Get a Tough Workout That's Easy On Your Joints With One of These Recumbent Bikes

Recumbent bikes provide an excellent cardio workout that allows riders to put their fitness trackers to work and meet goals. Whereas upright exercise bikes require good balance and can be tough on joints, recumbent bikes put the rider lower on the machine, with a wide, comfortable seat and canted pedals. They also often have a backrest on the seat and are easy to climb on and off with a low step-through design.

Recumbent models are ideal for seniors, people recovering from an injury, or anyone who wants an indoor ride minus pedal pounding. You’ll often see recumbent bikes in occupational therapy or physical therapy facilities, but they are fairly accessible to purchase and assemble in your own home.

For more at-home workout options, check out our picks for the best home-gym systems and rowing machines.

The Best Recumbent Bikes

What to Consider

Display

Many recumbent bikes have monitors and LCD display panels similar to other types of exercise bikes, though recumbent bikes are less likely to have fancy touch screens like more modern exercise equipment. That said, you’ll still a range of buttons, readouts, and user-friendly panel designs. Some bikes have controls built into the grips, and others have backlit displays. There are also models with built-in tablet holders to view content on your own device without having to be connected to the bike’s programming.

Resistance and Programming

Many recumbent bikes come with a handful of preprogrammed or customizable workouts and at least eight resistance levels. Most recumbent bike riders won’t need more than that, and you can always fine-tune a workout with your own speed and intensity.

Size

Recumbent bikes take up more space than upright at-home cycles, so it’s important to check out the dimensions and storage capabilities of each bike before you commit. We always encourage shoppers to see bikes in person, or at least take a walk around a store to understand the size of the bike. Oftentimes recumbent bikes are harder to break down and store than other at-home exercise gear, and keep in mind that most of these bikes require two people to carry and assemble.

How We Selected

Since this is already a narrow category, we were able to get picky about features. We looked for connectivity options, range of programming, and resistance levels. We also searched for bikes in a variety of price points and sizes, whether you’re looking for one comparable to a model you’d ride at a gym or something smaller and more compact for tight home-gym space. We chatted with fitness center owners and at-home cyclists to find their favorites, then looked at the specs and user experience to finalize our picks.