The answer to this question is quite simple. It all depends on how in depth you want your new exercise bike to be.
We all know that the cheaper the bike is the fewer features it will have on it. This doesn’t mean it isn’t worth buying however – it all depends on what features you want to have. If you only want to get on and have a nice amiable pedal every now and then, you aren’t going to get a lot of use out of a top of the range model.
Some features are more worthwhile than others however. For example you will want to see how much resistance each bike has before you decide which one to buy. The amount of resistance on the bike determines how easy or hard it will be to pedal. Most exercise bikes nowadays have different levels of resistance, but it pays to check how different they are from one another before buying.
Check the saddle as well. The cheaper bikes may have a more uncomfortable saddle. This isn’t a feature in the same way as the resistance is, but since you will be sitting on it a lot it pays to make sure it will be comfortable for you. Ask yourself whether the saddle can be adjusted and how much by. Can you tilt it or is it just a case of adjusting it via the height?
You should also find out whether the bike has a display panel, as this will show you numerous different things depending on how expensive the bike is. For example it might tell you how many calories you are burning and how fast you are going. Basic models almost always have a mileage counter on there as well, so you can aim for a set number of miles per day.
As you can see it pays to know what to expect from the features on any particular bike. The most advanced of them all will have a feature which shows you the open road on a computer screen. It may not be the most realistic of settings but it certainly helps the experience to be more entertaining.
So think about the features you want to have and consider your budget as well. All you have to do then is to find a happy medium in order to find the bike you want.