The Exerpeutic 900XL Recumbent bike from Exerpeutic Fitness is a budget priced back supported exercycle that features several innovations that give it an edge over the competition. Let’s delve into the features to discover just what you get for your money with the Exerpeutic 900XL.
Features
Arrives Partially Assembled – When you open your delivery package you’ll be pleased to find that the Exerpeutic 900XL is already half assembled. This saves you quite a lot of time and hassle.
Extra Wide Back Support – This bike is built for comfort, especially with people who may have joint or lower back problems in mind. The extra wide seat and thick padding will allow even the larger framed person to exercise in comfort. The seat is completely adjustable in every direction. The back pad is equally large and well padded, providing that necessary support when pedaling.
Resistance Levels – The 900XL offers 8 levels of magnetic resistance. This will provide a challenging workout for beginners and experienced exercisers alike. To change between resistance levels, you simply have to dial the knob which is conveniently located. The change between levels is quite fluid for a magnetic resistance and the overall riding experience is rather smooth. The magnetic resistance of this bike means that there is no noisy mechanism to interfere with any recreational activity that you may be enjoying while exercising.
Console – As the Exerpeutic 900XL Recumbent Bike is a budget model you shouldn’t expect to receive all the console bells and whistles that comes with more expensive models. However, you do get an easy to read LCD screen which gives you real times statistics regarding your speed, distance, exercise time, heart rate and number of calories burned. There are no inbuilt programs on the Exerpeutic Recumbent Bike. So, there is no provision for automatically adjusting the resistance as you train. You will have to do this manually. The inclusion of a heart rate sensor is quite an unexpected feature on a budget recumbent bike and something which Exerpeutic deserves kudos for.
Precision Flywheel – The cycling mechanism of the Exerpeutic 900XL is provided by way of a precision balanced flywheel and V-belt drive. These provide an extremely smooth, quiet operation. The pedaling motion is fluid, without the jerkiness that often comes with lesser models when you increase the pedaling intensity.
Sturdiness – the Exerpeutic 900XL extended capacity recumbent bike with pulse monitor is a solidly designed bike for its price bracket. The maximum weight capacity is 325 pounds, which, again, is impressive for the price range. The warranty on this bike is 90 days for some parts and 3 years for others. The entire unit weighs 63 pounds and the footprint of the bike is 54” in length x 22” in width and 34” in height. The bike in manufactured in China.
Pros
- Extra wide seat and back support
- 8 levels of magnetic resistance
- Pulse monitor
- Sturdy construction
- Precision console
Cons
Seat Adjustment – The adjustment of the seat is quite slow and cumbersome. To adjust the seat you have to take out 3 knobs, make the adjustment and then replace the three knobs.
Tension Cable – The tensions cable may need loosening when you first assemble the bike. This instruction is not included in the exercycle’s manual.
Data Unreliability – It’s great that calories and heart rate are included in the console. However, because you are not able to input your weight, height and other relevant data, these results will not be overly accurate.
Recommendation
Overall, the Exerpeutic 900XL Recumbent Bike is a comfortable recumbent exercycle that is capable of giving you a great workout at a budget price. You won’t get any programs or advanced console features and the seat adjustment is a pain, but if you’re after a quality workout for a bargain price then this is the recumbent bike for you.