Customer Reviews

ProForm 385 CSX Recumbent Bike

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

 

 

The bike assembled easily enough. The manual is good. I needed an extra set of hands when mounting the seat. My wife and I have been averaging a total of 15 hours riding a week. Recently, about 3 days before the manufacturer's full 90 day warranty was about to expire, we began sensing a grinding in the pedal assembly. The vibration could be felt with our feet. I had registered my product with the manufacturer so when I called their Customer Service, they had me on record. The person I spoke with was very courteous and here is the outline of things to come. After I described the problem the Rep said they would ship me the parts necessary to perform the repairs. These parts if not under warranty would have exceeded the cost of the machine. I am supposed to be contacted by a local company and when I actually receive the parts, I will schedule with them to come out and install the parts and perform any required service to restore the bike, primarily alignments after parts replacement. All of this is to be at no cost to me. If this all happens as described I would rate the waranty service top notch. Having said that, I'm concerned that the problems arose in less than 90 days of relatively minimal use. I use the program modes and have never been able to get the lights to display that I'm in the proper target range, regardless of my speed, I'm always shown as over speed. The console says I'm at 25 MPH on average. I don't think the sensor or console is properly calibrated and there are no instructions in the user manual to accomplish that, outside of the one sensor alignment. For the price of the unit, up to this recent issue, it has worked well for exercise. After my initial conditioning, I have been using it 7 days a week averaging 1.5 hours per session, by 3 of the 30 minute program modes. It has helped me to lose 41 pounds since Thanksgiving 2009, along with a change in diet. Except for this premature failing, when the machine functions properly, it is good and I would recommend it as a low cost home machine for it's purpose. I also have an issue with the seat adjustment knob. It is a friction hold with some sort of composite tip jammed against the frame. I initially had an issue with it slipping, but I've been able to overcome that now, although it still must be over tightened, so that my wife can not adjust it when I tighten it so it doesn't slip. I must change it frequently from my wife's use to mine due to our different leg length. Doing my 1.5 hours the seat becomes uncomfortable. An added pad changes the angle to the peddles so that's not an option. I wish they could have made the seat from gel foam or a replacement upgrade was offered. I haven't found one yet. Overall, for the price and if I get the warranty repairs completed, I still consider it a fair to good purchase. The company offers a 3 year parts and labor warranty for $79.95 and I would highly recommend inquiring about it if you plan to purchase and keep this machine for an extended period. Be careful if removing the plastic side shields for inspection of loose parts or to adjust the sensor. The screws run in to plastic standoffs molded or sonic welded to the inside of the side panels. Seeing that on the drawings I was very cautious and used a hand screwdriver, not powered, but still managed to twist off a couple while removing the screws. I'm supposed to be sent two new panels as well as some more screws and the pedal bearing assembly, which is thought to be the crux of the grinding sound.

The bike was very easy to assemble and is fairly sturdy/comfortable for this price level. The pre programmed cycles are likely not very challenging for the avid cyclist, but fine for beginners and intermediates. The fan is a nice thought, though not very strong... Also wish they included the necessary wire to plug in my iPod. Beyond that, this was a great purchase for this price point. Smooth ride, lots of extra features.

Compared this with the Schwinn recumbent bike. After putting it together and using it a few times really wish I would have spent the extra $50 on the Schwinn, the seat angle cannot be adjusted and you are exercising in an uncomfortable straight upright position. The whole bike just feels and rides like a very poorly constructed product.It also did not come with a cord to plug in, you need to use batteries which I guess is fine because in the end you will not use it much anyway.

Amazon shipped product very quickly. They are great. However, the bike has mechanical problems upon receipt. I called customer service and help for over 30 minutes, hung up and called back and left number for a return call. ProForm called back about 20 minutes later and indicated they would send out replacement parts. I also purchased power adapter which I feel should have been included. 4 days later and I still don't have the parts. You would think they could have at least shipped them overnight. I own a ProForm treadmill also. It works ok but slips sometimes while you are running. I am rethinking my stand on ProForm. Can't even comment on the bike since we haven't been able to even use it and it was a birthday present.

I received this bike last month and still haven't gotten it work yet. There was a piece missing that they did send. Then the monitor didn't work. They tried to help to adjust and fix it but still doesn't work. They sent me a piece to fix it but it still isn't working. It's just collecting dust. Worst investment ever. I've called them over 5 times and have had enough. Should have bought at Sears or something so I could have just took it back!

I guess its true: "you get what you pay for". Took apprx 1 hr to assemble; instructions were easy enough, needed extra hands to assemble seat, other than that, its a one person operation. I tried it out at the store and it felt ok; however they weren't equipped for electrical connection, which is important in choosing a bike with digital/magnetic resistance. Once assembled, a test ride revealed an erratic resistance control. In other words while pedaling, the resistance varies. This is very annoying when trying to do a workout. I tried it again the next day same thing. Thankfully, I saved the box and all packing material; so, I carefully disassembled, repacked, and returned it after 4 days. Went to another store where they had electronic connectivity for their bikes, chose the Schwinn 220 Recumbent ($100) more; but what a difference! Much smoother and much better quality. It doesn't have a fan, nor mp3 connection, but it is a much better machine for serious workouts.

This exercise bike is solid overall. The construction of the base, pedals and seat are solid. The computer display that has the handles and heart rate monitor attaches to a solid post but is held there with 4 tiny screws. If you were to try and pull yourself up off the seat using the handles it probably would not hold. The computer display takes 4 D-cell batteries. The cover is on the bottom of the display and doesn't latch very well. I had to place a strip of packing tape over it to keep it closed. You can buy an AC adapter to plug it into the wall receptacle which would have been nice to have included. The computer display has several programs to choose from. The problem is the program that calculates the distance and speed is very generous in how fast you would be traveling and distance that would have covered. It has a "workout target pacer" at the bottom and it constantly told me to slow down. When I finally hit the "target pace" I was pedaling about 20 rpm. I don't know what kind of workout they are trying to deliver, but it seems shameful that would pass for a decent workout. It would be nice if there was a way to adjust it. The seat adjustment requires you to slide the entire back half of the base which can be difficult if you have multiple users. The bike has an input for an MP3 player and the fan is adequate and adjustable which is nice.

The bike went together okay, but I could barely turn the pedals and a horrible scraping sound occurred when I did.
We had noticed some shipping damage had occurred, so opened up the housing and found the problems which did not seem related to shipping, but to neglect in original workmanship.
The belt tensioner was out of alignment, tensioning motor cable was misadjusted, magnetic shoe was misaligned and rubbing. (horrible scraping sound)
I wanted to return it, but my bright friend who relishes problem-solving, worked 2 hours to make it serviceable. I sat, recumbent, and pedaled on command for tests. For 2 hours.
We also noticed that the console reads incorrectly. At a leisurely pace, readout says I'm bicycling 26 mph.
On the positive side, I had a fine workout during testing, and the console makes me feel pretty ambitious.

Bought this for my husband. It broke twice in 6 months, cheaper to buy a new one than to fix it. DO NOT BUY.

It's exactly what I wanted and expected! Great bike! Though it calls for two people to put together, I did manage to do it by myself. The instructions for that were simple enough. As for the finished product, I just love it! Well worth the price, with perks that bikes at a similar cost just don't have. The fan wasn't really important to me, but if it is to you, I'll just say that it doesn't blow very strong and though the aim can be adjusted, it's aimed high. I'm 5'8" and it's hitting my head if I don't slump, but it's not going to cool down your torso. The MP3 feature works great with my iPod, iPhone, and iPad. That was one of the main reasons I chose this particular bike, so I'm well pleased with that! There are several preset rides you can take (I think 9?) - I've only gotten up to the third one so far, they get progressively more advanced. There is a calorie tracker, which I love, you can alternate the display to show either that, miles, or minutes. This also shows heart rate and resistance setting. It's very comfortable as well.