Kettler has been the proud manufacturer of sports and fitness equipment for more than 50 years. Heinz Kettler first opened his business in his hometown of Ense-Parsit, Germany, in 1949. Today, Keller bikes have been sold in more than 60 countries, although most of the factories still remain patriotically within Germany itself. There are many international factories and sales companies within the Kettler group, including those located in the United States, Central and South America, and Canada.

In terms of historical firsts, Kettler bikes were the first to be built with lightweight aluminum frames. Modern Kettler designs have improved upon this innovation, especially when it comes to the company's line of fully suspended bikes. Kettler makes children's bikes, adult city and trekking bikes, as well as a variety of bike seats, accessories, and fitness machines.

Kettler Exercise and Fitness Bikes

In addition to the wide range of street-worthy bicycles that Kettler offers, this company also makes several stand-alone stationary exercise bikes. The first model is the Kettler Racer, a basic magnetic spinning bike featuring a jumbo LCD training computer console. This computer measures time, speed, pedaling rate, total and session distance covered, room temperature, energy consumption, heart rate, recovery rate, and automatic displays any performance changes that take place during a workout session. Optional hand sensors can be plugged in to read the exact heart rate pulse. This is a sturdy, classic exercise bike for adults of any fitness level.

A major step above this bike is the Kettler Ergoracer, a fitness cycle loaded with multiple ergometer features--including the jumbo LCD analysis computer. However, this computer can also handle six pre-set programs with varying resistance tensions and has software to record heart rate control profiles, a recovery rate fitness test, and any personal goals the user might have regarding distance, time, calories to burn, and target training pulse zone. The Ergoracer can also be connected to a PC interface and used in conjunction with Kettler's Ergo Concept fitness training software.