How to choose a elliptical bike?
Specs, prices and tips!
Everything you need to know before buying your new elliptical trainer.
How to choose an elliptical bike? With so many options and different models available, choosing an elliptical bike or crosstrainer can become a daunting task when it comes to elements like speed, incline, cushioning, programs, accessories.
What is an elliptical bike ?
The elliptical bike is a hybrid machine, it’s a mix of a treadmill, an exercise bike, a rower and a skier. All in one!
Sometimes, this machine is called ‘Elliptical Trainer’ or even ‘Crosstrainer’.
Its use becomes intuitive almost instantly, all you have to do is stand up on the large pedals and hold the large arms. The elliptical movement will then be created by either a combination of both feet and arms moving. You can also use an elliptical bike without holding the arms, however you need a good balance to do so. That’s why most cross trainers / elliptical bikes have arms. Please note that holding the arms while using your feet can only help toning your arms and your abs muscles. It’s much easier to use with the arms.
The resistance created by the elliptical comes from its flywheel or wheel. A flywheel uses the effective inertia to naturally enhance the movement of the pedals and the arms at the same time. That means that the resistance comes from the weigh of the flywheel. The heavier the wheel, the greater the resistance and therefore the harder it becomes. It simple yet very clever.
Mouse-over / tap on the orange dots to see what’s what:
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Why should you buy an elliptical bike?
Here 3 reasons to purchase an elliptical bike for home:
- It offers a unique movement that none of other fitness equipment can offer. All muscles are activated even during low intensity sessions.
- Of course, you could go to your local gym but it will cost you a monthly fee which can be expensive when it turns out that you go to the gym once a month because ‘you can’t be bothered’. So the cost of an elliptical bike can be a wise move…
- An elliptical bike is a 0% impact cardio machine. Because you don’t run on it or jump on it, your knee joints are free from impacts which is a bonus.
Despite those 3 good reasons to buy an elliptical bike or crosstrainer, buying this type of equipment for your home use can be expensive so this is why you need to take your time to compare and read about it before buying anything.
Hence you’re here reading this guide on how to choose an elliptical bike. 🙂
You need to consider the following 3 main factors which we are going to dive into individually:
- Your budget
- Space in your home / dimensions
- Specs and technical bits
How much do you need to spend?
There is a wide range of elliptical bike prices depending on ‘gadgets and gizmos’ but if you fancy a “gym-like” elliptical you will need to splash out upwards of £1,000.
However you can find some fantastic elliptical bikes for much lower than that so don’t waste your money on super fancy machines because it might not be what you actually need. The choice is yours of course.
Between £600 and £1,000, there are plenty of reputable brands that sell brilliant piece of equipment.
Further down this guide is a price range guide of the best elliptical bikes came across.
Also, it’s worth adding that spending less than £500 in an elliptical bike might result in a disappointment because the quality of material used isn’t great and the machine is not sturdy enough, or because you can’t fold it away, or because the console and programs are too basic and so on..
How much space do you need to be able to use an elliptical bike safely at home?
As a rough guide, we’d recommend to go for this type of equipment if your room is at least 4 feet wide by 8 feet in length.
To avoid disappointments and to use it the safest way possible, measure your room first thing first.
On the other hand, elliptical machines from £600 to £1,000 are exactly designed to solve space issues because a vast majority of those can be folded away. Practicality is a MUST for such a piece of equipment!
What are the specs to look for when buying your elliptical trainer?
EFFECTIVE INERTIA
The effective inertia or also just called ‘inertia’ system measures the weight of the flywheel / wheel: the heavier the wheel, the more regular and comfortable pedalling would become. This is because the inertia will keep “spin the wheel” momentum longer due to its weight. That also means that it’s harder to start a heavy flywheel as opposed to a lighter wheel.
Typically, a 4 to 6 kg is heavy enough for beginners whereas a 8 to 20 kg wheel is designed for advanced users.
Though we’d recommend a flywheel of at least 8 kg whether you are a beginner or an advanced user. You can’t go wrong with this kind of wheel weight.
ELECTROMAGNETIC-RESISTANCE
The Electromagnetic-resistance is also commonly simplified to the term magnetic-resistance.
Elliptical trainers featuring electromagnetic resistance use a varying magnetic field to control the resistance level. This is a feature you can typically find on higher-tier elliptical bikes.
Useful features or technology can come at a price sometimes.
The electromagnetic resistance element is designed to users who want a noise-free and smooth workout and also, it’s great for users that want less of a challenge to the body.
STABILITY
When it comes to exercising on an elliptical, the stability of the machine is something you should look for. The heavier the machine, the more stable it should be, that’s a quick way to spot it.
DISPLAY SCREEN / CONSOLE
It may sound silly, but a clear and bright console display is important.
You just want to be able to glance at it and see your calories burnt, time left and other information without having to slow down and bend over to read it.
STRIDE LENGTH
The stride length of your elliptical is also another important point. While researching your perfect elliptical / cross trainer, you’ll come across plenty of machines with different stide length variations.
As rule of thumb, a 15″ stride length should be ok for most users.
However if you’re a tall person then we’d recommend a longer stride length because you naturally have longer legs, hence a longer stride.
So a 20” stride length would be good for tall people, please not that a 20″ stride is also perfect for ” active walkers” and would suit almost anyone that is used to walk quickly.
COMFORT
Alternatives for bad backs! (Hybrid cross trainer machines)
For some of you that have bad backs and still want to try the elliptical trainer, some manufactures offer hybrid models allowing you to switch between elliptical trainer and exercise bikes.
It features a similar seat including a back and arm rests that you would find on a recumbent exercise bike. It’s kind of a 2-for-1 machine which could be a very wise move actually.
If you’re interested, the one we’d recommend is the ProForm Hybrid Trainer XT or even the ProForm Hybrid Trainer Pro.
OTHER OPTIONS?
Those were the most important features to look for but of course, there are plenty of other sub-options to think about.
Here is a list of other features to think about:
- Warranties if something goes wrong
- Foldable / easy storage
- Transport wheels
- ‘Out-of-the-box’ assembly
- Cooling fan feature
- Water bottle holder feature
- Speakers with inputs feature
- Tablet/book holder for entertainment purposes
- USB Port for Charging and Data Transfer
