People recovering from various injuries, operations, and seniors that want to stay healthy by exercising find it hard to use the regular upright bikes because of hunching over to reach the handlebars. Recumbent bikes come in handy for these people because they have features that promote healthy spinal alignment. We reviewed the best recumbent exercise bikes in the market and came up with our top ten picks.
Are you in a hurry?
If you can afford a recumbent bike, you will enjoy a fulfilling workout at home on demand instead of paying for gyms. These consist of a plush seat and weighted pedals for exercising the feet and the core. They also have onboard computers for monitoring distance or adjusting the resistance on demand. This way, you can customize workouts to deliver your desired results. Recumbent bikes take up little space and are attainable at a pocket-friendly price online. Here are some of the best:
Best Overall
DeskCycle Under Desk Bike Pedal Exerciser
DeskCycle is a low profile under desk pedal exerciser with a smooth and quiet system that provides fulfilling workouts. It weighs 23 pounds and measures just 68.5 Centimeters. As such, traveling with it and storing it after use is effortless. The system also has weighted pedals and a robust frame (steel) with non-slip plastic contacts. These make it safe to use on most floor types, including slippery ones made from tiles or laminate. Finally, you get a removable six functional LCD for monitoring time, speed, and/or distance in real-time. You can evaluate performance via it.
Smart Pick
Marcy Recumbent Exercise Bike
The Marcy Recumbent bike has a comfortable step-through design with a padded seat for comfort. The frame is a 14-gauge steel tube with a protective powder finish that prevents corrosion and rust. It also has a stable T design with non-slip rubber caps for stability. Because it rarely slips while in use, the risk of injury is low. Its step-through frame allows for quick mounting and dismounting. The weighted pedal, on the other hand, has a weighted design with adjustable resistance. You can set it low and increase gradually as you build endurance via an LCD screen.
Budget Pick
Exerpeutic 400XL Folding Recumbent Bike
Designed to support up to 300 pounds, Exerpeutic 400XL is a heavy-duty adult size recumbent bike measuring 33x19x46-inches. It has a powder-coated steel frame that is not only resistant to stress but also rust. A flywheel provides resistance. This has a precision-balanced design with an eight-level adjustable tension control (magnetic) for customizing workouts. You also get a built-in LCD for tracking speed, time, calories, and height rate, and adjustable height settings. It fits all women and men.
Buying Guide for Best Recumbent Exercise Bikes
What is your favorite form of keeping fit at home or a gym? Apart from hitting the thread-mill, using recumbent exercise bikes is an excellent ideal for most people. However, persons with joint, pre-existing, or back problems would benefit more from it. Besides that, you improve cardio fitness and prevent hip and back strain. To explore more on this exciting topic, here are some features to look at when buying such bikes.
Inbuilt Programs: Consider buying an item that has inbuilt workout programs. Hence, your session becomes fast, relaxed, simple, and effective. Besides that, you get to work with up-to-date applications and programs.
Adjustable Seat: Get a bike with an adjustable seat and handlebars for quick and easy access. It is ideal to buy one with up and down adjustments for comfort. The handlebars should have adequate lengths to suit preference.
LCD Console: It is beneficial to get a simple, bright, and user-friendly LCD. This menu helps to see the distance, speed, and the number of calories banned.
Top 5 Best Recumbent Exercise Bikes in the Market this Year
Are you shopping for a new recumbent bike for your home gym? We have reviewed a few trusted brands that you will enjoy using at home.
1. DeskCycle Under Desk Bike Pedal Exerciser
If you need to exercise but are short of space, you can use the DeskCycle Under Desk Bike Pedal Exerciser to burn off those calories. What is even better is that you get to enjoy the smoothest pedaling motion with a whisper-quiet operation.
You can also focus on other things as you get busy exercising with the under-desk bike pedal. Moreover, it comes with eight resistance levels that allow you to adjust your speed depending on your needs.
The under-desk bike pedal fits perfectly under any table or desk, which is as low as 27 inches, so you need to be about 5 foot-8 inches or shorter to enjoy all the benefits of the pedal bike. Additionally, it comes with a display screen that shows more than sixteen hours of activity, including time, speed, calories burned, and distance covered. For people with back problems, you can use the bike while resting your back on a sofa.
Other invaluable workout items for beginners include hand exercisers, exercise mats, and inversion tables. We have reviewed the best as well.
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Our Verdict:
One of the most amazing things about this under bike is that you can upgrade to the DeskCycle 2 if ore improved features. However, even without the advanced version, this model still provides you with excellent pedaling moments that will make you lose the excess calories and stay in shape.
2. Marcy Recumbent Exercise Bike
The ME-709 recumbent exercise bike from Marcy sells for a fraction of the price, familiar with many other quality models on the market. Even with the flattering price, the bike has a heavy-duty and durable construction that supports a 300-pound maximum weight capacity. Moreover, it comes with a sliding seat that allows a wide range of leg sizes to fit comfortably during the exercise. The design is step-through, which makes hopping on and off the bike easy.
Furthermore, it comes with a magnetic resistance mechanism with eight resistance levels that help you customize your workouts according to your preferences. Additionally, you can follow your exercise progress through an LCD that provides you with clear and large readouts of speed, distance, time, and calories burned. Finally, the exercise bike features extra support contoured, foam-covered handles.
To improve core strength, you will need medicine balls, weight lifting gloves, and weighted vests as well. Check our selection of the best.
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Our Verdict:
You can exercise without the fear of hurting your back with this product as it comes with features that give you enough support. It is affordable, easy to use, and highly recommended.
3. Exerpeutic 400XL Folding Recumbent Bike
Foldable recumbent bikes are the in thing for people who want to exercise in their homes’ comfort but have limited space. The 400XL Folding Recumbent Bike from Exerpeutic is an impressive compact unit that supports 300 pounds weight capacity.
The foldable design makes it easy to store, and even though you do not get the benefits of a magnetic resistance flywheel, you still get to enjoy a consistent and smooth pedaling experience.
Moreover, it comes with a three-piece cranking system with eight resistance levels and an LCD that tracks your activities and progress such as time, distance covered, calories burned, heart rate, and speed.
Furthermore, it is easy to assemble and use, safe and comfortable to use, and at a weight of only 43 pounds, is portable.
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Our Verdict:
If the foldable features do not make you put this recumbent bike on top of your must-haves exercise equipment, then the other notable features will do the trick. We recommend the high-quality exercise bike, especially for small home gym spaces.
4. Schwinn 230 Recumbent Bike
Schwinn is a reputable brand that makes quality exercise bikes for all ages and purposes. The 230 recumbent bike series is a less advanced model than the 270 models, but it is still one of the best on the market. It has the same components with slight differences, including 20 levels of resistance with 22 pre-loaded workout programs and a seat with a backrest.
Furthermore, it also comes with two LCD screens that help monitor your exercise and activities that include distance covered, time taken, speed, and calories burned. The bike has a maximum weight capacity of 300 pounds, and it comes with a USB charging port, an mp3 hookup, built-in speakers, and a fan. Finally, the bike drive system offers smooth, quiet workouts and easy start-up with high speed and high inertia.
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Our Verdict:
Even though the 230 Schwinn model lacks the more advanced features of the 270 model, it is still a tremendous recumbent exercise bike with a more affordable price. We recommend it for its speed, ease of use, and quiet operation, among other things.
5. Nautilus Recumbent Bike Series
The Nautilus R618 model is the newer and bigger version of the R616 and comes at a higher price with more upgrades and a maximum weight capacity of 325 pounds. It has 25 levels of resistance with 29 pre-loaded workout programs and a console that tilts to adjust your sightline.
Moreover, it provides a higher comfort level for your bottom with the upgraded seat with a gel overlay and ergonomic handlebars with convenient control buttons.
Furthermore, the seat has a backrest with a reclining angle that you can adjust to suit your back comfort. Additionally, the crank system and the pedals are also a better version of the older model with weighting on the pedals for smoother operations. The shape of the R618 had a more streamlined design, and you get a chest strap that monitors your heart rate as you exercise and Bluetooth connectivity that goes in sync with Nautilus Trainer Apps. The frame warranty for this version is 15 years.
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Our Verdict:
The Nautilus R 618 is one of the best cardio bikes on the market, and it comes with unique features that make it rank among one of our best recommendations. It is pricey, but it gives you value for money.