Home Gym Advice

[Mendoza]

Looked at things at Academy Sports today.

They had some fairly decent benches it seemed, but when i asked a sales associate for help i basicly got a replay of that best buy commercial where the guy looks at the price and then can't tell many anything past that as to why the machines are different.

I don't expect the 17 year old to be an expert, but damn, don't read the price back to me.

[o.pwuaioc]

Super necro bump, but I'm curious:

Is anyone familiar with exercise bikes and have any particular recommendations? I was thinking of getting one. I don't really need one with a giant screen, so I'm going to rule out Peloton, but there are so many cheaper alternatives it's difficult to know what's quality or not.

I had my eye on pooboo, DMASUN, or BANCON, which are all in the sub-$400 range. BANCON also has bluetooth capabilities, which might be nice as an option to link up an exercise app, but it's not absolutely crucial to me. Anyone familiar with these or have any particular recommendations?

[Golgo 14]

I bought this ten years ago and it's held up great. Very no frills, but I just set it up in front of the tv while I work out.

https://www.amazon.com/Exerpeutic-Foldi ... r=8-3&th=1

[marurun]

Wirecutter is my go-to for stuff like this. They have a recommended budget model right around $400.

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/revi ... bikes/amp/

[Limewater]

Wirecutter is my go-to for stuff like this. They have a recommended budget model right around $400.

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/revi ... bikes/amp/

I don't have direct experience, but I have also heard good things about Sunny as a good budget-friendly brand for exercise bikes.

I like Wirecutter reviews because they are usually pretty clear on how they are evaluating things. This is good because a lot of times they care a lot about things that I don't, and don't care about things that are important to me, but at least they make that clear and easy to see.

For example, when they did protein powder, they evaluated strictly on taste for flavored powders. I buy unflavored to avoid artificial sweeteners, and would have liked to have seen lab testing to verify nutritional profile.

For water bottles, they spend a lot of time on insulation. I explicitly DON'T want an insulated water bottle because I don't like to drink really cold water. I gave up on finding a good non-insulated metal bottle and just use an HDPE Nalgene.

@o.pwuaioc
What are you hoping to do with the bike? Are you wanting to do Peloton-style classes or riding simulations? Or do you just want to pedal while watching television or something? Are you just trying to give yourself an easy way to get a little more activity?

I'm asking because you don't sound committed to the bike, so you might consider an elliptical instead. I like ellipticals better than bikes, and I also really like rowing machines. I am not a fan of treadmills and wouldn't recommend them to most people.

In my opinions, for cycles and ellipticals, the two must-have features are a decent fly-wheel and magnetic resistance. These go a long way in making the machines feel more pleasant to use compared to small/no fly-wheel and friction resistance.

[o.pwuaioc]

Wirecutter is my go-to for stuff like this. They have a recommended budget model right around $400.

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/revi ... bikes/amp/

Yeah, I saw the Sunny before. Some people were saying the other models I named improved on it (and at least they have more features), but it's difficult to trust near-anonymous reviewers.

I bought this ten years ago and it's held up great. Very no frills, but I just set it up in front of the tv while I work out.

https://www.amazon.com/Exerpeutic-Foldi ... r=8-3&th=1

I was hoping you'd chime in! I saw your post from years ago. How intense of an exercise can you get on these things? I was concerned the wheel wasn't heavy enough to do a lot of high energy cardio, but that might just be a bias I have from looking at the folding ones.

[o.pwuaioc]

What are you hoping to do with the bike? Are you wanting to do Peloton-style classes or riding simulations? Or do you just want to pedal while watching television or something? Are you just trying to give yourself an easy way to get a little more activity?

I'm asking because you don't sound committed to the bike, so you might consider an elliptical instead. I like ellipticals better than bikes, and I also really like rowing machines. I am not a fan of treadmills and wouldn't recommend them to most people.

In my opinions, for cycles and ellipticals, the two must-have features are a decent fly-wheel and magnetic resistance. These go a long way in making the machines feel more pleasant to use compared to small/no fly-wheel and friction resistance.

I'm definitely open to suggestions! I commute to work by bike these days, so I figured I'd get myself something for when I'm working from home. I'm not really interested in Peloton-style classes, but I do find that getting metrics and maybe even tying it to an app is an interesting idea. I can see myself using it a) leisurely in between clients if the gap is long enough, or b) with high intensity in the morning before I start working. I guess versatility is desired, but as I've only been a regular bike rider, I'm not really sure about the spin experience, or elliptical experience either! I don't think I want a rowing machine, though, because I already have weights.

[marurun]

Wirecutter is my go-to for stuff like this. They have a recommended budget model right around $400.
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/revi ... bikes/amp/

Yeah, I saw the Sunny before. Some people were saying the other models I named improved on it (and at least they have more features), but it's difficult to trust near-anonymous reviewers.

My biggest concerns with those others is that they're not big, established brands with a US presence to handle warranty issues or problems. Those nonsense brands from Chinese sellers on Amazon MIGHT be good products, but if they're not you can get stuck with a boondoggle in a way that you typically won't with a company with a US presence. Further, it does look like Sunny has some cheaper products with more features. The Wirecutter article does seem to have a pretty distinct focus, but depending on how heavy you are and how heavily or intensely you intend to work out, a cheaper Sunny model with more features might still work for you. I would encourage you to lean that way before trying to rely on a collection of anonymous Amazon to steer you into unknown waters.

[Limewater]

I'm definitely open to suggestions! I commute to work by bike these days, so I figured I'd get myself something for when I'm working from home. I'm not really interested in Peloton-style classes, but I do find that getting metrics and maybe even tying it to an app is an interesting idea. I can see myself using it a) leisurely in between clients if the gap is long enough, or b) with high intensity in the morning before I start working. I guess versatility is desired, but as I've only been a regular bike rider, I'm not really sure about the spin experience, or elliptical experience either! I don't think I want a rowing machine, though, because I already have weights.

If you're already biking for your commute and you like it, then sure, a bike is probably a safer bet than an elliptical. There is also strong support for after-marker cadence sensors for bikes, but I'm not aware of anything comparable for ellipticals.

If you have a decent bike and you like it, you might want to consider a bike trainer instead of an exercise bike. I know serious cyclists who actually like their trainers. But you may not want to bring your bike into your house/apartment, depending on your living situation.

Rowing is very different than weight training, though it is a good warm-up for weight training.

[o.pwuaioc]

I'm definitely open to suggestions! I commute to work by bike these days, so I figured I'd get myself something for when I'm working from home. I'm not really interested in Peloton-style classes, but I do find that getting metrics and maybe even tying it to an app is an interesting idea. I can see myself using it a) leisurely in between clients if the gap is long enough, or b) with high intensity in the morning before I start working. I guess versatility is desired, but as I've only been a regular bike rider, I'm not really sure about the spin experience, or elliptical experience either! I don't think I want a rowing machine, though, because I already have weights.

If you're already biking for your commute and you like it, then sure, a bike is probably a safer bet than an elliptical. There is also strong support for after-marker cadence sensors for bikes, but I'm not aware of anything comparable for ellipticals.

If you have a decent bike and you like it, you might want to consider a bike trainer instead of an exercise bike. I know serious cyclists who actually like their trainers. But you may not want to bring your bike into your house/apartment, depending on your living situation.

Rowing is very different than weight training, though it is a good warm-up for weight training.

I actually thought about getting a trainer first, but I don't have a great bike (need to buy a new one, too, actually), and it seems like it was a hassle to be constantly putting the trainer on and taking it off to ride again. Is it easier than it looks? Maybe it was only the ones I saw that seemed to be a hassle.