6 Best Recumbent Exercise Bikes For Tall People

Recumbent Exercise Bike For Tall Folks Compared

Why Recumbent Bikes Are Perfect For Tall People

When most people think of recumbent exercise bikes, they think of physical therapy and the elderly. But, exercise bikes are an ideal piece of cardio equipment for everyone, especially tall people.

Lower back pain is widespread among taller people due to bending and hunching over. Using a recumbent bike is suitable for taller people because the chair will help protect their spine and lower back.

Recumbent bikes are ideal for taller people for many more reasons, like the seat to pedal distance. You can get a recumbent exercise bike with an adjustable seat that goes back far enough to allow for your long legs. They also make it easy to reach the handlebars and use the display with an adjustable handle option.

Tall people with longer legs tend to be more powerful in the lower half. So a weak cardio workout won't do any good. A good recumbent bike will have challenging tension levels that will provide you with the workout you need.

How To Find A Good Recumbent Exercise Bike For Taller People

Pedal To Seat Distance

When looking for a good recumbent bike for a tall person, the first thing you need to do is make sure the bike has plenty of room for your legs. You will need ample space between the seat and the pedals.

When you buy your bike, make sure to check the seat's height and that it's easy to adjust. Some high-end recumbent bikes will even allow you to adjust the recline of the seat as well as other customizations.

Recumbent bikes for tall people need a highly adjustable seat. You need to be able to adjust the seat further up to make room for your legs.

User Height & Weight

Many recumbent exercise bikes will focus on user weight. While this is important, it doesn't tell the whole story. Most people like to buy a bike with a higher weight limit because the belief is that these bikes are built sturdier.

While that may be the case, if the bike isn't big enough to accommodate your height, the durability doesn't matter. If you've done some research already, there aren't many bikes available for people over 6'2. While shopping for your bike, always pay attention to the height it can accommodate.

Comfort & Adjustability

For most, comfort is the most essential feature of any piece of exercise equipment. When you spend a lot of time exercising, your comfort should not be compromised. The recumbent bike market is flooded with bikes of different shapes and sizes, so it's crucial to find one that is adjustable and spares no expense on comfort.

Resistance Levels

You are likely buying an exercise bike to get a good workout and stay healthy. If your recumbent bike doesn't have various resistance levels, getting a good workout might prove difficult. Try to find a bike with multiple resistance levels that are easy to change.

As you workout, you'll get stronger, so your equipment needs these resistance levels to accommodate your new levels of strength.

Many recumbent bikes come with electronic resistance controls, so you don't have to worry about changing them manually and interrupting your workout.

Footprint & Storage

One thing many people forget when picking out their recumbent bike is how much space it's going to take up. The last thing you want to do is buy your bike and realize you don't have any space for it.

Many bikes are foldable, allowing you to store them away, but others are larger and need a lot of space. Make sure to pay attention to that when shopping for one.

Extra Bike Features

Finding a recumbent exercise bike as a tall person can be challenging. But while you need to focus on your height, don't forget to check out other features.

You want a display that indicates your heart rate, distance traveled, calories burned, and your revolutions per minute. Some even come with full tablet sized screens with touchscreen features, fitness games and live online classes.

Look for one with programming features that are easy to operate and relevant to your goals. And don't forget about the warranty. Make sure that your recumbent bike comes with at least a 2-3 year warranty period.

And if you're interested in more extras, some exercise bikes come with a book holder or a water bottle holder for convenient access to your water bottle.

Price

Recumbent exercise bikes will come at various prices. Some bikes will be as low as $100, and some will be into the thousands. The more expensive models come with the latest features, but you'll need to decide based on your budget and needs.

1. Schwinn 270 Recumbent Bike

Top of the Range

The Schwinn 270 is one of the most popular recumbent bikes on the market today, and it's our pick for the top of the range. We loved the adjustability, range of resistance, and the ability to create four user profiles so the entire family can participate. The Schwinn 270 is an exercise bike that really has everything you need to have a challenging workout.

This bike comes with 29 available preset workouts and 25 resistance levels that will make sure you are always pushing yourself. The machine doesn't have a chest strap, but it can monitor your breathing. The back support kept us cool when we were exercising. Even though the handlebars weren't adjustable, we could change the console's angle.

Unfortunately, the Schwinn 270 does take up a lot of space, and it was pretty heavy. So if you have a small space, this one might not be for you.

We also loved the pedal straps that kept our feet firmly on the pedals, the large water bottle holder, the built-in speakers, Bluetooth connectivity, and the workout fan. And the warranty was great - 10 years on the frame, one year on electronics, and two years on the mechanical parts.

2. EXERPEUTIC 900XL Extended Capacity

Great value

The Exerpeutic 900XL is a fantastic option for the taller people reading this article. This recumbent bike has features that will allow you to exercise hard and comfortable no matter how tall you are.

And, as an added bonus, it's one of the cheaper bikes we reviewed. That's a nice change of pace because the best equipment is also usually the most expensive. But between increased competition and our consumerist culture, you can get an excellent machine at an affordable price.

Setting up this bike was a piece of cake, and it allowed us to start working out almost right away. The step-through design of the Exerpeutic is ideal for tall people. With a weight capacity of 300lbs, most people will be able to use this no problem.

This Exerpeutic has a low center of gravity that we liked more than we thought we would, for added comfort to help us pull off the most intense workouts.

This recumbent bike has an eight-level magnetic tension control system that allows you to customize your ride and challenge yourself over time. It also comes with a large, easy-to-read LCD display that indicates distance, calories burned, time, speed, and heart rate information.

3. Sunny Health & Fitness F-RB4850

Very Comfortable model

The Sunny Health & Fitness SF-RB4850 is an excellent recumbent bike for tall people with a heavy-duty steel frame. When the bike is fully assembled, it's fairly heavy, right around 87 lbs. The adjustable seat of the Sunny Health & Fitness SF-RB4850 is attached to a rail system that allows you to move it closer or farther from the pedals.

It is absolutely ideal for taller users because the rail offers an adjustment span of approximately 10″, allowing for an inseam length between 30″ and 40″. That means this recumbent bike can accommodate users between 5'2″ and 6'5″ with no problems and allow for a complete leg extension and a correct range of motion.

We love the automatic magnetic resistance system of the Sunny Health & Fitness SF-RB4850. Having a magnetic resistance system means the bike can adjust the pedal resistance automatically without you having to worry about it. And with 16 resistance levels, this makes each workout go as smoothly as possible.

The console on the Sunny Health & Fitness SF-RB4850 has an LCD display that's divided into several sub-sections to show all your workout metrics at once. The display also has an LED backlight and for improved readability. Unfortunately, it doesn't have Bluetooth or online connectivity, but the 24 included workout programs will help keep you motivated.

4. Sunny Health & Fitness F-RB4708

Best with moving arms

We love the Sunny Health & Fitness F-RB4708 because it incorporates your arm movement to provide you with a full-body workout. This is one of the few recumbent bikes that have made it possible to integrate cross-training.

The Sunny Health & Fitness F-RB4708 has the step-through design that we love because it is so easy to get on and off. The rail system makes it easy to change the seat movements and positions to accommodate your height.

With the handlebars' pull and push motion, you can get as much intensity as you want from your workout and the digital monitor allows you to keep a close eye on your progress.

Some of the features on the Sunny Health & Fitness F-RB4708 aren't typical when it comes to recumbent bikes, and we fund them very useful.

The hand sensors on this exercise bike made it easier for us to track our heart rate, so we knew if we needed to change our workout's intensity.

This bike only has 8 resistance levels that you can adjust according to your needs, but it uses magnetic resistance, so they are very low maintenance.

Read more about this Sunny Health and Fitness bike here

5. Marcy ME-709

Best budget recumbent exercise bike for tall people

Don't let the price tag fool you; the Marcy ME-709 was one of our favorite recumbent exercise bikes for tall people. This is a great looking bike, and it should be a good fit in just about any home gym. This bike came with eight preset resistance levels that can be adjusted with the turn of a knob.

The display is pretty straight forward. Thanks to the large numbers, you can see any detail from any position on the bike. The console allows you to keep track of your workout stats like your speed, calories burned, time, and distance.

Unfortunately, we couldn't track our heart rate. The bike isn't foldable, but it does have transport wheels that make it easier to move once you've finished your workout.

Assembly was easy on the Marcy ME-709 with included step-by-step instructions. We thought the seat was comfortable, but it wasn't as padded as some of the other models we reviewed.

The Marcy ME-709 has weighted, counter-balanced pedals with adjustable straps as well as a step-through frame design for easy entrance and exit that make this a perfect piece of exercise equipment for home use.

6. Nautilus R618

Very adjustable bike

We love the Nautilus R618 recumbent bike as much as it's smaller brother, the Nautilus R616. Not only does it come with a lot of the luxury features we love, but it can adjust to be user friendly for people of all heights, all at an affordable price. It's strong enough for heavier users while still delivering a smooth riding experience.

The steel frame of the Nautilus R618 will keep you steady as you pedal no matter what resistance you happen to be using. We love that you can use this bike on uneven surfaces because of the two levelers in the middle and rear. These can be adjusted to keep the recumbent bike from rocking while you work out.

The seat was very easy to adjust on its aluminum rail, and it doesn't have preset positioning slots, so we could put it wherever we want.

The Nautilus R618 has magnetic resistance in 25 levels, so you're guaranteed to get a workout that will push you to your limits.

The warranty on the Nautilus R618 is 1-year electrical, 10 years on the frame, 90 days for labor, and 2 years for mechanical parts. The Nautilus R618 was by far one of our favorite bikes.

Comparing Exercise Bike Types For Tall People

Recumbent Vs Upright Bike

If you're plagued by back problems like many people are, a recumbent bike may be better than an upright for you. Recumbent bikes are easier on the lower back because of the way you sit on the bike. An upright bike will have you hunched over the handlebars, but your recumbent bike encourages better spinal posture.

Recumbent Vs Spin Bike

If you're looking to burn more calories, spinning bikes tend to burn more fat than recumbent bikes. However, if you're looking for a comfortable bike, a recumbent bike may be best for you.

Recumbent bikes are ergonomically-shaped, allowing the user to sit comfortably as they pedal. This is why recumbent bikes are suited best to the elderly, injured, obese, or tall people. A recumbent bike takes the entire weight of your body off your joints and knees.

People Also Ask (FAQs)

What is the proper seat height for a stationary bike?

Setting the proper seat height is critical for a good workout. There should be a slight bend in your knee on a recumbent bike with a pedal in the farthest position, about 25-30 degrees. This will give you the greatest pedaling power and comfort.

Which specific muscles does a recumbent bike target?

Your recumbent exercise bike will target your gluteus maximus, hamstrings, abs, quadriceps, tibialis anterior, calves, and hip muscles.

How do recumbent bikes compare to other cardio equipment?

A recumbent exercise bike will give you a good cardio workout similar to what you would get on a treadmill, elliptical, or rowing machine, but you work slightly different muscles. Recumbent bikes take the pressure off of your core and puts the focus on your lower body as you pedal.

How long should I exercise on a recumbent bike if I want to lose weight?

To lose weight using a recumbent bike, you need to work out hard and for long enough. You should work out for about 60 to 90 minutes, 5 days a week to lose weight.

What exercises can you do to maximize your recumbent exercise bike?

A great workout you can do on a recumbent bike is a traditional HIIT workout. To start, pedal as hard as possible for the "working" segments. Do this for as long as you can.

For the resting segments, move your legs very slowly to recover and generate the same force for the next working segment. Aim for intense peaks of exertion followed by rest and recovery. This workout isn't about length; it's about intensity.

Conclusion

Remember, fitness is a never-ending process, so when choosing your home gym equipment, you have to pick equipment you will use. As a tall person, that means choosing a recumbent bike that is comfortable and safe.

Out of the six recumbent bikes we reviewed above, the Schwinn 270 Recumbent Bike is one someone of any height use every single day.