Exercise bikes are a very popular feature of many fitness gyms, and they are quickly becoming a staple of the home exercise machine industry too. They offer the advantages of a good, solid cardio workout combined with a very low impact technique. They are perfect for folks who have injuries or sensitive joints that don't take well to higher impact machines like treadmills. So what do you look for when you shop for exercise bikes?

The first thing you are going to find is that there are two different styles of exercise bikes available. One is the upright bike and the other is the recumbent bike. You're probably very familiar with the former, although you may have seen the latter and did not realize it. The upright bike looks very much like a regular bicycle, only it seems to be missing one or both wheels. The recumbent bike on the other hand has a strange appearance, as if the petals had been taken from their position on the bottom and moved out in front of the machine instead. And most of the time an exerciser actually lays down into the recumbent bike in order to exercise on it.

When you consult the independent exercise bike reviews and ratings both online and off-line, you find that it really doesn't matter much which type of bike you choose. Either an upright or recumbent exercise bike will give you the exercise that you need. Which you choose depends more on your own personal preference and comfort level.

Some things that you need to look for on the best exercise bikes are easy and extensive height adjustments that will fit almost anyone. Any exercise machine will not be used very often if it is not comfortable enough to be used regularly. So make sure that the seat fits you, or that you can get a seat that will fit you without too much trouble. Pedals should be easy to operate and have a method of strapping your feet in place so they don't fall off.

For safety sake, make sure that all moving parts are covered with some sort of shroud, eliminating the possibility that small children or others can get caught in the machine and suffer injury.

The bike that you choose should also match your weight level. Each machine comes with its own weight rating that you should observe very carefully. The very best exercise bikes have high weight ratings, on up to 300 to 400 lbs. So if your purpose of buying the exercise bike is to lose weight, be sure that the model you choose will support your current weight level.

A heart rate monitor is a very important piece of equipment for almost any exercise machine to have available. It will help you monitor your workouts more closely, and make sure that you are getting the most calorie burning exercise for the time that you are investing. The best exercise bikes even include an interactive heart rate monitor that will adjust your workout intensity for you as needed to make sure that you are burning the most calories possible in the time allotted for your exercise session.

Also consider the warranty when you buy, looking for a warranty that provides for at least the first full year of use including labor. To get most of these features that we have discussed as being common on the best exercise bikes, you can expect to pay anywhere from $600 - $1500 for a high quality bike. So do your homework and test drive each model you are interested in beforehand to find the exercise bike that will work best for you.