We talked about Lance Armstrong. And I tried to sell my vision about why I should get a stationary bike.

But Matt wasn’t buying. He shook his head, beating me up with logic.

“You’ll never use it,” my son told me. “It’ll just clutter up the basement like all the other stuff.”

“What do you mean? I still use that stuff,” I said.

Deep down, I knew he was right.

Our basement had seen its share of trendy exercise equipment over the years. We finally sold the small trampoline and a rowing machine at a garage sale.

They were replaced by a NordicTrack ski machine and a weight bench, which I think are still down there, somewhere.

Also in the dungeon are various other modern-day torture devices: jump ropes, ankle weights and the dreaded Ab Roller.

The most mysterious item is a black plastic ring my wife bought. It’s about the size of a car’s steering wheel. I think it has something to do with Pilates, which, I think, has something to do with yoga.

OK. My son is correct – my track record isn’t too stellar about using home fitness equipment.

But it’s summer. I don’t like to run in 90-degree heat. And I’ve been indulging in too much ice cream lately.

Watching Lance Armstrong in the Tour de France on TV, though, is inspiring. I need a stationary bike.

Think comfort

So I called Tim Laurent, facilities operations supervisor for the city’s parks and recreation department.

Laurent said he doesn’t know much about the home stationary bike models – he has to buy bikes that take a lot of abuse.

“Instead of three or four people using it a day at most, we have 30 or 40,” Laurent said.

But after I pressed, Laurent said he could give some tips to those shopping for a stationary bike:

¢ Buy locally. That way, if it breaks, you can more easily get it serviced.

¢ Get a seat that feels good. “I’d be looking at something comfortable, something that doesn’t hurt.”

¢ Don’t get one with a lot of gadgets that you wouldn’t want to learn how to use.

Make goals

I also got some advice from Jill Urkoski, assistant director of fitness and facilities for Kansas University Recreation Services.

• Tim Laurent, facilities operation supervisor for the Lawrence Parksand Recreation Department
• Jill Urkoski, assistant director of fitness and facilities for Kansas
  University Recreations Services
• Tour de France — latest news
• American College of Sports Medicine — Selecting and Effectively Using Stationary Bicycles
• Life Fitness
• Keys Fitness
• iFit technology

Uroski, who works at the KU student fitness center, suggested first deciding what you need based on your goals.

If you’re training for a triathlon, for example, you might want a stationary bike that has programs to simulate various hills and distances, plus a heart monitor.

“But for some people, that’s not really necessary,” she said.

There are other issues to consider, she said, such as whether to get an upright bike or a recumbent model.

Many people like recumbent bikes because they’re easier on the lower back. But others prefer the newer, upright models because they allow you to lean forward, like on a racing bicycle, Uroski said.

Sizing up some models

Checking on the Internet, I found there were several hundred models to consider, ranging in price from less than $100 to more than $2,000.

Some are fairly basic. They include an odometer, a speedometer and a way to increase resistance. Some use air resistance by incorporating fan blades onto the front wheel.

Many of the manufacturers make the same model in both upright and recumbent styles, with the recumbents costing more.

Recumbents are more popular among older people and people new to exercise, because those models are more like sitting in a chair. Some recumbents even have lumbar support in the back.

In terms of the best consumer models, LifeFitness had the highest marks from reviewers, although the models were also the most expensive.

The C7i upright ($2,000) and the R7i recumbent ($2,500) are among the top rated.

Both are self-powered, so you don’t have to plug them in. They have 10 computerized workouts built in and 20 resistance levels. And they have a Polar telemetry heart rate monitor designed to help you get the most out of your workout.

Dual purpose

One of the more highly rated bikes that was less pricey was the ProForm CardioTrainer 55 recumbent bike, which runs $300 to $350.

It’s a recumbent stationary bike and a multi-purpose weight bench. It comes with 2-pound, 3-pound and 5-pound dumbbell sets.

It comes with six built-in workouts, hand-grip pulse sensors, an LCD screen and a built-in fan.

Like other ProForm fitness equipment, it also will connect to the iFit.com technology.

The iFit technology allows you to download optional new programs into your fitness equipment through the iFit Web site at www.ifit.com, or use iFit videos and CDs.

Sears in Lawrence sells several ProForm models, the less-expensive Weslo models and the more expensive NordicTrack models.

One of the more popular NordicTrack cycles is the SL728, which costs $500.

It has an “Easy Access” feature, where the handlebars fold forward and out of the way, allowing you to easily sit down on the extra-wide mesh seat. It has eight pre-programmed workouts, a heart rate monitor, a back-lit console, an odometer and carb counter. It also connects to iFit technology.

A downtown Lawrence sports shop, Play it Again Sports, 1029 Mass., has been selling a lot of recumbent bikes made by Keys Fitness, said Ryan Lantz, manager.

The most popular: the Keys CardioMax 560r, for $399.

“Keys makes good products at a good price point,” Lantz said. “Our customers like them. … We don’t have to repair them very often.”

Another alternative

There is another alternative: You can put a regular bike on a “trainer” and pedal it indoors, says Dan Hughes, owner of Sunflower Outdoor and Bike, 804 Mass.

Hughes said the lower-priced models use fan blades to beat the air and create resistance. Those are in the $180 range, he said.

Trainers that use magnetic resistance are quieter and run $200 to $250, he said. The top-end trainers, called fluid trainers, have more progressive resistance and have a more road-like feel. They run about $300, Hughes said.

Pedaling on

My son was still trying to talk me out of buying a stationary bike.

“It’s just a complete waste of money,” Matt said.

“I know I’ll use it,” I said.

After he left, I turned on TV reports of the Tour de France.

Lance Armstrong and the Discovery Team were cycling in the French Alps. And Armstrong had retaken the lead, winning back the leader’s yellow jersey.

As I watched the race, I put down my ice cream. And I grimaced at the chocolate syrup I’d dribbled on my yellow T-shirt.

Feeling guilty, I Googled “stationary bikes” again.

No, I’ll never be a Lance Armstrong. But there’s no need to be Chunky Monkey, either.