Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I was an avid spinner and took classes at my gym until they suddenly shut down on me. I need my daily cardio, and running on pavement everyday is really too much for my joints so I figured I'd just buy my own spin bike. Unlike ellipticals and treadmills, spin bikes don't require extra electricity (my house doesn't have much more wattage power to spare), and don't require huge amounts of space. They are also low impact (great for joints) and run much more quietly than other cardio machines. I was going to buy the chain drive bike for a slightly cheaper price until last minute I saw someone's Youtube video of them actually riding a Sunny brand chain drive. I could hear the sound of the chain going, which wasn't excessively noisy, but it bothered me enough to change my mind last minute to buy the belt drive model instead, which I've heard is much quieter. I'm glad I did. There is no sound at all except for a slight whooshing sound, from the brake pad rubbing against the wheel. It's very quiet and doesn't bother me at all since it's not a mechanical sound, more of just like a.... natural wind-kind of sound. The ride feels extremely smooth, both during low-resistance sprints, and during very high resistance climbs. I also like the idea of the belt drive over the chain drive because I don't want to have to keep oiling the chain/conditioning it over time since I believe chains require maintenance. Assembly is surprisingly simple. It took me and my dad less than an hour to put it together, and I probably didn't even need his help (he mostly just helped with carrying the heavy part from the 1st floor to the 2nd floor). All necessary tools are conveniently included. Most of the bike is already pre-assembled and seems pretty sturdy, considering this price range. The resistance knob allows you to add/remove resistance gradually. I've had issues with spin bikes at gyms where I'd turn the knob 1/8th of a turn, and it'd go suddenly from an easy downhill ride to an impossible climb straight away, instead of a gradual slow increase. I'm typically used to riding in a more narrow seat and was surprised at how wide this seat was. Some people may find this more comfortable, but I did not. I guess I have a narrow hip width (?) because the width of the seat is too fat for me and caused me chafing in the inner thighs, right by the groin area. I tried to move the seat as far back as I could, so I'd be seated on the most narrow portion of the seat (to reduce it rubbing against my inner thigh-groin area) but the knotches/shape of the metal bar didn't let me push it back any further. My solution to this was just to take the metal bar out, and re-insert it backwards (shown in my photo) so I could push the seat back an extra 1-2 inches. This repositioning still allows me to screw the knob into the latch/hole, so it's locked in for safety. Felt much more comfortable. The computer/clock was not an important factor to me but it was nice to have the timer on hand for intervals, and it conveniently came with its own batteries so I gave it a go. I did 1 ride for about 60 minutes and it worked great. The next day it wouldn't turn on at all. I assume this computer is not waterproof, and perhaps my pouring sweat broke the machine. I wish it had come with some sort of not-waterproof warning so I couldve covered it with something... :( The handle bars are shaped in a way so if you have an ipad, you can lean it there and watch things. I only have an iphone, which i put in a small ziplock bag (to protect from my sweat) and take a rubber band and attach it to the middle handlebars and watch spin videos as i ride. Perfect! Overall I really like this bike and would definitely recommend to others looking for a simple spin bike in this price range. You can do all the traditional spin class moves on it, it is very very quiet (no rattling, no mechanical sounds, and more quiet than the chain drive models), very smooth-feeling ride, assembly is pretty simple. If the computer/clock is important to you, beware--it's not waterproof so keep it dry. UPDATE (4-5 MONTHS LATER): The bike still serves it's function well, which is to give me a good workout and the resistance/brake/pedals all still work fine. Nothing has broken or fallen apart on me. (I use the bike about 5-7 hours total/per week, moderate-heavy resistance) However I didn't realize that all my sweating over it would cause many of the screws all over the bike, and various other exposed metal parts to start rusting. I tried to oil those rusted parts with "3-in-1 multpurpose oil" to prevent further damage but the bike seems to need constant greasing. (if anyone can suggest something better, feel free to comment) Also, my bike has started to squawk. The type of noise varies. Sometimes it happens only when i use very heavy resistance and it's literally a very loud deep SQUAWWWK. Sometimes it's a lighter-sounding SQUEEK. Sometimes it happens only on the left pedal stroke. Sometimes only on the right stroke. I don't know exactly what's causing the noise but it's annoying and I don't know how to stop it. I wish there were a more detailed manual included about bike maintenance...