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What are the benefits of using an upright exercise bike?

Low impact exercise – Your body weight and joints are supported when using an upright exercise bike so your exercise routine will be low impact resulting in few injuries and long term damage to hips, knees and ankle joints compared to running.

Great workout for the heart – An upright exercise bike is great for getting your heart rate up over the 100 beats per minute mark and into the fat burning territory for extended periods of time. It doesn’t take long for a regular routine to develop your heart strength so much so that you have to move up the resistance levels.

Easy to motivate for use/can see goals reached easily – because you can use indoors and because using an upright is very effective at improving your heart fitness it doesn’t take long to see personal improvements in your stamina, strength and ultimately body tone. Seeing regular improvements is a great way to keep motivation high.

Helps burn loads of calories as you can maintain routine easier than other machines – Other machines such as ellipticals and steppers may burn more calories per hour, but staying motivated over the long term is harder because the effort is far more physical than using an upright. With an upright fitness sneaks up on you without you feeling like you are putting massive workouts in.

Easier to locate at home than say a treadmill or elliptical – most uprights have a smaller footprint than treadmills, ellipticals or even rowing machines, so if space is an issue an upright could be ideal for you. Uprights can bet stored in a corner of the room when not in use, whereas some machines require a room of their own as their size means they clutter other rooms.

Suitable for most age ranges, sizes and weights – because of the low impact on joints, because you are sitting, because you are not using your whole body to exercise and because it is easy to control your heart rate these machines are suitable for most age groups barring the youngest infants and the frailest seniors. Well made, stable, adjustable frames mean individuals of most sizes and weights can find a suitable bike for them.

Any disadvantages or drawbacks?

Sometimes uncomfortable to use saddle – it is difficult for manufacturers to produce a one size fits all saddle that everyone will be happy with. Some saddles are better than others so it is wise to read reviews on any model that takes your fancy and be alert to complaints. Don’t let poor saddles put you off a machine that has other features you need, there are a wide selection of inexpensive purpose built saddle cushions designed to overcome this common problem.

Uprights are not recommended for those with back problems – although these bikes offer low impact exercise the upright position during exercise can put stress on the users back. If you don’t suffer back problems you won’t notice the stress, however if you have a history of back problems or occasionally suffer from back twinges then a recumbent exercise bike will be a better option than an upright fitness bike.

Can get boring over time – Like any repetitive exercise, long term use can be boring especially once early, easy to achieve fitness goals are accomplished, however if you choose a model with transport wheels you can easily relocate the bike in front of a TV to overcome boredom. Check that power leads for the bike (commonly required on modern magnetic eddy resistance models) are adequate length to give you loads of bike location options.

Not very portable/not small – Like any piece of exercise equipment, with the exception of small portable exercise equipment or folding exercise equipment, upright bikes have to be built for durability for long use and this often means strong, extensive framing. Allied to higher levels of resistance and other features this can make some bikes heavier than you might anticipate and harder to move and store. If you need portability and supreme storage check out foldable exercise bikes first. Most modern uprights, whilst having a compact footprint compared to other exercise equipment such as treadmills or ellipticals, don’t fold down and will take space in a room…..permanently.

More expensive than some exercise machines like rowers or folding exercise bikes – There are budget uprights on the market that will get your fitness levels up, but mid range uprights tend to be more expensive than mid range rowers or folding equipment. If you are looking for cheap equipment there are other places to begin your search than looking at uprights.

May need assembly on delivery – Most uprights will be delivered flat packed, usually with all the tools and instructions required for assembly. If your not handy with tools expect an upright to take the best part of half an hour to assemble.

Common features to look for

LED Display – Most bikes these days will be fitted with either a battery or mains powered LED monitor that will display data on variables such as speed, distance travelled, calories burnt, exercise duration, heart rate, program setting, RPM.

Heart Rate Monitors – These are a relatively recent development, even models at the budget end of the market will feature a heart rate monitor of some sort. Lesser models usually gauge heart rate through the hand grips and top end models will come with telemetry systems where you wear a chest band that records heart rate. Obviously, machines that measure heart rate through handle grips are probably not 100% accurate but are indicative enough to be a worthwhile and useful feature and it is always satisfying to note improvement in your heart rate over weeks and months.

Number of resistance settings – All uprights will come with a number of resistance settings that can be altered to make pedalling tougher. Cheaper models may have fewer settings but high end models can have as many as 16 different graduated resistance settings meaning as you get fitter the machine can still usefully develop your fitness.

Number of computer controlled programs – Some of the cheaper models will not have computer controlled programs but mid and upper range models will often feature a number of pre programmed courses that can simulate hill climbs and flat zones in your exercise plan to really put you through your paces. Allied with resistance settings the more programs the longer you can stay motivated and the quicker you will get fitter and lose weight.

Adjustable saddles/handlebars – most uprights these days have adjust-ability built in to account for all body sizes and heights especially for saddle height. Check whether the model you like has adjustable handlebars because not all models carry this feature.

Best Brands To Look Out For

Schwinn, Stamina, Nautilus, Proform – These brands are specialists for uprights carrying extensive ranges of uprights to suit every budget and need, their brands are built on great reputations for build quality, durability acquired over years of manufacture in this sector of exercise equipment.

Sunny Health and Fitness, Marcy – Manufacturers of good repute but with small ranges of budget level bikes with good reviews. Good starter options at the lower budget end of the scale.

What to expect to pay

You can expect to spend $100 to $450 for standard uprights. $100 models are very basic, you won’t get a huge choice of features, resistance settings or computer programs but you will get a machine that will develop a beginners fitness level and take you to a comfortable intermediate level. Top end models at $450 are packed with every conceivable feature, a multitude of settings that even a pro athlete would be happy with and a machine you will never grow out of. Machines at the higher price levels are often accompanied by extensive guarantees for frames and working parts.

Current bestsellers to look at

Schwinn A10 Upright – This is a mid range upright priced at circa $200, it features 8 resistance levels, 6 programs, heart monitor, transport wheels and adjustable bars and saddle amongst other features. Many users comment on the fact it is quiet in use, has a compact footprint and a strong stable frame. This bike is great for beginners and intermediate users although high level fitness individuals might require a bike with a few more programs and higher resistance levels.