Customer Reviews

Body Rider Magnetic Elliptical Trainer

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I wrote a positive review when I first purchased this product about 6 months ago. Now, the piece of equipment is no longer with me.
It turns out that this product is just too poorly built! The materials are just below-average qualities.
First it started making squeaky noise from the rotor. It became so unbearable, that my wife stopped using this machine all together.
My wife only used this machine for about a month (if that) and she used this machine about three times a week, for about an hour each day.
I called the manufacturer about the noise and they sent me new sets of bearings because they suggested that the noise was coming from bearings, which were probably broken.
By then, though, it was a long time after the warranty expired, so I had to replace the bearings myself (the manufacturer sent me new bearings).
It wasn't too difficult to replace the bearings, except that it was a really messy job.
By the way, about the old bearings, there are two bearings in the rotor and when I opened the frame to get to the rotor, they were completely broken!
My wife and I weren't even putting this machine through vigorous cycles. So it was the first sign of using cheap materials.
After the new bearings were in, the noise seemed to go away for a couple of days, but after just a few days later, the noise came back.
Then a few days later, the cross-bar section in the middle of the machine came apart on its own!
The plastic parts at both ends cracked and came off the machine all together and thus the metal bar inside was sliding back and forth.
So here was another sign of using cheap materials.
I could have called the manufacturer again and have them send me another replacement parts, but to what end?
The noise didn't go away and the machine seems to deteriorate itself faster than anything built in modern days!
I paid $200 for this product and I certainly expected this machine to last more than just 6 months.
I still need an elliptical because I do not like running. So I went and bought an elliptical (not from the same manufacturer), again.
This time I paid more and I own, no, my wife owns a treadmill that's from the same manufacturer (pro form?).
The treadmill has been through more harsh cycles and lasted a lot longer than just 6 months. So I'm hoping this new elliptical will do the same for me.
So here is my second review on this product.
If the machine starts to make noise from the rotor section, be prepared to replace the bearings and get your hands all dirty and greasy.
And you'll still have noise. Isn't that sad? Then the machine breaks down and tries to go back to nature.
I will not suggest this machine to any of my friends... and you!

I've had this Body Rider Elliptical Trainer for about a month now, and this elliptical trainer gives you an exceptional workout and is easy on the joints. I can't believe I did not have to spend lots of money on an expensive elliptical machine to get such a great workout!! It took my husband about three hours to get this machine completely together. Everything was well organized and the instructions were very clear. This machine is as it states "a whisper quiet operaton", very smooth. The magnetic 8 levels of resistance gives you a good variety of workouts, I never get bored. The display for time, distance, calories, etc. is big and very easy to read.
This Body Rider is the perfect "at home" exercise machine. It's not too big or too small, just right for about any room you want to put it in. I'm so happy with this machine and the workout that I am getting from it. Awesome price. THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a good item for the price. The assembly was easy in that I put it together by myself. It could be a little wider at the base to increase stability, and it creaks a little more than I would like, but the workout you get from it is great! It actually feels like a realistic amount of calories burned for the amount of time on the machine as compared to some other machines I have used.

This isn't a Precor, Octane or any other high quality elliptical like you would find in a gym. It's a cheap elliptical - nothing more, nothing less. This machine ended up lasting us about two months before a plastic piece that holds the right arm assembly on broke. We thought about fighting customer service to get it fixed but decided we would bite the bullet and just buy a nice Octane machine.

We also had a problem with shipping in that the plastic body housing was cracked but it wasn't a big deal and functionality was not impacted.

All in all, this machine is what it is - cheap and not that high in quality. It might work for you or it might break but just know it's not the best.

So...I was just working out with this elliptical, considering the write up that I would do on Amazon. It would have gone something like this:

Cons: Had to tighten the screws once to eliminate some squeaking. Some of the plastic casing was damaged; Did not affect functionality.
Pros: Pretty easy (although greasy) to put together. Easy to use. Great value for money. Fast shipping.

At the same time as I was planning my review, the machine broke. Part of the screw attachment where the right hand and foot stand connects has been damaged so much that I cannot fix it. This was the 5th time I've used it, each time for approx. 30 mins. Of course, I can no longer give it 4 or 5 stars like I have previously planned. Now I'm not looking forward to the amount of time I know it'll take to try and take it apart and try and fit it all back in the box. Hopefully the manufacturer will replace the part instead of having to do refund / replace with Amazon. I'll update.

This machine delivers a good aerobic workout, it's very easy to put together and does well at serving it's purpose with a very low level of tightening maintenance and is overall a good value for for the price.

Pros:

We've had this machine for a little over a month now and I am pretty happy with it, especially for the price. My wife and I use it everyday and it has delivered a great workout as expected for an elliptical. It's also not too big, some of these machines can be bulky and take up too much space but this machine is easily stored and used comfortably in a 3'x5' space. The digital display is pretty standard offering all the basics along with an estimated caloric burn.

Cons:

Being an affordable personal use machine it isn't super solid those you see in gyms and can become loud and creaky, but that can be somewhat alleviated by tightening the key bolts and joints that move most often while in use. I'm about 5'10" and the stride length is a bit short for me but it still does the job.

Alright this is my third review i'm putting out here on this product. My first review was saying it was *alright*, which I then updated to say it was *junk*. It had been working decently until it starting making a loud noise, I was too afraid to use it anymore. I tried taking it apart by over 50% of the machine and putting it back together, but it didn't do anything. The monitor was correctly hooked up as well, and while it would turn on and read pulse, it would never read calories, distance, or even track how many minutes i've been going.

Now, with Amazon telling me to throw out this thing (I told them it was broken, and there were many broken pieces), and getting a replacement soon, I decided oh what the heck. At this point the machine was 100% taken apart, and put back in the box. Instead of throwing it out I thought I would give it another go. I didn't need the instructions this time to put it back together, and I put it together in a different order than it tells you to. First of all, attach the foot piece to the piece of metal BEFORE attaching it to the arms or pedals, this will make it so you don't have to lay down to screw in the bolts. And secondly, the most important thing, the horizontal rod in the middle which holds up the arm handles is too small. You can get one side to fit on great, but the other side will come up short. Originally I improvised and left a piece out and forced the other piece in. This time, I tied a string around the two handles to squeeze everything in tightly so I could properly put all pieces in, and i'm glad to say I did that. If you have a second person to help you, that's even better, but don't do it alone if you have a choice, because it's a big hassle.

With my machine put back together for a third time, I took it for a quick test. Right away I noticed the monitor was properly tracking everything, so I was happy. The elliptical felt more sturdy this time, not loose or shaky (all bolts were tightened all the way originally by the way). The resistance level set at the lowest right now feels close to the maximum of what it was when I set it up the first time. The strides feel extremely smooth and I'm happy with it now. Now before I get your hopes high with this paragraph, let me just say that I did not exercise fully on it after I set it up again. My test was less than a minute. Tomorrow I will hop on for a good 30-40 minutes and see how it does.

Now I can say that this machine is pretty good, but I still have to use it more and find out. I will try to update how the machine is working as often as I can remember to.

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Update: Dec 9, 2011: I started exercising for the first time since I put it back together today. It was super tough to get moving and I had to stop at 15 minutes. I thought i'd take a look at what could be wrong after I took a shower. I came back, took it apart enough to see what was wrong with the tension cord. Sure enough, it was out of place and I had been exercising on super high tension when I shouldn't have been. I fixed this, and got on for a quick 1 minute test. The resistances were perfect now, 1 felt easy and 8 felt hard.

My only gripe is that the annoying noise I was hearing originally is back. I have looked all over the machine and I have no idea why this noise is happening. I am just going to have to deal with it and hope nothing breaks. The noise sounds like a creaking.. Hard for me to explain, but oh well. I suppose at the cheap price you'll just have to deal with some things.

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Update: Dec 10, 2011: Took it for a full 30 minute session today. The noise I was talking about yesterday was still there but twice as loud now. I promised myself i'd take another look at why this is happening. After my shower I went back and looked around and tried to pinpoint where the noise was coming from. I can tell it's on the right side on the foot holder thing that is connected to the pedal. I took the entire thing off the pedal, unscrewed the bolts and screws, then put them back in with more care. I got back on for a quick 1 minute test and the noise seemed to be gone. I was hearing a very quiet ticking noise however but it will be drowned out by the tv or music. I am really hoping the sound does not get louder like it was yesterday. I will try to keep updates on how the machine is holding up. If I am helping anyone before they are purchasing their equipment that would be great, leave any questions and I will try to answer as well whenever I come back for updates.
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Update: Dec 17, 2011: While I am happy with the machine overall, I got that annoying creaking sound back and I cannot get it to go away now. The machine works fine, but the noise is very annoying. I have actually last 4 pounds in the last 7 days with this thing with proper dieting of course. I just don't know if I can stand this noise..

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Update: Dec 21, 2011: I just put my replacement together yesterday. Right when I opened the box, I could tell a HUGE difference. I think my original machine was a return, because some of the parts had scratches, and seemed used, I ignored that when I got it though. Anyway, no squeaking noises. I got on it today for just a little over 30 minutes. The strides were silky smooth and the silence was super peaceful. Also, the machine seemed a lot more sturdy. I am extremely satisfied with this product now and would give it 5 stars based on my replacement machine. As long as it doesn't break or develop some noises, i'll be happy. Still though, the rod in the center is just not long enough and it's a hassle getting it together.

Also, if you purchase this and are putting it together, BE VERY CAREFUL when you are attaching the giant thing that holds the monitor and handles. I believe this is on page two. There is a wire going inside it and if you accidentally hold it upright, the wire will fall through and you will spend so much time trying to get it back out. Other than that, this product is a pretty good bang for the buck

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Update: Dec 30, 2011 - I've been using the replacement for a while. It seems like after 3-4 days the same creaking noise I was hearing is back. This time it's on the left side. I'm not sure what is causing it on this machine. Being that I had two of these machines and both of them had the same exact problem, i'd say it's not anything that has to do with broken parts or anything (though there are some broken pieces). It could be that I am just extremely unlucky, but I would bet that someone else out there has this same exact problem.

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I have been using my Body Rider for a month now and it will give you a good sweat drenched hour work out. That is the positive thing. However, there are some negatives.
First of all, the Rider is kind of noisy. But what would you expect for a $200.00 elliptical trainer. It is not like you are purchasing a $1000.00 unit.
Secondly, even though the Rider came securely packaged, the plastic rear housing for the pedals was cracked. However, it is nothing that would effect the performance or stability of the unit. So for me, it was no major issue.
Thirdly, there is assembly required. It will take you anywhere from one to two hours to put the Rider together. It is not that the assembly is difficult, but, if you do not have a certain degree of mechanical aptitude, it may be more challenging for you then what the project really is. You may require someone who can help assist you.
Finally, I wouldn't put to much stock in the numbers that the display unit shows. It does not ask you for your gender,age and weight before you begin to exercise. Therefore the calories burned display is nowhere near accurate. But, you can get a ballpark figure of how many calories you really did burn by using calculators at a number of web sites.
Other then that, there really isn't a very big downside to owning this unit. You are not paying a lot of money, so if durability is going to be concern then I would look for something more solidly built. However, if you don't want to go trucking over to the gym: and, you want to work out in the privacy of your own home. If the thought of using an elliptical and not having to worry about if the person that used the machine didn't wipe it down after they were done, then you might want to consider The Body Rider. It will get you huffing and puffing.

My wife picked out this elliptical for herself as a gift, and after reading the reviews and doing some research, I honestly had some concerns. Some people were complaining that the machine arrived damaged and that it was flimsy, etc. I thought, for the price, I might be better off buying something used that was currently being used as a clothes rack. However, as this was a gift, I decided "new" was a better option. When the box arrived, quite quickly I might add, it was pretty beat up and had a nice sized gash in one side. I thought I was in trouble. This is exactly the same complaint others had expressed and seemed usually to lead to disaster. Upon opening the box however, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the machine was nicely packed and the pieces unhurt. I set about putting it together and the love affair began... All the parts were there, the nuts and bolts shrink wrapped to a piece of cardboard describing what they were, it came with workable tools to assist in assembly, and the instructions were easy to follow. Sure it took a bit to get it together, as expected, but once it was done it functioned smoothly and felt very solid. It's a more compact device than many others we looked at too which is perfect for the little space we have to keep it in. What a great machine! Granted, we haven't had it for very long, but I am guessing that with moderate use, it will hold up fine. In all, we are very pleased with this purchase. If you are looking for an affordable, compact, smooth operating and sturdy elliptical, this machine is a great buy!

The electronic functions are supposed to start when you start moving. They turn on when you touch still handle bars, but they don't work! Doesn't time you, clock ur speed, no heart rate shows...just turns on, that's all. I'm only 5ft 1 in and the stride is too short and very uncomfortable. You find all this out after it's assembled and it can't be returned anymore. Do not recommend...waste of money.