Pedal exercisers to keep you moving in your home

They're low impact and perfect to do while working or watching TV.

pedal-exerciser

by Eleanor Weaver |
Updated on

Trying to keep fit at home can be tricky, but it couldn’t be easier with pedal exercisers. Just like an indoor exercise bike, this portable piece of kit allows you to multitask and is perfect for fitting some cardiovascular exercise into your day. You can use a pedal exerciser to work your legs or work your arms if you set them up on a surface in front of you.

A pedal exerciser can be used at your desk while working from home or on the sofa watching your favourite programme on TV. Also, it's a low-impact alternative to an under-desk treadmill. Compared to other at-home fitness equipment, pedal exercisers are versatile, affordable and don't take up too much space.

A pedal exerciser is a great tool for keeping fit and maintaining an active lifestyle. The low impact exercise can help reduce the risk of arthritis by keeping your joints healthy. It can increase strength and muscle tone, with upper and lower body exercises available.

Best pedal exercisers at a glance

Best pedal exerciser to improve muscle strength: Easylife Portable Pedal Exerciser – Buy now on Easylife
Best pedal exerciser for portability: PROIRON Pedal Exerciser – Buy now on Amazon UK
Best pedal exerciser for increasing stamina: Vive Pedal Exerciser – Buy now on Amazon UK

As well as this, the pedalling motion can help improve blood circulation and be used gently to help rehabilitate from any injuries. Not only that, but exercise can help to increase your overall mood as it gets endorphins going. So, if you're looking for a gentle form of exercise that you can do from the comfort of your sofa, here's our round-up of the best pedal exercisers.

Best pedal exercisers

Best pedal exerciser to improve muscle strength

This best-selling Easylife Portable Pedal Exerciser is an ideal way to help keep active at home. Use it as a bike to exercise your lower body, or on a table, hand-cranking the pedals to exercise your arms. Adjust the resistance by simply turning the black knob and use the clear LCD screen display to track your time, the number of revolutions and calories burned in your workout.

Customer review: "Husband has rheumatoid arthritis, so can't walk far, but using this daily is helping him have gentle exercise. He's already noticed his knees are strengthening."

Pros

  • Adjustable resistance
  • Folds away for easy storage
  • Clear LCD screen

Cons

  • Delivery may take a while
Dimensions:L47 x H37 x W25cm
  • Lightweight steel frame
  • Non-slip rubber feet

Best pedal exerciser for portability

With a built-in carry handle, this PROIRON Pedal Exerciser is great for portability around your home. The durable steel frame comes with an LCD screen displaying time, total cycles, distance and calories burned, all at the touch of a button. Operate the pedals forward or backwards and adjust the resistance to meet your needs, offering a range of workout variations for you.

Customer review: "Really pleased with it. Easy and quick to assemble, just had a bit of trouble screwing the peddles on, but did it in the end. It seems solidly built and I like the mat with it to keep it steady, but it is stable without it. So quiet and a hit with all the family, bought it on the recommendations of a physiotherapist for my husband. We are all very impressed with it."

Pros

  • Additional TPE mat for anti-slip
  • Compact and lightweight
  • Built-in carry handle

Cons

  • May make noise
Dimensions:L40 x H35 x W30cm
  • One-touch multi-function LCD display
  • Non-slip pedals with adjustable straps
  • Non-slip rubber feet

Best pedal exerciser for increasing stamina

Vive Pedal Exerciser

Rrp: $79.99

Price: $69.99
Alternative retailers
Walmart$69.99View offer

This convenient design is perfect for fitting discreetly under a table or desk. Customise the resistance and track your RPM, time, speed, distance and calories burned with a touch of a button on the display. The Vive Pedal Exerciser also comes with a workout app to download on your phone to help inspire your workouts.

Customer review: "Love this, used it from day one of receiving. I sit on a proper chair, use while watching TV. Stable on a carpet or rug. Arm exercising really useful too. Small enough not to take up space and could be put away easily."

Pros

  • Adjustable resistance
  • Workout app included
  • Compact design

Cons

  • Non-slip base may not be as effective
Dimensions:L16 x H12.5 x W13.75in
  • Non-slip rubber base
  • Non-slip rubber pedals with adjustable foot loops
  • One-touch multifunction LCD display

Best pedal exerciser for low-impact

This Cubii Seated Elliptical Trainer in Purple makes it so easy to use, regardless of your age or fitness level. It's the perfect way to add some movement into your life, whether you're just starting out on your fitness journey or you simply want to burn extra calories while you're sitting on the sofa or behind your desk.

Customer review: "Rely pleased with my purchase. I use it under my desk when I work from home. Very sturdy. Handle at top handy for moving but it is pretty heavy. It also travels across a laminate floor."

Pros

  • Easy to use
  • Sturdy
  • Built-in handle

Cons

  • Heavy
Dimensions:H58.5 x W30.5 x D24cm
  • Eight levels of resistance
  • Multi-function LCD display
  • 1-year guarantee

Best pedal exerciser for compact design

With magnetic resistance, this pedal exerciser offers really quiet and smooth pedal rotation. It has 8 resistance levels, double that of standard pedal exercisers on the market and with adjustable legs, you can lower the height of the machine to fit into necessary spaces. This display includes speed, time, distance and calories burned, and a free display extension means you can track your progress from your table-top. This might be more expensive compared to others on this list, but worth the price if you're looking for that extra performance and quality.

Customer review: "I usually go swimming regularly but in the winter I wanted to do more exercise indoors. I initially looked for indoor cycling machines but they take up a lot of room. I use this cycle as it is the perfect height for me to use when I am in a reclining sofa. The height is adjustable but I didn't need to change anything. I wanted something with a heavy flywheel so that it would not move whilst I was using it. It looks robust and I hope it will last for a long time. It is very quiet so I can watch TV without it making a noise whilst I'm using it. Very happy so far. I thought the price was reasonable for the quality of the product."

Pros

  • Quiet performance
  • Eight resistance levels
  • Free display extension

Cons

  • Not recommended for those with a pacemaker
Dimensions:L62 x H51 x W31cm
  • Magnetic resistance
  • Five function display
  • Adjustable legs
  • Non-slip rubber feet

Best pedal exerciser for quiet pedalling

This pedal exerciser is motorised for low-impact exercise, making it ideal for rehabilitation or for people looking to maintain or regain physical fitness without putting stress on joints. Mains powered, it comes with a controllable digital screen that displays speed, time, distance, calories and the automated program selection.

Customer review: "Bought this five weeks ago, after having major back surgery, and needed to build up my legs. Does all the work for you, not too heavy, and great remote control features, would recommend."

Pros

  • No assembly required
  • Handheld controller
  • Quiet

Cons

  • Self-propelled
Dimensions:L49 x H28 x W30cm
  • 2-year guarantee
  • 5 auto user programmes

Best pedal exerciser for value

Aidapt Pedal Exerciser
Price: $45.30

This Aidapt Pedal Exerciser is a good solution if you're looking for a low-cost alternative or if you are rehabilitating from injury - the resistance is slightly more limited than other models on this list. Its compact design means you can store it easily, and it's simple to assemble, so you can get pedalling in no time.

Customer review: "Bought this for my mother, she is 80+ and uses it every day, good exercise and lightweight. Easy to assemble."

Pros

  • Sturdy
  • Compact design
  • Great value option

Cons

  • No instructions
Dimensions:L28.5 x H50 x W40.5cm
  • Adjustable resistance
  • Anti-slip feet
  • Fold down design

Best pedal exerciser for burning calories

The easy-to-use multi-function LCD computer displays exercise time, speed, revolutions per minute, distance and calories burned. The pedals are comfortably designed to suit upper and lower body workouts and the adjustable foot straps make it much more flexible for accommodating users of different sizes. The good, simple design of the AGM Mini Bike Pedal Machine means you can adjust the resistance quickly and efficiently while exercising with the front-facing tension knob.

Customer review: "I ordered this for my husband who was diagnosed with progressive arthritis of the spine and knees some three years ago following the reviews and it has made such a difference to his mobility. He uses it every day since I bought it from his armchair whilst watching TV/reading etc and has truly been remarkable the improvement this exercise equipment has made to his joints such that it has enabled him to walk so much farther with less restriction. I would highly recommend."

Pros

  • Adjustable resistance
  • Easy to use
  • Sturdy

Cons

  • Small pedals
Dimensions:L40.6 x H32 x W35.1cm
  • One-touch multi-function LCD display
  • Hand and foot pedals with adjustable straps
  • Non-slip feet

Best pedal exerciser for improving cardio

Stamina Inmotion Elliptical
Price: $129.00
Alternative retailers
Lowe's$134.39View offer
Walmart$134.99View offer
DICK'S Sporting Goods$139.00View offer
Overstock$147.99View offer

The Stamina InMotion Elliptical is a compact, lightweight home or office trainer with a foot-pedal-only chassis, making it easily storable. Its low-impact design protects joints while the electronic monitor tracks strides, exercise time and calories. The sturdy steel construction and non-slip pedals ensure durability. Note that assembly is required.

Customer review: "I’ve been using this as much as I can for a few months ever since I got it and my legs are so toned. I do HIIT cardio standing up, holding onto the back of my workout machine if I need a bit of help balancing and it definitely works you out. If you want to tone you gotta increase the resistance. Pedalling backwards works the glutes! I also have a bad knee and this is much easier to manage than a treadmill."

Pros

  • Compact
  • Lightweight chassis
  • Sturdy

Cons

  • Not recommended for those with a pacemaker
Dimensions:62.2 x 43.2 x 29 cm
  • Magnetic resistance
  • Multi-function LCD display
  • Adjustable tension dial
  • Textured pedals

FAQs: Pedal exerciser

Workouts for your pedal exerciser

We would recommend using your exerciser for 30 minutes a day. However, if you’re new to exercise bike workouts, it would be worth starting with low resistance and slowly building up to the time and levels.

Using on a table and hand-cranking the pedals can help strengthen and tone your arms, whilst using on the floor can help your hips, thighs and calves.

So, if you’re looking for inspiration this 10-minute workout video from Vive Health on Youtube, led by personal trainer, Coach Kim, may be just what you need.

Key features to look for in pedal exercisers

Resistance adjustment

On a standard pedal exerciser, you can adjust the resistance of your workout using friction. Magnetic resistance may be available on more expensive machines. The magnetic resistance is quieter, which means the bike requires less maintenance. However, this is not recommended if you use a pacemaker.

Display

You want to have a bike with a clear display to track your exercise performance. A large, clear and easy-to-navigate screen is ideal. However, what the screen shows can definitely differ from model to model, so be sure that you're comfortable with the display beforehand.

Pedals

For optimal comfort and stability, look for non-slip pedals with grips that will keep your feet in place as you cycle. There's nothing worse than your fit slipping out of the pedals whenever you move your feet.

Collapsible design

Most pedal exercisers are compact, but if you’re really low on space or prefer to keep your exercise equipment tucked away, mini exercise bikes might be a better option for you.

Eleanor Weaver is the Deputy Homes & Garden Product Editor for Yours, specialising in home décor, furnishings and appliances. Having worked commercially on Yours magazine and Yours.co.uk for the past six years, she's previously hosted Yours Live events and loves looking for home inspiration online.

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