Recumbent exercise bikes?



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Josho

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I'm considering the purchase of a recumbent exercise bike. I'm turning up, on the net, very little
in the way of objective purchasing information, although I may not be looking in the right places.

I'm considering (mostly because it has the features I want and is feasible economically, at least at
some point) the ReebokRB 450.

I'm looking for any specific recommendations, either for/against this model or manufacturer,
for/against recumbent exercise bikes, or for/against any other make and/or model.

Many thanks for/against any information.

--Josh
 
In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
>
> I'm considering the purchase of a recumbent exercise bike. I'm turning up, on the net, very little
> in the way of objective purchasing information, although I may not be looking in the right places.
>
If you are looking for something that sits in your living room and lets you watch TV, you still are
not looking in the right place.

--

Cletus D. Lee Bacchetta Giro Lightning Voyager http://www.clee.org
- Bellaire, TX USA -
 
"Josho" skrev...
> I'm looking for any specific recommendations, either for/against this model or manufacturer,
> for/against recumbent exercise bikes, or for/against any other make and/or model.

Alas this is the newsgroup for recumbents that actually move, so ours all have wheels. ;-)

Try a Google search on "recumbent excercise bikes". Theres a few threads here and there. You can
mostly ignore messages from this group as they deal with the moving bikes.

Good luck

Mikael
 
That's not precisely what I had in mind, but my ends are somewhat the same: I have a fairly
well-equipped home gym and need to consider replacing the Lifecycle upright I've been using for the
past 12 years. If anyone knows of a better place to look for the kind of information I need, I'd
greatly appreciate knowing where to look.

Thanks again, Josh

On Wed, 26 Mar 2003 16:40:36 -0600, Cletus Lee <[email protected]> wrote:

>In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
>>
>> I'm considering the purchase of a recumbent exercise bike. I'm turning up, on the net, very
>> little in the way of objective purchasing information, although I may not be looking in the right
>> places.
>>
>If you are looking for something that sits in your living room and lets you watch TV, you still are
>not looking in the right place.
>
>--
>
>Cletus D. Lee Bacchetta Giro Lightning Voyager http://www.clee.org
>- Bellaire, TX USA -
 
Hey Josh,

Why not buy a real recumbent and a good trainer. That way, you could ride it indoors when the
weather's bad, and outdoors when you want some exercise with a changing view.

Rob Rudeski Trenton, GA RANS V2

"Josho" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> That's not precisely what I had in mind, but my ends are somewhat the same: I have a fairly
> well-equipped home gym and need to consider replacing the Lifecycle upright I've been using for
> the past 12 years. If anyone knows of a better place to look for the kind of information I need,
> I'd greatly appreciate knowing where to look.
>
> Thanks again, Josh
>
> On Wed, 26 Mar 2003 16:40:36 -0600, Cletus Lee <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> >>
> >> I'm considering the purchase of a recumbent exercise bike. I'm turning up, on the net, very
> >> little in the way of objective purchasing information, although I may not be looking in the
> >> right places.
> >>
> >If you are looking for something that sits in your living room and lets
you watch TV, you still
> >are not looking in the right place.
> >
> >--
> >
> >Cletus D. Lee Bacchetta Giro Lightning Voyager http://www.clee.org
> >- Bellaire, TX USA -
 
Cletus Lee wrote:
>
> In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> >
> > I'm considering the purchase of a recumbent exercise bike. I'm turning up, on the net, very
> > little in the way of objective purchasing information, although I may not be looking in the
> > right places.
> >
> If you are looking for something that sits in your living room and lets you watch TV, you still
> are not looking in the right place.

My Dragonflyer is the most comfortable seat in my apartment. ;)

Tom Sherman - Various HPV's Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)
 
"Tom Sherman" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> My Dragonflyer is the most comfortable seat in my apartment. ;)
>
There's certainly nothing wrong in using good quality comfortable recumbents in your interior
decorating. Very functional. I also have some antique DF's for accent pieces.

skip
 
Some of these things have a very large Q factor (i.e. pedals are spaced widely apart). For some
people this can be tough on the knees. I think you want electronic resistance over friction or air.
Air resistance can be noisy. You need the workouts to be repeatable and consistent, which you should
get with electronic.

If your goal _is not_ to be able to ride a real bike outside eventually, you might consider an
aerobic machine that is weight bearing, like an eliptical.

John Riley

Josho wrote:
>
> I'm considering the purchase of a recumbent exercise bike. [..]t
 
Thanks, Mikael...trying it now. Lots of stores, not many evaluations, but certainly a lot of results
to sift through!

--Josh

On Thu, 27 Mar 2003 00:01:21 +0100, "Mikael Seierup" <[email protected]> wrote:

>
>"Josho" skrev...
>> I'm looking for any specific recommendations, either for/against this model or manufacturer,
>> for/against recumbent exercise bikes, or for/against any other make and/or model.
>
>Alas this is the newsgroup for recumbents that actually move, so ours all have wheels. ;-)
>
>Try a Google search on "recumbent excercise bikes". Theres a few threads here and there. You can
>mostly ignore messages from this group as they deal with the moving bikes.
>
>Good luck
>
>Mikael
 
Thanks, Robert! I'll check it out.

--Josh

On Wed, 26 Mar 2003 21:09:27 -0600 (CST), [email protected] (Robert Milligan) wrote:

> Try www.sclass.horizonfitness.com
 
"Josho" skrev...
> Thanks, Mikael...trying it now. Lots of stores, not many evaluations, but certainly a lot of
> results to sift through!

Ah well. I meant searching the newsgroups with Google.
http://groups.google.com/advanced_group_search? There are some threads on them. Mostly in the
diet groups.

M.
 
Rob,

I'll consider that -- I haven't owned a trainer in many years, so hopefully they're a bit more
user-friendly than the last time I had one. Changing resistance was a bear.

Many thanks, Josh

On Wed, 26 Mar 2003 18:01:23 -0500, "Rob Rudeski" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Hey Josh,
>
>Why not buy a real recumbent and a good trainer. That way, you could ride it indoors when the
>weather's bad, and outdoors when you want some exercise with a changing view.
>
>Rob Rudeski Trenton, GA RANS V2
>
>"Josho" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>> That's not precisely what I had in mind, but my ends are somewhat the same: I have a fairly
>> well-equipped home gym and need to consider replacing the Lifecycle upright I've been using for
>> the past 12 years. If anyone knows of a better place to look for the kind of information I need,
>> I'd greatly appreciate knowing where to look.
>>
>> Thanks again, Josh
>>
>> On Wed, 26 Mar 2003 16:40:36 -0600, Cletus Lee <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> >In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
>> >>
>> >> I'm considering the purchase of a recumbent exercise bike. I'm turning up, on the net, very
>> >> little in the way of objective purchasing information, although I may not be looking in the
>> >> right places.
>> >>
>> >If you are looking for something that sits in your living room and lets
>you watch TV, you still
>> >are not looking in the right place.
>> >
>> >--
>> >
>> >Cletus D. Lee Bacchetta Giro Lightning Voyager http://www.clee.org
>> >- Bellaire, TX USA -
>
 
The new CycleOps Fluid (I think) is stated to have "Power Band Technology" that adjusts resistance
based on the speed of the wheel. That would allow you to change resistance just by shifting gears.

That's what the marketing material says, anyway.

Good luck in your search.

Rob Rudeski Trenton, GA RANS V2

"Josho" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Rob,
>
> I'll consider that -- I haven't owned a trainer in many years, so hopefully they're a bit more
> user-friendly than the last time I had one. Changing resistance was a bear.
>
> Many thanks, Josh
>
> On Wed, 26 Mar 2003 18:01:23 -0500, "Rob Rudeski" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >Hey Josh,
> >
> >Why not buy a real recumbent and a good trainer. That way, you could ride
it
> >indoors when the weather's bad, and outdoors when you want some exercise with a changing view.
> >
> >Rob Rudeski Trenton, GA RANS V2
> >
> >"Josho" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> >> That's not precisely what I had in mind, but my ends are somewhat the same: I have a fairly
> >> well-equipped home gym and need to consider replacing the Lifecycle upright I've been using for
> >> the past 12 years. If anyone knows of a better place to look for the kind of information I
> >> need, I'd greatly appreciate knowing where to look.
> >>
> >> Thanks again, Josh
> >>
> >> On Wed, 26 Mar 2003 16:40:36 -0600, Cletus Lee <[email protected]> wrote:
> >>
> >> >In article <[email protected]>, [email protected]
says...
> >> >>
> >> >> I'm considering the purchase of a recumbent exercise bike. I'm
turning
> >> >> up, on the net, very little in the way of objective purchasing information, although I may
> >> >> not be looking in the right places.
> >> >>
> >> >If you are looking for something that sits in your living room and
lets
> >you watch TV, you still
> >> >are not looking in the right place.
> >> >
> >> >--
> >> >
> >> >Cletus D. Lee Bacchetta Giro Lightning Voyager http://www.clee.org
> >> >- Bellaire, TX USA -
> >>
> >
 
In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
>
>That's not precisely what I had in mind, but my ends are somewhat the same: I have a fairly
>well-equipped home gym and need to consider replacing the Lifecycle upright I've been using for the
>past 12 years. If anyone knows of a better place to look for the kind of information I need, I'd
>greatly appreciate knowing where to look.

When my butt could no longer take the abuse of the saddle on the upright Lifecycle in my own home
gym, I just went out and bought a Lifecycle recumbent exercize bike. It works very well, and my only
regret is that the seat position is a bit more upright than what I normally prefer on my Vision. I
did see a Schwin recumbent exercize bike that was very laid back, but it was just a resistance
mechanism, and not as sophisticated as the Lifecycle. I have since seen other brands in gyms
(Precor?) that are more laid back than the Lifecycle, but I wasn't able to find one to try out.

The Lifecycle is fun in that it has a HRM, and gives you a precise and reproducible level of
resistance, with an output in watts, if you are into tracking that sort of thing. I am up to an hour
a day on it at about 210 watts, and I find that very challenging. It humbles me to read that pros
like Armstrong put out 400 watts for hours.

Steve Christensen Midland, MI
 
On Thu, 27 Mar 2003 08:56:15 -0500, "Rob Rudeski" <[email protected]> wrote:

>The new CycleOps Fluid (I think) is stated to have "Power Band Technology" that adjusts resistance
>based on the speed of the wheel. That would allow you to change resistance just by shifting gears.
>
>That's what the marketing material says, anyway.

Um, can't you do that with any trainer? Any resistance unit will have higher resistance at higher
speed, right?

I have an older CycleOps fluid trainer. It's the only one I've used so I can't compare to others,
but it works well. Mine doesn't seem to have any adjustment for resistance. (I'm not too sure
because I got mine secondhand without a manual.) I just change gears to change the resistance.

Ken Kobayashi [email protected] http://solarwww.mtk.nao.ac.jp/kobayashi/personal/
 
I have a Schwinn recumbent stationary. I bought it for my wife but started using it this winter
because the nordic track was bothering my back. I ride a TE outside. The schwinn is excellent. Very
Very quiet. It sits in the family room and is not too obtrusive. Look around at your local better
home exercise stores. The lowest end model has a wind resistance which is noisy as hell. The next
one up has a magnet thing. Quiet is good. It was about $500. I think this is what I have
http://www.allegromedical.com/home/moreinfo.asp?C=523&S=3652&M=15678&P=190153

These also look similar. I have the lower end model and it is excellent.

http://www.brandsfitness.com/recumbents/recumbents.htm I bought mine locally. Alan
 
If you had the right room layout, you could pedal to the fridge for a cold one and pedal back to
your spot in front of the t.v.. Get a wireless keyboard and you could probably list the Sunset as a
piece of office furniture and deduct it as a business expense. ;o)

"Tom Sherman" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>
> Cletus Lee wrote:
> >
> > In article <[email protected]>, [email protected]
says...
> > >
> > > I'm considering the purchase of a recumbent exercise bike. I'm turning up, on the net, very
> > > little in the way of objective purchasing information, although I may not be looking in the
> > > right places.
> > >
> > If you are looking for something that sits in your living room and lets
you watch TV, you still
> > are not looking in the right place.
>
> My Dragonflyer is the most comfortable seat in my apartment. ;)
>
> Tom Sherman - Various HPV's Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)
 
I have a Diamondback 1100 R and find it very helpful, as it is convenient to hop on for even a short
ride. (As a matter of fact, I find it too boring for long rides, so I usually use it only for
interval training) It has watt, rpm, calories etc., but the handgrip pulse thing doesn't work very
well. It has magnetic resistance and goes up to around 1000 watts, so you wont outgrow it. It's more
upright seating position doesn't seem to hinder cardiovascular or muscle development. Dan Kluckhuhn

"Josho" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> I'm considering the purchase of a recumbent exercise bike. I'm turning up, on the net, very little
> in the way of objective purchasing information, although I may not be looking in the right places.
>
> I'm considering (mostly because it has the features I want and is feasible economically, at least
> at some point) the ReebokRB 450.
>
> I'm looking for any specific recommendations, either for/against this model or manufacturer,
> for/against recumbent exercise bikes, or for/against any other make and/or model.
>
> Many thanks for/against any information.
>
> --Josh
 
Dan,

I'm glad to hear most of what you have to say about the Diamondback 1100R, because I just ordered
that exact model last night.

I'm not too concerned about the handgrip pulse not working too well; I have a Polar monitor that I
usually depend on. All in all, the list of features was very impressive and the salespeople gave me
what seems to be a highly competitive price.

If there's anything else about owning/using one I should know, let me know!

--Josh

On Sun, 30 Mar 2003 16:30:27 GMT, "Dan Kluckhuhn" <[email protected]> wrote:

>I have a Diamondback 1100 R and find it very helpful, as it is convenient to hop on for even a
>short ride. (As a matter of fact, I find it too boring for long rides, so I usually use it only for
>interval training) It has watt, rpm, calories etc., but the handgrip pulse thing doesn't work very
>well. It has magnetic resistance and goes up to around 1000 watts, so you wont outgrow it. It's
>more upright seating position doesn't seem to hinder cardiovascular or muscle development. Dan
>Kluckhuhn
>
>"Josho" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>> I'm considering the purchase of a recumbent exercise bike. I'm turning up, on the net, very
>> little in the way of objective purchasing information, although I may not be looking in the right
>> places.
>>
>> I'm considering (mostly because it has the features I want and is feasible economically, at least
>> at some point) the ReebokRB 450.
>>
>> I'm looking for any specific recommendations, either for/against this model or manufacturer,
>> for/against recumbent exercise bikes, or for/against any other make and/or model.
>>
>> Many thanks for/against any information.
>>
>> --Josh
 
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