The pandemic has been pretty hard on us all. We’re sure that we can all agree that 2020 has been a terrible year, and 2021 doesn’t look as good either. However, we must make the most out of what we have and try to bring out the positive at all cost.
One of the things that happened during the COVID-19 lockdown was that people got time to reflect on themselves and even focus on improving themselves. One great part of this improvement was physical fitness.
Half of the population have become sluggish and lazy, while the other half are getting lean and ripped. You always have the choice- which part of the population do you want to be?
If your choice is the latter half, we have got you covered. Getting fit isn’t easy, especially if you don’t know where to begin. To help you with that we have just the thing to get you started. Why not try some cardio?
If you want to do some steady-state cardio while staying at home maintaining social distancing, check out these awesome exercise bikes!
Best Budget Exercise Bikes
In this article, we have enlisted 6 of our top picks on the best budget exercise bikes. Let’s take a closer look at them!
Sunny Health & Fitness Underdesk EllipticaL
Right off the bat we have the Sunny Health and Fitness Underdesk Elliptical machine. This exercise machine isn’t exactly a bike, but it is very similar to one in terms of function.
The elliptical is a machine with pedals similar to exercise bikes and has enough resistance to provide you a decent workout session. This machine can be placed on the ground to be pedaled like a bike, while you sit on a chair or stool.
There is a digital monitor in the middle where you can adjust the settings for speed, track time, resistance and more. There are 8 levels of resistance so you can have a fire leg workout on this amazing device!
The Sunny Health & Fitness Underdesk Elliptical is very compact and portable, so you can actually carry it with you during vacations so you don’t have to miss out on working out. If this exercise machine interests you, go check it out!
Pros
- Portable and compact
- Different resistance levels
- Easy to use digital monitor
- Affordable.
Cons
- Doesn’t come with a seat.
Sunny Health & Fitness Comfort XL Ultra Folding Exercise Bike
Next on our list of the best budget exercise bikes, we have another from Sunny Health & Fitness. This exercise is built for maximum comfort while burning some calories. As ironic as that sounds, it isn’t that bad of a workout machine.
While making sure you get to sit comfortably, the exercise bike provides enough resistance and speed so you can break a sweat and burn enough fat. The most impressive feature of this exercising bike is that is has 10 levels of resistance which is the highest you will find in any of the exercise bikes on this list.
You can adjust the bike in 3 different settings to get the best, most challenging workout sessions. On top of that, you can monitor and track all your progress on the display. You get a speed, distance, calorie, heart rate and odometer tracker on this exercise bike.
The bike is very high quality and durable. And for the icing on the cake, it is also very affordable. So what’s stopping you from purchasing it?
Pros
- 10 resistance levels
- Adjustable
- Comfortable seat
- Foam handlebars
- Affordable.
Cons
- Some customers had issues with the pedals.
Sunny Health & Fitness Upright Row-N-Ride Rowing Machine Squat Trainer
This workout machine is slightly different from all the exercising bikes on this list. While it does look like a bike and has the shape of one, it functions quite differently. However, it is an exercising bike for your legs.
The Sunny Health &Fitness Rowing and Squatting machine is for, well, rowing and squatting. This machine is the perfect tool for building massive lower body strength and developing strong leg muscles.
You are required to sit on it very similar to a bike and put your feet on the pedals. The only difference is, you don’t pedal, but use the pedals as support for when you squat down. You need to apply pressure to the seat and make it go down so you can work out your quads and calves. This also works you glutes, so you get an incredible overall lower body workout.
On top of providing amazing resistance, the machine also offers an LCD monitor to control the settings and track your progress. To add or remove resistance, you can simply adjust the elastic bands attached to the seat. These bands add about a resistance of 22 pounds, so you can tell how intense the resistance can get. Check this machine out if you want bulletproof quads!
Pros
- Amazing lower body strength builder
- LCD monitor for tracking progress
- Great resistance
- Adjustable settings.
Cons
- Not a bike (not for steady state cardio).
Ultrasport F-Bike and F-Rider
For the fourth product on our list, we have an exercise bike by Ultrasport F-Bike and F-Rider. This one, unlike the previous product, is an actual exercise bike with a bike like structure and a seat.
As an exercise bike it is quite amazing and comes with many useful features to provide you a great cardio and leg workout. This indoor cycling machine comes with 8 levels of resistance to ensure that you can progressively improve your endurance and stamina, and not to mention your quad and calf muscles.
This exercising bike comes with an LCD display where you can see all the controls such as time, scan, calories, speed, distance, heart rate and more.
The best part about this bike is that you can unscrew the pedals and reattach them in the opposite directions if you want. It is also foldable so you can fold it and put away after using it if you want.
This is one of the best exercising bikes in the market that is available for a pretty affordable price. So check is out if you are interested!
Pros
- 8 resistance levels
- Foldable
- Comfortable seat
- Adjustable pedals.
Cons
- Not so durable.
Sunny Health & Fitness Indoor Cycling Bike
Next we have another amazing exercising machine by Sunny Health and Fitness. The Sunny Health and Fitness indoor cycling bike is the perfect cardio machine. Can’t go out for a run? How about you cycle a few laps on this amazing exercising bike?
Sunny Health and Fitness offers an array of amazing exercising bikes with all the features you need in them. This one comes with high quality pedals and a steel frame. The seat is adjustable and the chain drive is pretty fluid and smooth.
You get enough resistance and speed due to various difficulty levels, so we assure you that you will get an intense cardio workout session.
This exercise bike comes in 3 different colorways to choose from. It is an amazing exercise equipment, and we highly recommend it to those of you looking for a good exercise bike that is sure to make you break a sweat. It is also affordable, so you definitely want to check it out!
Pros
- Adjustable seat
- Great resistance options
- Robust and durable body
- Affordable.
Cons
- Not foldable or portable.
Marcy Foldable Upright Exercise Bike
For the final product on this list, we have the Marcy Foldable Upright exercise bike. This one is very similar to the Ultrasport bike we just talked about up there. If you want to get a decent cardio workout and progressively overload yourself, this one is the way to go.
The bike is very portable and foldable so you can store it away in any corner of the room and take out to work out and put it back.
The bike comes with a seat of a bicycle that can be adjusted to your comfort. The pedals are easy to reach and can also be adjusted to your needs.
The Marcy Foldable Exercise bike comes with 8 resistance levels to ensure that you get an intense cardio session and get your heart pumping. This is the perfect exercise machine to improve your heart health and increase your stamina overall.
This amazing exercise bike by Marcy is also pretty affordable, so you could consider this one as an option to purchase.
Pros
- Foldable
- High resistance
- Affordable.
Cons
- Not the most durable.
Important Things to Consider When Buying an Exercise Bike
There are certain things you should look out for while buying an exercise bike. You don’t want to buy something not knowing what to consider and then later find out you made a bad purchase. So here are some factors you want to consider before buying an exercise bike.
Comfort
When we talk about comfort on an exercise bike we do not mean that will be easy to work out on. You are going to exercise to get some resistance and become fit, not to relax. When we say comfort, we are referring to the seat and the pedal positioning.
If the seat isn’t soft and comfy, you will develop pain in your glutes. On the other hand, the pedal positioning should be adjustable so you can get full range of motion and exercise comfortably.
Display
Most modern exercise bikes will come with easy to use controls and clear display where all the information will be shown. Try not to go with one with too many buttons and controls as those are not so convenient to use. You want options and modes, but not a display with a ton of confusing buttons.
Many new exercise bikes come with LCD or even LED touch displays. While those will be a bit expensive, we recommend going for those if you can afford them.
Programming
Go for the exercise bikes that have various programming modes including adjustable routines that let you choose the difficulty level of your workout.
Heart-Rate Monitor
One very important feature to have in a good exercise bike is a heart-rate monitor. The whole point of doing cardio is to get your heart rate up and improve the overall health of your heart, lungs and lose fat.
When you have a heart rate monitor, you can track your progress and improve based on that. We know how crucial it is to progressively increase the difficulty of your workout in order to improve your fitness. A heart rate monitor helps in that process.
Safety
While all that is great and all, you must check if the exercising bike you are going for is safe to use. Check all the screws and nuts to see if the bike is sturdy enough and also the programming and settings to see if it doesn’t go hay-wire and blow up. Safety above all!
Warranty
An exercise bike is a machine and it is bound to go bad at some point. It is necessary that the manufacturer provides a warranty on the product that you are buying. Check for warranties on exercise bikes to ensure you get some sort of reassurance.
Recommendation & Conclusion
We hope the exercising bikes we reviewed were helpful in finding you the best exercising machine. If you are going for something that will let you do mostly cardio, we recommend the Sunny Health & Fitness Comfort XL Ultra Cushioned Seat Folding Exercise Bike, but if you want to improve your lower body strength, go for the Sunny Health & Fitness Upright Row-N-Ride Rowing Machine Squat Trainer.
We hope you enjoyed reading this article about the best budget exercise bikes. Have a nice day!
