Monday, 1 August 2011
Recumbent Exercise Bike
My husband and I were looking for a style of exercise bike that was easy on the posterior and on the wallet. The Marcy recumbent Mag cycle is both! My husband and my teenaged son were able to put it together in less than an hour (if you don't count the time in laying out the parts and reading through the instructions first). There were 2 washers left over, so I am assuming that the manufacturer included extras.
The monitor keeps track of the time that you spend exercising in each session, speed, distance traveled, calories burned, and it has an odometer. I was surprised about how quiet it is, as our previous upright exercise bike was quite noisy. The bike also has a dial to set the tension level (there are 8 levels).
I was able to buy the Marcy bike on sale for $127 and with super saver shipping through Amazon I was able to get free shipping and handling. This turned out to be a much better deal than through Walmart dot com. Marcy Recumbent Mag Cycle
My 74 year old, 5 foot , 240 pound mother asked me to keep an eye out for an exercise bike for her at yard sales. I was really concerned about her on an exercise bike because she lives alone as is not very steady on her feet. She is actually quite healthy and mobile for her age and weight, but I still had visions of her tobbleing over while trying to climb up on an exercise bike. I also figured the old style seat would be so uncomfortable for her that the bike would get used for the first week or to and then wind up being pushed in a corner and collecting dust. I stumbled across this bike while Christmas shopping. It was on sale for a heavily discounted price so it caught my eye. I read the reviews and looked at other similiar bikes. I decided this was worth the gamble. My mother had an exercise bike when I was young and you could not pull her off of it. The same is now true for this bike. I now worry that she will over do it. The bike is perfect for her to get in and out of easily and the chair is so comfortable for her that she uses it as a chair also. She does have to reach just a tiny bit for the pedals when her legs are extendted, but at 5 feet that would be true of anything. She has to put a pillow in her car seat so she can reach the gas. This is not a far enough reach to be uncomfortable for her or to put a strain on her back. My biggest concern in regards to my mothers health is her weight and with this bike she is able to safely exercise on her own at her leisure. The seat is plenty wide enough for her to sit comfortably and the handles are in the perfect place to help her get up and down. The seat is not too high or too low and I have no worries in regards to her tumbleing over. She is excited about her progress and is calling me often to update how long, far and fast she is able to go. Moving is so important at her age and I am so happy that she now has an easy option to keep her moving. She is down right giddy about the bike and reminds me of my girls when they were little on Christmas morning. It is a little early to determine whether or not the bike will still be used once the newness has worn off, but I have confidence that the benefits will be so apparent for her that she will be happy to continue to use this bike.
The directions advise to have two people put this cycle together, but I was able to do it by myself without breaking a sweat. One part of the instructions is incorrect, asking you to use three washers when you really need four (you'll figure it out by looking at the drawn instructions). I put it together in under an hour without any problems.
The cycle is very sturdy and quiet. I have the cycle stored next to our babies' bed and ride while they're falling asleep so I can look over them - it is VERY quiet! The highest magnetic tension is also pretty decent for a home machine. The monitor is very basic, but has the necessities.
Overall, I am very pleased with this purchase and would recommend!
I've been using this bike for about two years and I absolutely love it. I turn on the television and watch a movie or play video games and the time flies by! I honestly forget I'm riding it sometimes, though that depends how good the movie or video game is! I have to get up every 30 minutes to stretch and give my buttocks a break, but it's a very comfortable seat overall. I keep a pillow stashed between the seat and backrest for even more comfort. When I started, I was 400 lbs so there's no weight limit that I'm aware of. Easy to assemble, and you can adjust the tension from 1-8 to make your workout easier or harder. Plus, the legs rotate forward or backward, so you can ride in any direction you please. It also allows you to adjust the length from the seat to the pedals, so if you're short or tall you can adjust it to fit your needs. Also, it's relatively heavy but the bottom of the unit includes rollers, so it rolls across the carpet or hardwood flooring for easy storage. The unit is magnetic so it's very quiet--can't hear a thing when you're riding. The digital screen tracks time elapsed, calories burned, distance traveled and current speed; you can set it to rotate between these display options or set it to stick to a single option (for instance, if you only want to see time elapsed). I haven't replaced the batteries yet (I think they're two AA), so they seem to last forever. I don't use the handlebars or the sidebars--my knees kept hitting the handlebars so I removed them, making it easier to ride. My only suggestion: It could use a headrest, but if you put it in front of a wall or fashion a headrest on it like I did, you're set to kick back and watch the pounds melt away!
I lost 60 pounds over the course of a few months doing no other exercise other than riding this recumbent bike in my room. Yeah, it's THAT good. Great exercise bike that's well worth the price!
I got this because the price was a steal here on Amazon. It was very easy to set up, although kind of hard to adjust the length once assembled. We had to unscrew one of the (factory put in) screws in order to let the inside bar slide down far enough for the "shortest" hole to be used.
As for the shortest length, it is the perfect length for my boyfriend, who is 5'9". However, for myself, who is 5'2" it is still to long. So, I've been slouching while using the bike (which hopefully isn't really bad for my back) or using a pillow to prop my back up far enough so I can sit forward properly.
Otherwise, it is quiet, pretty light weight and easy to assemble.'
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