Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

EDIT (July 24 2016): I am removing 2 stars because of how incredibly obnoxious it is to repair the bike. 2 years into its life (last summer), the belt gave way and tore. I contacted customer support, since the bike was still under warranty, and they offered to ship me a replacement belt for the cost of shipping and handling. I declined, since the cost of that belt wasn't that much more than the shipping, and I didn't have the time to replace it myself. Now that I do have the time, I realize that what should be a simple project has turned into a nightmare. Fitdesk does provide a couple of youtube video that supposedly guide you through the steps necessary, but they really don't. They show the beginning of how to remove a pedal, and then how to replace the belt, after you have removed all the intervening parts. Of which there are many. Oh so many. I'm sitting in front of my dissambled bike, with nothing left to unscrew, and wheels to put the belt on still are not accessible. Original Review: I purchased my fitdesk 2.0 on their website 2 weeks ago but am writing my review on Amazon for greater exposure. Due to my profession, I often have a inconsistent schedule, and the customer service department was very helpful in making sure that the desk would arrive on a day that I knew I'd be able to be home. Assembly was pretty standard for DIY construction. The overall machine is pretty much what you'd expect, an exercise bike with a desk attached. I can't really say much more, other than its surprising how quickly the mile equivalents rack up while you're on a computer for a few hours at a time (as I often am, hence my need to get back in shape with this bike!). Unfortunately, the meter that originally came with the bike had a faulty display, with one of the digits not appearing properly, but customer service quickly sent me a replacement that works perfectly. Doesn't hurt that the one battery-operated part of the bike comes with batteries, as well. I did initially have a click sound similar to what others reported on my first day of use, but it hasn't come back, so I'm not worried. PROS: - Great Customer Service. - All around good bike - The desk surface is relatively 'grippy,' helping to keep whatever is on it in place fairly well. CONS: - Display is located behind where most users will have their laptop, thus requiring the user to close the laptop in order to see the display. - The holes lining the perimeter of the display look as though they'd be ideal for putting a power cord through, but are too narrow for even a sleek Macbook charger. - The lip preventing a laptop from slipping off the desk is a little too low. In particular, it just barely is higher than the beveling of the bottom of a Macbook Pro, making it relatively easy for the computer to ride up onto the lip. - The 'grippy' nature of the desk inhibits the use of a mouse in conjunction with a laptop (gamers beware) and the space of the desk itself might not be enough room for the use of a mouse, depending on the size of the computer itself. - The seat and back only adjust vertically and not separately. - Instructions go into too much detail. Items are numbered based on the entire construction of the bike, rather than just the components into which it is broken down for shipment for you to assemble. For example, the basic frame (one piece) is not numbered as simply piece 1 in the instructions. Rather, it and its component parts (such as the internal gearing) are numbered as parts 1-69 (of 98 total) in the instructions, even though you will never deal with the majority of parts 2-69 in the assembly, and it is only broken down into 17 parts for assembly. Due to this, you'll be assembling, in step 3, parts # 65, 52, 3, 40, and 31; this is somewhat contrary to how most of us are used to DIY instructions being presented. I know it looks like my 'cons' outnumber my 'pros,' but I definitely recommend this product. I just have an eye for problems. Should anyone from Fitdesk read this (and I'm sure they do), would recommend the following: - Enable the meter to integrate with a laptop or smartphone. If a laptop display is going to block the user's view of the meter, why not just display the information on the laptop itself? - Make the lower lip of the desk higher. - Allow for greater degrees of movements on the seat, mainly forward and backward, as well as making the seat back able to adjust up and down independent of the seat. - Streamline the information in the instructions. Rather than numbering components based on the actual total number within the machine, number them based on the number in which it is broken down in shipping (and in which the customer will assemble them). Again, I don't want my laundry list of negatives to sound like a condemnation; I'd give the product a 4.5 instead of a 4 if I could. However, I can see room for improvement, so 4 it is. Hope you all enjoy it, its definitely worth the money!