Sunday, 13 June 2010
Easy To Assemble - highly recommended, stationary indoor bike
I received this bike for a Christmas present. I had asked for it specifically after reading favorable reviews. (and, of course, based on the price!) It was pleasantly easy for my husband and I to put together and I jumped on it right away. The bike is quiet, the seat adjusts from very high to very low, even lower than what I need (I am 5'2"), and it feels sturdy. The battery powered screen has a place for your pulse, calories burned, time, miles, and speed. This bike is quiet enough to sit and watch tv while riding and you can hear your show just fine. My butt did get a little sore from the seat, but I got used to it. The bike is easy to move around with the wheels, however it does stay in place once you put it down. I recommend to anyone looking for an affordable exercise bike. Stamina 5325 Magnetic Resistance Upright Exercise Bike
First - all these consumer bikes are made by the same company in China and branded. I've had 7 in the past 10 years from different companies. Reebok, Stamina, Sports Authority house brand, Target... it doesn't matter. They're all the same basic construction, come with the same little shrink wrapped tools, the front and back supports go on the same; I can put these together in my sleep. You can even interchange the parts. The only difference are the computers.
They will all die in 1-2 years if you use them every day.
I use mine 20 miles a day - it doesn't matter if it's a $150 model or a $700 model, they die in under two years. Pulse monitor? Rusts out or breaks in ~4 months. Straps on the pedals? Break in 3-9 months. Plastic drive belt? Minor damage in 6-9 months, fatal damage in 12-24 months that requires replacement, since you can't fix them. These things even come with a warning that if you actually try to use them seriously you could suffer 'severe injury or fatality.' They're cheap consumer crap and they expect you to stop using it and turn it into a clothes rack.
So you might as well get a cheap one with good features and expect to replace it. This one works well enough and is quite quiet, but is lacking several features you'd expect for a $200 model (and I should have checked for first):
* Worst of all, no pedal straps. If your foot ever slips, the pedal goes upside down and you need to come to a halt and resync. After one night of this I just took the pedals I saved off my old ones and used them instead.
* You can't see your speed and distance at the same time.
* The timeout before the computer resets everything if you don't pedal is quite short compared to other models. Need to rush to the kitchen or computer or phone? Better hurry, or at least remember how far you'd gone.
* No drink holder. A little thing, but you'll need something else for your water bottle.
* The base is on the narrow side (there seem to be two common sizes), so if you get serious it rocks from side to side a bit compared to the wider ones.
* If you're 6'(I am) or over, the seat adjusts fine, but the handlebars are then very low. The configuration pictured is for a midget or child.
So this will work for a year till it breaks, but I've had a $150 model from Sports Authority that was much better, and next time I'll remember again what to look for.
I needed a stationary bike after a total knee replacement surgery. Decided on this item due to v.good reviews it received on amazon.com. Received the bike in beginning of Dec.'09 and I love it. It works for me well. It's well designed and built. Manual is clearly written and there shouldn't be any problem(s) with assembling this bike.
I purchased this bike cause I needed a heady duty one (handles up to 300lb body weight) and one that just plain works well with a basic electronic console. The instructions are easy to understand, the console has 6 programs, calorie counter, heart rate monitor, speed and distance and elapsed time. There are 8 resistance levels as well. The bike is solid and built very well and I am impressed since it is a $200 bike but seems built like a $400 one.
I recommend this bike to anyone who wants a well constructed, very very quiet and basic bike that works as it should.
After opening the box, the number of bolts, washers and screws were less than described in the manual. I called customer service and they responded that some assembly is already done and that's why there aren't as many as shown in the manual. So I put the bike together and it was fairly simple. Only one washer didn't match (regular washer versus curved) ... that didn't really matter, it worked.
The performance of the bike is everything I expected it to be. Very quiet which I love! The resistance levels provide a good workout. Note the programs that come with it are more geared toward how fast you are pedaling and it does not control the resistance. You control the resistance with the knob. This is a good product for the price.
I purchased this bike based on price range and reviews. The other reviews were dead on and I'm very grateful for their input. The bike was easy to put together and is very quiet. It's nice and sturdy for both me and my husband. I'm very happy with my purchase. It was exactly as advertised.
The Stamina 5325 does what any exercise/stationary bike should do. I am 6'/255lbs and while I feel this bike holds/supports me no problem, it is a bit wobbly if I ride at a faster pace. Nothing that I worry about, but does concern me for the length of the life of the bike. My wife is much smaller and has no issues. We both agree the seat is fine, but not overly comfortable. Height adjustment is excellent.
My other minor gripes, you have to put it together(which I knew), but it was about 30 minutes of work. It was not necessarily difficult, but there were some steps that were "tricky"(getting the resistance adjuster cord to connect). The peddles are slightly small, and at higher rates tend to flip on you, and they are not double sided, nor do they have straps or a place to attach straps. Also, I was comparing to less expensive bikes, and I am not sure how you can get much cheaper and still feel like you got a quality product. I bought this bike wanting something to give me a good work out, and I feel it does that, but some of the assembly did not make me feel like it was the strongest construction. You are paying a little more for the heart rate monitor, which does seem to work, but I don't use all that much. With that being said, at the $200 price point, I WOULD buy this bike again. I know if sounds like I am complaining a lot, but I am just providing information that I did not see people mention in previous reviews.
If you have a little more money to spend, I would see what an extra 50-100 can get you in features and quality, but I feel that this bike is what you paid for... I would say this bike is good as a starter/light use exercise bike that will make you glad you did not pay more. - Stationary Indoor Bike - Highly Recommended - Upright Bikes - Stationary Bike'
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