Benefits of Exercise Bike Versus Treadmill: Everything You Need to Know

Are you looking for a head to head comparison between the benefits of exercise bike versus treadmill? Then, you have landed on the right page. Scroll down, we have made a thorough, in-depth comparison report ready for you!

Treadmill and exercise bikes are quite competitive which can easily make you confused if you are just trying to get in a good shape and looking forward to getting a machine. So in order to wipe off your confusions and to give you a clear visual of both the exercise bike and the treadmill machine, we have designed this article called “benefits of exercise bike versus treadmill”.

Exercise bike and treadmill is a great way of cardiovascular exercise. These two machines are widely used and also very popular too. Each machine comes with a bunch of both benefits and drawbacks. Plus, each machine has a different system of workout and also stimulate different body parts.

Exercise Bike Or Treadmill, Which Machine Should I Choose?

As I said, these two machines come with their own set of both pros, cons and in this very article what I have done is, pointed out their benefits and drawbacks, compared them and end of the article I shared my thought on the better one.

Now what you have to do is, ask yourself for which type of workouts you need a machine and simply read the whole article, I hope it will help you to choose the better one for you.

So shall we continue?

Exercise Bike Vs Treadmills: Benefits And Drawbacks

Before we get into details, let me give you a short glance at both the drawbacks and benefits of these machines.

TREADMILLS

Benefits:

• Burns calories quicker.
• Comes with safety shut-off features.
• Perfect for people who enjoy running.
• Full body workout.
• Latest technology.

Drawbacks:

• Very expensive.
• Requires high-maintenance.
• Requires much space.
• Can be quite dangerous in some cases
• Puts pressure in lower back and joints.
• Limited multi-tasking option.

EXERCISE BIKES

Benefits:

• Less expensive compared to treadmills.
• One can exercise longer.
• Completely safe.
• Requires less maintenance and space.
• Adjustable features.
• Some exercise bikes are foldable.
• Makes leg muscle and ligament stronger.
• Puts less pressure on lower back.

Drawbacks:

• Burns fewer calories in the same intensity.
• Only lower body workout.

Which One Is Best For Calorie Burn?

If you exercise in the same intensity in both treadmill and exercise bike, you will see treadmill burns more calories than the bike. It’s because of the position, in treadmill your full body weight is distributed in your two legs and they are continuously moving forward. And on the other hand, in an exercise bike, most of your body weight is supported by the seat.

When you are running on a treadmill, you have full body movement and wherein cycle, you will have less to no movement in your upper body. And this is the main reason for burning more calories on a treadmill.

Now another fact about both machine is, on a treadmill you won’t be able to work out for a long period of time but exercise bikes will enable you to exercise for very long.

It is true that treadmill burns calories quicker, but as you will feel inclined to spend more time on an exercise bike, you will be able to burn more calories than a treadmill.

One hour in exercise bike will burn from 600 to 1100 calories whereas 700 to 1300 calories on the treadmill.

Which One Is Better For Belly Fat Burn?

The more calories you burn, the more fat you will lose. Both treadmill and exercise bike burns belly fat, but the treadmill does it quicker then exercise bikes.

On the other hand, running for a long period of time on a treadmill can put pressure on your joints and because of that, most people prefer exercise bikes for a comfortable fat burning session.

Which One Is Safer?

Safety should be a primary consideration when you are deciding to get the best cardio machine for home. You may have children at home, so it is important to look at least for their safety for avoiding accidents that could occur with these machines.

Treadmills:

When it comes down to using treadmills, you may need to deal with some risky situations. If you are using a treadmill, there is a high chance that you are running in high intensity and as running requires full body movement, if you somehow miss your balance that can lead to serious injuries.

On the other side, on treadmills, you have to set the speed and you will increase your running speed according to the machine. After running for a long time on treadmills, it can make you tired easily. If you are not highly fit and after being in maximum running speed when your stamina level gets low, you will have to be able to stop the machine immediately and if you miss that you will end up falling which could be quite dangerous.

Exercise Bike:

Exercise bikes are safer compared to treadmills, as there will be a seat to hold all your upper body weight and a handlebar which will help you to keep balance.

If your exercise bike tips over that could be a dangerous situation, but there is less to no chance of tipping over unless you choose an unstable one.

Now, most exercise bikes come with great stability which ensures the low center of gravity and that reduces the chance of bike tipping over.

Which One Requires Heavy Maintenance?

Exercise Bike:

Exercise bikes require very low maintenance and most of the maintaining work could be done by you. In exercise bike, all you have to do is check if all the nuts and bolts are fitted perfectly and keep it clean.

If you are using a friction resistance spinning bike, you might need to replace the belt after a couple of years. And if the bike has chain drive, you will want to lubricate it time to time for a smoother operation.

In the case of magnetic resistance bike, they don’t need regular maintenance. For all these maintaining works you won’t need to hire an expert, you can do that all by yourself.

Treadmills:

Treadmills require quite high maintenance as it contains an electric motor. The belt of the machine can get lose and you will need to hire an expert for that.

You might need to take expert help very often, the electric motor needs to be cleaned after a period of time. If you are willing to do all these maintenance’s by yourself, make sure you take all the safety precautions.

Size & Adjusting Features

Treadmill:

These giant machines take a lot of space at home and because of the heavy weight, you can’t even move it from place to place. There are some small treadmills but they are less powerful and have a narrow belt, which is extremely dangerous. Treadmills offer very low adjustment features.

Exercise Bike:

Spinning bikes are a very popular choice among houses because of its easy storage and lightweight feature compared to treadmills. Exercise bikes take less space and can be moved from place to place.

Moreover, some manufacturers are producing foldable bikes which are a great option for people who have less space at home.

On the other hand, in exercise bikes you can adjust the seat height, the handlebars according to your need which treadmills don’t offer.

Which One Makes Irritating Noise?

Treadmills:

These are really a noisy exercising gear which makes irritating noise from both motor and when you run on it. It is very difficult to use at home when others are sleeping, reading, studying, watching TV or having a conversation.

Moreover, when you use it in your apartment the noise might irritate the other apartments too, the sound can be heard through the floor.

Exercise Bike:

On the other hand, exercise bikes make less to no noise and that’s what made them a perfect piece of gym equipment for apartments.

Bikes that come with belt drive and magnetic resistance are completely silent which enables you to work out whenever you want.

Which One Provides The Most Entertaining Workout?

In this section, exercise bike holds the lead undoubtedly. In treadmills, all you can do is just running keeping your head straight. But in an exercise bike, you can try different pedaling techniques, you can try pedaling out of the seat and it will also improve your biking skill.

In order to increase the intensity some manufacturers have used friction resistance and chain cover on the bike, using these you can hear a little whooshing sound, but still the sound is not irritating as treadmills make.

Bottom Line:

I think, for home, an exercise bike would be the best option. As it makes less to no noise, so other members of your home won’t be disturbed. And exercise bike requires less space and maintenance, which is both space and money saving.

Yes, it is true that treadmills burn calories faster than spinning bikes, but if you think differently, you will find the spinning bikes as effective as treadmills. A treadmill will make you tired soon which will demotivate you to work out, where doing exercise in the spinning bike is comfortable and as it won’t make you as tired as treadmill will, you will be able to exercise longer and you will end up burning more calories.

Moreover, exercise bikes are less expensive then treadmills and some bike come foldable, which is also a strong point to choose exercise bikes for home.

Anyways, when it is to decide an exercise equipment, it literally comes down to your own preference. It would be best to choose one with which you will be comfortable.

Nevertheless, it was a little try to provide you with an overall comparative information between the benefits of exercise bike versus treadmills. Hope it helped. And if you have any suggestions don’t forget to drop that in the comment section.

Take care!