I bought an everlast E74R recumbent stationary bike about a month ago. Cost $300. I'm really happy with the bike considering what I paid for it. It took me about 1 hour to put together and I've had no problems out of it so far. I went with the recumbent because i don't like the pressure put on my "nether region" during riding which can cause lack of blood flow to the "down under" parts which can result in numbness".
Prior to buying it, I did some online research and that's what led me to this bike. It's got 16 resistance levels, 6 preset progams, 1 manual program as well as a program where the user can set up their own individualized program before they start to exercise. It's got a "fitness test" program as well as a "heart rate recovery" program both of which are designed to test your fitness levels. I usually use the manual program so I can push myself as hard as possible but use lower resistance when needed. I haven't mentioned it so far, but it's super, super quiet. It's almost impossible to hear yourself pedaling. I was really impressed with that. It's got the usual settings: heart rate, RPM's, watts, distance etc.
CONS: Only a couple of small things I would change. But, I'm not complaining since the bike was so affordable. 1. The screen is gray and the numbers/dots etc. are black. It may just be my slightly aging eyes but I sometimes have difficulty seeing exactly what resistance level I am on. 2. There are 16 time intervals horizontally across the screen. On manual mode, after a time interval is completed the bike doesn't keep that interval at that level for the remainder of the ride. If you move the resistance up or down, all the previous entries go to that same level. This may be a "sight problem" too. I like to be able to see what previous levels I have completed and at what levels so I can push myself to get the most out of the ride.
Anyway, just wanted to give a quick review in case anyone is looking for a recumbent stationary bike.
Prior to buying it, I did some online research and that's what led me to this bike. It's got 16 resistance levels, 6 preset progams, 1 manual program as well as a program where the user can set up their own individualized program before they start to exercise. It's got a "fitness test" program as well as a "heart rate recovery" program both of which are designed to test your fitness levels. I usually use the manual program so I can push myself as hard as possible but use lower resistance when needed. I haven't mentioned it so far, but it's super, super quiet. It's almost impossible to hear yourself pedaling. I was really impressed with that. It's got the usual settings: heart rate, RPM's, watts, distance etc.
CONS: Only a couple of small things I would change. But, I'm not complaining since the bike was so affordable. 1. The screen is gray and the numbers/dots etc. are black. It may just be my slightly aging eyes but I sometimes have difficulty seeing exactly what resistance level I am on. 2. There are 16 time intervals horizontally across the screen. On manual mode, after a time interval is completed the bike doesn't keep that interval at that level for the remainder of the ride. If you move the resistance up or down, all the previous entries go to that same level. This may be a "sight problem" too. I like to be able to see what previous levels I have completed and at what levels so I can push myself to get the most out of the ride.
Anyway, just wanted to give a quick review in case anyone is looking for a recumbent stationary bike.