Top positive review
199 people found this helpful
Pleased with the overall parts quality. a little noisy initially
By Pughimag on Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2013
The bike arrived 5 days after my order was placed, well packed and with good instructions. A large scary label fell out of the instructions that said "This product contains chemical known to the state of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. This Product is not a toy and it's not designed/intended to be used by children 12 years of age or younger." This prompts me to want to call the manufacturer to find out which part(s) they are talking about. I took off a star because of this and the noise coming from under the shroud covering the main mechanism. Not the best way to find this information out after the product has been delivered and unpacked. I hope I don't have to return it. (UPDATE: I called IMPEX and they said the seat material is the culprit if it is eaten. They are required to make the statement by law). I expect many modern devices have similar cautionary notes, most in very small print. IMPEX sent me a copy of the Prop 65 explanation. It would probably be better if they included this notice with the instructions, it takes away any concerns that people might have. INSTALLATION After unpacking the parts I assembled the bike myself in 35 minutes. Everything was obvious and well labeled. I got on the bike and was surprised to hear a metallic noise (sounded like a chain and cog although it uses a belt) coming from the main chassis. I thought all I would hear would be fan noise. I think it must be coming from the mechanism inside the cowl. (Update: IMPEX told me to unscrew the cowls or shrouds as they call them, so I did. I found a chain connecting the pedals to the Crank Wheel sprocket which is where the noise is coming from. The sprocket seems to be mis-aligned and the chain is very tight). There's no way for a consumer to get the shrouds completely off and even then the fix is not an easy one and there are belt adjustments that need to be done (rubber belt and chain). I may have to send this back unfortunately. I'm not having much luck with these machines. I've waited two months to get something. (The IMPEX person was willing to help for sure and I am not unwilling to do minor repair work but this is not minor). BTW, there are 7 screws attaching the left shroud to the bike and 3 screws attaching the right shroud to the bike. The Crank Wheel has a warp in it, as does the fan. The fan is not touching the wire cage however, which is good. The warp in the Crank Wheel causes the belt to move from side to side although it has ribs which prevent lateral movement on the Crank Wheel which is also ribbed). The ribs should prevent the belt from ever slipping off the crank wheel. Since the cog is on the same shaft as the ribbed wheel, adjusting the chain tension affects the belt alignment. Out of interest, the sensor for the electronics is attached to the frame and a magnet is attached to the large cogged wheel holding the chain. I'll update this review after hearing from the suppliers/manufacturers. UPDATE: IMPEX were very responsive as were Plumstruck. They both offered to help. The next day IMPEX called me to say that they had shipped a new base unit to my house. I got it today (Thursday night). I set it up and everything is much better, no warped wheels and the noise is lower and sounds more normal. I am very satisfied and can't wait to get going again. THINGS I LIKE The seat is reasonably comfortable (I will not be taking a bite out of it) and has a nice soft feel. The display came with batteries although the description said it didn't. I like the large display very much and I don't mind the lack of a heart monitor because I have the Timex heart monitor that includes a strap that goes around my chest and a watch that shows my pulse. Built in monitors are included in more expensive machines and I'd rather use my own. I also like being able to park my feet on the footrests while I use the handles instead of the pedals. I wanted to choose between feet and hands or both. The foot straps were hard to get installed but that may mean they are hard to dislocate (They stay on very well). The transport wheels are very nice to have and they are configured close together so it should make moving very easy when necessary. It's too bad that the sprocket is giving me problems but I would rather not deal with a broken chain sometime in the not-too-distant future, I'm sure the bike would be out of commission for quite a while if the chain broke. UPDATE: IMPEX shipped a new unit so I don't have this problem anymore, full marks to them. I've seen comments about seats but I think that any discomfort goes away after the derriere gets accustomed to the machine, much like riding a horse or a regular bike. Consider the pressure that you feel on your butt was on your knees before and be happy. UPDATE: When you sit back on the seat there's plenty of give and no discomfort. THINGS I'VE NOTICED The speed readout displays TWO parameters, speed and RPM. The text is difficult to read but of course once you know what the readings are it's no big deal. SUMMARY A good product for a good price, sturdy and comes with excellent customer service if needed. Assembly is very easy and even pleasurable. No flimsy components. I recommend it. After a few months I can say that I am really enjoying this machine. I am doing Tabata training on it and it's perfect. I wouldn't change a thing about it. After using the bike for a number of months now I updated my star rating to 5, I am very satisfied with the bike and very satisfied with the price. UPDATE: January 2018 My wife and I still use this product every day and it performs flawlessly. I've changed the display batteries once since I bought it. Great value. I know it's easy to get out of the habit of exercising but even 6 minutes of Tabata training a day will make a difference given the intensity. I plan to buy a reliable heartbeat monitor to make sure I'm not overdoing things. Still very happy with the product after five years or so of use. UPDATE: March 28, 2019 My wife and I have been putting 11 combined miles a day on the bike since January 7th, 2019 and the chain gave way yesterday. I am ordering a replacement chain today. Otherwise everything is good. IMPEX had the chain in stock and are sending the replacement. Very reasonable price and shipping. About 7-10 days. I still have not replaced the batteries for the display.
Top critical review
107 people found this helpful
Solid Air Bike with a few needed improvements!
By Larry on Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2020
Well, to start, let me say that I am a big fan of air bikes for their superior cardio workout; an air bike will also work your arms, back and legs at the same time. Over the last 30 years I have ridden just about every model Schwinn Airdyne manufactured so that will be my comparative. The Airdyne is a solid well built bike with a very good range of motion for both the arm extension and the pedal rotation. After riding the Marcy Air 1 for a few days now I can tell you this: * The frame is solid with a fairly small footprint and fits nicely in the small space that I have. * Not too difficult to assemble but allow a couple of hours if you want to do it correctly the first time. ( The parts are clearly illustrated for assembly) * The fan is reasonably quiet but there is an occasional clanking sound coming from either the chain, crankshaft or arm assembly, but it is very hard to localize where it is coming from and is concerning. * The resistance level is set by the fan and seems to be perfectly calibrated. * The seat is larger than other bikes and well padded but is not shaped correctly so it's hard to find a comfortable riding position. ( I added a gel seat cover and it is only slightly better because of the shape of the seat and the angle forcing you forward. ( I can't ride on this seat at this angle for more that 30 minutes) * The arm motion does not allow you to extend as far as the Airdyne does but I did adjust to the shorter motion. * The pedal rotation is also a smaller rotation than the Airdyne but again, I did adjust to this. * My biggest complaint is the electronic computer. It never turns off! Many others turn off automatically 5 minutes after you stop pedaling to save the batteries. It also has an odometer but will only measure distance to 100 miles and then start over. I always liked to know how many cumulative miles I put on my bike over time. The computer also displays room temperature which I find unnecessary and unusual for a bike computer. In summary, the Marcy Air 1 is not quite up to the refinement of the Airdyne but for a few hundred dollars less it is a solid well built bike. It just needs a few minor improvements to make it a best in class air bike. It will give you a great workout once you adjust to the motion of the bike. Next, I need to see how durable this bike is over time. I'm hoping that the Marcy bike has long term durability and holds up to daily usage over the years. After owning the bike for about 6 months now, I would like to add a few comments: * I was able to eliminate almost all of the clanking sound coming from the bike by retightening the bolts connecting the arm posts. Maybe they loosen over time so periodically give them a firm tightening. I also put a few drops of lubricant at all the friction points. * The seat and seat angle have to be my biggest disappointment with this bike. Why would they develop such a solid well built bike only to ruin the whole experience with a poorly designed seat? This is not just my opinion but a well documented opinion of many , many reviewers! The seat is too bulbus towards the back which throws you forward on the bike constantly. There is no adjustment to tilt the seat back and no adjustment to slide the seat forward or backward to find a comfortable position to ride the bike. I find myself constantly squirming around on the seat trying to find a comfortable position and I start to go numb after 30 minutes. It soon becomes a psychological challenge to stay on the bike for 45 minutes! What a shame that Marcy does not read these reviews and try to make improvements! I'm guessing $10.00 worth of design improvements would make this bike outstanding. * Overall, the bike is solid and holding up well to daily use but does need improvement!
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