level will not disappoint you if you have a backache problem as it is quite a reliable experience while using this bike.
The bike comes fitted with wheels that make it easier for you to move it around. Thus, it won’t be wrong to say that the bike is portable enough despite its huge size. In short, the Exerpeutic 900XL – Xtra Large bike is a very competent, comfortable, budget-friendly and beast cardio bike.
#3 Exerpeutic WorkFit
If you like the sound of both working and working out at the same time then you should take a look at the Exerpeutic WorkFit. This is not only a recumbent bike but it also serves as a workstation for your tablet or book and a platform for your laptop. After all, not all exercise bikes come with such facilities, do they?
One of the good things about the bike is that it can be easily folded and stored away when not in use. This will help you to save a lot of space. The bike is fit to use in both gym and at house, by beginner or professional. Most of the working bike parts are similar to the ones that are used in 900XL. This should give you an idea that this exercise bike is equally as good as the 900XL.
#4 Ironman H-Class 410
The Ironman H-Class 410 is considered to be ideal for athletes. This is no joke but this bike is actually meant for high endurance workout sessions. Starting from the tough built of the bike to its high-class performance, everything is on point.
It is a fact that this bike is designed for serious workout sessions but it can be used by anyone who wants to get benefited from it. The bike is very easy to use but its performance potential is as high as training a proper athlete. Coming down to the working parts of the bike, it is as you would expect from a bike of this class; hardwearing, quiet and made of toughened materials. In short, there is nothing much to complain about this exercise bike.
The highlighted features of the bike however, are the rider seat and the backrest. The seat comes with individual air chambers which are designed to provide you maximum comfort. As far as the backrest is concerned it is made of memory foam. These together make the whole workout session for the user more comfortable.
Some other features that is nice to have are the Bluetooth enabled computer and display showing you accurate data for tracking. The frame comes with a lifetime warranty. All of these features together make the Ironman 410 a superbly awesome exercise bike.
#5 Precor RBK 615 Commercial
On the last spot, we have the Precor RBK 615. If you are someone who workouts or rides a lot may find this bike interesting. This is perhaps one of the most powerful and durable exercise bikes that you are looking at. Everything about this bike is great and is of the highest quality. The features and the performance of the bike cannot be compared to any other. When we say this, we mean it.
This bike is a perfect combination of durability and performance, two of the most important things that you would want in your exercise bike. This bike is designed to withstand rigorous and repetitive workouts. For years these bikes have served the hotels, clubs,and spas and even till this day, it has managed to hold on to its reputation.
The bike also comes with some notable features which we simply cannot skip. This includes the dual-sided pedals along with clip-in cycling shoes. If you consider all its features then this is a bike that has a league of its own. It is also compatible with 5 kHz wireless polar heart rate monitors.
Other Recumbent Bike Considerations
However, there are a couple of more things that you need to keep in mind before buying an ideal recumbent bike for your daily workouts. These little things that most buyers miss make a big difference in your workout. To help you get a better bike, here are the 3 things you should know that many buyers miss:
Bike Seat:
You would probably want a bike seat that is well padded and provides lumbar support. It should also be easily adjustable forward and backward. Also, consider the material at the back of the seat. Some bikes also offer a mesh back seat. This lets air circulate to your back as you cycle – so you stay cooler. If you tend to sweat heavily, or just work out heavily, you might want to get a mesh back instead of a solid back seat.
Foot Pedal Straps:
This is another significant point that most buyers tend to miss. A lot of cheap bikes don’t give you straps to anchor your feet to the pedals. A recumbent bike without straps may cause your feet to slip off in the heat of your workout. So make sure you get a bike with straps included to keep your feet on the pedals.
Backlit Consoles:
Again, several cheaply made bikes do not come with backlit consoles, so you’ll be straining to read the console as you pedal. To save your strain on your neck, make sure your bike console is backlit and easy to read.
While recumbent bikes are very popular in gyms and fitness clubs, they can help you get an excellent workout at home as well. So here are our top four picks for you to suit the needs for your home fitness.
How to Use Recumbent Bike Effectively?
You might have already bought or have decided to buy one of the top rated recumbent bikes from the market. It is now time to think about something else, though. How are you going to utilize the recumbent bike in such a way that you get the best level of fitness? Of course, you always have that option to rush to the trainer or physician and ask for some doubt. However, many a time, you don’t need to bring the concept into the scene itself. That is, there are a few essential tips that can help you get the maximum productivity from the recumbent bike you have, provided that you have an effective machine with you.
Just keep in mind that not all of you will need all the steps. Before you confirm, ask yourself if you I did this earlier. If that’s okay with you, we can just go to the list of things to get the perfect workout from the latest recumbent bike you just bought.
- The first step is to make sure that seating arrangements for your recumbent bikes are perfect. It must be in accordance with your height, comfort and the way you feel things. If you have arranged a seat in the right manner, that can have a huge positive impact on the recumbent bike workouts you might be performing. You can always give importance to the standard concept while biking, but it’s up to you to focus on personal comfort.
- Most of you might be getting onto the recumbent bike and starting the exercise, right? This is one of the worst things you could possibly do in the whole sphere of fitness. The consequences may lead to serious injuries too. So, the best option is to make sure that you take a satisfactory warm-up session before you jump into the actual workout. Obviously, the warm-up session too should be done on the bike, although external workout sessions are optional. But, this thing is a must for sure.
- This mind sounds like something not really important, but maintaining the proper form during workouts is something crucial for your own good. The first thing is that you can get rid of accidents and usual injuries. Also, once you get used to the best form for yourself, it’s going to be a huge boost for your comfort and suitable plan.
- As with the case of almost every fitness device, the recumbent device should be running with the right amount of resistance. Even the slightest change in resistance can cause changes in the total biking experience that you get. So, the idea is to try out different levels of resistance and choose the most appropriate one. At some point, if you are healthy and have some higher fitness goal, you will be able to increase the resistance and move along with the plans.
- To decrease the mental impact and prevent the over impact on muscles, it’s an approved way to do something alongside while biking on the recumbent bike. Some of the machines would be coming with some additional entertainment equipment, probably attached to the control panel. Personally speaking, we always try to listen to soothing music while biking and that has been impressive so far.
These steps, if used in the perfect order and with a sense of your requirement in mind, can help you lots of times in the course of time. We already know that recumbent bikes are quite a satisfactory machine for healthy workouts. As much as the cycling process, the way you do cycling also matters in the end.
Benefits of Recumbent Bikes and How They Work
If you are still wondering why you should try recumbent bikes, we have gathered some reasons that may amaze you. These were the same reasons why this type of fitness machines became a huge success in a shorter span of time. Shall we check them out?
Safety and Comfort
These are perhaps the major reasons why a lot of people are falling into the huge world of recumbent bikes and related exercises. When compared to the traditional modes of exercises you have seen, the chances of injuries are way too low. Also, the machine is developed in such a way that you get the best level of performance and comfort in the end. Even if you spend more than minutes in the recumbent cycling workouts, you won’t face much trouble. It also matters the type of bike you are using. If you choose the bad-quality one, there will be some issues for sure.
Weight Management Made Easy
Another noticeable point on the recumbent bike is the advantage for managing your weight in an extensive manner. We need to thank the overall nature of workout that you get while cycling. An equal amount of impact is given to the different areas of your body, including muscles, thighs, and buttocks as well. That is, even if the time of the workout is low, you can observe an impressive amount of weight loss. This is something, given that recumbent bike doesn’t really have a negative impact on your body’s health.
It’s Cardiovascular
Recumbent bikes offer some advantages because you’re getting cardiovascular from the machines. There is a common issue people face when they are supposed to engage in some cardiovascular exercises. In the conventional sphere of fitness, most of these are said to be dangerous and seem to consume a lot of resources from the person. When you are under rehab or something, it is not a good thing at all. That’s when recumbent bikes enter the stage, giving you all the benefits of comfort along with result in terms of fitness.
Easy to Manage
This is another adjective commonly used with recumbent bike machines. Although they do come up with electronic accessories for analyzing and getting the best results, a newbie will not have any issues in setting up or getting started with such bikes. And, we are saying this for the last time, this is way better than real cycling or walking.
Don’t you think that Recumbent Bikes have something innovative to offer, given that you choose one of the best bikes ever? We think you have, but it’s about the fitness goals you have at the end.
Conclusion
We hope our search for the top seven picks of the Recumbent Bikes has helped you in deciding on this effective purchase. A Recumbent Bike is an excellent choice for your cardiovascular health improvement and your daily workout routine. Exercise bikes have been around as a means of exercise for many years from now. Most of the people prefer exercising on exercise bikes in the gym or at home to match up their weight loss, body shaping, and cardio fitness goals.
Having come with the sculptured bucket seat, recumbent bikes allow you to sit back comfortably and pedal on the ground with their lowered seat almost in line with the pedals. Therefore a trainer can sit back and work out efficiently on a recumbent bike without any stiff back or saddle soaring problems. So needless to mention, they are excellent for people with back problems as the seats are typically wider and provide support with little pressure on the bike while riding.
These fitness bikes are easy enough for even the most sedentary beginners, and they usually offer fitness programs that keep the workout from becoming mundane.
Let us give you a quick tip! The best way to get the maximum benefit out of a workout on a recumbent bike is by going in intervals. Interval training with alternate intense bouts of an activity with less-intense sequences will help you get the best workout benefit. With all of these user-friendly characteristics, it still goes on to give you an excellent cardio workout routine and undoubtedly they are the safest workout best recumbent bike you’ll ever find.