Stamina makes cheap recumbent exercise bikes that are extremely popular. Their appeal lies in an attractive combination of price, construction and feature list. However, when buying a cheap piece of fitness equipment there are going to be some negative points. Here are some ratings on the company's recumbent models.

The Stamina Magnetic Resistance recumbent bike (15-4600A) retails for around $200 and is the cheapest model. For $200 it does look good value for money, but when you look closer you really do have to ask if this piece of equipment will give you a decent cardiovascular workout. For starters, although there is magnetic resistance, there are only 8 levels and you have to manually change the resistance using a knob. While this may not be a crucial design flaw, the absence of built-in heart rate monitor is. To get the best workout you really do need this feature and the 15-4600A not having it is a major negative point. Finally, the construction does look rather basic and a little flimsy. This machine has a poor rating of 1 out of 5.

For a mere increase of $30, the Stamina Silent Magnetic Resistance bike (15-4800A) is a much better buy. It's design and construction is better than the 15-4600A. There are 6 preset workout programs and, with this model, you do get hand grip pulse sensors. The resistance still only comes with 8 levels and you have to manually adjust it with a knob, but that's would you'd expect at this price. For its price, build and features it isn't that bad and gets a rating of 3 out of 5.

Next up is the EMR Conversion II Recumbent bike/rower (15-9002) that retails for around $600. I like the idea of combining both bike and rowing machine as both provide workouts for different parts of the body and for many, buying and using two separate machines is expensive and impractical. However, the 15-9002 falls short as being a good piece of kit. While it is very easy to convert it lacks any preset programs, the construction quality could be better and the resistance is still only at 8 levels and it requires manual adjustment. Not up to scratch and it only gets a rating of 2 out of 5.

The Stamina Conversion II Recumbent bike/rower (15-9003) is the better option. It retails for around $800. When compared to the 15-9003 the better design and construction is very apparent and the LCD is larger and easier to read. But again, it lacks preset workout programs and there are still only 8 levels of resistance. Out of the two bike/rower machine this is the better one. Is it worth the extra $200? Probably. It gets a rating of 3 out of 5.

The most expensive model is the Elite Total Body Bike(15-9100). It retails for a, not inexpensive, price of $900. I'm disappointed with this machine. While I like the idea of the 'pedaling' handle bars the machine lacks many features. It does have hand grip sensors, a console giving you the usual data feedback, etc. But, it lacks many that you'd expect a machine at this price to have. There's no preset programs, the resistance levels are still only 8 and still require manual adjustment! Compare this to the Tunturi E60R recumbent exercise bike that retails for $1,000. The Tunturi comes with one of the most feature-rich console you can get, 8 motivational, scalable workout profiles and 8 user profiles to suit individual fitness goals, electronically controlled brake that produces a wide effort range and enables the exercise settings to be easily changed whilst training - no manual adjustment, and it comes with a much better warranty. The Tunturi simply out does the Stamina on every salient point. This Stamina bike leaves a lot to be desired and only gets a rating of 1 out of 5.