Why shouldn't I buy an exercise bike?
Buying an exercise bike (or any other piece of home gym equipment) often seems like a good idea at the time. But the number of under-used exercise bikes, treadmills and ab rollers dumped on the side of the road at kerbside clean-up time would suggest it's an idea many people later regret. Exercise bikes aren't cheap, so you need to be sure that you'll get sufficient use out of a bike to justify your investment.
Before you hand over any money, consider whether you wouldn't prefer to do the following:
- Ride outside. Cycling outside can be more fun than sweating away in a room at home – the scenery changes, you can breathe in some fresh air, and you get the satisfaction and enjoyment of actually going somewhere.
- Join a gym. When you join a gym, you can work out on all manner of exercise equipment, sign up for fun and motivational classes, and get personalised advice from fitness experts. If this sounds ideal for you, check out our guide to choosing a gym membership.
- Get an indoor trainer. Bike trainers are raised stands that allow you to use your normal road bike indoors. If you already have a quality bike and just want to be able to use it when the weather is bad, a trainer can give you what you need for just a few hundred dollars.
