Recumbent exercise bikes serve a range of client groups including those with mobility issues or those seeking to focus on certain muscle groups as part of a wider workout.
The best commercial recumbent exercise bike for you the commercial operator will be a case of balancing a number of different priorities in your purchase decision.
Let’s first look at those parameters and then look at the best machines out there.
READ MORE: Best Recumbent Exercise Bike
Parameters for choosing the best commercial recumbent exercise bike
There are three aspects to consider when making your decision as to what machine is best for you: cost, purpose and additional features.
Cost
As ever the most expensive machine will probably be the best.
Not every company has a fleet of Mercedes company cars for their sales force, and nor should they!
To the same extent budget constraints may lead your decision depending on why you are buying a recumbent exercise bike.
You may be a healthcare provider and not need all the bells and whistles that a high end gym may require for its wider range of customers for example – your parameters may be different to theirs.
Purpose of use
As indicated above, you may just not require complicated routines programmed into the recumbent exercise bike thanks to a narrow purpose for having it.
If you are a healthcare provider looking to improve the mobility of your clients then you may only need a simpler machine.
A high end gym however will have a wider client base who may vary from people looking to lose the pounds at one end of the scale and tone specific muscle groups at the other.
This would mean you go for a model that has a variety of programs that can meet a wide variety of needs.
Additional features?
Later in this piece we look at a recumbent exercise bike with arm workout that helps the customer meet a range of fitness goals at the same time.
You may instead want a feature such as a heart rate monitor linked to software that changes resistance through the routine to maintain a steady heart rate – again this would appeal to healthcare providers and gyms alike for different reasons.
Based on these three aspects you can choose for yourself what is indeed the best commercial recumbent exercise bike for your needs.
Let’s look at those now.
Best commercial recumbent exercise bikes for 2020
#1 True Performance 50 recumbent exercise bike
Designed as a high end machine for home use, the Performance 50 is built with many of the same features that can be found on much more expensive commercial grade machines.
Highlights include a heart rate monitor that can adjust resistance to maintain the user’s heart rate through the routine and 25 resistance levels to allow gentle increments between very low and very high resistance.
The machine itself is built to a high standard and has a mesh seat with a large number of adjustments for the perfect support of individuals’ lumbar area as they use the machine.
Designed for home use, this is better bought for a business that won’t see it used extremely heavily like some of the more expensive machines we show below.
The Performance 50 is plugged into a 110V A/C wall socket, that powers its LED control panel and computer system.
#2 True ES900 Commercial Recumbent Exercise Bike
The ES900 is another level above the Performance 50 in terms of price but has a range of other features that make it very attractive at its price point.
The first thing to note is the size – the machine is one of the smallest in its class and can be kept in an area where space is at a premium.
That said the ES900 is small and mighty. The first thing to note over the Performance 50 is that it comes with a touch screen control console, enabling easy use.
It also has connectivity to the GymTrakr app to help the client monitor fitness levels and fine-tune their training regime.
Another important feature is that this is self-powered by pedalling on it – though it can be plugged into the wall socket, if used reasonably regularly it generates the electricity it needs from use through the day.
For those with mobility issues this has a low step-through design, enabling easy access for all clients including the elderly and injured.
#3 Precor RBK 835 Commercial Series
Designed for health clubs first and foremost, the Precor RBK 835 Commercial Series recumbent exercise bike is built for heavy use and durability.
The machine has simplicity of use at core to its design philosophy yet can do all of the things the True brand home gym machines above can do.
It has 12 preset programs, 25 resistance levels, touch and telemetry heart rate monitoring with SmartRate.
Its Air Flex seat is comfortable but designed for heavy use throughout the lifespan of the recumbent exercise bike.
With its dual sided pedals the user has the choice of using it with foot-straps or not.
The pedal design is with Knee Over Pedal Spindle (KOPS) biomechanics in mind.
#4 Precor RBK 615 Commercial Series
The next commercial recumbent exercise bike is the RBK 615 that is at a lower price point but is still designed with heavy use and durability in mind.
It is compatible with Polar 5kHz chest strap heart rate monitors and has six preset workouts – Manual, Interval, Basic Heart Rate Control, Weight Loss, Random, and Hill Climb.
With the Air Flex seat and dual sided pedals the RBK615 will still meet most of your clients’ needs in a machine of this kind.
As with the RBK 835 this is reinforced with a 10-year parts warranty by Precor including a one year warranty on labor.
Best Commercial Recumbent Exercise Bike with Arm Workout
Sunny Health & Fitness Recumbent Bike SF-RB4631 with Arm Exerciser
Sometimes just working on the legs isn’t enough, and this is why we’re highlighting the Sunny SF-RB4631 with arm exerciser.
The recumbent exercise bike is more basic than the other machines in terms of not having software to help maintain ideal heart rates and so forth but has instead an arm exercise for the user to push their upper body and lower body at the same time.
The control system is far more basic than the other machines – an LED display shows time, count, total count, calories, and count per minute.
It has eight resistance levels for the user to improve their upper and lower body fitness at the same time.
With a maximum user weight of 350lbs the SF-RB4631 is designed for those who may need to work on aerobic activity and weight loss.
The large, adjustable seat can be moved to suit the user’s needs from a seating position so people can adjust it quickly as soon as they sit to use it.
So what is the best commercial recumbent exercise bike for you?
As we discussed at the top of this article, the best commercial recumbent exercise bike comes down to your needs and budget.
You will have different criteria to other businesses. We hope we have shed some light on these and helped you make the right decision!
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