Today we're going to present you with top picks for which are the best folding exercise bikes. We've done the hard work of looking for, testing and comparing the best units on the marketplace, so that your options are narrowed down. You just won't know which ones will suit you best until you've read this. Here's what we have for you:
The folding bike with the least weight capacity is the Schwinn Airdyne. While it's a little short for some women's legs, it can be modified to accommodate them by removing the bottom seat and adapting the front wheel ahead of the seat. This results in an exercise bike that is lighter than some other models on the market, but also adds an extra three pounds to the actual weight capacity. For a person who may have some health or body-weight limitations, this extra pounds add up very quickly.
The next feature to look for is for the console which comes on the folding frame. On these bikes, you'll get a single large LCD which displays all of your information, including wattage, speed, distance, heart rate, distance and even the workout modes. Schwinn makes a number of interactive features on their folding display units, including interactive workout programs and a built-in heart rate monitor, which will allow you to monitor your fitness over time and see improvements over that span of time.
Another feature you should look out for on folding exercise bikes in the UK is whether or not they include a built-in calorie counter. While this won't help you track calories directly through the body, it will tell you how many calories you've burned throughout the course of your workout. To find this information, simply touch your heart rate monitor strap to a sensor strip that's located on your arm. Most of these machines will provide you with the number of calories you burned in a few seconds.
You should also take a look at the seat of the bike. Folding upright bikes with seats that are much smaller form factor than stationary bikes have two big advantages. First, they save space. Second, the smaller footprint makes these much easier to fold up and store in a small area. A fold-up bike that has a seat that's too big will take up too much space – you can't get it into a smaller apartment or bedroom. Schwinn makes a couple different styles of fold-up bikes with seat sizes that will fit in most standard fashions – the Tour de France (for those serious athletes) and the Schwinn Airdyne (for the average Joe).
Finally, make sure that the handle bars are wide enough for your body to reach them comfortably. Many folding bikes have handles that are very short. If you get used to them after only a few minutes of use, you may find yourself wishing that you'd gone with a longer frame. On the flip side, if the handle bar is too long you may be bending down to touch it. Most upright bikes have bars that are about shoulder width wide – this is a very common size for folding bikes.