mrodgers

Ok, I wasn't sure where to put this because it isn't really cycling but does pertain to stationary exercise bikes...

My wife's exercise bike of 14 years finally broke fatally. The pedal crank snapped off. She got on it religiously in the beginning of this past summer daily and was one of the reasons I got on my actual bike and started riding in the late middle of summer.

So with Christmas right around the corner, I am looking to get her a replacement piece of equipment. I could never ride her bike as it was extremely uncomfortable. She wasn't in love with it, but it is what she had, much like I am not in love with my Walmart mountain bike, but it is all I have.

I went to Sears and Dick's Sporting Goods this afternoon to check out all the latest stuff. I first wasn't sure if she would like another bike or an elliptical machine. Those elliptical machines look like they would work well.

I am not made of money so I'm not looking at the expensive stuff (her bike that just broke was 14 years old and I think I paid $99 for it.) In the store they had elliptical machines that were from I think $250 through $1600. Some of them had dead batteries and no power so I could only get on them and use them as is and some of them did have power.

My question for the elliptical machines, do they not have any resistance at all to them? I tried them all and even the $1600 ones that had power, I kept turning the resistance up and I felt no difference. They were all extremely easy in resistance, and I have to emphasize extremely. They all just felt free spinning and to put an analogy to it, as if pedaling your bicycle with the rear wheel propped up off the ground. Literally no resistance at all. Am I missing something? If this is the case, then I didn't like them at all and I don't think my wife would either. Also even the expensive ones that had a 20" stride to it, just felt like there was no stride at all.


Ok, now on to the stationary bikes. Her old bike was of the fan resistance type. All I could see in the stores was the magnetic resistance. I tried many. First off, one feature she did like on her old bike was the arms that moved. No bike in any store had this.

Same as the ellipticals, some of them had power to the display and some did not. I sat on every one of them from $209 to $800. They all felt clunky to me with the magnetic resistance. None were smooth at all. Is this how you folks feel about them or do I feel different to the norm? Uncomfortable as it was, her old bike being the fan resistance style was very smooth (very loud but very smooth.) At the lowest resistance of the magnetic style that I tried again, was so easy it felt like trying to pedal your real bike with the wheel propped up off the ground. As I increased the resistance, all it did was make it difficult to push the pedal so that your pedaling was like clunking for every stroke you pushed, not a smooth spin at all.

Now I've never been to a gym and obviously I don't expect $3000 gym quality machines from a $200 home piece of equipment, but $1600 certainly isn't cheap for something and I did not feel any difference in the cheapest to the most expensive whether it was comparing the elliptical machines or the stationary bikes. They all felt like garbage and useless to me.

I think I would like the fan resistance based much better than the magnetic resistance but there isn't any available to look at. There are plenty to order, but I'm not going to order something like this without being able to see the quality of the build/materials or try it out for function first (like I said, I'm not loaded up and spending $200 right now is pretty steep so I don't want to order something for that kind of money without being able to see and try it.)

Anyone have any ideas for me in this area to help me out? Oh and before someone suggests a trainer for my own bike, this is for my wife and she uses it in the mornings. During the day, my bike is mounted on my car at work for me to use on the way home. We pass each other on the road me coming home and her going to work and that is about all we see of each other sadly any more.

ahsposo 

Wow! Welcome to the forums.

It seems you are really earnest so I'll reply in kind.

This is not the place to start your membership, but it is the next to best place to be.

Try Training & Nutrition. Or other forums specific to your needs.


There was a first: A double post within a post as it was moved to another forum! Cool!

10 Wheels

Go used:

https://harrisburg.craigslist.org/bik/4238185367.html

https://harrisburg.craigslist.org/spo/4236196125.html

https://harrisburg.craigslist.org/spo/4206987571.html

CbadRider

Moved from Foo to Training & Nutrition.

MillCreek

https://www.consumersearch.com/exerci...-exercise-bike

EthanYQX

Sounds like your wife had an Airdyne. I really really wish I could find an Airdyne bike for $99, they're fantastic. I bet someone will pay you for it even broken. Strength and conditioning coaches love them. Unfortunately, you're not going to find anything nearly as good as your Airdyne unless you find a used Airdyne.

You can get yourself a cheap trainer in a lot of sporting goods stores. I have one I paid sub $100 for, I use it 4-6 days a week for the last 2-3 years doing both HIIT and LISS, and it's still working fine. It's a Schwinn brand that I got from Canadian Tire.

GeorgeBMac

Or, EBay:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trks...at=0&_from=R40

Myosmith

Unfortunately, $200 indoor exercise machines are generally of poor quality. I understand that money is tight but here is one option for about the same money as new low-end elliptical trainers. Find her an older used steel frame MTB that is in decent riding condition. Around here they go for around $100 - $150.

I rode this one for a summer before selling it. I bought it for $75 as shown.

You can get a new indoor trainer that will allow her to use that bike as a stationary bike for under $200.

https://www.rei.com/product/863022/cy...copy:s_kwcid**

For under $300 you will have an indoor trainer far superior to most stationary exercise bikes in that price range, with the added advantage that it uses easily obtainable standardized parts and the bike can be used for outdoor riding whenever she chooses.

mrodgers

$538 on Amazon for a new one? No, it definitely wasn't an Airdyne. It was a cheap $100 POS from Sears we bought 14 years ago. It was used off and on for those 14 years until she started riding it every day this past summer.

It wasn't anything spectacular, but it was certainly smoother pedaling than anything I've looked at in the magnetic stuff, even the big dollar ones. I personally just didn't like anything with the magnetic resistance, but we are finalizing our Christmas shopping on Friday (pretty much the only time and cash we have to do it with a profit share bonus coming) and I'm going to get her on some of the stuff that has the magnetic resistance to see if she likes it.

EthanYQX

I tend to use "Airdyne" as a catch all term for that style bike, my bad.

Good luck in your searches.

Mvcrash

I picked up a real "Airdyne" from Craigslist for 100 bucks. It was in great condition, barely used. What I like best is the progressive resistance. The faster you pedal the harder it gets and it works your upper body as well.

Like this one.

https://www.fitnessequipmentestore.co...Fa9lOgod2kcAkw