Sporting Goods

Thinking about canceling that gym membership and working out at home? You're not alone. Industry analysts say that gym memberships have slipped slightly since their peak in 2006, and are expected by some to decline further in these recessionary times. But exercise bikes (and other home exercise equipment) provide a great way to work out, and some of them won't break your budget.

Treadmills are stepping up in the world. Features such as electronic programming, which varies the intensity of a workout, can help make exercise less of a chore—and even more fun. Indeed, more Americans regularly work out on a treadmill than on any other type of exercise machine.

Chasing a toddler around certainly qualifies as exercise. Still, if you feel that it's not enough, a bicycle-mounted child seat or a bike trailer can help you to cover some ground in the name of fitness and fresh air.

Ellipticals are odd-looking contraptions, a fusion of stair climber and cross-country ski machine that you stand on and pedal. Your feet move in an elliptical pattern, and a flywheel with resistance you can vary controls the difficulty of the workout.

Bikes come in a wide variety of designs to handle everything from a light workout to an arduous cross-country tour. To find out which types offer the best performance for different riders' needs, Consumer Reports' testers took to the streets and hills and pedaled away.