I have had the Nautilus R514 for about 3 weeks now and it has been the best exercise machine that I have ever bought. The computer on it is easy to understand. You can go up to 16 levels as far as resistance is concerned. My husband and I have not really done a lot of aerobic exercise in a long while so we have our highest setting as level 4 right now, which doesn't sound like much, but is. He weighs roughly 290 and I weigh 170. I am average height og 5'6" and he is very tall. He doesn't have any problem with the seat settings. The seat is very easy to move to change between his and mine. The frame of the machine is very sturdy. It takes up a but of room as it is about 4 and a half to 5 feet long and needs about 3 feet of space widthwise. But we fit it into our living room alright. I have gotten tired of buying low-priced machines that do not last long so I decided to spend some more money and buy something from a company with a good reputation. I always used Nautilus machines at the gym I used to go to and they were always excellent machines. As I make progress with this machine I will write an addon to this post later this year. I definately recommend this product. Also, it was shipped very quickly and that was even with free shipping, and was in pristine condition when I received it. Nautilus R514 Recumbent Exercise Bike
I found the Nautilus R514 very quiet, quite sturdy, and relatively easy to assemble. I would make the following suggestions to anyone purchasing this exercise bike.
1. Go to the Nautilus site, find the Assembly Manual, download and print it. It contains all the latest addendae, and the printout drawings will be larger and easier to read.
2. Spend some time reading the instructions while examining the parts before you start assembly. This may keep you from having to reinstall some of the parts
3. The latest manual starts with removing the seat rail from the frame. Skip to Step 2 instead and install the front and rear stabilizer feet first. This will keep the frame stable while you remove the seat rail (step 1).
4. As you install the bolts in a particular assembly, don't tighten them until you have all of them in place. This will help you to achieve correct alignment.
About the only complaint (a minor one) I have is the method of seat adjustment. To move the seat forward or rearward, you have to just about completely remove the knob that holds the seat in place. It's not a problem if you are the only user since you can just leave the seat in place once you achieve the correct position. However, for multi-user groups, you may find the procedure annoying after a while. It does, though, hold the seat very firmly with no wobble.
Got this bike just over a month ago, and so far it's been fantastic. It did take about 2 hours for me to assemble by myself, but the instructions were straightforward enough, and once assembled, the bike is very sturdy and stable.
For me, the best feature is the fact that it rarely squeaks and makes virtually no sound, which is great if you live in an apartment and like to ride later at night. It's good to know i won't be annoying anyone.
Overall i like the computer and the display, although it could be a little easier to set up a custom program. It's nice to see how fast you're going and how many calories you're burning.
Te seat isn't the most comfortable after awhile, but it's an exercise bike, not a recliner. For exercise purposes, it's fine.
One minor note: the front handlebars can come loose a bit easily if you hold them a lot, just keep the allen wrench they give you handy for occasional tightening.
It can really provide a terrific workout. I started in the lower levels, and in a month i've advanced to almost the highest levels, and have lost quite a bit of weight. There's also many pre-programmed routines, so even if you reach the bike's toughest resistance levels, you'll always have plenty of workout options.
This bike provides an easy to do workout that you can do in your own place and not make excuses to avoid it. Just stick the bike in front of a TV, and go for 40-60 minutes. Before you know it you're done and you've burned a few hundred calories. Can't recommend this enough.
Overall, this seems like a decent, if not spectacular product. I'd rate it 4 stars on quality of build, 3 stars on product design, and 2 stars on quality control (for missing/not working parts).
The pros:
- Seems very solidly built--nothing flimsy about it
- EXTREMELY quiet...no kidding, you could ride the thing with someone sleeping in the same room
- Very comfortable/adjustable seat
- Customer service was relatively easy to deal with in getting missing parts
The cons:
- Quality control:
--Missing seat bracket (it just wasn't even in the box)
--Contact heart rate monitor doesn't work
- User interface is ok--but not what I would expect from exercise equipment in this price range
- Grips up by the screen don't seem to have a configuration that is both useful for its intended purpose, and is out of the way enough to not hit your knees every time you pedal
- Some sort of more substantial rack on the screen to hold a magazine or book would be nice
Reading other reviews caused me to buy this product. I hope this review does the same. Assembly was excellent. This is second product I have purchased where tools were with the product. However it took me a little longer to assemble. The finish product made that worth while. Performance was great and the wife and I enjoy exercising every day. I have an knee replacement and it reminds me when I was taking physical therapy. Just what the doctor ordered. I recommend that every body that requires this type of physcial therapy, purchase one of these. "By the way the fan works great". Might want to place a TV in front of the bike and that will make 30 miniutes fly. Maybe it will encourage to go another 30 miniutes. - Recumbant Bike - Exercise Bike - Nautilus - Recumbent Bike'
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