Customer Reviews

AFG 4.0 AH Hybrid Exercise Bike

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

When looking for an exercise bike, we looked at traditional bikes and the recumbent bikes. Neither one felt right. I have some lower back problems but still wanted to keep up with riding. This hybrid is the perfect match. You are at the best position to feel like you are riding but with little to no back stress.
The display is perfect with large enough readings to see even after 30 mins of hard riding. The 2 participant system will remember who you are and keep your stats. The only problem that we have had is if you turn the power off, it will not remember the date and time and have to be reset if you want the data stored to be accurate and understandable later.

Just received this bike today. It's fairly easy to put together. But, when I paddled on the bike, it made sqeaking noise and some banging noises. It sounded like the bike has a bad bearing and uneven flywheel. Also, I noticed some rust dust at the bottom of the bike when I assembled it. This bike does not look brand new. It seems like it has been reconditioned or opened box or returned item. I also bought one for my mom since it's so cheap. Her bike seems to work fine. I will check with her tomorrow. My brother also bought one too. His is perfectly fine! It is so quiet and nice. I will contact Amazon tomorrow. I am not sure how Amazon is going to handle this! I just want to exchange, but this item is no longer available.

==UPDATE 1:
Just got off the phone with Amazon. Very nice customer service. They would take it back if I would like. They will send people out to box it and ship it back. I don't have to carry this heavy equipment to UPS. They can not exchange the bike now because it's out of stock. But, they put a note in my account so that if the bike becomes available, I can buy it at this price or current price whichever lower.
In the mean time, I can call AFG customer service to see if they can fix it. I still have 30 days to return this bike if I am not happy!
==UPDATE 2:
I am calling AFG at 1-877-462-3455. All I got was "I am sorry for the delay..." I have been on hold forever...then, the VRU told me to leave a message because no one is avail to take my call. I hung up and tried again and again. I called 4 times, I still cannot talk to a human being.
===Update 3:
I called and left message at AFG. They called me back within 1 hour. It's very good response time. They sent me some parts. There is a local service provider. He came to my house and replaced the parts for me. As for AFG, they have a very good customer service. I would rate them 5 stars. After the parts installed, the bike still make noises. I think the bike was not good in the first place when they assembled in China. I am still not happy with the way the bike performs. So, I called Amazon.com today. They are willing to accept the bike back and refund the full amount. There will be no shiping charge for return neither. They also went a further to make me happy by offered me a new AFG 3.0 bike, since AFG 4.0 is out of stock, with a discount price lower for what I paid for the AFG 4.0. The customer service rep. was very nice and please to work with. I would rate Amazon.com a 5 stars in customer service and definately would buy from them again. I am completely satisfied with AFG and Amazon.com. I understand that there will always be some defects in any products. The important thing that AFG and Amazon stand behind the products they sale and service. Thanks to both of them.

The AFG 4.0 AH Hybrid Exercise Bike is a mix between a comfortable recumbent and a more efficient upright bike. The LED display is bright and features convenient settings such as manual mode, interval, cadence, threshold zone, and custom. Most casual users would just use the manual mode, but having the other settings is useful for more specific training. It rides solid, smooth, and very quiet... no rattling or squeaking. The single cupholder is convenient but i am dissappointed that it does not accommodate larger bottles. Padded saddle seat and backrest make it more comfortable to use than upright stationary bikes.

If you are a relatively short rider like me, a couple things to consider: adjusting the seat to reach the pedals puts the LCD display high enough that it will block your view of a tv that is placed directly in front of the bike. You will either have to position the tv slightly to the side or mount it high on the wall. Also, for the more picky short riders, I measured the crank arm length at 175mm. This means for your leg to be properly extended at the downward stroke, your knees will bend a little too much at the upward stroke. Most riders won't care or even notice this, and it will not be a concern at all if you are average height.

IMHO the "relaxed" position and padded backrest is great if want to literally sit back and watch tv while getting a good cardio workout, but I prefer the intensity I get from an upright bike. It does not have the same feeling as you get on a conventional upright or spinning bike. If you are trying to simulate or train for road racing, I would stick to the uprights or spin bikes.

Despite what a previous review states, the bike is NOT 325 pounds. It is rated for up to 325 lb user, but the bike itself weighs about 130 lbs at most. The front support bars have wheels, so moving it just requires lifting the back end and rolling the whole bike on its wheels.

Overall, 4 stars for it's better than average quality and price. If you are not familiar w/ exercise bikes, I would recommend testing a few different models before buying.

If ever something looks too good to be true, it probably is just that. I ordered by bike a few weeks ago and received a call asking to schedule delivery. The company, ABF, was unknown to me, but I figured they may specialize in bulky exercise equipment so I didn't think much of it.

Update: As it stands, I wouldn't even give this bike 1 star. I month has passed since purchase. I have yet to ride this bike once. A technician finally came out to service the bike. After taking the bike apart to replace a few parts, he noticed that the flywheel was out of alignment and another piece connected to the frame was bent. The bike I received is a piece of junk and will need to be completely replaced. I fault Amazon.com, though, not the company that made the bike. Why? Clearly others have been happy with their purchase, so the bike works for some. In my case, however, Amazon made NO mention that my bike had been previously delivered to someone else and sent back... a shifty, terrible business practice, if you ask me. I even have the documents from that previous customer requesting the bike's return. Unfortunately, I had discovered them deep in the packaging AFTER I had already opened and assembled the bike.

The company, AFG, is likely to honor their lifetime warranty on the frame and the technician and I have documented the damage. He will try to work on my behalf to have the entire bike replaced. Kudos to him. Yet, it has still been over a month and a total waste of $500. That's $500 I never would have spent had I seen any indication on this product's page that the merchandise was damaged, pre-owned or otherwise refurbished.

Update #2: So now AFG has authorized the RMA, but Amazon orders must be handled by Amazon, not AFG. Amazon is out of stock on this bike, so now I've wasted over a month and a half, 7 hours of annual leave waiting for deliveries that were late or never happened, and at the end of the day, all I'm going to get is my money back. Zero stars for every single party involved in this purchase. What a complete waste of time.

Amazon, get your act together. Attempt to be honest with your customers. It's the only way you'll keep us coming back. As of right now, I have chosen to not use Amazon for at least 2... Update: hell, I'm not going to use Amazon for 3 years now (shame that Christmas season is just around the corner!)... in protest to this deceitful, drawn-out and useless ordeal. I'll be walking and talking with my wallet, thank you.

Below is the rest of my... experience....

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The delivery service give a 2 hour window between which they are supposed to arrive. On the day of delivery, I waited over four hours, calling a few times once they had missed their deadline. I was finally informed that the driver had been in an accident and I would need to reschedule. Not a problem... poop happens, and not getting my bike delivered was a small concern given that the driver was unfortunately injured.

However, on the next try, I again took off work in order to be at home during the allotted window of time. They missed that window by another 2 and a half hours, causing me to miss another half day of work. I had to help the delivery guy carry in the package as he was on his own. The box was extremely dirty, was not very well closed, and it had visible signs of damage in a few places.

Still, I expected as much knowing that this thing had probably been through an accident from the previous week. I had the delivery man document the damages and sign the shipping form and took photos of the damage. I'm glad I did, too, because inside the package, I found a document detailing that this item had already been returned as damaged by another customer. I just went looking through the page on Amazon and found no mention that the huge discount offered on this item had anything to do with damage, it being opened, non-new or otherwise returned. Beware.

Surprisingly, the contents were in pretty good shape and only a few scuffs and scratches were visible on the equipment. I got the bike assembled fairly easily with the provided tools, though I had to guess a bit regarding the wiring assembly for the console as there are no instructions for that step. Having an IT background, I got it right on my first try, thankfully.

The console on, I sat down and attempted to try out my new bike. With the very first revolution of the pedals, I heard a "boing" sound within the main innards of the bike. Zero resistance. Adjust the difficulty levels? No change.

After calling the tech support, I learned that the problem is something they've had before and it is fixable. Unfortunately, it's also in a part of the bike that is only accessible with special tools and they will likely need to send out a technician. I'll be scheduling that on Monday.

I guess we'll see how long that will take before I can take my first ride on this bike.

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My advice? Go buy something else, and I personally wouldn't order it from Amazon.

I love this bike. It's easy to use. I have back problems so the set up and back support are great. The computer keeps track of what I've done. I just love it.

First Review ever and here is why:
Product broke after a few months of light use. No customer service... almost feel like company is a sham! Liked it while it worked but has been a waste of money!

This bike is very nice and I will mention what I think differentiate this from my old Schwinn (which I loved). First, let me tell you the most annoying thing....working on my laptop is virtually impossible with this bike. I know, it's not something most people would do, but it's what I do to catch up/stay ahead and it's kind of important to me. Also, reading is not as easy either. With that said, I can tell you that this bike is very comfortable....almost too comfortable. Also, don't forget this thing is rated for 325 pounds! It's solid. Putting it together is easy....positioning it on a carpet can be trickier. LOL. The programs are easy to use. I don't know that I like the seating position....possibly it is an acquired taste? :-) It certainly has a bigger footprint than my old one and if space is an issue, this might not be for you. It's not huge, but it *is* bigger. The pulse handle bars are just like my old one (in other words, GREAT). The warranty is great, but honestly, a lifetime warranty on the frame is really funny, because it would seem unlikely that you will be putting the kind of strain on the fram that would crack it. The exended parts warranty just for registering is nice (5 years vs. 3). Here is a link to the users manual (pdf): [...]

Overall, this is a nice bike, especially if you like this type of configuration. If you don't, it might take some getting used to. It is a solid construction, and the seat is not bad at all (with my Schwinn, I had to change the seat because it was horrible).

I think the most important part of one of these machines is making the commitment to use it routinely. I think this ha enought bells and whistles to at least get you going.