Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I'm totally impressed by this bike for both quality of construction and the incredible value for the price. I'm a personal trainer and mechanical engineer and from both perspectives I'm extremely satisfied. It's very quiet during use, no vibration, shaking or strange noises.....yet. (I've only had this a few days and know enough about mechanical devices that one sunny day doesn't make a summer so I'll report back in the future). This bike has very smooth "V-belt double drive transmission" which works great and in my opinion just as smooth as the wide range of very expensive commercial bikes I've trained on. The tension levels are more than adequate to cover the heart rate training zones for the most decondtioned beginner up to conditioned athletes. I do a lot of stair climbing, stepping machines and hill climbing on regular stationary bikes so I'm in pretty good shape and this unit gives me a great workout.The pulse monitor on the handgrips gives fairly accurate feedback very quickly unlike some of the commercial models you'll find in the gyms that cost thousands of dollars that only work half the time and aren't even close to accurate much of the time plus take a delay of several seconds to kick in. Generally I wouldn't recommend relying on hand style pulse rate monitors on gym equipment but they can be a useful tool if that's all you have access to. I've compared this to my Polar monitor which is a chest strap and watch type and its very close at a wide range or heart beats.. The transition to different tension levels is smooth and accomplished by a dial indicator but don't worry I'm not talking about the old fashioned screw-down tension controls like years ago or on lower quality models. The dial clicks into the different tension levels so if you're doing interval training you don't even have to look at the dial but just crank "x" amount of clicks up or down. Seems like a minor point but if you're doing real interval training and ready to die at the end of an interval you don't want to think, look or adjust anything other than just surviving and quickly getting into your rest interval. FYI - Personal Training suggestion.If you want to get into cardio shape quickly and most efficiently then you should be focusing on "interval training" where you exert yourself via speed and/or tension for brief intervals of time like 20 seconds to a minute to get you heart rate up to your training zone, then do an active rest at low speed and/or tension to catch your breath and proceed on to another interval. Studies have shown that you can accomplish more fat burning and cardiac efficiency by three months of interval training for 15-30 minutes (and even 10 minutes if you're in a pinch for time) than 6 months of the old fashioned 45-60 minutes of plodding along at the same old pace reading a book or chatting on your phone. Look up "Interval Training" on Wickepedia for a great article on the subject. ***WARNING FOR BEGINNERS**** don't jump into interval training without building several weeks of doing it the old fashioned way first including some basic overall strength training and cardio combined. Hire a personal trainer for a couple of sessions to get off on the right foot before wasting too much time trying to figure out what to do... and what not to do. Seat and backrest are firm but padded and comfortable. The seat is easily adjustable. I'm 5'6" and I'm guessing it covers the range of heights advertised. Assembly was easy. It's a very simple design and comes mostly assembled. No complaints about the written Instructions and diagrams. The instructions at first looks very busy but like anything else read each step slowly a couple of times and check the diagrams and you shouldn't have any trouble regardless of mechanical aptitude. The tools needed for assembly are included in the kit which is just a couple of wrenches and a combination Allen-wrench/Philips head screwdriver. I have a home mini-gym and bought this specifically to supplement my wife's rehab who just came home from four months in the hospital and rehab facilities after several strokes. Fortunately she's not confined to a wheel chair and can get around with a walker but has limited walking distance and isn't ready to leave the house except for outpatient therapy. She's been my toughest personal training client for several years and always had her gym bag packed ready to go with me but always had excuses. I kept warning her over the years (I didn't say nagged her...you can't nag your spouse into getting healthy) about the need for proper nutrition and exercise but she finally reaped what she sowed and she knows it. Fortunately she has a second chance but unfortunately many don't. It sometimes takes a serious "wake-up call" for most people to get serious about their health. I had one about 15 years ago at 300 lbs and in the hospital for two weeks before hiring a trainer and losing 140 lbs and then becoming a certified trainer myself. So I can empathize with my wife and all the others out there making excuses like I did for over 30 years. (I'm 65 now). A recumbent bike is a great rehab tool for someone with weak legs and marginal balance because there's less chance of falling like a treadmill or upright style bike and the access and comfort is better than a regular stationary bike. This one is "semi-recumbent" because the pedals aren't directly out in front of the seat like a fully recumbent bike but is about 45 degrees down. I think its better this way not only for easier access but you can also have clear vision straight out in front of you if you just want to do some leisurely riding and watch a nearby computer or TV and I think it's a more comfortable reading position too than a fully recumbent bike. A possible negative for maybe most people is there's no built in riding programs like the more expensive bikes brag about. Those are good and maybe even better for beginners. I was hesitant to purchase for that reason because I like to pick an interval program and just mindlessly zone out and let the program challenge me but I've done a lot of manual programs too where I vary the tensions myself so it doesn't bother me to crank the dial between intervals or create my own manual programs when I need to especially considering the price compared to the fancy machines. I may upgrade in the future depending on how my wife does but for now this is perfect. Display is good and shows distance, calories, time, speed, and heart rate as advertied. That's if for now. I'll report back in the future. Rich NASM Personal Trainer Arthritis Foundation Trainer Livestrong Cancer Survivor Trainer FNS - Fitness Nutrition Specialist. Attleboro Y - Health & Wellness Coach