Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

As an apartment dweller I was so pleased to find this (thanks Sky Mall magazine for the idea, but bigger thanks to Amazon for having it at a great price with super saver shipping too). To be honest I was skeptical as to how sturdy this product would be and as to how much of a workout it would give. I have not been disappointed at all and in fact more pleased than I thought I'd be. It was easy to assemble, but must say that the instruction manual gives WAY too many diagrams of parts, etc. that aren't needed to assemble it and makes it look more intimidating to assemble than it really is. It comes with a wrench and Phillips head screwdriver/Allen wrench and that's all you'll need. It took me about 45 minutes to assemble, but had the instructions been simpler it would have been more like 30 minutes. I keep the tools handy and check the assembly points from time to time and give it a little snugging up, but it's not as if the bolts are really loose. It's just me being a tradesman's daughter and raised with the idea of preventive maintenance. It compacts and moves easily with the small wheels on the back - I can move it with one hand. And as far as getting a really good workout on this bike is concerned, by the time I'm hitting levels 4 and 5 I'm really feeling it and need to have a small hand towel nearby to use along with about 24 oz of water for a 60 minute workout. I typically cycle about 1500 miles each year so it's not as if I'm just starting to incorporate bikes into my fitness routine. The seat is very comfortable and the back support is wonderful. I don't find myself dreading the idea of finally getting to 60 minutes because of the comfortable seat and back. It's so quiet to the point that you don't have to raise your TV volume if you like to work out that way and if others are sleeping you don't have to worry about waking them up due to noise. I've found most home exercise equipment computers to be relatively unreliable. Caloric burn depends on body weight and other factors that you can't program in (versus higher end bikes at a gym) so you can't really rely on that. The pulse function is somewhat accurate, though I find it to be about 10-15 beats higher per minute than what my pulse rate really is. Better to rely on an analog clock for 15 seconds x4 to figure that one out, but the computer gives a general idea. I simply keep it on the timer function which is accurate. I recognize that as a piece of home fitness equipment with a relatively low cost (compared to gym level equipment) that it may only last a couple of years. That being said, it is easily much more cost effective than a gym membership even if you had to replace it every couple of years, esp. if you have other fitness equipment at home you can use to cross train and vary your workouts. Highly recommended! Update: January 2012 - still loving it. Continues to operate quietly and smoothly. I continue to check the assembly points on a weekly basis and snug them up as needed with the enclosed tools. Update: Mid-March 2012 - due to the mild winter in the Northeast it's cycling season already! I was able to do my first ride of the season in the same amount of time it took to do the same ride at the end of last year by using this bike during the winter months. Since it's a different design vs. a road bike I was wondering if the right muscles would be conditioned and was happily surprised to find that they were. I cannot begin to emphasize how pleased I continue to be with this product. MEASUREMENTS WHEN COMPACTED: Back leg to front leg - about 20", back leg to the frontmost part - about 27", widest point (handgrips) - about 24", height - about 47". The footprint of this unit when compacted is about the same as a standard kitchen chair.