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Fitness Advice

Why use a bike?

To improve your cardio fitness and tone your lower body, an exercise bike is the simplest and most user friendly of exercise machines. The non-impact seated position minimises the load on your hip, knee and ankle joints.

Does a bike exercise my whole body?

It works the muscles in your lower body and your heart and lungs. If you are trying to burn fat, it will go from all over your body.

How do the programs work?

Just like walking and running outdoors, going up hills varies the exercise intensity and the muscles that you use.

Do I have to spend hours on the bike?

No, you can improve your fitness starting with just 10 minutes a day.

I lack motivation. What can I do when riding the bike?

You can read, watch TV, or ride to the beat of motivational music.

What is cardiovascular fitness?

It is the most important component of physical fitness. It includes the efficient operation of both the heart and lungs ´the more active you are, the more invigorated you will feel´. In addition to exercise increasing your energy levels, exercising also reduces your chances of developing cardiovascular disease.

Frequency of exercise

You should try to exercise as often as possible but at least 3 times a week.

Duration of exercise

Try to do at least 20 minutes or more. Of course, the longer you go, the more calories and fat you´ll ´burn´.

Warming and stretching

Essential for preparing your body for exercise. Start at a low intensity to allow your muscles to warm up and your heart to gradually increase. After exercise, always make sure you stretch the muscles you have been exercising.

Stay fit and healthy

A healthy balanced diet is essential for good health and keeping fit. Fruit and vegetables are important components of a healthy diet and their sufficient daily consumption could help prevent major diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases.

Buying Guide

Exercise Bike Buying Guide

Exercise bikes have been around longer than most types of home fitness equipment and there is now a huge range of brands, models and styles available on the market. It is, of course, important that you choose one that is suited to your particular needs, so to help you along we have outlined some of the things to consider and features to look for when buying your bike.

Price

Exercise bikes can be a relatively inexpensive piece of fitness equipment with prices starting at around €50. As with most exercise machines though, you do tend to get what you pay for so a more expensive model is likely to last longer, be sturdier, more comfortable and have useful added features.

Type of exercise bike

It wasn´t long ago that the vast majority of stationary bikes looked very similar and seemed to do pretty much exactly the same thing. Nowadays the variety seems almost endless. There are two main types of stationary bikes - upright and recumbent. The traditional upright type is most similar to regular outdoor cycles with the user seated upright with the pedals below. The more modern recumbent type typically has a much larger seat with back support. The seat is positioned lower to the ground than with upright bikes and the pedals are in front of the user. Which style of exercise bike to choose is very much a case of personal preference. The seat on a recumbent bike supports the lower back and will therefore be more comfortable than an upright bike for those with back problems. Recumbents can also be a better choice for those with knee problems or anyone suffering from high blood pressure, as they tend to lessen strain on knees and keep the user´s blood pressure lower than with an upright bike. On the other hand, if you have none of the above problems and you want to ensure you get the most out of each workout, an upright model might be the right option, as some do believe that these encourage a more intense workout.
Another advantage of the upright type is that they are more compact which is great if you are short on space. If you go for a recumbent model you could use weights for upper body workouts while pedalling, as you don´t have to use your arms and hands to hold on to any handlebars. Upright bikes come with a few different styles of frame - look for an open framed bike with nothing in the way between the saddle and handlebars if you think you would have any problems stepping over a crossbar or other type of obstruction. On the same note, it tends to be easier to get on and off recumbent models if you have any mobility problems.

Resistance and flywheel

By far the most common form of resistance used for exercise cycles is magnetic, which tends to be quite quiet. The smoothness and noise levels will improve as you move up the price ranges. More expensive models might have electromagnets, which allows for virtually silent pedalling action. Resistance is altered by bringing the magnets closer or further away from the flywheel. This is either done manually, by adjusting knobs or levers, or electronically by simply pressing a button. Electronic adjustment is obviously the more convenient option as it will never interrupt your workout, but you do have to pay a bit more for a bike of this type than for one with manual resistance adjustment.
You will also need to check out the range of resistance before deciding which exercise bike to buy. The resistance range is determined by the size of the flywheel and the type, size and number of magnets. If you want a machine that can offer you a hard workout, you will need to choose a bike with a large flywheel and good resistance range. Electromagnetic resistance cycles also tend to offer a wide resistance range.

How will the treadmill be used?

There are two types of resistance control. Controlling the resistance makes your heart rate increase by making the stride movement harder. There is manual (turning a knob) and electronic (change via the touch of a button). The majority of machines typically have manual and the advantage of this is the price. Electronic usually means it also works with the heart rate control program to automatically keep you in your target zone. If you don´t want to worry about adjusting resistance to keep your heart rate where it needs to be, select a machine with electronic resistance control and heart rate control (explained below).

Control panel and programseart rate control

Almost all stationary bikes will offer some sort of electronic feedback display of speed, time and distance. Many models also show additional information such as calories burned and heart rate. The display and control panel will generally be more and more sophisticated the higher up you go in price. Many models also offer various preset or customisable workout programmes, which can be great for adding some variety to your workouts and also making your exercise more efficient. Look for a bike with a wide range of programmes if you are the kind of person who needs that little bit of extra help to keep the motivation up - it might cost you a little bit more but you may well end up getting more use out of the machine as well.
Quite a few models come with a pulse sensor of some kind and some of these will also offer heart rate controlled training programmes which will automatically adjust the resistance to keep you in your ideal heart rate zone. As well as being a safer form of exercise, heart rate controlled training has been proven to assist in weight loss and improving performance. On exercise cycles pulse sensors are often built into the handlebars, allowing you to monitor your heart rate without using a chest strap.
As with all exercise machines, you should check out the warranties on any exercise bike you are considering. We offer a parts and labour warranty for 1 year.