Please talk to me about exercise bikes....

[FillyjonkisCALM]

I need one, I think. I will soon have 3 kids and this means I will not get to the gym for ages (I honestly know what I am like here). But also I go nuts without exercise. And I will save enough in gym fees to buy an okish bike.

So.

What do I need to know?

Would it work to just buy one of those very cheap, basic Tescos ones, plus a heart rate monitor?

Is there such a thing as a decent quality folding bike?

Any more thoughts?

Beg, borrow or steal one first, see if you use it. I was desperate for one for years and got one from freecycle (thankgod) and used it about twice.

hmm, see I do use it at the gym. Its the main reason I go to the gym (their bikes are HUGE though, too big for me to store . oh and £££ ).

good plan re freecycle

I see them quite alot on freecycle - mine had everything bar a heart monitor, which I think you could buy seperatly anyway. If you go to the gym anyway i'd say you'd probably use it, it was more a keep fit whim that made me get mine that lasted all of 5 minutes.

We've got a Carl Lewis SPN1 spinning bike, much better value for money than a "normal" one for the same price.

Think we paid around £120 for it in Makro - prices vary hugely online.

DH used it to train for a charity cycle ride from top to bottom of Ireland last year, I'm using it to train for a charity ride from Poland to Lithuania this year

It isn't too noisy, you can set it to make pedalling pretty tough, it has a good screen with speed/distance etc info. I think it can monitor your heartrate but haven't used that feature.

I think it's pretty good value for money.

Get one which has magnetic fly-wheel thingie rather than just the weight if you can afford the extra. Apparently, they are much much quieter (and the whole POINT is so you can exercise while watching the telly after all ).

I got mine a couple of years ago and spent about £100 on it at the time, and was money really well spent. I use it about 3 times a week and feel tons better for it.

If you want to do strength training style exercises at home as well as cardio, Spark People has got a really good exercise tracker and auto-workout thing that's fab and needs no extra equipment... or you can get some basic cheap equipment like dumbbells, resistance band and/or swiss ball to make things more interesting.

Bah, mine's gone down in price since I bought it ... only about £50 now Body Sculpture BC1540

thanks all!

magnetic fly wheel/quietness-hadn't thought of that but duh!