Recumbent Stationary Bike

[ginger green]

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.

[MaxBender]

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)

[ginger green]

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

[BlazingPedals]

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.

[ginger green]

any other reco's ?

[Hal Hardy]

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