Health & Fitness

There was a time when most exercise bikes made a telltale sound that could be heard throughout the home. If your family owned one in your youth, you may remember the distinctive hissing and screeching that came with the so-called variable resistance settings on these machines. Needless to say, all that sound pollution hardly contributed to the kind of Zen state so many people prefer to reach when they are in the midst of a cardio workout.

Thankfully, the technologies have improved significantly since those times. Today many of the best models make use of magnetic brakes to provide steady resistance throughout the full cycle of each pedaling motion, and the best of them can be readjusted in a flash. No dials to turn, no heat to generate and certainly no costly replacement parts like so many older models demanded.

Superior Cycling
Most of us dont need the kind of high-resolution screens and DVD-ready jacks the most expensive exercise bikes now include. If you are looking for a reliable workout on a piece of equipment that should last decades into the future, you can hardly do better than simplicity itself. The good news is that some of the top cardio machine manufacturers in the world now make mid-range bikes precisely for this market.

Exercise is probably the single most common recommendation given by doctors across the country. If you have found yourself making excuses of long gym commutes and inclement weather, you may want to take advantage of simple bikes like the NordicTrack SL 705. Machines like this that earn top marks from the pros make it easier to get in shape and stay there, year after year.