Fitness bikes, otherwise known as stationary bikes, are incredibly popular machines in the exercise community. Designed to give the body a challenging cardio and lower body workout, these bikes mimic the riding position and resistance levels commonly experienced during a normal bike ride. Because bike riding is considered a low-impact form of exercise, these simple yet effective machines are great for individuals worried about placing pressure and stress on their joints. Fitness bikes can be used by those yearning to lose weight, gain muscle or increase their heart strength, and by those who are in the middle of the process of rehabilitation.

There are three major types of fitness bikes: upright, recumbent, and semi-recumbent. Upright bikes look almost exactly like normal, two-wheeled street bikes only they are set with one front wheel and a back gear shaft that sits on a stationary frame. Recumbent bikes place the seat behind the pedals and set the seat's back support at an angle, allowing the rider to lean back and relax his or her spine. Semi-recumbent fitness bikes are built like recumbent bikes only the back support is positioned at an angle between that of upright and recumbent cycles.

The simplest type of fitness bike uses a fan set within the front wheel to increase air resistance as the speed of the pedals becomes faster. However, this is not an exact science and the rider is usually not provided the challenge he or she usually wishes for on one of these bikes. For a controlled variety of training settings, it is better to use a fitness bike equipped with magnetic or motorized resistance brakes that are controlled by the user through a knob, lever or computerized console.

"Intelligent" Fitness Bikes Put Your Pedal to the Metal

If motivation and self-diagnosis is a problem for you, you should look into the large range of console fitness bikes with digital displays built into the handlebar area. These machines are equipped with a variety of functions that calculate the speed, duration, distance and resistance level of any training session. Some even allow individual users to input personal profile data, such as age, current weight and target heart rate zone, to increase the machine's efficiency. High-end fitness bikes can use this information to calculate caloric energy burn and current and average heart rates. They can also put the user through a series of pre-set fat-burning, heart-pumping, or endurance-testing programs.