I received this as a gift from my wife. I had provided her with some basic specifications for a spin bike and she found this and ordered on-line. I won't go through the purchase experience as my intention is to provide a review of the product itself.
Use:
Most people who are looking for a basic exercise bike probably won't be interested in a spinning bike. Spin bikes are designed to operate much more like a real bike. If you are not already an avid cyclist (either road or mountain) then I would recommend you stick with a standard exercise bike. That is probably the first mistake people make when purchasing such an item. They don't understand the primary use or purpose. If you are looking for a sold trainer to keep you in shape for out on the outdoors, this spin bike is a nice machine. If you are looking for a basic cardio workout, consider one of the cheaper models.
Assembly:
It comes in a very large and very heavy box. The packing is well done and protected the bike well. Some assembly is required, but it went together pretty quickly. The entire frame, including the crank arms and flywheel, come pre-assembled. You add the stabilizing legs, bars, pedals, seat and bike computer. I did it by myself but it would be helpful to have a second pair of hands. The bike comes with all the tools you need to complete the assmebly, including a pedal wrench. Everything is well labeled, including the pedals and direction needed to thread them on and off.
Adjustments:
Nearly everything you need to adjust can be adjusted with this bike. With a simple turn of the knob you can pull the knob out to raise and lower the seat post and bar post. Quick and easy. There are clear markings for maximum height. There are also stoppers so if you drop the bars when you are making an adjustment, they don't strike the flywheel. Nicely done. You can also move the bars and the seat forward and backward to get the proper spacing for your body. Much like a typical bike, you will feel a little pitched forward. Some may complain that the bars cannot be raised high enough, but that would set this bike up more like a comfort bike, which isn't the intended use for a spin bike. The seat is a standard bicycle seat and can be tilted just like any ordinary bike seat. In fact, I found the seat that came with the bike harder than I prefer so I swapped it out with my old road bike saddle.
Computer:
I found the computer an interesting addition to a spin bike. Ordinarily adjustments are done manually by twisting a tension knob. The tension knob is still on the bike, but the bike computer controls its operation. It cannot be adjusted manually, which I consider a drawback. The bike computer comes with some typical preset programs that can work well for training, including some interval training. I did find that the computer on my bike ran fast. When set to count down from 30 minutes, it completed in just 28 (according to the clock on my smartphone). I also found the lack of a cooldown cycle to be annoying. It would be nice to tap a button on the computer that would break out of the program and reduce the resistance slowly over a 5 minute period, but that is a feature not everyone would use. I have been unable to try the heart rate monitor as I do not have a compatible strap. I tried the strap that came with my Garmin 305 bike computer but it didn't appear to be compatible. I have used both the preset programs and the manual mode and they do work well. The resistance level is automatically adjusted just by tapping the up or down arrows. It does it gradually enough to keep you going smoothly. This is important with a spin bike due to the momentum the flywheel carries. One caution about the computer. Even though I charged the battery as instructed, I continue to have problems with the computer shutting down on occasion when I stop pedaling. It is supposed to stay on for up to a minute after you stop pedaling and the battery is supposed to be charged by a generator. While it works as it is supposed to most of the time, on occasion the computer does shut down prematurely, although it has never shut down during a workout. This is only a minor annoyance as it does not let you stop and look at your workout stats before they are cleared and if you have to dismount to pick up something mid workout, you might have to start the program over.
Operation:
The basic operation is smooth and simple. The bike is very quiet, which is helpful for everyone else in my home. The only noise they hear is my breathing. The water bottle holder is very convenient and there are plenty of places to put your hands on the bars. The highest resistance is pretty stiff and does more than enough to simulate the highest grades I've encountered on the road. The bike felt solid under me at all times, and I am over 6 feet tall and I weigh much more than I care to admit here. Even when I stood on the pedals to simulate a hill climb, the bike felt stable. I set the bike on one of those plastic mats for office chairs to protect the carpet and it seems to work quite well.
Overall impressions:
I am generally pleased with this bike. I would not have purchased this for myself, preferring instead to go with a lower cost option. That said, I'm happy to have this Diamondback indoor cycle. I'll be contacting Diamondback to report the odd problem I mentioned above with the bike computer battery, but other than that, I expect many years of use out of this piece of equipment.
