After a year of procrastinating I’ve decided that it’s time I got serious about losing weight. Part of this was brought on when I put on a pair of “real pants” (as opposed to the sweat pants I usually wear - the joys of being retired) when I was going to my sister’s house for Christmas, and I could barely fasten them. Besides cutting down on my intake, of course, I need to get more exercise. In the past I’ve tried to get into the habit of taking a morning walk, but run into the problem that I’m a lazy SOB who can’t drag his fat ass out of the house.
So I figured that if I got something I can exercise with in my living room I’m more likely to use it. I’ve got bad knees, and after a little internet research decided that a recumbent exercycle would probably be my best choice. The problem is, what kind to buy? I’ve tried looking for online reviews, but the only ones I can find are by manufacturers or sellers hyping their own products. Schwinn puts out several models in the $350 - $450 range, but I really don’t want to spend that kind of money. I’ve seen some models in the $150 range, but I’m wondering which ones are any good. I don’t want to waste my money on a piece of crap that will break down in a few months.
Does anyone out there have any experience with recumbent exercycles and can give me some tips? I’m 5’6" and 285 pounds, if that’s a factor; I’ve heard that some models don’t work well for short people, or can’t handle over 250 pounds (which seems to be counter-productive if you’re trying to sell something to people trying to lose weight).
I’ve had a Stamina 4600 for years and I like it a lot. It doesn’t take up a lot of space and it’s quiet enough to be able to watch TV at a normal volume. I’ve probably put a few thousand miles on it over the years without having any problems with it. I’m the same height as you are and was close to that weight when I started and it was a comfortable fit but it might be uncomfortable for someone much taller. It was great when I was very heavy and I used it all the time. I rarely use it now that I’ve lost all of that weight because there are other workouts that are more fun but I still pull it out if there’s something on TV that I want to watch during my workout time. Theoretically you can read while you do it but I always found myself going much slower when I did.
I’ve owned a Schwinn 231 for awhile now (I normally ride a regular bike outside, but I needed to do something for exercise in the cold Chicago winters). It’s one of the expensive ones, but I found a GREAT deal on Amazon - free shipping plus $100 off. I’d say the only “con” is the price - it works well, is quiet, and as an added bonus, they REALLY put a lot of thought into making the process of putting it together idiot-proof.
If you can shop around and possibly wait for a good deal to come along, I’d whole-heartedly recommend it.
I’m hoping that there will be the usual January sales on exercise equipment that I can take advantage of. Shipping is definitely a factor, since I’ll most likely be ordering it online (I don’t drive, so if I try to get it at a local store I need to get a ride from a friend).
Karyn, your link didn’t work when I first tried it, and when I did a search for “Stamina 4600” I couldn’t find anyone selling them. Stamina didn’t even have it on their website, so it may be a discontinued model. However, when I checked your link again just now it was working, so I bookmarked it for future reference.
I also have a Stamina product, the Intone Folding Recumbent Bike. This one does have a weight limit of 250lbs but it seems pretty sturdy considering the price. It took me about 45 minutes to put it together. I’ve had it for about 4 weeks now and the only issue I have is that the seat back is a little creaky and there isn’t enough padding. I wish I had bought one ages ago; it definitely negates most of my usual excuses for not exercising. I was worried that I wouldn’t feel like I was exercising but it gets my heart rate up and I’m decently tired at the end of a 30 or 40 minute ride. Amazon has plenty of other recumbent bikes listed with many user reviews so I’m sure you can find something appropriate for you.
Yesterday I got my February 2009 (?!) issue of Consumer Reports which had an article on exercise equipment. They reviewed five recumbent bikes, including the Schwinn 231. Their “Best Buy” was the Spirit XBR25, which at $1200 is a bit out of my price range. In fact, the Schwinn was the only one they reviewed that listed under $1000.
I’m going to keep checking Amazon & eBay over the next week or so in hopes that something decent goes on sale.
I believe there’s another Schwinn model (I want to say 230, but I might be misremembering) that’s VERY similar to the 231, minus the little fan. If you can find a good deal on this one, my understanding is that they’re practically the same - and I never use the fan on mine.
But yeah, start checking Amazon in January. I believe that besides free shipping, there was this super-secret thing where when you added it to the cart, it took the other $100 off. Of course, you’re allowed to add things to the cart without committing to buy, so try that when you’re shopping.
Not really to sidetrack the thread, but have you considered elliptical machines? The fat and calorie burn rate is dramatically higher than recumbent bikes, and yet they are easy on the knees. You also use and build muscle in more muscle groups, including your core muscles.
I have used ellipticals the last couple of years with bad knees (both arthritic and my left had knee surgery 32 years ago), and feel much better once the weight came off in a matter of months (310 -> 240 lb.) in about a year.
I actually participated in studies with the U of Chicago sports medicine and all those elptical cycles are grossly overestimated the calories. The best elpitical was only 60% correct. Some were off by 75% (that means 25% right)
You can get the exact same workout ON any bike that has built in resistance.
However you don’t lose weight by exercising. IF and IF you work out like a maniac, talking many hours a day of runnng you’ll be LUCKY to lose ten pound. You need to stop eating.
For knees the bikes are the second best option behind swimming.
Check Craigslist out for deals. Lots of times you can get decent stuff very cheap because no one uses it. You don’t need a top of the line bike at first. You need ANY bike for the first month to see if you’re gonna actually use it. Once you do this for a month, if you’re sure you will do it THEN spend the money.
You’d actually be best off going to a gym and seeing if you can pay for one month. That way you can experiment with different cycles and see if you will actually do this
We bought a cheap Proform recumbent bike over five years ago and still have it. I stopped using it about a year ago because it started getting really loud. We bought it at Dunham’s in the mall on some super sale.
They don’t provide a great exercise, though anything is better than nothing.
Have you checked for sporting goods stores in your area that sell used equipment? We have one here that you can get good deals from and who will notify you if something that you’re interested in comes into the shop.
Markxxx - I am going to be changing my eating habits, particularly cutting down on the portions. One of my problems has always been “grazing” - snacking even though I’m not really hungry, particularly while I’m reading or watching TV. I’m going to stop buying things I shouldn’t be eating.
I’ll try to check out craigslist and sporting goods stores for deals. As I mentioned in the OP, however, since I don’t drive I’m dependent on a friend to get anything home that I can’t carry on public transit.
If you don’t want to invest in a full-fledged recumbent bike, you might try one of these: InStride Cycle
I got one for the same reasons you stated. It takes up very little room and I was concerned that I’d buy one and eventually stop using it. So far, it hasn’t been a problem. Just a suggestion if you want to save some space/money and see if it works out for you before investing in a more expensive one.
We have a nice Schwinn (can’t remember the model) that we bought 3-4 years ago at Costco for around $375. Terrific bike…lots of pre-sets for different workouts and it works great for people our size (mr.stretch is 5’6"; I’m only slightly taller). It will handle over 250 pounds.
It’s heavy, but once you have it in your house it’s easy to move around because it has rollers on one end (the front?). It takes up some room, but the quality and comfort can’t be beat.
Mr.stretch loves it. I’m realistic and know that I’m never going to excercise so I wouldn’t have bought it if it weren’t for mr.stretch’s wants.
I was talking about stand up ellipticals that mimic cross country skiing; not ellipical bikes. The stand ups are superior in fat/calorie burning and aerobic exercise than the ones you sit down on. My 70 pounds lost (at age 43) was from cutting my intake of 500 calories per day and burning 700 calories a day for 5 of the 7 days in a week in order to theoretically lose 2 pounds a week. The cross country elliptical was my virtually my exclusive choice to burn the calories. Some weeks/months were quite easy to lose more than that once my metabolism perked up. I have tried recumbent bikes in the past, but with very little results. The cross country ellipticals are far better and do require harder work, yet easy on the knees.