Modern humans have strayed far from the path when it comes to keeping our bodies healthy. The need to automate and simplify everything has had negative effects that are slowly starting to rear their ugly heads. We require major surgery. We get injured more. And, we sit way too much. Fortunately for us, there is a way to stay active even when you have limited mobility (and while seated).
Today we’ll show you our picks for the best pedal exerciser in 2019. You’ll find some of these on our top mini exercise bike shortlist as well.
Pedal exercisers are a perfect tool to have at your side if you want to keep the blood flowing and get your heart rate up during the day. Those who are recovering from surgery or injury, frail oder adults, and those who spend long hours seated at work will greatly benefit from these machines. No matter how gimmicky some of them might look, they can legitimately help you burn calories and stay fit.
After we go over our picks, we will spend some time discussing what makes a good pedal exerciser, how to choose the right one and much more. We will even go into some of the most frequently asked questions and try to answer them in the most straightforward way possible. With that said, let’s get started with a close look at our top pick and take off from there.
Best Pedal Exerciser At a Glance
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Best Pedal Exerciser Overall Vaunn Medical Folding Pedal ExerciserVaunn’s folding pedal exerciser is all about delivering the best combination of features and performance in a relativity affordable package. It features solid build quality, great portability and is something you can rely on. |
Best Value Pedal Exerciser Himaly Folding Pedal ExerciserHimaly’s folding pedal exerciser was created in an effort to meet the demands of the market in the smallest, most compact possible form. It comes with a cool bunch of cool features and makes for a great, easy-to-use tool for your physical therapy, or if you sit for long periods. |
Best Budget Pedal Exerciser Exercise Peddler
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Best Pedal Exerciser Overall
Vaunn Medical Folding Pedal Exerciser
Vaunn’s folding pedal exerciser is all about delivering the best combination of features and performance in a relativity affordable package. It features good build quality, great portability and is truly something you can rely on. Its foldability and small form factor makes it a great choice for those who want something with minimal footprint.
Best Value Pedal Exerciser
Himaly Folding Pedal Exerciser
Himaly’s Folding Pedal Exerciser was created in an effort to meet the demands of the market in the smallest, most compact possible format. This is a folding design that comes with all the cool features and makes for a great, easy-to-use tool if you sit for long periods, or for your physical therapy. Not only that, but it’s reasonably priced too.
Best Budget Pedal Exerciser
Exercise Peddler by TKWC
TKWC Inc’s entry into the market was designed for those who don’t want to fork out too much cash for a pedal exerciser. It features a solid metal body, non-slip feet, and adjustable foot straps. If you don’t overuse it, you should find it to be an extremely affordable and effective option.
The Best Pedal Exerciser
| Vaunn Medical Folding Pedal Exerciser |
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| Himaly Folding Pedal Exerciser |
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| Exercise Peddler by TKWC |
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| Vaunn Medical Ultra-Stable Pedal Exerciser |
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| Platinum Fitness Fit Sit Deluxe Folding Pedal Exerciser |
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| Vaunn Medical Folding Pedal Exerciser | |
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| Himaly Folding Pedal Exerciser | |
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| Exercise Peddler by TKWC | |
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| Vaunn Medical Ultra-Stable Pedal Exerciser | |
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| Platinum Fitness Fit Sit Deluxe Folding Pedal Exerciser | |
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1. Vaunn Medical Folding Pedal Exerciser
Vaunn’s folding pedal exerciser represents exactly what this type of exercise machine is all about. It is a super-compact package that is meant to be portable and useful no matter where you are.
Despite its size, you can still use it to keep the muscles active and the blood flowing while you’re undergoing physical therapy. Indeed, this pedal exerciser’s main purpose is to aid with injury care and recovery.
And, while it’s not intended for strenuous exercise, Vaunn have still used solid materials for this build. Fior starters, they’ve made the frame out of quality metal.
All moving components on the pedal exerciser inspire confidence and don’t feel like something that will give up on you mid-workout. As far as features go, pedal exercisers were never meant to be complicated.
Even so, this model comes with a built-in display unit and magnetic resistance selection knob. That puts it among the more versatile options out there. On top of that, it’s super affordable.
The Good
- Very affordable which makes it a great choice for beginners
- Made out of durable materials that won’t fail on you
- Comes with a built-in display unit
- Adjustable resistance selection
The Not So Good
- A light machine for light workout routines
- It can become unstable if you go too hard at it
2. Himaly Folding Pedal Exerciser
Next up is a simple pedal exerciser from Himaly. Similar to our top pick, this one is also built with portability in mind. Himaly went with a fully folding design that packs up tight.
Even so, the bike features all the bells and whistles you’d want. Being able to fold was definitely a limiting factor when it comes to design, or at least it was supposed to be.
Himaly found a way to install a fairly legible display unit into this thing and add a resistance adjustment knob in there as well.
The build quality is on the level. This thing features solid tubing, decent welds that may not be pretty, but they’ll hold, and good quality plastics.
Should you go wild on one of these?
No.
But, you won’t have to worry about reliability. That much is for certain. At this price, Himaly’s pedal exerciser is a bargain.
The Good
- Compact design with a fully folding frame
- Good build quality and good materials all around
- Built-in display unit and resistance selection knob
- Light enough for frequent travelers
The Not So Good
- Being light means it becomes unstable if you pump the RPM during your routine
3. Exercise Peddler by TKWC
If you’re on a tight budget, and you don’t plan on traveling much with your pedal exerciser, then check out this model from TKWC Inc.
This is essentially what original pedal exercisers looked like.
A simple contraption whose main purpose was to a means for keeping your arms and / or legs moving, and blood circulating while you recover from injury or surgery. This particular one features a simple metal frame that can do what it is intended for, but not much else.
It is not suitable for long periods of pedalling, nor strenuous, high intensity exercise. If that’s what you intend to do with it, durability will end up being an issue with this model.
You will notice that there is no display unit, but that doesn’t mean that TKWC Inc. didn’t include any features. You are still getting resistance control, adjustable foot straps, and non-slip feet.
One of the most frequent issues people have with these devices is that they move around too much. With non-slip feet, you won’t have to worry about that too much.
Even though this isn’t a folding model, it can still be broken down into three major pieces.
The Good
- A simple but robust chassis that is all about performance
- Features adjustable foot straps and non-slip feet
- Can be broken down for easier transport
The Not So Good
- No display unit
- Tends to get hot quick
4. Vaunn Medical Ultra-Stable Pedal Exerciser
Vaunn’s lineup of pedal exercisers includes a large variety of models. The one we’re looking at here is a complete opposite to the one we’ve mentioned earlier, but it is every bit as good.
Interestingly enough, this model isn’t as affordable as other exercisers of its type. That is because Vaunn went above and beyond in order to make it durable and efficient.
Their Ultra-Stable pedal exerciser bears that name because the whole thing was designed with stability as the primary goal. There’s nothing worse than an exerciser that moves around while you’re trying to use it. Vaunn did their best to solve that problem.
They did it by making a heavy chrome lined frame that has a bit of weight to it and sits on non-slip rubber pads. It will stay in place unless you go hard at it, but that isn’t what these machines were designed for anyway.
As far as portability goes, this model can’t be folded or broken down into smaller parts.
The Good
- Heavier frame and great build quality
- Features effective non-slip rubber feet
- Comes with a good quality mechanism and adjustable straps
The Not So Good
- Fairly pricey for what it is
- Doesn’t feature a display unit
5. Platinum Fitness Fit Sit Deluxe Folding Pedal Exerciser
The last place on our list belongs to a slightly different in the sense that Platinum Fitness tried to take the whole design even further. They figured out a folding mechanism that allows you to flatten the entire exerciser in a very short time. There is nothing to break down or put together.
Similarly, the entire thing is built like a tank. If you are concerned about durability and feel like no other exercisers fit your standards in this regard, this model might be for you.
Aside from a unique folding mechanism and slightly over-engineered design, Fit Sit Deluxe features a Cool-Rev resistance mechanism that prevents overheating and a built-in display unit that shows the basic stats.
Finally, and this is worth mentioning, this product is designed and made in the USA. Furthermore, you’re getting a decent warranty as well. All of that can be yours at a very reasonable price.
The Good
- An upgrade of the standard pedal exerciser design
- Features quality components and materials
- Proudly made in the USA
The Not So Good
- Small size and light weight make it move around if you’re not careful
Should You Get a Pedal Exerciser?
Pedal exercisers are often overlooked as a gimmick. The same thing happens to other mini exercise equipment, such as mini ellipticals and mini steppers. These misunderstood fitness devices have a very real purpose that help plenty of people reach their health and fitness goals every year. The main issue is that people have unrealistic expectations for these types of equipment, and then get disappointed when they inevitably can’t meet those expectations. Should you get a pedal exerciser? Answer these two questions and you’ll know for certain.
Are you looking to do strenuous workouts, such as HIIT?
If the answer to this question is yes or even maybe, pedal exercisers are not for you.
These machines are not designed to facilitate this type of exercise.
As a matter of fact, doing heavy cardio and high-intensity interval training on a pedal exerciser is a great way to completely ruin the mechanism and have it spit metal shavings all over the place.
Are you looking for something to help keep you moving after surgery, injury or because you sit for long periods?
This is what pedal exercisers were meant to do. They were always a tool designed to facilitate low-level exercise for people with special needs. Specifically, this is people who are:
- Completing physical therapy to keep their blood circulating and rebuild muscle tone after surgery (e.g., hip or back surgery) or as part of the rehab for an injury
- Suffer from frailty (e.g., seniors and older adults) and wish to reduce the disability associated with this through an exercise intervention
- Looking to get their body moving due to being sedentary for large periods of the day.
If you are one of these people, you should definitely consider getting a pedal exerciser.
Choosing the Right Pedal Exerciser
How to choose the right pedal exerciser? Although this type of exercisers are oftentimes fairly simple in design, they come in a variety of shapes, forms, and sizes. Knowing what features you’ll need will make your life that much easier for sure. With that said, let’s look at some of the factors you’d want to pay attention to when looking for the right exerciser.
Fixed or Folding Design
This is probably one of the most important decisions you’ll need to make in the entire selection process. Portability is by far the strongest feature of most pedal exercisers. Their compact size is what makes them attractive to people who don’t have much space to dedicate to fitness equipment. Even so, there are models that can be made even smaller. Folding pedal exercisers are perfect travel companions that will help you stay active no matter where you go. A good folding model will often be more expensive compared to a fixed one. However, fixed pedal exercisers have one less weak point.
Displays and Other Features
The base design of this type of exerciser leaves very little room for creature comforts. Despite that, you’ll still find features like built-in displays and adjustable foot straps offered with some models. Whether or not these are important to you can save you a few bucks. Display units will help you track your progress, which can be a good thing if you are looking to set clear goals for yourself. If not, you won’t miss on much if you go with a more basic model. The same goes for foot straps.
Most of the exercisers come with good frames, but that’s not always guaranteed. You should always pay attention to what the frame is made of and how robust the folding mechanism is if there is one. It’s better to be safe than sorry on this one. This type of fitness equipment is definitely going to raise some questions. Because of that, we’ve put together the most frequently asked ones and did our best to provide each with a straightforward answer. The idea is to provide you with the most unbiased information you can get. Let’s dive in. Pedaling is a great exercise whether you’re doing it out on a road bike, or on mini exercise bike you’ve got under your desk in the office. The movement you’re performing is one of the best ways to stay active. Pedaling is an effective form of low impact cardio exercise that helps keep your joints healthy, which is exactly why pedal exercisers are used in rehabilitation and injury recovery. The type of exercise you can do with the models we’ve listed above is aimed at keeping you moving and giving your cardiovascular system a decent workout. Pedal exercisers are low resistance, low impact fitness machines. That must mean that they only activate a few muscles at best, right? Wrong! Pedal exercisers will hit your calves, hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes and even your hip flexors. In other words, you are engaging similar muscle groups as you would with a recumbent bike. If you think about it, pedal exercisers used while sitting are very similar to a recumbent bike. But wait, there’s more! Pedal exercisers can be used to hit the upper body as well. All you have to do is put the machine on the table and work it with your arms instead of legs. In that case, you’ll activate your arm muscles as well as your shoulders. Overall, portable exercisers can activate large muscle groups and help you keep them in shape. Pedal exercisers burn calories in the sense that they are forcing your body to work against a resisting force. The real question is how many calories can they help you burn? This is where you need to be realistic in your expectations. Pedal exercisers are not meant to provide for a heavy cardio workout or HIIT. They are designed to deliver the complete opposite. Low-intensity cardio is the name of the game. So, while they absolutely do help burn calories, you shouldn’t use a pedal exerciser if weight loss is your primary goal. There are much better and much more efficient fitness machines out there that will help you with that, such as upright exercise bikes, recumbent exercise bikes, or air bikes. Well, there you have it: The Best Pedal Exerciser to Help Get Your Body Moving We did our best to bring you several awesome models that will keep you active and help you reach your goals for physical activity. The models on our list were chosen for their unique features, their proven performance or interesting design. Either way, you won’t be disappointed no matter which one you choose. All you need to do is find the one that best fits your needs and you’re good to go.Frequently Asked Questions About Pedal Exercisers
Is pedaling good exercise?
What muscles does a pedal exerciser work?
Do pedal exercisers burn calories?
