I looked into one, but decided on an elliptical whatever you call it
exercise machine.  It's like a cross between a treadmill and a bike.  You
are standing rather than sitting and your feet on the pedals move in an
oval-ish elliptical shape and they are VERY easy on the knees and hips but
give you a good work-out depending on how hard you push yourself.  You can
also rotate the pedals backwards to work another set of muscles, so that's
nice.  It has handles that move, so your arms get a bit of a work-out as
well- plus you can continue on it long after your rehab.  It's sooooooo much
better than walking outdoors in this hot and humid Missouri weather.

Good luck with your rehab!

Leslie

I've only used ones at our old "gym" (actually an upscale enough fitness
center that we called it "the club" rather than the gym).  Based on having
used different equipment different places, you really should try before you
buy if at all possible.  If there's an urban enough area nearby for you to
try a variety of equipment in the stores, do so.  Find which one fits you
best and which features actually matter to you.  And keep in mind what range
of adjustments you might want - such as in our house we'd need a wide range
of seat adjustments due to our height difference.  You might also want to
find out what repair provisions are available locally.  I doubt recumbent
exercise bikes break down frequently, but you don't really want to be hauling
it in when it does - will someone come to your home for an affordable fee?

OK, I just peeked at Consumer Reports online - their "best buy" bikes in
recumbents are the Schwinn 213 & the NordicTrack SL 728 (it says this model
has been replaced by another one).  They say both list around $450-500.

Someone mentioned ellipticals - I personally love a good elliptical, but I
don't know if there's any possibility of you using one with the severity of
the leg injury you had.  It's good to hear you're reaching the rehab point
with it.

I do. It's a Vision Fitness model and I absolutely love it. Magnetic
resistance - dial on the upright adjusts resistance. You can go cheap
with more bells and whistles on the display, or you can spend more and
get good quality. Bear in mind, though, that those extra gadgets are NOT
accurate! Distance, calories, etc are not calibrated and can only be
used as fun when trying to beat personal bests at a single resistance
level. Go in and TRY OUT a variety of bikes. I went with one that was
LESS expensive than one that I went in there for because it was
constructed so much better and had a better warranty - but in the end it
felt better and adjusted better for me. Do NOT go cheap. You don't need
to buy a LifeCycle brand bike (but if you've got the spare $$$,
LifeCycle are sweet but are fully gym quality and extremely robust, not
something you're going to need unless you've got people coming over to
take turns riding it from 9am to 10pm every day) but do some research
and shop around. Rent to own deals are pretty crap usually, and three
month rentals are generally overpriced - you might as well buy one and
make a lifelong habit out of it. A good recumbant magnetic resistance
bike will last years, so it's worth the spend.

Ari