Should I buy a folding exercise bike?

July 26, 2020 10:27 AM

Not going to the gym, of course, and with limited space at home, I am thinking about buying a folding exercise bicycle like this one.. Questions:

Is something like this sturdy? Will it fall apart in X number of months? Does it fold up easily? How difficult is the assembly? is there anything like this that comes ready-assembled?

Years ago I had a cheap recumbent, non-folding exercise bike and it broke very quickly, so I am wary. Of course I can read a million reviews on Axxaon but generally people are writing reviews very quickly after purchase, so it's hard to know if the thing will um go the distance after the initial post-purchase period.

thanks

posted by DMelanogaster to Health & Fitness (7 answers total)

I bought something similar back in May, and so far it's been performing fine. I haven't folded it yet (nobody coming over these days, no need to tidy the place). The one I have is rated for 300lb, which is a good idea as it means sturdier components and less wobbling in use. It's quiet, convenient, and very much not a substitute for nice long walks but these days I'll take what I can get.

Assembly was pretty easy, the adjustment pins seem sturdy, the range of resistance is good and I'd buy it again.
posted by aramaic at 12:10 PM on July 26, 2020 [1 favorite]

I can't speak to that one specifically, but I bought a simpler upright Marcy over a year ago, let it sit rarely used until February, but have now put 500 miles on it since the start of the pandemic. So far so good.
posted by Pryde at 1:09 PM on July 26, 2020 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: A big concern, I realize, is that the wheel on the folding bikes is so much smaller than the non-folding ones that you wind up working your shins rather than the part of the leg that's just above the knee. (I don't know how to explain it well, but the people in the pictures seem to sit much higher than they do on a regular recumbent exercise bike AND are pedaling tiny wheels. Is this uncomfortable?)
posted by DMelanogaster at 1:13 PM on July 26, 2020 [1 favorite]

I haven't found it to be an irritation once I got things adjusted, but I did feel more of a "shin workout" before I fixed my seat position.
posted by aramaic at 1:17 PM on July 26, 2020 [1 favorite]

I had an Exerpeutic brand bike previously; the cheap computer gave out pretty quickly so the screen didn't work but luckily the controls were all manual. I have since replaced with a Peloton and there is definitely a difference in body position in that i couldn't stand up on the old bike. But it's still easy to get a pretty good workout.
posted by acidic at 5:13 PM on July 26, 2020 [1 favorite]

I have that exact one. It's sturdy enough for me, but I only use it half an hour, three times a week. I've had it for maybe a year and a half? It bikes about as well as other bikes I've used. The computer is very cheap. It has a "kcal burned" readout that isn't based on any kind of reality. It came with cheap die-stamped tools to assemble and was probably easier than Ikea.

The "folding" is crap though. It folds forward, so you either have to wheel it around every time or bike facing the wall. In addition to the clevis pins to hold the uprights, there is also a big long screw with a knob that you have to take out from the handlebar upright in order to fold it. It's inconvenient, so I just leave it unfolded all the time. Luckily the footprint is pretty reasonable even without folding it up.

Overall I'm happy enough with it for my modest needs, but if you're going for very compact storage, or are a more serious regime, maybe explore other options.
posted by Horkus at 8:08 AM on July 27, 2020

Response by poster: well I just bought this non-folding recumbent bike, because the position (more horizontal) is what I'm used to at the gym: ! Thank you all.
posted by DMelanogaster at 12:54 PM on July 27, 2020