muse_of_the_dark
New member
I'm a heavy (350-to-375-ish) person looking to get a recumbent stationary bike for exercise, and I'm finding that pretty much all of the reasonably-priced models seem to list "weight capacities" of between 250 and 300 lbs, if they list one at all.
So I'm wondering if anyone out there can give me some idea of how realistic these weight limits actually are. Are they basically just there to protect the manufacturer from possible lawsuits or claims of "poor workmanship"? (If it's actually a serious issue, why are there some models that don't bother to specify a limit?)
When someone who is over the limit uses the equipment.. are we talking "It could fall to pieces without warning and leave you lying on the floor with a broken leg"? Or more like "It will wear out faster with regular use and might need to be replaced in 5 years instead of 10"?
I mean, I never ask what the weight limit of, say, an office chair is before I sit down in it, and I don't exactly go around breaking office chairs by sitting in them...
So I'm wondering if anyone out there can give me some idea of how realistic these weight limits actually are. Are they basically just there to protect the manufacturer from possible lawsuits or claims of "poor workmanship"? (If it's actually a serious issue, why are there some models that don't bother to specify a limit?)
When someone who is over the limit uses the equipment.. are we talking "It could fall to pieces without warning and leave you lying on the floor with a broken leg"? Or more like "It will wear out faster with regular use and might need to be replaced in 5 years instead of 10"?
I mean, I never ask what the weight limit of, say, an office chair is before I sit down in it, and I don't exactly go around breaking office chairs by sitting in them...