5 Best Stationary Bike For Seniors
One question I was always asked is “What is the best stationary bike for seniors ?”. Well here is the catch. If you are a senior and want to do regular exercise to stay fit and healthy, then exercise bike is the most preferred option.
As with exercise bike, you can do your daily cardio exercises from the comfort of your home while watching TV and spending time with your loved ones.
There are a lot of exercise bike options available from different brands in the market. If you are looking for an exercise bike for senior and confused about which one to choose, the don’t worry as we have shortlisted some of the best options for you. Read on to find out.
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Product
Schwinn 270 Recumbent Bike
Rating 4.2 / 5
4.2/5
- The Schwinn 270 is a great recumbent bike that features the electronic display console, ergonomically placed heart rate monitors, acoustic chamber speakers and a built-in fan to keep you cool through your most intense workouts.
- This exercise bike provides 29 workout programs, 4 users settings and 25 resistance levels to choose from to add intensity in variety to your exercise bikes.
- Design is ideal for the elderly, with joint problems, since you can slide the seat forward or backward to adjust the user’s height. You can read the Schwinn 270 recumbent bike review here.
Pros
-
- Easy to assemble
- Sturdy desin
- Built-in fitness programs
- 3 speed fan, USB charging port, media tray and water bottle holder.
- High Capacity: The maximum user weight capacity is 300 pounds (136 kilograms).
- Heart rate monitor and USB data transfer.
Cons
- So the screen is pretty bright by default
- Difficult to configure custom user program capability, as it is not listed in the manual. Seat could have been more cushioned, But adding a lumbar support pillow should help.
The Bottom Line:
The Schwinn 270 recumbent bike delivers a challenging work out in a relaxed position with increased lower back support.Best suited for people with back problem or those who are recovering from knee injury. It’s best for regular usage and provides a reliable cardio exercise from the comfort of your home.
I mentioned before as well, how cycling on the exercise bike can help you stay fit and healthy. In this section i am going to explain couple of great advantages seniors can have by using exercise bike regularly.
Product
Exerpeutic 900XL Recumbent Bike
Rating 4.2 / 5
4.2/5
This Exerpeutic recumbent bike provides a comfortable way to workout with it’s ease of use and an extra large back support.
It is designed to be a heavy duty bike that can handle capacity of up to 300 pounds of user weight. With a wider comfortable seat, More comfortable back rest cushioning and magnetic resistance for challenging workouts.
The step through design of this bike makes it more easy to get in and off the bike giving you a more effective and efficient workout. The bike is designed to give you comfort and safety when exercising. All the factor combined makes it a great option for seniors.
Pros
- 300 Pound Weight capacity
- 8 level of magnetic tension system allows the user to adjust the tension level for an easier or more difficult workout.
- An easy to read large window LCD display that indicates distance, calories burned, time, speed, scan and heart rate monitor.
- Hand Pulse Sensors allows you to stay within your Target Heart Rate Zone.
- Large Oversized seat cushion and back rest for users of any size. Easy and quick seat adjustments for users 5.3 inches – 6.6 inches.
- The precision balanced flywheel and V- belt drive provide a smooth and quiet operation. It will not interfere with watching TV or listening to music.
- Included transportation wheels for easy relocation of the bike.
Cons
- Reading track or ipad tray could have been included.
- Seat coushion and adjustibility is not that great. But it’s ok considering the price.
The Bottom Line:
Considering all the factors and what you are getting from a recumbent bike at a price less then $200, It could be a great option for you if you are looking for a bike, but you don’t have much budget for it. Since this recumbent bike comes at a very economic price.
It could be a good option for you, If you are just looking for regular exercise to keep yourself feet and not looking for any advance features that comes along with more costly bike.
Product
Sole Fitness R92 Recumbent Bike
Rating 3.8 / 5
3.8/5
Recumbent exercise bikes are for people who want a low impact workout. This makes this bike as as one of the best recumbent bikes for seniors in the number one choice for therapeutic purposes. For older adults with foot and joint issues, the Sole Fitness R92 could be a really good option.
The inward design of this bike corrects your body posture and therefore minimizing aches, soreness and joint pains that you will experience in another type of bike.
Pros
- Very quite and smooth
- Adjustable seat and handlebars
- Pulse grip heart rate monitoring
- Nine-inch LCD console
- MP3 compatible sound system
- Water bottle holder
- Built-in fan
- 6 Standard and 2 Custom exercise programs
- Durably built, Long lasting bike
Cons
- Assembly can be a bit tedious, But it’s one time task.
The Bottom Line:
If you are some one who is prefers quality over budget, then Schwinn 270 Recumbent bike could be a great option for you. If you look at Amazon customer reviews, you can see almost all the users of this bike has given positive feedback.
The best part about this bike is you get a life time warranty on frame 3 years warranty on Electronics and parts and 1 Year of free labor. If price is not a constant for you then you should definitely consider purchasing this bike.
Why should seniors use an exercise bike ?
What are the benefits ?
Low Impact:
We all know that regular exercise is necessary for maintaining proper health and staying fit. Getting older weakens our joints and muscles making us more prone to injures.
But the fact is often cardio aerobic exercises creates stress on our joints and muscles. However, riding on an exercise bike is smooth and has low impact on the joints which makes it best options for seniors. So by working on exercise bike, seniors can get the health benefits of regular exercise without much impacting the joints much.
Improved Mobility:
We also know that as we grow old, our body becomes less flexible and the mobility kind of decrease as the joints becomes harder and stiff. This happens because our body became less active due to lack of exercise over the years.
Riding on exercise bike improves our joint mobility and builds leg strength. Which in turn improves the overall mobility of the body and helps us to stay active. This is the reason exercise bike is often considered as the best option for seniors.
Cardiovascular Health & Circulation:
We all know that, cardio vascular health is uber important irrespective of our age. But with increase in our age, our cardiovascular system becomes less efficient, making us more prone to disease.
That’s the reason doctors often suggest elderly person to give high importance to cardio vascular health. I know so many elderly person those who take regular medicine for blood pressure.
One of the biggest benefit of using an exercise bike, may it be 5 mins a day is that it improves the blood circulation in the body and makes the heart more healthy.
Factors Seniors should consider while purchasing an Exercise bike
Comfort: As a senior comfort should be your first priority while choosing an exercise bike. When it comes to comfort, you should always look for the seat and seating comfort. Part of the reason i always recommend a recumbent bike for seniors is because those bikes generally comes with a comfortable seat with back rest. But different bike comes with different level of comfort and you should fell comfortable while riding the bike. If you look at the customer reviews in amazon, you can very well see that most of the parsing is around the comfort level of the Schwinn 270 recumbent bike. So always keep comfort in mind while comparing the bikes.
Features: Well, another factor that you should look for in an exercise bike is the features. Now-a-days different exercise bike comes with different set of feature like Workout programs, heat rate monitor, LCD console, Fitness metrics monitoring, VR Compatibility, and several other technical features that you might be interested in. But again it depends on your personal preference when it comes to feature, because what you may like is a good feature, other may net find that feature much helpful. So i would suggest that you jot down a list of features that you would need in the bike. That way you can look for those features while selecting the bike.
Cost: Cost is an important factors while purchasing. Exercise bike being such a popular category, there are hundreds of models available from different brands at different price bracket to choose from. What you’ll typically see that the price range is starting from $100 and goes above $1000 for some models. Again it boils down to your budget. But i would recommend go for the best value for money model while making a decision. Typically for recumbent bike i would suggest that you go for the higher range as it will be a value for money and will last longer.
Assembly: Well, when it comes to assembling an exercise bike, it can be a bit tedious especially If you don’t like putting different pieces together by following an user manual. I know how frustrating it is to deal with all the the parts and then figuring out whether you did it right or not. If you are savvy with do-it-yourself installation projects, then you should be absolutely fine with most of the models. If not, consider a model with easy assembly or just add the instillation along with your order for couple extra dollars.
Size: Before you click on the Buy now button, you should definitely check the dimension of the bike. Because no matter how good or feature rich the bike could be, it shouldn’t take more space in your home. Generally these bikes are very compatible and shouldn’t take much space in your home. But in case you are looking for a bike with less footprints for space availability purpose, then you should consider checking the foot prints of the bike before purchasing.
Ok, Now that you understand the different factors that you should be considering before purchasing an exercise bike.Let’s straight away cut to the chase. When it comes to seniors, i usually suggest to go for a recumbent exercise bike.Why ? For multiple reasons. A recumbent bike is considered best for seniors because it comes with a cushioned seat, back support and a couple of other comfortable options which is best for seniors. Here are our top recommendation on best recumbent bike for seniors.