Wow, help me buy an exercise bike?

[StrictlyStrategy]

I'd like it to be under $1,000, and not really anything under $400. Unlike most markets there are like 4,600 brands and every review site is giving different "top models" and a lot of the reviews seem piss-poor "It doesn't match my other gym equipment."

I don't know anything except I really think recumbent is going to be the best option for me. Some reviews mentioned that on a recumbent it's a little harder to really get your heart rate up because you're just sitting there. Other reviws said recumbents are better because you can't cheat by standing like on an upright. I don't even know what that means.

Goals: Burn fat. Comfortably.

I want to watch movies while doing it, and I think a recumbent would be better(and cheaper!) than an elliptical machine.

I checked Cragslist and it seemed pretty terrible and Ebay, eh, I think shipping will be ridiculous. Amazon offers free shopping on most of the items I glanced at.

Thanks in advance guys.

[TomVeil]

I'm at work, but will post on this when I get home. I have a stationary that I love. It comes with different pre-set programs, plus the ability to just set the difficulty that you want. It's magnetic, so it's nice and quiet for TV/movie watching as well. I'll post with the model when I get home. (It cost me $350 a year ago)

[XXXNoahXXX]

http://www.amazon.com/Schwinn-231-Recumb...7754&sr=8-8

[MAD_TURK]

1. Go through the game until you have fly, surf, and have reached
Cinnabar Island.
2. Okay, there's something you need to know beforehand before you do
this. On the east coast of Cinnabar, surf along the narrow land
strip as close to land as possible. Pokemon from the last grass
patch you were in will be there. This is a good trick because it
works with Safari Zone.
3. Now, the guy in Viridian that teaches you how to catch pokemon (he's
the guy at the north end that asks you if you are in a hurry; say
no) is for some reason counted as a grass patch. Have him show you
his demonstration and then fly to Cinnabar and surf along the east
coast. You will find some _high_ level pokemon (if you catch one
higher than lv. 100, it will return to lv. 100 as soon as you
receive exp. points; you can use them to battle friends, though).
When you get into a battle and the screen is black for longer than
usual, you'll know you have found one. Some of them are called
### `m ** and are either lv. 0 (which you shouldn't put in a box or
the game will freeze) or lv. 80. Once they gain a level, they evolve
to Kangaskahn, Mankey, Rhydon, or possibly more. Sometimes, they
don't evolve. For some reason, these ones have a Rhydon's cry, and
sometimes it is called Rhydon on the second page of the status
screen. If you have 150 pokemon, it will be called Missingno and
will be at lv. 146. This one makes a Pidgey cry. If you catch it, it
will screw up all the battle scenes and won't be recorded on your
Pokedex. Also, after you name it, you will still be in a battle. Its
invisible, but if you catch it again, it will be a Ditto. The good
thing about Missingno is that when you get into a battle with it,
the sixth item on your list is multiplied by 129, or something.
You'll know if it worked if the number has a little box thing in the
tens place. At one point, it will seem as if you have one left, but
you can keep using them and they will turn to 99. the next time it
looks as if you have one left, you do, so repeat the trick as
necessary. Some great items to do this with are nuggets, master
balls, rare candies, and the coin case. What you do with the coin
case is do the trick with it, and then deposit it. You will now have
two! If you have, say, 9999 coins in it, you will get another one
with 9999 coins! Very helpful. This is what Missingno looks like:

[StrictlyStrategy]

It seems like I'm going to be mostly happy with anything in the 3-800 range then as the Schwinn got sub-stellar reviews from some, and good reviews from others, and now Noah is referring it.

[J. Sawyer]

get a cheap road bike + http://www.cycleops.com/p-312-magneto.aspx

[Blarg]

By not being as easy to cheat cuz you can't stand, they mean that on a regular exercise bike, you can help keep the pedals going by just letting gravity carry a pedal down. On a recumbent, you have to actively push.

I've seen some very nice Schwinn's. So much of this depends on your particular body angles and such that I think you really need to sit in the model you're going to buy, or something very very close to it. It's one of those things where guessing or trusting isn't very good.

[mmctrab]

[ QUOTE ]
get a cheap road bike + http://www.cycleops.com/p-312-magneto.aspx

[/ QUOTE ]

That's what I'd do. Or get a hybrid bike and do the same thing. Might as well be able to ride the bike outside when the weather's good.