IRONMAN Exerpeutic 400XL Folding Recumbent Exercise Bike

I'd wanted to purchase some kind of home use exercise equipment for a very long time. I do have a membership to the YMCA, but with some health issues, it isn't always possible for me to get over to the Y to work out.I spent hours looking at regular and recumbent exercise bikes on Amazon, the recumbent having been better for me at the Y. When I found this product and saw the price, I thought, "well, it can't really be all that good, it's too inexpensive."I read every single review that was posted for it at the time, 96 of them I think. And the majority were so very positive, that I thought that it was worth taking a shot. I'm so glad that I did!I was also very happy, when it came and was time to assemble, that I had read the reviews since others had cautioned about the instructions, and that was so very helpful when I was faced with the task all on my own.The bike went together fairly easily, even for someone with a terrible back issue. For the people who'd had issues with the pedals, they have included an extra sheet of paper that you can't help but see, telling you which direction to use to screw in the pedals. If you do them the wrong way, it strips the mechanism, and the pedals will fall off!I've used the bike at least 13 times now, am keeping a journal of my progress, and it definitely works! When I first got it, and had been more diligent in using it every day, my thighs got a lot tighter, and it did help my back to feel better, too. Now I need to get back into that routine, and I am sure that when I do, I will also lose weight. You can work up a really good sweat with this bike, and since it doesn't have handlebars to work the arms, I have used small wrist weights as I pedal.As others have said, the "recumbent" part really is semi-recumbent. That is one part about it that I am not that fond of. I can sit back and pedal, but sometimes find it's better on me to sit forward with my back not even touching the back of the seat. The bottom of the seat could be a little more comfortable, but for me I think it is a matter of the shape of it, and not because it is too hard.I also wish that the seat adjustment for height could go higher. I am not all that tall, 5'6", but do have longer legs, and it feels like the pedals are a little too close. Even so, I have found that if I pedal with my legs and feet in just the right position, it eliminates any knee or leg pain that I think is from the lack of height.Overall, and for the incredibly low price, I am very, very happy that I made this purchase! It is whisper quiet, so I can exercise at any hour of the day or night and not bother the neighbors in my apartment building, it is effective---when I use it (LOL!), and it truly doesn't take up much space. As of yet I haven't really had to move it, but I did a teeny test of the folding and the wheels, and I know that it will work easily. If someone is on the fence about buying one of these bikes, and the price isn't too much of an issue, I say go for it! Hopefully I will still be saying that in a year, but up until now, it has been tremendous. I am totally please with my exercise bike.

I am very pleased with the Exerpeutic 400XL Folding Recumbent Bike, for the most part, but it does have a couple of shortcomings.First, the good points:The Exerpeutic 400XL Folding Recumbent Bike arrived a day early. The instructions provided are clear (although some line spacing would have made them much easier to read) and logically arranged. The bike is quite easy to assemble. I assembled it on a tabletop for easy reach. All tools needed to assemble it are included with it.I especially like the little wheels in the rear stabilizer bar that make it easier to move around. The bike is very stable despite having wheels on its rear stabilizer bar, but I have it set up on a thick rug. I can't speak to how it would be affected on a hard wood floor, for example. Rated at weights up to 300 pounds, it is also quite sturdy. The unit folds to about half the "footprint" it takes up when set up, but it's not really small. Folded, it takes up about the floor space of a dining table chair with arms.One thing I find particularly positive is the fact that one can exercise while sitting upright or even leaning back a little, rather than leaning forward to grasp handlebars. Leaning forward, even supported by my arms, for any length of time is difficult for me because of a back problem. Not the case with this bike! It's great.The seat bottom is relatively comfortable, much more so than a standard or even a well-cushioned bicycle seat. One's weight while exercising is on the buttocks, not the crotch! The computer functions are also logical, clear, and easy to read from the exercise position, even for someone with less-than-good eyesight. The bike's action is very smooth and perfectly silent, except for whatever noise the rider might make. Using it when others are sleeping-- even close by--shouldn't pose a problem.Now for its drawbacks (neither of which are of serious concern to me):The first deficiency in the Exerpeutic 400XL Folding Recumbent Bike is that the handlebars, which have sensors to record pulse provided both palms are firmly in their respective places on the bar, are far too low for me. They are at a fixed height which is level with the top surface (where the bum meets the cushion) of the seat bottom. At 5'3", I am short; my arms likewise. Even stretching to my utmost, my hands do not come within two inches of the bar. I can lean to one side or the other and grasp the handlebar one-handed, but the pulse sensor does not work without both palms firmly in place. I could reach the handlebar with both hands if I leaned forward and slumped over drastically, but that throws the placement of my hands out of position to grasp the bar properly: so, again, I cannot place my palms on the sensors while exercising.I am not all that interested in knowing my pulse rate: my concern is in the comfort of the bike itself and the ability it gives me to exercise. I have tried other exercise bikes in the past and they were so uncomfortable that I gave up on them in short order. When I decided to purchase my own, it had to be something that I would USE and not become discouraged by it. More on this a bit farther down.The second negative aspect is that while the Exerpeutic 400XL Folding Recumbent Bike may be, technically, a "recumbent" exercise bike, "recumbent" is something of a misnomer. Advertised as recumbent (and the photo is a bit misleading, don't you think?), it is one of the two main reasons that I bought this bike, the second being the wide seat bottom, which is quite acceptable (not exactly comfortable, but not UN-comfortable either). In other words, it is "do-able."However, the seat back is in a fixed position that is nearly a 90 degree angle to the seat bottom. I have a subluxation in my back, and an adjustable seat back would have made this bike nearly perfect. As it is, I scoot a little forward on the seat bottom and so can lean back into the seat back, achieving a workable posture. Someone with more serious back problems might find the fixed angle of the seat back unacceptable.In fairness, I acknowledge here that nothing in the advertisement claimed that the seat was adjustable, nor did it claim that the seat had any particular angle, though the photograph certainly gives that appearance, which is why I assumed it was different than it is—but that is my error for assuming.My intention in writing this review is based on my personal reasons for praising the Exerpeutic 400XL Folding Recumbent Bike, which follow, and I must touch on those reasons now in an effort to, perhaps, help others in their considerations. These are my non-expert, non-professional opinions and meant to provide information only; they are not recommendations in any way and should not be construed as such.What it all comes down to is this:Due to life-long health problems, I have lived a sedentary life since early childhood. Basically, I suffered from a chronic exhaustion [the basis for its cause not truly understood by the medical community until about fifteen years ago. (I am 60.)], which precluded any significant exercise simply because I didn’t have the energy to do it. (PE in school was hell for me.) As a result, I have always been overweight and have little stamina, although genetics also play a large part in it. About fifteen years ago, a treatment was discovered that alleviated my symptoms to a moderate degree, but by then my weight itself had been a long-term problem and still is.Recently, I have developed more health problems and my doctor advised that I take up some form of regular exercise which will mitigate some of them. Swimming would be my first choice, but that isn’t feasible for me for a number of reasons that I won’t go into. Between my lack of stamina, my weight (which is also a great contributor to that lack), and the problem with my back, walking was right out. I needed an alternative exercise option that would WORK FOR ME.The Exerpeutic 400XL Folding Recumbent Bike has provided the solution I so desperately needed. In addition, exercising on it does not exhaust me as much as my favorite method, swimming, would. Although, I would enjoy the swimming more. Oh, well, we can't have everything, Besides, that would be ungrateful, and I'm certainly not ungrateful: just the opposite!One of my health issues is COPD, and from the very first time I got on the bike (only 15 minutes and 2.5 miles for the initial session, now up to 30 minutes and 4 miles per session twice a day), my bronchia produce less fluid for anywhere from half an hour to a couple of hours afterward, and so I can breathe better for a time. And riding the bike is so easy! People, this is from a life-long couch potato! Except for the relatively minor deficiencies I’ve described above, and without regard to any health issues, which should always be given the greatest consideration, the Exerpeutic 400XL Folding Recumbent Bike provides an easy (for me), relatively comfortable exercise alternative for overweight people who are not used to exercising. I even read while I’m riding it (since my hands won’t reach the pulse sensors), but that could prove to be risky, I suppose, for folks who can’t balance easily.For myself, I am most pleased with the Exerpeutic 400XL Folding Recumbent Bike!In summary:PROS:Price is quite reasonable considering the unit's qualityArrived timelyClear instructions in logical orderEasy to assembleAll tools needed are provided with the bikeCan exercise in upright posture, or even leaning back a bit, rather than having to lean forward as on a typical bicycleUnit stability, even in operation, is excellentIt is also quite sturdy (rated at up to 300 pounds)Virtually silent in operationAction is very smooth (also adjustable)Seat bottom is relatively comfortable; weight rests on buttocks, not crotchAll together, makes it EASY to exercise!In the abstract, and by far the most important consideration for me: the positive attributes of this unit do not discourage me from exercising as all other exercise bikes and every other exercise option I’ve ever tried or investigated have done. I am actually encouraged, especially because I can read while exercising and not get bored with it!CONS:Handlebar and pulse sensors too low, out of reach, for short people with short armsWhile technically “recumbent”, the seat back is fixed at nearly 90 degrees to seat bottomFor me, the PROS outweigh the CONS by a long measure. Overall, the Exerpeutic 400XL Folding Recumbent Bike has solved a life-long problem for me. Despite the deficiencies I’ve described above, I am giving it a five-star rating—because nothing else in 60 years has even come close and it certainly does serve MY exercise needs!