Exercise Bike Help - Can't Run or Play Singles Tennis Any Longer...
 

I can never be a runner or play singles tennis again (see full story below) so I'm thinking of getting an exercise bike (already have one for outside) and am needing some advice.

Can anyone please recommend a great quality exercise bike (I have a mountain bike for outside) for an amazing price?

Also, can someone discuss the advantages and disadvantages of a recumbent compared to an upright excercise bike?

Thank you for your help.

TripleB67

The first week in October I injured my left knee playing tennis. Unfortunately I was on a team playing for the State Championship so I had to play twice after I had injured my knee. I went to the family doc and he said it was strained ligaments. It didn't get better after a week so I went to an orthopaedic doctor.

Turns out an MRI showed some cartilage damage and I was going to need to MicroFracture surgery in hopes of creating some new cartilage.

During surgery he removed 6 large pieces of loose cartilage from my knee, repaired some other damaged cartilage, and made 7 (I saw the video and counted) holes in my bone (that's the MicroFracture part) in order to try and get a blood clot to form which will hopefully turn into new cartilage. He said it was much more extensive (and a lot more damage in and around my knee) than he thought it would be when he looked at my MRI. Even as he was working on my knee, during the video he said that I shouldn't run again and I should never play singles tennis again. If I did either of them then I would be back in his office 6 months later for knee replacement surgery. I have to be off my left leg for 6 weeks (and on a CPM) and then Physical Therapy will become more intense.

FYI: I'm 45, 6'2", 200 pounds (and growing)

Amazing price means CHEAP, and you get what you pay for. If you want an amazing Spin bike (what I have) look at Waters Fitness.

have a smooth rear tire installed on your MTB , so it will work on a trainer stand ,
then you dont need a heavy spinning stationary bike since you only budget for an amazingly cheap one.

There are some reasonably priced ones.. so you done with post op PT?

Yes, check locally and you might find a good used trainer.

Most exercise bikes end up as clothing racks.

Think carefully about that.

:lol: :roflmao2: :lol:

I went to to look at an item for sale at a guys house. He had a home gym that literally was now a clothes rack. The crossbar was holding a bunch of clothes on hangers.

Heh... :D

To be fair, my doorway pullup bar has a few hangers that sometimes hold clothes to air-dry (usually workout attire or stuff from the laundry). But, when I go to do a workout on it, it takes five seconds to clear it off.

I did have a bike trainer that I used maybe twice in three years. It's quicker and, IMO, more fun to just take the bike outside, and I didn't want to bother my downstairs neighbor anymore. I sold it to a guy who looked like he rode more (and more competitively) than I do, plus he's got a family to tend to at home.

Sunlite , thru a dealer with a J&B account is a adjustable exercise bike you can fit
a better saddle and your favorite pedal system onto the cranks ..

Modestly priced..

Yes, There are Recumbent exercise bikes too. obviously need more room. But,
you can keep the legs going and read a Book from a comfortable seat.

Also note that it is possible that different muscle groups are used when riding the recumbent vs the upright. At least that is what everyone who rides 'bents on the streets comment on.

Another option, if you are open to suggestions, is to see if you can find someplace or someone in your area that has a WaterWell that you can use. You'd have to consult with your Doctor of course, but I'd imagine that this might seem more natural to you.

What I would do is get in touch with gyms in your area -- whether they're chain gyms like Gold's or Bally's, or hotels with cardio rooms, or wherever -- and ask how reliable their exercise bikes are.

I would also look at any other exercises that your doctor would say are OK. Biking is okay, good for cardio and maybe leg endurance, but there's so much more that the body can do even without aggravating your knee.

Same leg muscles, just used a little bit differently.
Last winter was mild, but the winter before that, I had one of my recumbents set up on my cheap-from-Goodwill Minoura trainer.
I enjoyed the trainer more that way than when I previously used it with upright bikes.
A trainer is not like really riding a bike, of course.

If the OP already has a bike, a trainer would make perfect sense. A recumbent or upright excercise machine would only make sense (to me) if it were going to be use a whole heck of a lot.

This made me wince an awful lot, and I think my knees heated up in fear, too.

So I take it that jarring impacts are a no-go, but the pressure of biking is okay?

I would take care to get the right saddle height and bike fit to avoid further knee injury. Riding a lot can be tweaky on people's knees, and dialing in the best foot placement and leg extension goes a long way to preventing issues. It's a highly repetitive motion, after all.

Kitchen. Learn it, love it, use it to your advantage. Just because you're can't emulate Frank Shorter or Jimmy Connors anymore doesn't mean you'll automatically inflate. Keep your portions smaller -- buy smaller dinner plates if you have to -- and eat healthy. You'll be fine.