If you want to lose weight and get the shape you dream of, then an exercise bike might be the best option for an effective indoor cardio session.
When visiting the market, you will find a variety of cardio machines with different features and designs. Unfortunately, they aren’t all designed for short people.
As a short person, you must look for specific features to get the best exercise bike that will work well for you and fit your height properly.
Lucky for you, we have listed the essential criteria to consider when buying an indoor cycle bike – And we reviewed the best machines available on the market.
Contents
What to look for as a short person when buying an exercise bike?
Distance Between the Seat and the Pedals
If you have short legs, then adjustability between the seat and the pedals is the main feature to look for in an exercise bike.
Most of the models in the market come with adjustable seat, but the range of adjustability changes from one to one.
You must make sure the seat is adjustable enough that you are able to move pedals to the farthest point easily without having to straighten your knees and pushing with your toes.
This kind of movements may cause knee injuries in the future.
Distance to Handlebars
As like the distance to the pedals, you need to look at the distance between the handlebars and the seat especially for people with short arms.
Inappropriate distance will force you to lean your back more to reach the handlebars; a movement that may cause back pain.
If you decide to get a recumbent exercise bike, well, choose one with a seat you can adjust not only up and down, but also forward and backward.
For the other types (spin and upright bikes), you must look for machines with adjusted handlebars.
Stability and Durability
Whether you are tall or petite, stability and durability are one of the most important factors you need to consider.
A good quality machine with sturdy structure, make the exercise bike stable and hard to wobble when ridding.
Best Exercise Bikes for Short People
Marcy NS-716R Recumbent Exercise Bike
Marcy bikes are known for their affordable prices. The marcy NS-716R comes with different features for a good riding experience.
The stationary bike features a fully adjustable seat that will accommodate a wide range of user’s height starting from 5 feet.
The seat is ergonomically designed and has handles on both sides for more stability during an intense workout.
The model comes with an 8-preset tension adjustment knob that gives you the option to change the resistance level of your workout.
The digital tracking panel has the option to track time, speed, distance and calories.
The Marcy recumbent bike weights 55 lbs and has transport wheels so they make it easy to transport. However, the lightweight of the exercise bike may cause some wobbles during the workout.
Sunny Health & Fitness Exercise Spin Bike
If you want to have a riding experience as similar as you get when biking outdoor, then you must look for a spin bike.
(you can read more about best budget spin bikes in this post)
The sunny Health & Fitness SF-B1002 is one of the best exercise bikes available on the market. Yes, they are a little pricey, but they come with multiple features and constructed with durable material.
Designed to fit tall person as well as people who are too short for a spinning bike. The model comes with a fully adjustable handlebar and seat. While the handlebars can be moved up and down, the seat that can be moved back and forth as well as up and down for height and distance to handlebars.
The bike comes with a water bottle holder conveniently located at arm’s length even if you have short arms.
The pedals contain a toe cage to keep the feet fixed and avoid slipping forward during the workout. Another feature is the emergency brake that helps the rider to bring the bike to an immediate stop.
The 49 lbs solid flywheel makes the ride more stable and smooth whatever the level of resistance you choose.
The high-quality upfront transportation wheels make the exercise bike easy to move with no need for heavy lifting.
Schwinn 130 Upright Exercise Bike
We can’t talk about cardio machines with High tech without talking about Schwinn’s exercise bikes.
The Schwinn 130 comes with a goal tracker that allows you to set individual exercise goal. It has also 2 lcd screen system that displays the 22 preset exercise programs and goal tracking info.
You can transfer the metrics displayed on the screen such as time, distance, speed, calories burned via USB. Another feature is the MP3 input that allows you to listen to your favorite music through the sealed speaker.
This popular upright bike comes with a high quality large padded seat with a wide range of adjustment that accommodates any user from 4 feet 20 tall and can be a great option for obese people. It comes also with an adjustable angle padded handlebars with heart rate sensors
The model has a magnetic resistance system offering you 20 levels of tension for a wide range of workout intensity.
Exerpeutic 400XL Folding Recumbent Bike
The foldable Exerpeutic 400XL is an absolute space saver. You can fold it to half the size for a small space storage and you can transport it easily with the help of the transportation wheel.
The well-padded seat has an ergonomic design with a backrest for users of any size and handle pulse sensors on both sides to target the heart rate zone.
Following the user guide, the compact model can fit people from 5’2” to 6’2” tall. However, users claim that it accommodate seniors as well as children under 5 feet tall.
The item has a large lcd that displays time, pulse, speed, distance and calories burned. Another feature is the 8-resistance levels knob allows you to adjust the tension for easier or difficult workout.
Exerpeutic 400XL is simply a real deal for the money!
