Top positive review
12 people found this helpful
Love it at this price - bought two!
By D. Dwyer on Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2023
Crazy as it sounds, at the price point these are selling at (the EX-7s being discontinued with the new EX-8s being the commercial'ish grade replacement) we bought two of these. So far we are loving them. It was very easy to assemble - took me about 2 hours the first time being very meticulous, following the instructions to a T, etc., and a little over an hour the 2nd time around. The software setup through the screen in both cases was tricky - if you don't have ethernet, you first specify your wifi info - all good - download the latest firmware for the tablet/screen - all good - then when the screen tries to pair with the bike, the problem starts. The simple solution/workaround is to disconnect the USB cable between the bike and the screen and have the screen pair with the bike via bluetooth. At that point, it'll pair with the bike, allow you to upgrade the firmware on the bike, and then you can reconnect the USB and have wired connectivity between the bike and the screen, which is more stable than bluetooth. Annoying, but only a one-time hassle and it's worked great ever since. The quality and ruggedness of the bike is amazing - especially at this price point (less than a quarter of the original price when released!). We don't have the P bike or a Nordi or other high end ones, but did spend a lot of time with a BF Velo and I'd say that the build quality is on par with the BF Velo. The drivetrain is very smooth and quiet and provides plenty of resistance. The screen is very high quality and very responsive. The speakers are tinny, but we paired it to a bluetooth soundbar so no longer a concern. We successfully paired this with the Echelon heart rate arm band monitor and it works great showing you your heart rate stats including your calculated zone on the screen during the workouts. The Echelon subscription content is fantastic. We'll likely continue to pay for it after the free trial period ends shortly. Our only concern is that they do use a proprietary bike pedal (the diameter threading that attaches to the crank) and while it's very heavy duty, if the pedal ever needs to be replaced, no idea whether Echelon will carry them. Hoping we never need to find out. As for the pedals, they work fine with SPD cleated shoes or regular athletic shoes if you don't want to clip in - we've used both. Overall we love this bike (again, we bought two of them, we like them that much!). I don't imagine it'll be on sale much longer, but if you can pick one up anywhere close to the price they're currently selling at, you absolutely should. Highly recommended.
Top critical review
86 people found this helpful
UPDATE: app got an update and bike resitance is restricted
By Jenny on Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2021
Update 7/25/22: I've been using this bike for a while now and have enjoyed it for the most part, but they just updated the app in a way that completely messes up the way that I've been using it. They're trying to force people who've already paid 500$ on a bike to get their $35/month subscription. Basically, what they changed is that you now have to not only have the echelon connect app open and connected to the bike to be able to change the bike's resistance, but it now has to be front and center on your phone. So as soon as you switch to the video you were watching while biking on any other service, you cannot lower or increase resistance. This may seem like a small change, but it makes it virtually impossible to use any other exercise video service than what they want to sell you, which is overpriced and appears to be poor quality. Instead of making their video service better and more affordable to customers who've already given them hundreds of dollars, they try and force their customers to subscribe by restricting their access to the built in features of their own products. This is where we're headed. Companies will be doing this more in the future. Please do not buy this product - we cannot support this. My advice is to find a bike that is "stupid" and not bluetooth or wifi connected at all so that you will be certain that the features will be available to you in the future. I would not buy this bike again and honestly I'm contemplating selling it on craigslist and upgrading to a schw**n ic3 when I have the money. It's a better bike all around (my local spin studio uses them so I've tested them) and they won't do this crap because you don't even need an app to use it. If you're really set on this bike, fine. It's usable and the physical components seem to be reliable. But on principal, we should not be supporting companies that are deliberately designing products so that they can control our use of them and force us to spend more money AFTER we buy them. Big tech already controls so many parts of our lives through our phones and apps. For our sanity and privacy, some devices should really be kept simple. ---------------------------- I just bought this a few days ago and assembled it yesterday, so I can't comment on how it is long-term. The only competitor I can compare it to is the one they have at the spin classes I do in person (Schw***). So I can only compare it to a much more expensive bike. The crazy thing is that it really does compare. It feels really solid when I'm on it. I weight about 150 lbs for reference. My bf is 160 and he said it felt solid too. It is surprisingly quiet but not silent. The resistance is very smooth, especially by comparison to the bikes I've used in spin class (they are also magnetic resistance but they are not as smooth feeling... not in a bad way though--hard to explain). One downside is the echelon fit app. I don't have the subscription so i don't know if that'd change anything. For some background, you have to use this app to connect to the bike to see your #s--resistance, distance, time, etc. My biggest issue with it is simply that they put promotions for their live classes in the background. I don't really get why paying $500 for a bike isn't enough money to at least use the main features of the bike ad-free. Otherwise, I honestly love the bike. I was going to buy the walmart version of this but after reading some reviews and comparing based on looks too, this one is clearly better.
Sort by:
Filter by:
By -
Verified Amazon Purchase
Vine Customer Review of Free Product
Sorry, no reviews match your current selections.
Try clearing or changing some filters.Show all reviews
Show more reviews