Exercise bikes are a very popular feature of many fitness gyms, and they are quickly becoming a staple of the home exercise machine industry too. They offer the advantages of a good, solid cardio workout combined with a very low impact technique. They are perfect for folks who have injuries or sensitive joints that don’t take well to higher impact machines like treadmills. So what do you look for when you shop for exercise bikes?

The first thing you are going to find is that there are two different styles of exercise bikes available. One is the upright bike and the other is the recumbent bike. You’re probably very familiar with the former, although you may have seen the latter and did not realize it. The upright bike looks very much like a regular bicycle, only it seems to be missing one or both wheels. The recumbent bike on the other hand has a strange appearance, as if the petals had been taken from their position on the bottom and moved out in front of the machine instead. And most of the time an exerciser actually lays down into the recumbent bike in order to exercise on it.

When you consult the independent exercise bike reviews and ratings both online and off-line, you find that it really doesn’t matter much which type of bike you choose. Either an upright or recumbent exercise bike will give you the exercise that you need. Which you choose depends more on your own personal preference and comfort level.

Some things that you need to look for on the best exercise bikes are easy and extensive height adjustments that will fit almost anyone. Any exercise machine will not be used very often if it is not comfortable enough to be used regularly. So make sure that the seat fits you, or that you can get a seat that will fit you without too much trouble. Pedals should be easy to operate and have a method of strapping your feet in place so they don’t fall off.

For safety sake, make sure that all moving parts are covered with some sort of shroud, eliminating the possibility that small children or others can get caught in the machine and suffer injury.

The bike that you choose should also match your weight level. Each machine comes with its own weight rating that you should observe very carefully. The very best exercise bikes have high weight ratings, on up to 300 to 400 lbs. So if your purpose of buying the exercise bike is to lose weight, be sure that the model you choose will support your current weight level.

A heart rate monitor is a very important piece of equipment for almost any exercise machine to have available. It will help you monitor your workouts more closely, and make sure that you are getting the most calorie burning exercise for the time that you are investing. The best exercise bikes even include an interactive heart rate monitor that will adjust your workout intensity for you as needed to make sure that you are burning the most calories possible in the time allotted for your exercise session.

Also consider the warranty when you buy, looking for a warranty that provides for at least the first full year of use including labor. To get most of these features that we have discussed as being common on the best exercise bikes, you can expect to pay anywhere from $600 - $1500 for a high quality bike. So do your homework and test drive each model you are interested in beforehand to find the exercise bike that will work best for you.

Thad Pickering writes on many consumer related topics including fitness. You can find exercise bike ratings and the best exercise bike by visiting our Home Fitness website.

Unfortunately when it comes to weight, body composition and your
health, the scales don’t tell you the whole picture. In actual
fact your weight is less important than your percentage of body
fat when it comes to appearance, fitness, and health. This is
where body fat monitors can help. Tracking your percentage of
body fat with body fat monitors better shows how you are doing
with diet and exercise than measuring weight on its own.

To measure your body fat percentage at home in DIY fashion, you
can use one of the bioelectrical impedance devices for a
measurement that is about as consistent and accurate as
hydrostatic weighing, and as easy to use as your bathroom scale
- in fact many models do come integrated in bathroom scales
these days. Alternatively you can learn to use body fat
calipers, which can be trickier to get a consistent reading but
are favored by those who like to see their pound of flesh, so to
speak.

Using this method, a device sends a tiny electrical charge
through your hands or feet and uses the data to determine how
much of you is fat and how much of you is water, with muscles
and lean tissues being mostly water. To do the calculation, the
unit needs to know your gender, age, and weight. These units
should not be used by anybody with a pacemaker, but tend to be
safe enough for most others to use.

When buying body fat monitors like this, you should opt for
those that have memory features so you don’t have to put in your
basic data each time. In addition if others or using it too,
then a multiple storage facility is ideal. If you are an athlete
of low body fat/high muscle mass you should get a unit with an
athlete setting to get more accurate measurement. If you have a
child to measure, buy a unit with a child setting. A unit that
acts as a scale is also convenient as it is something you can do
in the bathroom.

To get an accurate reading with these monitors you must not be
dehydrated. This means you should not do the test first thing in
the morning or immediately after a workout or after consuming
alcohol. It is best to use it three hours after a meal and after
voiding your bladder. Naturally, it is best to weigh yourself
without clothes.