Recumbent - Recumbent Stationary Bike

Hi

A good friend of mine is looking for a recumbent stationary bike. I'm not sure if this is a question for this forum or for the fitness section.


Here goes - my friend is looking to loose weight w/o re-injuring his back. He's big (6' +250) Actually riding outside would not be a solution since where he lives it is very very hilly

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Stationary is very boring.

Riding the hills would help lose that weight quickly.
(As would walking a lot, like walking the bike up those hills until he got strong enough to ride all the way up)

Ok - so if he went with a real bike - what would you recommend - I know nothing about recumbent bikes

Being a 'Church of RANS' member, I'd start by looking at a Rocket or a Tailwind. Both have 20" wheels front and back, and IIRC can handle 275+ lbs. Another choice which might be easier to find is a Sun EZ-1. (Virtually any bike shop in the US can order a Sun bike.) If your hills are particularly steep, he might consider getting it with a 32/42/52 crankset, which would result in very low hill gears.

Of course, test rides are recommended, if possible. Sometimes just looking at specs doesn't tell the whole story about how a bike feels to the rider.

any other reco's ?

My first bent was an Easy Sport. I got an stationary training stand for it for winter, but found that in spite of having a high threshold for monotony, I can't stand riding to nowhere. I gave the setup to my diabetic mother when I bought another bent. Within two months of pretty consistent "riding" for twenty minutes a day, her blood sugar had dropped considerably.
There are recumbent stationary exercisers, but your friend would have to consider what he would do with it when he doesn't need it anymore. I doubt they have much resale value and they can be expensive. A bicycle-exerciser's usefulness can, of course, be expanded by riding outdoors and, when the time comes, would fetch a decent price if it's advertised in the right place.
Because of its weight, I don't whole heartedly recommend the Easy Sport for a newbie on hilly terrain, but it's worth a look see. Of course, its weight wouldn't be a factor if it's only used as an indoor exerciser.
Have him check out a stand that clamps to the sides of the rim rather than runs up against the tire which will eventually scrub the tread off. I have a side clamper on the Easy Sport and both tires have long ago bled themselves flat but that doesn't affect the trainer. Also, keep in mind that trainers usually have a limited range of wheel sizes that they will fit.

http://www.easyracers.com/ez_sport.htm