Customer Reviews

Stamina Magnetic Resistance Recumbent Bike

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

It's not that I don't know that I need to establish an exercise program, it's that I don't WANT to. Spending most of every day on my feet makes me less than anxious to stand up on a treadmill, elliptical machine, stair stepper--or even take a brisk walk around the neighborhood. What's a lazy girl to do?

Well, I did a lot of research and discovered that a recumbent exercise bike is a great option for people who are athletic as well as sedentary types like myself. I decided to buy a machine that was well-regarded here but that wasn't too expensive. Bells and whistles are not, in my opinion, what makes me want to exercise. After a month, I am pleased to say that I am no longer sedentary. Not that I've reached athletic, but hey, this is actually easy and enjoyable and is do-able long term! How many exercises can you really do while reading or watching TV? I've been on it many more days than not....probably at least 5 days a week. Amazing!

There are several programs that you can ride, and the screen tells you when and how much to speed up or slow down. Alternately you can just choose a resistance and pedal for as long as you'd like--for example, you might want to ride for 30 minutes, or 200 calories, or 5 miles. The pulse monitor works best if you take a 10 second reading every few minutes, otherwise each time it comes back to the pulse check segment (which is brief), it starts back with your pulse at the lower rate, then increases it to the current reading segmentally. Kinda clunky, but remember, you could easily spend 3-5 times as much on a machine that's not 3-5 times more functional. Get yourself one of those little clip-on pulse monitors if that's your main concern, and take a continuous reading.

I am very happy with this machine. Was simple to put together, seems sturdy and well made--haven't had any trouble with it at all. No squeaks, parts problems, etc. It is virtually silent as mentioned in other reviews, and feels very smooth and easy on your joints. It primarily burns calories by moving your big leg muscles, and helps with your cardiovascular fitness rather than building muscles. You could certainly lift weights, do arm circles, twist at the waist, or create other upper-body work if you feel the need.

Anyway, the bottom line is that if someone as lazy and exercise-allergic as me will get on and ride 5 days a week without whining, that's a pretty solid endorsement.

If you want to exercise any time of the day without disturbing either the neighbors or your family in the next room, then the Stamina Silent Magnetic Resistance Bike is the perfect solution.

Not only is the quiet, it is comfortable and easy to assemble. While riding the bike, you can also see the TV since there is nothing in front of your face to look around. The main display panel is low enough and the seat is high enough to accommodate TV viewing. Most of the bike has been pre-assembled so it only takes a short time to finish the assembly.

The LCD Display area shows Time, Speed, Distance, Calories, Program and Pulse. A little bike runs around the edge of the screen. Programs to choose from:

Fat Burn
Max Fat Burn
Aerobic
Hill
Interval
Mountain

The pedals are comfortable to push and the position you are sitting in seems ideal if you are worried about your knees being uncomfortable. Some bikes I've tried are too uncomfortable to use, so this one was a nice surprise.

The way this bike is made makes it easy to move. There are "wheels" or at least leveling caps that make the bike easier to move if you have to slide this back and forth on the carpet. Everything is included for assembly and once you get this bike all put together, it is very easy to use and quite convenient. Since it is so quiet, you can even use this bike in the middle of the night or while other people are sleeping.

In 32 minutes it seems possible to burn 250 calories, ride
4.6 miles and maintain a speed at about 8.2 or higher on level 2. There are many levels, you can work your way up to various levels or change the levels manually for cooldown.

One day I rode for 8 miles in an hour!

~The Rebecca Review

I purchased this over a month ago and have rode it on average 5 - 7 times per week. It was easy to assemble although I did get some help from my 4 year old son!

The heart rate monitor was a little flaky at first and would reset to zero when I was in the middle of a program but I later found that one of the plugs was not in all the way.

I usually use it in the early morning when everyone else is asleep and with it being so quite I dont have to worry about waking anyone. I'm 6 foot and find that the adjustments still have plenty of room both shorter and longer.

I'm 41 and had been doing light weight training for about a year but hadnt done any aerobic exercise for a long time. I started using it with the 20 minute programs at a resistance of 5 using the first program (1=Fat Burn, 2=Max Fat burn, 3= Aerobic) working my way up to the third program. The digital display shows you whether your speed matches the program with an easy to see light. I am now on resistance 6, second program after four weeks with two more resistance levels to go. During some evenings I just ride it for an hour at a steady 10 mph watching tv.

I would recommend this to anyone wanting an inexpensive, comfortable exercise bike to get back in shape on.

My husband bought me this bike for my birthday. We really searched for the best bike, and thanks to other reviews we bought this bike. This bike accomodates me at 5'9", and my husband at 6'3" with no problem. It is very quiet. Although mine has developed a small squeal, it is still not even loud enough for me to really care about or call in for advice.
I gave this bike 4 stars because the computer comes off a little too easily. I have many small children and they take it apart a lot. Nothing a little sticky tape cant fix.
My mother in law bought a bike for two thousand dollars and ours are almost identical ( hers did not develop a small squeal obviously). Even the programming choices are the same. Mine is a little lower to the floor also (those of you with kids in the house will appreciate the lower profile-your kids will have a shorter distance to fall off when they are climbing on it). A good deal for the money- feels solid and well built, yet I can move it from one room to another easily(when so inclined) thanks to the "rolling endcaps" on the frame. Aslo easy to move for vacuuming.

So far (we have had the bike for 1 month) my wife and I are very happy with our purchase. The bike arrived quickly and in good shape. There was some simple assembly required before we could use the bike and all the parts and tools needed for assembly were included in the box. The bike works quietly and is comfortable to use. We appreciate the back support provided by this piece of equipment. My wife is short, I have a 35" inseam and the bike easily adjusts to fit us both comfortably. We did have to place the bike frame on 2X4 blocks to keep our feet from hitting the floor when we pedal. My wife likes to reverse the direction she pedals during her workout, and this bike offers resistance in both directions, a feature that we both appreciate. The electronic display has had some "gliches", but that doesn't affect the manual resistance levels. We expected the programs to automatically change resistance as the program progressed, but this doesn't happen (the manufacturer did not claim that the programs would automatically adjust resistance levels). We believe that the price we paid ($199.00) was a fair price for this item.

Arrived in great condition by UPS. Took about 1/2 hr to put easy to follow instructions together. Seat is as mentioned by someone else a new design but it was very comfortable. In fact besides the Recumbent Schwinn's this was just as comfortable seating. (Some recumbents like the Reebok do not have comfortable seating... to me.)FWIW I called Stamina Customer Service and the call was answered quickly by a polite lady. I asked her questions regarding replacement cost of the basic display, wheel, seat, peddle, etc. No price was over $18.00. Because of this I opted to not get the offered extended warranty. The bike opeates smoothly and quietly. I would not hesitate to get another one again with the understanding that it is a basic design when compared to Schwinn. That was the only other brand I was giving serious consideration to due to reviews but I simply could not justify the cost to gain the cardio programming some of their models offer. And frankly I do like the way the Stamina tension is controled by a manual dial. Less cost to fix if it breaks. A lot less. Bought it for $199.00 with free shipping. A great deal.

I agree with Bengal girl. I intentionally wanted something that would not involve the effort of standing after a long day at work. I get on at 8:30pm at night and go for about 45 mins starting at a very slow pace. Am doing this while watching videos on youtube or DVDs from the library. Laptop is on the bed and bike is turned toward the bed with headphones connecting us. It's great! Right now I'm watching the TV show N3mbers on DVD, which someone recommended, and it's a great way to spend an exercising hour.

Pros:
> It IS quiet. Almost silent.
> Feeling lazy, tired, lacka energy? This you can do. You're sitting with your legs barely moving at first. Try to continue at slow lazy pace and it won't happen.
> Takes care of shaky legs syndrome at night.
> Took under an hour to put together. Husband said it was easy.
> So far, comfortable seat. Have been on it for 1.5 hours with no discomfort at all, which surprises me. Better than an upright bike.
> Arrived quickly after ordering, within a few days.

Cons:
> Computer arrived defective. The electronic part is loose from its frame. Sent back to AMAZON and I hope they do the right thing by replacing it.
> Bought on 9/15/07 for $234. One week later the price is $199.

Overall, this seems like it would be a good exercise option for an overweight person who really doesn't like to exercise. I don't mind exercising but only under optimal conditions. It can't be too hot, or too cold, or too dark, or too bright outside, etc. - a laundry list of excuses. So settling into this evening routine seems to work well for me.

I do need AMAZON to replace the computer however. Am a little concerned about that return and what their response will be.

This is a nice bike, but I've never owned another recumbent bike to compare it to. It doesn't bother me to have the resistance on a knob because I don't change it except when I get in better shape I will turn it up slightly. Otherwise I wouldn't change it during a workout. If you want to change resistance during a work out, you are probably better off with another bike. This bike is quiet and comfortable. I found that there is not an adjustment hole where I need it to adjust the distance from the seat and the pedals, but I found that it stays where I need it without the pin falling into the hole anyway. One irritation is that the heart monitor does not work unless you hang onto the heart monitor handles from the minute you start pedaling. Otherwise you have to push a button to turn it on whenever you decide you want to use it. Grabbing the monitor handles does not turn it on like the equipment at the membership gyms I've been to. But I really have no major complaints about the bike and therefore, recommend others consider purchasing.

update 2/13/08
The bike is less than 6 months old and I am having trouble already with the display resetting itself during my workout. There must be a short or something, because as I am peddaling, suddenly my time and distance return to zero. I would change my rating if I could to probably two or threee stars.

This bike seems fairly well made and i'm sure it will work well - once Stamina can figure out how to actually include all of the needed parts to construct it.

Be warned as looking at other reviews here it seems like you are about 50% likely to not receive everything you need to actually put it together! I was missing about 15 parts in total, namely a bunch of bolts, nuts and washers that I needed to do the entire seat assembly. They were just completely missing.

I have contacted Stamina to get replacement parts shipped out, but from reading other reviews on here that will probably take a week or two so my "2nd day shipping" from Amazon was a total waste as I will now have to wait weeks for silly parts that should have been included in the first place.

This is a great recumbent bike for the price and I am so glad I went ahead and purchased it. The previous reviews were right on. I shopped around and decided this was the best deal. Delivery was very fast. Took my husband about an hour to assemble and he said it was very easy to put together.

The ride is so very quiet and smooth. The instructions were a little confusing at first on operating the digital display, but they became much easier the more I worked out on the bike. I like that the display is low and I can watch TV without any obstruction. The seat is very comfortable and the programs are challenging. Since I am a beginner, I am taking it easy and gradually working my way into working out more intensely on the bike. The instructions are very helpful in doing this. The pulse monitor is the only thing that I don't feel is very accurate as the numbers jump around a lot. Everything else is perfect and I would recommend this bike to anyone.