Customer Reviews

Ironman Charger Recumbent Exercise Bike

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

About as good as it gets for home equipment. Took me a very leisurely 2 hours to assemble, but someone stronger, younger, more fit would do it faster.

The design is first rate, this bike is comfortable, silent and extremely well made.

A big step up from my Stamina folding semi-recumbent.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R1KHYDKCUDS7UB/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#R1KHYDKCUDS7UB

My only small beefs are these: they supply 18 washers and the instructions require 22! (strange) about 1.5 inches of the mesh fabric on the back is coming apart on mine on the first day (!) so I am hoping (and expecting) Ironman will simply replace that part; and it takes the heart rate monitor 15-20 seconds to get to the accurate rate (somewhat slower than a gym machine).

Should last for a good long time.

Overall it is a decent bike and gives you a good workout. The upright design is pretty comfortable and the mesh seatback is highly adjustable so you can get just the right fit. The pulse sensors work well (regardless of other reviews on here) but you have to keep both hands on the sensors for about 15-20 seconds before it gets an accurate reading. The display is also well thought out and the programs are varied enough to address all of your fitness needs. I have tried out alot of bikes and this is one of the best in the sub $500 category.

There is no support for this bike if you have an issue. I got my bike in fine condition and got it together. The last step is to wire the control unit to the machine...if you CAN. There is no receiver for the ac adapter and the battery holders have solid plastic bars in them so that the batteries won't go in. I tried calling the number on the documentation and got an out of service. I tried an online form at the company's website and got this:

The manufacture (KEYS Fitness) of old IRONMAN Fitness products gone out
of business. We "Star Trac Consumer Products Division", have no
affiliation with the past manufacture of these product lines.

Status: We just recently purchased the IRONMAN licensing name to produce
fitness products under the IRONMAN name going forth. We did not assume
any past manufactured product warranties and / or liabilities. We do not
have support information, parts, or technical assistance on past
manufactured products under the noted brands.

It is our understanding that a third party service provider has the
rights to provide product support for older KEYS / IRONMAN Fitness
products. Within that stated fact; we don't have specific details of
what they can and / or will support from a past product warranty /
liability standpoint offered on behalf of the previous manufacture. We
again have no affiliation with this service provider, other than their
contact information:

TREADMILL DOCTOR Phone: 888-362-1105 (or number listed in product
manual) email: www.treadmilldoctor.com

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I'm going to try treadmilldoctor (I'm not optomistic). We'll see what happens. Getting this thing back in the box and returning to Amazon, if they'll even consider a return will be a joke. Once you unleash it from the box there's no going back. It seems to be a quality product that deserves a decent rating. Lack of support gets it one star.

I purchased this bike in December of 2008 and used it for two months. It then quit working. Much to my surprise the console quit working ( I found this out by paying for a $75 service fee from a local tech). Then the fun began. We called for a replacment and found out the following: the company went bankrupt in late December. The company that bought the parts honors no warranties. In addition, they do not stock parts for sale for repair. Net net? An expensive door stop which does not work. I don't understand why Amazon is still selling this as I have notified them twice. It is a nice bike -- but it doesn't work. I suggest you buy something else and save some pain.

Received this item a few days ago. Assembly was very easy, took about an hour. Everything works properly and the bike is very durable. The bike is amazingly silent while riding, the only time you'll hear anything is when the resistance is adjusting.

I'd give this bike 5-stars if not for the worthless sensor bars. It displays my pulse in the 60's, then in the 70's, then in the 80's, next thing you know I have a pulse of over 130 in the matter of about 10 seconds. Very inaccurate. Also the body fat analyzer tells me I have a body fat of over 30% which is insultingly incorrect. If you want to know your heart rate, I suggest buying a seperate hear rate monitor. Still a great buy on this bike, I highly recommend it.

This is the best piece of home exercise equipment I've owned. I got to try the Ironman at a local store (Play it Again) next to a Schwinn, and I liked the Ironman better because: Very nice backlit console, easy to read with my glasses off; heart rate programs, including one you can set manually at whatever heart rate you desire; chair and position feel extremely comfortable, love the mesh seat backing; at 135 pounds, it's about 25-50 pounds heavier than most bikes in its price range; and it's about as stylish as exercise equipment can be.

I like to crank up music and it feels similar to a spinning workout (assuming you keep the heart rate up), except it sports a far more comfortable seat (also more friendly to male anatomy). You don't engage the stabilizers and some other muscles that you would on an upright bike or treadmill (no spinning "jumps" on a recumbent), but if your focus is cardio fitness, you may find you'll use this machine more often just because of the comfort factor. I do -- sometimes, even twice a day. This need not be a machine for people to use leisurely while watching TV -- if you want to sweat, you'll sweat. To me, the resistance feels as smooth and effective as a good spinning bike.

It gets four stars because there is no escaping this is still something made in China, meaning, for example (besides the risk of anything screwing up, because I can't imagine shipping this thing back), you will have to figure out how to use the console. There are nine profiles you can set up, but you have to start with Profile 5 if you want to save info(?). The console can also display the room temperature, but I cannot figure out how to get this to display except when you unplug the bike (it comes on briefly when you plug it back in). You also must hold both seat handles for the heart rate monitor to work properly; remove one to wipe your brow or drink some water (the water bottle is insulated, not just a plastic bottle -- nice touch), and it'll lose your pulse and take about 20-30 seconds to recover.

The Bike is Well Built. However I was a bit disappointed with the controls. The feedback from the controls is very limited, and the programming is also very limited and difficult to set up. It is comfortable, and affords a good work out once you figure out how to program the unit.

This bike operates very smoothly and has a great computer that tracks distance, speed, heart rate, calories, etc. The only thing that needs improvement is the brake that keeps the seat in one place. It tends to slide down while I'm riding it.

The parts package was short two critical screws to hold on the handle bars. I tried to contact the company via 800#..only got a recording...sent a letter inquiring about missing parts...the letter was returned with no forwarding address. The company went out of business; I have yet to find the correct screws, and it sits unused weeks after I received it. I will be very careful in the future when I purchase a large item through your company.
If I cannot find the screws, it will be sent to the DUMP!

After researching, I decided on the Ironman Charger through Amazon, through Bayou Fitness. The other choice was the Schwinn 231, which I now wish I had gotten. It came down to resistance levels, and programmed settings. The Charger had more challenging programs and levels. I purchased this 11/11/08. After about a week it arrived. The box was undamaged, whole. When putting it together, I realized that the power connector that led to the display had been sliced clean in half, something that probably happened in the factory. The bike was unusable. No problem, it is under warranty. When I called Ironman (because Bayou Fitness said they could do nothing), I got a message that they were moving their headquarters and couldn't take calls until the 17th. When I called the 17th, they said it would be another two weeks until December 8th until they could accept calls. So now the bike sits unused in my basement, presumably until they "reopen on the 8th." What poor customer service and shoddy construction.