Sunny Health & Fitness Indoor Cycling Bike
Sunny Health & Fitness Indoor Cycling Bike
From the brand
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| Weight: | 52.16 Kilograms |
| Size: | One Size |
| Dimensions: | 137.01 x 48.51 x 113 cm; 51.44 Kilograms |
| Brand: | Sunny Health and Fitness |
| Model: | SF-B1002 |
| Colour: | Grey |
| Pack Quantity: | 1 |
| Batteries Included: | No |
| Manufacture: | Sunny Health & Fitness |
| Department: | Unisex Adult |
| Dimensions: | 137.01 x 48.51 x 113 cm; 51.44 Kilograms |
| Quantity: | 1 |
| Size: | One Size |
I am highly satisfied with this bike. I purchased it in October and have ridden it a dozen times for new health reasons but once I’m finished with my pregnancy I know I will ride it more often. If you have taken a cycling class before this bike is for you if you’re not looking for a high priced bike
Alright, so, I got this exercise bike, and let me tell you, it’s like having a high-intensity spin class right in my living room. I mean, this thing makes me feel like Lance Armstrong on a mission to the fridge. As for the 275-pound max weight, let’s just say it’s the only bike in the house that doesn’t judge my post-Thanksgiving feast decisions.
I’m writing a review today, after 7yrs of ownership and daily use.
My use is 8min every morning to get my heartrate up and my joints loose. My real workout comes between the rower and the elliptical. When I first started with this bike, I rode 20min daily, for about the first year.
Everyone else has opined about the flywheel, ease of assembly, etc. Belt drives are quiet. Yes, the flywheel can ‘freeze’ while pedaling, and yes, the belt can ‘skip’ and everytime it does, it creates a little bit of rubber dust inside that belt cage.
I had replaced the bearings in the flywheel before I ever rode the bike. You can order Argentian-made from McMaster (I did), or Polish-made NSF on Amazon – I’d skip any other brand on Amazon, even Timken (now made in China). Those are 6202, and I would use ZZ (sometimes shown as ‘UU’ or ‘VV’) double-shielded pre-lubed bearings (you’d order 6202ZZ).
Today, after 7yrs of ownership, I’m replacing the belt and the crankset/bottom-bracket bearings due to squeal. These are 6004ZZ bearings. I’m replacing the belt, also, on general principles. That’s a 5PK1320 belt.
After 7 years, I am more than happy with this purchase. I’m very mechanically-inclined (I race and repair motorcycles as a hobby); if replacing bearings and belts are beyond your toolkit or desire-to-learn level, you may want to give this a pass.
The bike was delivered on time. It took me forever to get it into the house because It was heavy and was in a large box. It was delivered to my front door for everyone in the world to see. think goodness it was too heavy to drag off. I had to go through my garage door to pull it away from the front door so that I could get it into the front door.
Instructions in the box made it easy to put the bike together. I am a single female age 49 and I was able to put it together all on my own. Only complaint I have so far is that the seat was very small and I have a rather large behind! (Hence the need for the exercise bike.) I had to purchase a larger seat, Which I would suggest to anyone who likes to exercise comfortably. The bike is very quiet and you can stop the wheel easily by pressing down on a lever. I have the bike sitting where I can watch television as I exercise, but bike is easily moved to another room if needed. I would also suggest getting the accessories for this bike to be able to see your success and data.
First, this is the first time I have seen better packaging on any other product. Instructions are very concise and easy to understand. One thing I noticed was the pedals have “foot” cages on them ( to help your feet from slipping off the pedals when at a high speed, like racing) however you will need special bike shoes to be able to fit your feet into them ( unless you have tiny narrow feet). My point is, before you install them, simply remove them ( a couple of screws) and you will enjoy just regular bike pedals. Also, BUY INSURANCE they offer online (2 years) because the factory offers 1 year on frame and 90 days on parts. This bike is built like a tank so the frame warranty is not a factor. Read the warranty protection on Amazon and you will agree with my conclusion. I have my bike in our bedroom and it is so whisper quiet you won’t wake anybody up! The seat is not comfortable for us seniors so I ordered an oversize one to replace it. I highly recommend this bike.
Warning: Not suitable for people under 5 feet 2 inches.
I set up this stationary bike on the 2nd floor. I was able to lug it pieced by piece and assemble it upstairs. It took me roughly 1 hour to put everything together. The bike is sturdy enough to withstand my 200+ pound body frame. The bike is quiet and fits my needs to get back in shape.
I disliked the bike seat was too small and would not stay in place. It keeps tilting backwards no matter how much I tighten the seat. Because I was a little shorter than 5ft 2inch, I had to use the lowest setting. However, there were no holes at the last stop line for me to secure the knob. I ended up just pushing the seat height down without the knob to fit my short legs.
For $150, I am satisfied with this purchase.
This was easy to assemble (the customer service was fantastic when I doubled checked something with them) and I love it. I am 5’3, and this totally works for me. Find youtube spin videos and you are good to go! Suck it, peloton!!!
Extremely well made, high quality, very quiet and super easy to assemble. (good support video for assembly, YouTube). I ordered during Prime Days so I am thrilled. Rare now days to buy something that exceeds expectations.
Assembly was a bit much for me so my husband built it. It looks really pretty. Seems to be sturdy. I will update this review in a few weeks to see how she’s holding up.
I had reservations about ordering this due to the fact it was bare bones, no electronics and reasonable, BUT I am VERRRY HAPPY with it. The bike is extremely sturdy, very quiet and easy to move around. I’m over the fact I don’t have electronics on it. It doesn’t even matter. Now I want another one for the garage or patio too.
Very well made. Simple design so there is nothing to wear out. My old bike was magnetic and when the screen quit working I could not adjust the tension. The sunny bile has no electronic screen. The tension in changed by turning a nob to put more tension onto the wheel. Wheel is 59 pounds and works very smoothly. Box is over 100 pounds so it is best to have help to set it up. Be sure to follow directions on the box to open turn box upside-down. Easy to set up
The only reason I am replacing the 40-pound version is because the after market pedals I used rusted themselves to the crank so tightly I could not break them free when I needed to replace them. Other than that the bike didn’t show the seven years of wear and tear. The Schwinn stationary bikes I used to buy cost more and only a lasted a few years, and were flimsy. Sunni bikes are gym quality. I replaced the pedals and seat and bought a Risepro bike computer and now I am ready for another seven years.
Personally , I have no need for anything fancier than the heart rate monitor/fitness app, but there are a lot of reviewers that purchased add-ons that provide a ‘Peloton-esque’ experience. Even with the expense of the add-ons, you can’t beat the price and quality of this bike.
A lot of reviews and questions I read before purchasing this bike indicated that some folks are a little naive about what is required to use and maintain a good spin bike. When I attended spin classes at the local gym the bikes developed the kind of issues reviewers here are complaining about. So the bikes had to go to maintenance and were returned. They were used a LOT, so not surprise there. Same goes for this bike, if you purchase and use it a lot. However, if you set up and maintain it properly, including fixing it when it thumps or creaks, it will pay you back in a great spin. Sunny has videos and documents online to help you.
My bike was a little thumpy at first. Usually a pedal problem. You can just tighten up the pedals more, but I recommend using a threadlocker on the threads when you screw the pedals in place. I used harborfreight semi-permanent threadlock. Another reviewer used loctite. I also changed out my pedals to use shimano pedals that allow me to use either clip or clipless. If you prefer clipless, you might go that route. Either way, tightening the pedals with threadlock eliminated the thump immediately.
I have not had to tighten the crank, but I see this as something that may be necessary down the line. There are videos on doing that with bikes in general online.
The other item you really need to check when you first set up your bike is the leather brake pad. It will likely need to be lubricated. Some folks complained that the bike smelled like something burning. My guess is that they never lubricated the brake pad. If you bike is new, this is as simple as putting a few drops of 3 in 1 oil on the flywheel where the brake rests with light resistance, rotating the wheel and letting the oil soak in. The pad will get considerably darker in color. If you have been riding it a while, you might need to pull the pad gizmo off and rough it up a bit for the oil to absorb. That requires removing one screw. Not rocket science.
One of the beauties of this spin bike is that its design is relatively simple – not all those bells and whistles that potentially go bad. That also makes the great price point of this sturdy piece of equipment, especially the heavy flywheel that you wouldn’t find in an inexpensive bike and that makes this an amazing spin bike.
pretty good Bike because of the leather strip it’s gonna smell like something’s burning when you use it for a while but I would wait for a sale can’t believe its $400 I got this bike for $120-$130 on amazo
Heavy duty and built to last! The only complaint I have is the seat is not very comfortable, I intend on purchasing a padding or cushion of some sort. Otherwise, I love it!
Great bike for a budget. I really dislike the seat though. Uncomfortable and not that stable.
We purchased this bike in Feb of 2022. We have found it to be an absolutely wonderful bike for our needs and a great value. Within the last few months we have had some issues with loud clanking noises which we were able to fix with a little TLC. However, this morning the pedal broke off! I am so sad! It looks like the bolt broke off inside of the piece the pedal attaches to. I am having a hard time finding replacement piece for the part that looks like an “L”. Any suggestions would be great! Hoping this can be fixed soon 🙁
Very solid bike that has worked wonderfully to this point. It’s unbelievably sturdy compared to other bikes in this price range and held my weight very well at 265lbs. After searching through all of the exercise bikes available and watching many review videos, I would highly recommend this bike to anyone looking for a simplistic exercise machine.
Really pleased with the bike, I went the DIY Peloton route with this bike 170, speed and cadance sensors 24 and hear rate monitor 25 and use the Peloton app at 12 a month. It’s an excellent workout, can jup on and do a 20 minute session at lunch. The big flywheel gives a really smooth ride and don’t worry not having resistance gauge, you judge this by the speed you pedal. Only complaint would be the bars are a stretch for shorter riders and the pedal cages are very hard plastic. Buy some 3in1 oil as you have to oil the friction pad weekly and put some oil on the resistance wheel threads to keep them smooth. But overall smitten with my purchase and would definitely recommend.
It is so quiet and a smooth pedaling experience. The instructions are super easy and all the tools you need are provided.
It would be nice to have a more comfortable seat though. I am searching for another, more comfortable seat that has more cushion.
Otherwise I really like it!
Easy to assemble. Rides smooth. Make sure you get some sort of spray lubricant for maintaining on the leather pad and fly wheel. Ill say after about a month, this thing is making creeking noises. I will go back and check to see if there are any bolts thag may have loosened on the bottom frame and update this review. All in all it does the job and feels secure.
Another issue is, mine leaks, grease leak.
I posted in the photos where the leak is coming. If you have carpet, be careful, put a mat under in case it leaks on you. Thank goodness my rental is wood floors.
So far only two issues for me
1- uncomfortable seat (for me personally) easy fix.
2- grease leak.
Other wise, I ride and get a great workout in everyday
First, assembly was fine, the worst was the bike seat attachment. Instructions just read, “attach seat to…” what it didn’t say was, “you have to conjure up the strength of Sampson to tighten the bolts on either side in order to keep the seat in place.” That part wasn’t intuitive & I first thought a part was missing. It wasn’t. The rest was no big deal. Also, in step 1, removing the bars in the front & back before replacing with the bigger rear & front stabilizing bars….**watch your fingers!! Once you take out the ‘original small bars as very first step, the frame will drop…HARD… trust me – you do NOT want to catch a finger underneath.
COMFORT:
Ok, what spin bike you buy online HAS a cushiony seat? Again, no big deal, but a pad or cover with cushion if it bothers you, but it’s not as bad as I was expecting. Seat height & position to pedals… took me a bit of hopping on & off but once I found the right balance, it’s good. Distance to hand grips etc…. great. I love the handlebars actual. Comfortable in several positions from racing, sitting up, standing for a “sprint.” No frills on the handlebars like a place to prop my phone, but I paid a discount for a no frills bike.
WORKOUT: Ok, I’m a normally active person but I moved 6 months ago & going through a stressful mortgage application process, then moving to a house (& losing my apartment gym access) & not wanting to drive 20+ minutes to a gym when I’mtired from work has made me soooo out of shape.
This bike has great endurance/ resistance options so I’m no longer worried about it being “too easy”… heart rate UP! VERY pleased with that, and lastly….
NOISE:
What noise?? Only a very soft whirring from the fly wheel, & the attached video includes both sitting & standing pedaling. So quiet & SO smooth!!
It does give of a very mild smell on the pad part against the wheel but I hardly notice it.
SUMMARY: I always have enjoyed a good workout but hate the gym, have bought (& scrapped) countless online cheap cardio gimmicks & finally did my research. I was really lucky to catch this on a big sale but I’m very happy with it after day 1. Hope this helps.
Really well built spin like exercise bike. I’m 6 ft 2in and heavy . The bike copes well with my weight and delivers a good solid work out. Very pleased with the quality, adjustability and solid construction.
Downsides are:
1) no electronics (cadence, resistance level indicator, etc)
2) The saddle wasn’t great for us, but we swapped our own saddle in anyway
Upsides are:
1) Price
2) no electronics to break – yes, i listed that as a downside as well : )
3) dirt simple setup
After setting up, it did take a bit of tightening and tweaking here and there to get out all the kinks in terms of squeaks and whatnot, but this is to be expected with any bike IMO. Also worth noting that we both ride with noise cancelling headphones.
Product support story:
After a year and half of daily riding, we finally noticed a little bit of a clunk in the crank, that would happen as soon as weight shifted onto each pedal. Now, I had already gotten my money’s worth out of this bike, but on a whim I decided to investigate a bit. I eventually discovered that the main weld on the axle was starting to crack (see photo/video). Figured it was worth a shot to see what product support would say, even though this isn’t covered under warranty. What happened next blew my mind – support got back to me within one day, covered the part for me for FREE, and shipped it out immediately using FEDEX! I swapped the part in and all is well again.
I would absolutely buy this bike again, or any other Sunny bike.
(Update:) I have been using this regularly for a year now (about 3 times a week 1 to 4hrs a session) and it has developed a slight squeak in what seems to be the belt pulley bearing. I’ve sent videos and they ascertained that is what it is. Support so far has been good but then I was told it was a US honoured warranty only. It is up to me to fix it now at this point. The bearings were $14.99 CAD and I required a special $13 tool to pull the cranks/pedals off the unit to get at the bearings and a pair of $12 snap-ring pliers.
After getting the bearings they suggested and taking it upon myself to follow their bearing replacement video they had sent which appeared to be about a 15-20 minute job I can say that if your bearings do go in this bike it is NO TRIVIAL REPAIR… I work at a car dealership and I’ve worked side by side with a mechanic everyday for the last 12 years and I’ve seen how a press in bearing install usually goes and its nothing like what this man is showing. I can say now without doubt after trying to get these out that these bearings are originally pressed in with a multi-ton hydraulic jack that actually deformed the bottom bracket shell when they were put in. I resorted to using a hammer (not a rubber mallet as they suggested to get them out. They actually weren’t that bad to get out at that point and I have put them in super straight and they are flush with the shell HOWEVER they actually need to be a little bit recessed by about 1mm-2.5mm in order to expose the notch on the axle to put the snap ring back in. It is now 8:30PM.. I live in an apartment and I’ve been hammering for the last frigging hour and have to stop now. My spin bike is now out of commission until I can stack the old bearing on top of the new one and wail away at it for another hour to see if I can get them in below the edge of the cup. This is pretty infuriating at the end of the day. I notice the stock bearings didn’t have the plastic seals and on the drive side there was oil that leaked out. Poor engineering at the end of the day. Honestly Sunnyfitness could you not have used a more standardized square taper bottom bracket and made this SOOOOO much easier for everyone. The way that this is designed I feel that people not as hell bent and determined as myself are quite probably going to end up throwing theirs into the landfill. I was really enjoying my bike before this happened. I’m hoping within a week I get this up and going… stay tuned internet people….
FLYWHEEL
The heavy flywheel which provides the competitive advantage over all other stationary bikes at its price point and user satisfactory rating. At 49 ibs, it the heaviest flywheel I have been able to find in its class. This changes the feeling completely when riding, offering a more realistic feel of a real bike and extreme stability when pedaling even extremely hard.
A lot of people don’t like exercise machines and prefer free weights, and those same people probably would prefer a regular bike to a stationary bike. I am among them and this bike really did it for me. I’ve biked my whole life, I have genetically massive legs that are disproportionate to my body, and I like to pedal hard and abuse the machine because that strain just feels good. At the gym, however, every stationary bike will furiously wobble and shriek as I stand on the pedals and grind at high resistance. Not this one.
The heavier the flywheel, the more energy is stored as momentum in the flywheel. So when you push down hard on the pedal, it comes back up and pushes back against your foot. This feedback feels great on my legs, providing a rewarding flex for every heavy push, and you can feel your exertion mean something. Because of its massive weight, the flywheel can hold a lot of energy, preventing an overflow that would shake the bike frame. Even at over 100 cadence, the frame barely wobbles.
Also, if you’re pedaling hard at a low resistance, this flywheel will carry you forward. This lets you know you need to set the resistance higher or slow down.
FRAME AND SEAT
See my attached video for a sound and stability example. It’s extremely quiet and stable. There’s an air filter running in the background, and yet the loudest sound in the video is actually me exhaling hard at one point.
It’s a heavy duty build, almost completely metal parts except the belt cage. Aesthetically, I think it looks great with more minimal and tasteful branding. The massive chrome wheel and the more artful red decoration are pleasant to the eye, especially compared to most bikes out there that come in most garish color schemes that I can only describe as bumble bee, Mountain Dew Code Red, and blue Gatorade.
The quick adjustable seat post and handlebars are great and it’s good for both short and tall people, but definitely a stand out for tall people.
The actual seat is the ONLY CON I can really complain about, which made for a rough ride over just 10 minutes, but most stock seats are awful. I got myself a gel seat slip cover to provide more cushion and it’s no longer a problem.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
I received one defective nut for the bolt on the left pedal crank. I followed their warranty instructions, emailed them all the info they required, and they got back to me exactly 14 days later. Mailed out a replacement that I received that week at no cost. I’m happy with the service, though the slow response is probably daunting for most people.
ELECTRONICS
There are none and that’s money saved for you. The electronic components on most exercise machines are pretty bupkis, with the sophistication of an $8 pocket calculator. They are often inaccurate, they cannot be serviced or updated, they’re fragile as hell, impracticable to replace, their data cannot stored and collated for later examination, and they will often run the price tag up between $150 and $300. You’re looking at this bike (and not the Peleton) because you want a budget option, right? The first way to save on the budget is ditching the overpriced computer components.
Instead, invest that money you saved into two separate products: #1 a fitness tracker or smart watch (I recommend the Garmin Vivoactive 4/4S as it is solely focused on a ton of fitness metrics and long battery life) and #2 a cadence sensor (I recommend Wahoo). There are only four metrics that matter at all when it comes to tracking progress on a stationary bike: time, heart rate, cadence (RPMs) and resistance. That’s it. Now, almost no bikes offer any resistance metric anyway, and if they do they are not at all comparable to other bikes or the real world, so we can toss that (you need to be your own judge of what is light to heavy resistance, anyway). Now you’re left with just three metrics and the fitness tracker and cadence sensor will be immensely useful towards tracking that progress. Install the sensor on the pedal crank, activate the “indoor bike” activity on your tracker and you’re off. The data captured will be far more accurate, it will be stored for later examination and progress comparison as you pedal faster and your stamina increases, and you will have invested that money saved into far superior tools that will provide much more benefit to your health tracking.
OVERALL
The only reason I can find that this bike isn’t priced higher is because Sunny understands people are more easily sold on electronics and other bells and whistles features. As described above, I believe those features are next to worthless and more cheaply and better afforded by other means. The bike, itself, is the most important feature. If you want a good piece of reliable equipment that feels good to ride, this is it.
A few details anyone buying should know:
1- This is a fixed drive bike- no freewheel action. If you stop pedaling, it won’t. The knob right in front of you, on the downtube, works two ways. First you can push down on it firmly to stop the flywheel. Second you can thread or unthread to it add/release resistance from the leather pad.
2- Adjustment is not infinite- the handlebar and seatpost risers are spaced for adjustment in 1″ increments. The fore-aft adjust of the saddle mount is also set for 1″ increments. This can be very limiting for a cyclist whose bike fit is much more specific than a recreational rider. Most higher end exercise bikes are infinitely adjustable within the min/max range or worst case, have centimeter increments. Saddle rails do allow for some more specific fore-aft movement, but you may find that inadequate if you are truly dialed in with your bike fit.
– I measured the crank arms on the bike here and they were 172.5mm exactly. That is center of the pedal axle to center of the bolt that holds the arm on. I was surprised, as most exercise bike cranks are either 170 or 175mm. It won’t matter to non-cyclists, as these people will just settle in and spin the pedals, but if you use cycling shoes that attach to pedals in a very specific manner, you may have to work that into you bike fit process.
3- As mentioned, the bike has no speed or cadence measuring system, though you can find Bluetooth or ANT+ sensors to use with a compatible bike computer or smartphone app. Or there are simple wireless bike computers that can be made useful. There are suggestions others have made elsewhere in the comments and reviews.
Use- I have two 30 minute rides on the bike and am convinced it is safe for my client. Her fit numbers will match up really closely with the bike’s adjustment capabilities, but mine did not. I was constantly in the middle of the incremental adjustment system for saddle height and though a found compromise I could test with, I wouldn’t do well for longer rides.
Getting it out and built
It took me about 40 minutes to unbox, check and assemble. The ‘checking’ took the most time. At a strong 225lbs and being used to handling such items, I had zero issues doing this by myself, but beyond bringing it in, unpacking and getting the bottom feet bracing installed, it can be managed alone by most people. So you might need help for 10 minutes or so.
Everything lined up, and fortunately, the frame itself- which is one-piece, was as straight as any Schwinn spin bike I ever worked with. With a 49 lb flywheel, the weight is certainly towards the front. The assembly itself is easy. Remove the steel packing braces (set these and bolts used aside-you won’t be using them) where the feet go, use the 4 silver bolts and washers from the hardware-tool card to install the proper feet (using a 6mm Allen hex key- provided). Slide the handlebar post into the front tube and use the threaded knob to secure it. Use the same 6mm tool and 2 black bolts/washers to attach the bar to that post Slide the lower piece of the seatpost assembly into the frame- thread in via the knob to secure it. Slide in the upper seatpost assembly- this receiver has a plastic guide that makes it feel tight. Do not remove that- it’s supposed to be there. You can thread in the knob and secure it. At this point you can also install the saddle the knurled upright mount. You’ll need at least one 13mm wrench or socket to do this. The provided tool works, but if you have better tools, use them. I installed a different saddle onto the black clamp device and any bike saddle with 7mm round metal saddle rails can be used if desired. From there you can install the pedals. I didn’t use the supplied pedals, but all bike pedals with 9/16″ axle interface will work. These can cost anywhere from $9.99 to $500, but the axle threading is the same. If you wanted to buy or replace, the 9/16″ size is the only thing you need to know. Only one other axle size is made (1/2″), and for the last few decades that has generally only been used on small kid’s bikes. There are good instructions with the pedals explaining how to install. The important thing to know is the left pedal is threaded opposite of standard threading, so to install it you will thread it in counter-clockwise, and remove it clockwise. The right pedal is standard threading. Sunny must be paying attention to complaints about pedals falling out, so they included pedals with a long spindle and a nut that threads on behind the crank arm once you have threaded in the pedal. This should NEVER be necessary, but if you aren’t very tool or bike oriented, I can see that they felt this would stop the complaints. There are wrench flats on the pedal axle so you can tighten down with the tool provided. I doubt that tool can deliver enough torque to fasten properly. The flat sections are for a standard pedal wrench, or you can use a longer 15mm wrench to deliver more torque. You can then use the provided nyloc nut for the back side of the crankarm. I installed standard bike pedals easily and effectively and am confident they won’t loosen up- after my first re-check, but see tips below.
As the instruction go, your bike is now ready to ride, except establishing how you fit your body to it. More on than that below as well.
Corrosion protection
– Use bike/bearing grease on all threaded screws and bolts except the crank-arm bolt (discussed below), human sweat is very corrosive because of the salts released. You should also protect the frame and parts by wiping them down and using a light cleaning spray occasionally as well. There are companies that make protective sprays for bikes, but you can also use something as simple as Pledge or Armor All on the metal frame and parts to help protect it. Just don’t spray it on bars, knobs, saddle. Apply sparingly with a cloth.
Issues/tips
– I read many of the reviews before the bike arrived. I can see why people struggle with same things consistently. For some the frame or upper seatpost assembly weren’t straight. Contact Sunny immediately. It appears they can and will send out an upper seatpost assembly. The one I received wasn’t perfect, but I was able to use a vise and tools to get it close- most people won’t have that capability. If the frame is bad, either Sunny will issue a replacement, or if they stall, contact Amazon ASAP- you will be returning the bike.
– The pedal issue was covered above, but any pedal you install needs to be checked for tightness after a few rides, and should be checked once a month if you ride daily. If it never appears loose after the initial re-check, it is a good idea to check it monthly regardless, but you may never have to tighten again. This is the same with any bike, any pedal.
– A bigger potential issue is the crank arm loosening up. These arms are independent and attach to what is referred to as the bottom bracket spindle on each side. The system on this bike uses a tapered spindle and has a threaded end. A nut is threaded on to push the arm interface onto the tapered spindle. These hide behind simple plastic dust caps. You can pry the cover off and see the nut. It is a 14mm interface and the gap around the nut is thin. Many standard sockets will not fit into this area. I found that these nuts were not that tight- and inconsistent left and right. I have thin wall sockets that will fit, but many won’t. You can buy an $11 tool made by Park Tool the CCW-5, to tighten or remove this nut. If you intend to use the bike a lot / have it for several years, and don’t have a socket that fits, buy this tool. I removed the nuts on both crank arms and the blue threadlocking compound just flaked off. I reapplied fresh blue Loctite, installed the nuts and tightened them. I could feel the arms slide further onto the taper without using too much effort. You shouldn’t have to use Hulk strength, but these should seat firmly. Again, like with pedals you will want check these after a few rides and periodically thereafter. I should say this is exactly how most bike cranks were built for 40 years, and like any bike, this bike will require some basic maintenance. When you buy a new bike from a bike shop almost every shop will ask you return it within 30 days or X number of rides to have it checked over. These are the things that mechanics check, and riders who do home maintenance should check as well. Normal. If it ever feels wobbly or off center- STOP- and check to see the crank arm isn’t cracked around the bolt zone, or loose.
– Flywheel alignment and belt tension. First thing- always make sure your bike is vertically level for use or when adjusting- at the fly wheel- use the fly wheel to determine this. Use the feet adjusters to achieve this. So, after leveling, I removed the safety cover and checked the belt tension. It was excellent. The flywheel alignment was also excellent. These are things that can change with use, so read up on addressing it. As soon as you hear any odd noises, stop riding and check it out. You’ll only do damage by continuing. I did have to tighten the axle bolts on both sides of the flywheel, as they were just a little less tight than I’d prefer with such a heavy flywheel. The alignment adjustment system is pretty standard for this type of set-up, and as others have mentioned it can be a bit finicky to get the alignment and tension correct, but it isn’t hard. It just takes a little patience and a desire to get it right.
– Leather stop/resistance. I have not applied anything to this, preferring it to get some use first, but at some point the proper care will be done. Others recommend a silicone leather oil. I haven’t though about it much yet, but will likely use something similar.
– In addition to the notes about incremental adjustment above, the handlebar assembly goes up and down, and as you go up, it also gets closer to you on the angle, but cannot be moved closer or further away. The bar shape and size gives you many hand options, and as long as those work for you, great. They may not. Getting your body to fit to the bike is just as unique as you are. Ideally you want to be comfortable and not cause injury. Contrary to popular thought, you actually want to set up the back half of the bike first, as leg and back use injuries start there. There many visual resources online for this, but no matter what you do, please be careful and if you feel any pain or joint soreness after a few rides, get some experienced assistance, or watch a few videos. It is very easy to develop injuries to knees in particular. Whatever you do, don’t duplicate the riding posture of the woman in the pictures…
In full transparency, I wasn’t even in the market for a stationary bike until I saw the ProForm CBC at Costco for $385. I went back to buy it several days later and it was all sold out. I watched a few YouTube videos and the Sunny Health B1002 and B1805 kept popping up so I researched more in-depth, learned all the ways to convert it to a “Budget Peloton” and found a “Used – Very Good” B1002 on Amazon for $260! Now, I was hesitant on buying this particular model used after several reviews mentioned the knocking sound, etc. but figured if it was defective or a problem unit I’d send it back. It was basically new, everything was in factory wrapping/packaging except for some damage to the box. What a steal!
Assembly took about 40 min. and honestly, 10 min. of that was unboxing and removing the packaging, etc. It’s a bit heavy but shouldn’t be too heavy to maneuver during assembly.
The bike feels extremely solid – I can ride out of the saddle vigorously with no movement or instability. Thing is a rock. The wheels are quality and appear to be very durable, like rollerblade wheels.
The resistance pad is a little noisy so I applied 3-in-1 Oil (Silicone version) and that quietened it.
Besides the cadence, resistance is the other metric used by Peloton. What works for me is 1) quantifying the resistance range from 0 (no resistance) to 100 (unable to pedal) 2) Starting at 0 (no resistance) with the + or — signs as reference; turn the resistance knob one full 360* turn. I’ve measured ten (10) full 360* turns/twists from no resistance to max resistance, or 0 – 100. Each turn seems to equal a resistance of 10.
Budget Peloton:
Peloton App: 60 day free trial, $12.99/mo. normally. App no longer displays cadence on Android; only IOS. Also, does not display cadence when streaming to a TV.
Magene S3+ Cadence Sensor: $19.99 on Amazon. Cheaper alternative to Wahoo. Seems to work great with the Wahoo app.
Jubor Tablet Holder: $13 on Amazon. Kinda ugly but works.
Kindle Fire 7: $50. Casting onto the TV isn’t available on the Kindle 7. Or 8, I believe. Workaround: sideload the Google Play Store. Download Chrome and the Wahoo app. Stream Peloton Classes from Chrome vs. the App. Cast to TV using Chromecast. Switch to Wahoo app as Peloton broadcasts to screen. Voila!
I hope this is helpful! I’ve had the bike for less than a week, used it 3 times. So far so good.
After about 200 miles of moderately hard riding the bike is still rock solid and very quiet. I have absolutely no complaints at all. I saved big money on this compared to equal competition and couldn’t be more satisfied.
As a former competitive road racer I knew exactly what I was looking for in a spin bike. I had another much more expensive bike ordered from another manufacturer. Delivery ended up being significantly delayed so I canceled the order. So I was back to square one and wanted something readily available. My main requirements were proper fit (I’m 6’2) and a sturdy frame and components able to withstand strong out of the saddle efforts. I also didn’t need any bells and whistles- I already had a tv, HR monitor, and muscle memory to maintain the proper cadence.
This spin bike arrived a day earlier than promised and hundreds of dollars cheaper than the bike I canceled. All parts are of high quality and fit well. Assembly was very straightforward and I was doing a fat burner ride through the Alps within 45 minutes of UPS dropping at my door.
I have long legs and I am nowhere near the upper limits of the saddle height adjustment. The ride is very smooth due to the heavy flywheel and whisper quiet. Pedaling out of the saddle is solid as a rock with no swaying or creaking. The tension adjustment is smooth and infinite. Do I anticipate needing to lube, tighten, or adjust periodically? Absolutely, it’s a bike and you have to expect these things to occur. I am very happy with my purchase and I can’t wait to melt off the extra 15 pounds I’ve picked up due to COVID. I also purchased the extended warranty just in case. Also, there are MANY free spin workouts on YouTube so you don’t need to spend any money on a monthly subscription.
6 weeks later and nothing negative to report. Slight ticking in the bottom bracket, but honestly I have owned $2500 road bikes that did the same. Those of you that complain about the saddle comfort-anytime you are seated in the same position for a long period is going to be uncomfortable. You need to move around periodically [ie: standing) on the bike or increase the resistance for intervals or climbing. If you are just sitting there spinning it’s not going to be pleasant for very long.
I really love this bike. I am very impressed with how sturdy it is. I purposefully waited a month after receiving my bike to write a review to have a chance to try it out. I have been using it 5-6 times a week since I got it and it works great.
Some specific things about this bike:
1) assembly. It was very simple other than getting it into my bedroom (where I keep it). The package is extremely heavy, so I recommend having a couple of helpers to carry it in your house once it’s delivered. The bike came with instructions on the box on how to open it so that your bike is right side up. The bike is mostly assembled already, you just need to switch out the bottom bars, and add the pedals, handlebar and seat. Instructions were easy to understand and it came with all of the tools necessary for assembly. I assembled it myself in less than an hour.
The flywheel: its heavy. 49 lbs to be exact. This makes for a nice smooth ride and a good workout.
Resistance: the leather pad works well and gives you some heavy resistance. I can’t compare it to felt resistance pads or magnetic because I haven’t had either but the manual resistance on this bike is strong. My only complaint is that the resistance goes from 0-60 pretty quickly. To remedy this I turn my resistance knob until the leather pad just barely touches the flywheel and count this as my 0. I use the peloton digital app for workouts and I have to guess at matching my resistance but I did get the chance to ride an actual peloton briefly and I realized I was going way too heavy on the resistance on my sunny.
Maintenance: there is very little maintenance required for this bike. The only thing I do is occasionally oil my flywheel/brake pad with 3 in 1 oil. This helps to keep the bike quiet, keep my brake pad in good shape and keep my resistance even. If I go too long without oiling the bike I can tell my resistance feels too hard too quickly and it feels uneven. Otherwise I haven’t had to do anything more other than wipe my bike with a damp rag after particularly sweaty rides to prevent corrosion.
The pedals- they are ok. They worked well for me for the first 3 weeks or so but eventually I switched to spd pedals (shimano) and spd compatible cycling shoes (tiem) . I like the stability the spd pedals give me, especially for riding out of the saddle. The sunny bike comes with caged pedals which work fine for casual riders. The strap did loosen slightly every time I rode, requiring me to tighten it every once in a while mid-ride.
Adjustability- the bike works well for my height- I’m 5’4 so on the shorter side and my bike seat is at the second to lowest setting, so still room to go down. The seat also slides forward-back to help you position yourself properly. The handlebars go up or down, but not forward-back. This isn’t an issue for me. The bike has a max weight of 275 lbs and I feel very safe and study riding in it.
There are not many frills with this bike- no iPad/iPhone holder, no monitor, no metrics (cadence, resistance, distance, output etc). The upside of this is that there is nothing mechanical to break. A very simple bike and it seems they put all the money they would have spent on that into the quality of the actual bike. The flywheel and build of this bike is really quality. I bought a Wahoo cadence tracker and attached it easily to the crank arm of the bike so I can track my cadence during peloton workouts. It syncs via Bluetooth to my phone and the peloton app.
My only true complaint about my bike is that somehow the lettering that was applied upon factory assembly was incorrectly placed. My bike is apparently not a ‘Sunny’ bike but a ‘Sunzy’, depending at which side you are looking at. Annoying, but I didn’t feel the need to return it over that. I may peel all the stickers off altogether if it starts to bother me more.
The box was slightly battered but the bike and parts were well packed and protected. Nothing damaged. It’s heavy. I managed to drag it up my front steps and took it in parts to my basement to be assembled but two people would be better to move it.
Took me about 10 minutes to unpack and 30 -35 minutes to assemble. Instructions are fairly clear and their are a few YouTube videos on assembly as well (be sure to carefully read when assembling the peddles on the crank arm). Tools for assembly are included. Fairly straightforward forward and easy to assemble. Most of the bike is already assembled (as you can see from my photos).
The materials used seem very be sturdy. Everything fits together well and is snug (no rattling). Bike looks good too and feels like good quality.
I like the feel of the handle bars. Seat seems fine to me (although others complained that the seat was too hard – not so for me). You can add a lot of resistance to the flywheel. The flywheel feels good at 49 lbs. Everything works great. Some may choose to upgrade the seat or peddles but they seem fine to me.
It’s not going to be the same quality as a $1500+ gym bike but it’s pretty good. There’s a local spin gym that uses these bikes.
I love that it’s a bare bones bike, for such a great price, and a solid build. Hopefully it requires little maintenance (oil the leather resistance pad and moveable parts every 4 -6 weeks). There’s no spot to mount a tablet or phone but you can purchase one for around $20. If you buy a Wahoo cadence sensor, you’re all set to use the Peloton app. I’ll be giving it a try.
Canadians should note that the manufacturer’s warranty on this bike is not valid in Canada. The company is also difficult to get ahold of (I sent an email weeks ago before my purchase with an inquiry with no response). I opted to purchase the Asurion warranty just in case. Hopefully I won’t need it. While there can always be a problem with an individual unit, the reviews here and all over the web seem to indicate that the vast majority people have no issues with the bike (knock on wood).
I have a great first impression. I’ll update if needed.
I give it 4 stars (4.5 if I could) only because this is an early impression and there are other bikes (which cost three or more times more) which have more options.
After almost pulling the trigger on a Peloton, I decided to do some more research before shelling out $2500 (plus the additional $39/mo for the subscription). Let me tell you, I am so glad that I did! I have had this bike for a little over two weeks and have done 12 rides so far with the Peloton app using my Apple TV. In order to make this bike as close to the Peloton experience as possible, I also purchased the following:
* WAHOO CADENCE AND SPEED SENSORS ($70) used to track speed and cadence in the Wahoo app on my phone
link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E0YRQIA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
* WAHOO HEART RATE MONITOR ($50) used to track HR in the Wahoo app on my phone so cadence, speed, and HR are displayed in one place
link: https://www.amazon.com/Wahoo-Fitness-TICKR-Monitor-Bluetooth/dp/B08819V67W/ref=asc_df_B08819V67W/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=459710755857&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4427675425761655190&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9018520&hvtargid=pla-910137599262&psc=1)
* BIKE PHONE MOUNT ($5) used to display the Wahoo app on my phone
link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YX4L5GX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
* BIKE MAT ($29) to protect floors
link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001THTUAO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
* CLIPLESS PEDALS (purchased on eBay for $25) to use with my road bike cleats
* HAND WEIGHTS (puchased for ~$10/set on eBay) 2lb and 3lb sets are often used in Peloton classes
Total for additional add-ons = $199
Cost of bike = $370
TOTAL = $569
**Disclaimer: I am also paying $13/mo the Peloton app (mind-boggling that the app is a third of the price if you don’t own the bike!)
PROS:
* Quiet – This would not disturb neighbors or those that you live with.
* Sturdy – The bike does not move around or sway, even when you’re riding out of the saddle.
* Good Resistance – I have not ridden the bike at full resistance yet and have gotten very good workouts in that have been challenging. I am an experienced road biker that also did a lot of spin classes pre-COVID.
* Easy to Move
* Water Bottle Holder
* Obviously, PRICE!
CONS:
* Uncomfortable saddle – I ended up replacing mine with the saddle from my road bike, which is much less bulky.
* No digital screen to see resistance, cadence, or speed. If you’re using this with the Peloton app, they will tell you what resistance and cadence you should be at throughout the ride. As mentioned above, I was able to add a cadence and speed sensor to monitor this. However, you will have to base the resistance off what you think feels right (I go off my heart rate which is why I would recommend an HR monitor).
* If you are looking for the full Peloton experience, the main thing that you will not be able to supplement is the live classes with leaderboards and social aspects. For me, this was not a deal breaker and I didn’t feel like I necessarily needed that to keep me motivated. However, you still have access to live classes on the peloton app for those without the peloton bike, you just aren’t in competition or socialized with others.
All in all, I am very happy with my purchase. I would highly recommend this bike (with the additional items mentioned) to anyone that is looking for the Peloton experience without the Peloton price, or just anyone looking for a solid spin bike.
PROS:
-easy to assemble
-small footprint, good for small places
-easy maintenance so far
-made of decently sturdy materials
-quiet when operating
-great price
CONS:
-not the most stable spin bike I’ve ever used. I am about 200lbs and when I first used the bike I noticed some swaying on the down stroke of the pedal. As I got more experienced and worked on my posture, this got better
-some clicking randomly (there are YouTube videos and other amazon reviews that mention how to fix this)
-very basic features: knob does not show you “resistance levels”, no built in tablet holder, handle bars only adjust vertically, felt resistance pad will need to be replaced eventually
Some upgrades I recommend:
-gel seat cover
– tablet holder and a tablet (or you could cast apps onto your tv if you have an Apple TV/Rocky)
-SPD pedals and spin shoes (I bought the Tiem spin shoes and love them so far)
-Wahoo cadence sensor
-small mat to protect floor
-light hand weights if the classes you take call for them
If you’ve made it this far in the review, you may be wondering, would I buy it again and would I recommend it? Now that I have caught the “cycle bug”, I am already thinking of what bike I might like to buy as an upgrade. I do recommend this one if you are on a budget or you don’t plan to use it all the time. If you are an experienced spinner, you might want to pay a bit more for magnetic resistance and more features. Overall, I enjoy this and use it almost every day.
Update after month 4:
Magically immediately after I got fed up enough to post the last update, it’s beautifully silent. I am almost hesitant to say so, lest it suddenly start with the noise again. Today I installed new Shimano clip in pedals.
Update after 3 months/50 rides:
The ticking noise persists, but not constantly. But it is SUPER annoying when it does it. I contacted customer support and I basically have to take the bike apart one piece at a time to try to find the source of the noise for them. I was not successful at this because 1) it doesn’t consistently make the noise, so naturally it’s not going to do it when I am trying to find the source and 2) I wasn’t comfortable removing the belt, as I was afraid I’d end up causing more significant problems if I didn’t get it off and back on right. I plan to celebrate 100 rides by selling this bike for very cheap and buying the $1000 bike I should have bought in the first place. IF you don’t mind undiagnosed noises, the bike is perfectly functional and rides smooth.
Original Review:
We have had the bike for just over a week, and I have taken it for 4-5 rides using the Peloton app for classes. Here are my thoughts:
– It’s heavy and took two of us to get it to the basement, but from there the assembly was pretty easy and took maybe 15 minutes
-It doesn’t look as sleek as the $1200 bikes that the fitness equipment store carries, but it still looks nice overall, and seems to be sturdy. The only adjustment those bikes make that this one does not is moving the handlebars back and forth.
-It also is not as whisper quiet as the pricier bikes at the fitness equipment store, though it’s still plenty quiet and I don’t hear it over my headphones *except* for noticing a ticking noise that it makes when I pedal…I am hoping this is not the preamble to the banging others have mentioned. If it never gets any worse, it’s not a bother at all – not enough to try to fool with diagnosing and attempting to fix.
-Overall, no, the bike is not as nice as the 3x as expensive bikes that I tried at the fitness equipment store. But it is probably 75-80% of the way there, which is plenty good for less than half the price and a seemingly solid piece of equipment.
Totally happy that I decided to go this route instead of springing for a Peloton.
Additional accessories purchased: phone mount, tablet mount, cadence monitor, heart rate monitor. Considering a seat cover, but waiting to see how my bum adjusts first.
*** Update *** After a lackluster response from Sunny fitness I figured out how to replace the crank bearings on one of their spin cycles. The bearing in the right side went suddenly and there was a large clunk every time my right pedal went through the 4 o’clock position. Here is my guide. Also, there is a youtube video of this on an older recumbent generic cycle which is essentially true for the Sunny model I have. If you don’t know how to use a crank puller or a pair of spring clamp pliers you may want to turn this job over to someone else. Also, as a disclaimer, all of these steps are at-your-own-risk. Your spin bike may vary.
Replacing crank axles bearing on a spin cycle: 1) Remove the plastic belt covering with 2 different size screwdrivers. Two of the three plastic pieces come off. 2) Loosen the 49 lb. flywheel tensioner nuts and the main big nuts to slide the flywheel back enough to walk off the pulley and move out of the way. 3) Use your crank puller to pull the cranks, after removing the large internal nuts. There was some crud on one side of my crank so clean the threads out with an old toothbrush and/or air can because the crank puller threads are close together and you need a good fit. Then you turn in the center of your crank puller to push off the cranks from the axle. 4) There is a spring clamp on the left side. Use spring clamp pliers to open and remove from axle groove. 5) The axle should now slide out from the pulley side (leaving the pulley attached to the axle). Mine didn’t! The black paint on the axle had worn off and formed a gunk holding tight to the large bearings. I had to lay my bike on the right side, put some 3-in-1 oil on the bearing/axle connection and let sit for a few hours. Then I put the left crank back onto the square axle and put a piece of hardwood on the crank arm, and actually had to use a sledge hammer to knock out the axle. I’m sure it’s possible to damage the axle doing this. Luckily I didn’t. There is a spring clamp on the other side and a spring steel offset washer sitting on the inside of that. You can leave those alone for reinsertion. Now you have a bike with only two bearings in the crank area. 6) Order replacement bearings. My bearings were 6004Z bearings measuring 20x42x12 mm and I ordered a set from Amazon. This is also a good opportunity to replace your belt. Mine is 5PK1320 and Amazon had a replacement by Bando. The bearing brand I used was PGN and were 6004ZZ. 7) Knock out the old bearings. I used a large screwdriver reaching through one to reach the other. Keep the screwdriver off the bike frame if possible. Also, a large dowel would probably work also, working around the bearing to loosen on all sides to remove. I finished destroying my bearings with the extraction. 8) Wipe out the frame and insert new bearings with a rubber mallet and/or piece of wood combination to not damage new bearings. I placed a small amount of bicycle grease on the inside of the new bearings. Probably not necessary. 8) Reinsert axle from the right and push and hold while putting the spring clamp back on. The tolerances are tight. Make sure your bearings are all the way in and compress the spring washer to make sure you get the spring clamp back in the groove. 9) Reinstall cranks. I used a block of wood to knock them on and I tightened the nuts pretty hard. 10) Clean the grooves of the pulley and flywheel with an old toothbrush to get rid of belt debris. Walk on a new pulley. You’ll have to finish taking off the tensioner nuts and slide the flywheel out enough to take off the old pulley and put on new. I actually had to remove brake pad assembly bolts to have enough room. Tighten the pulley by reinstalling tensioner nuts and tighten forward, spin it to make sure you are centered, and tighten outer flywheel nuts. I may have tightened this too much, but my belt was new enough that I needed to get it far enough forward off the brake pad. 11) Reinstall plastic guards. Test ride.
The bike was very well packed and I assembled it without any problems in an afternoon. I could have done it quicker, but I’m picky about my bike and setup. Using a tape measure, I was able to replicate my road bike positioning fairly closely. Unfortunately the handle bars only go up and down. The adjustments for the handle bar height, seat height and seat forward and backwards are coarse at about 1.2 inches; however, the bikes I used at the gym have similar coarse adjustments. I was still able to dial in a comfortable position. I found the Rat Trap toe clip unusable and removed them.
I love how smooth this bike is. I can dial up the tension and simulate riding out of the saddle. It feels good and makes you want to use it more. Unfortunately, the design of the tension mechanism doesn’t produce a linear / progressive tension. I don’t know if it is just my bike but it is higher tension in one position and less in another. Having said that, I can still dial in the tension I want. You just have to move it around a bit. I’ve read about the “hard” seat and was going to order a seat with the bike. I’m glad I didn’t because I found the seat to be quite usable and it has a bit of give.
Overall the bike is competent and usable. It is a fraction of the cost of a “high end” road bike. I can use this to train off season and hopefully be in decent shape when the season starts again. I would rate this 4.5 stars for value if I could, knocking off .5 stars for the tension adjustment.
The bike seems well made, but there are issues as many people have mentioned. I have a few adjustments and fixes you might try if you have similar issues.
The Adjustments/Fixes:
Folks have complained that seat seems too far from the handlebars, even when the seat is in its maximum forward position. My wife is 5′ 2″ and it was quite a stretch for her. Even though I am 5′ 10″, I noticed this too. It felt like I was stretching out and placing too much weight on my wrists. I found three ways to improve this, two of which were simple. First, the seat itself has two steel bars that run through a set of clamps at the seat post. When my bike came from the factory, the seat was positioned as far back as those bars would slide within the clamp. I simply loosened the clamps and slid it forward. That got me 1.25″ closer to the bars (see photo). Second, the seat clamp was assembled such that the seat post was in front of the clamp. I removed the clamp, rotated it 180 degrees so that the set post was behind the clamp then reattached it. This moved the seat forward an additional 1.25″ (see photo). Third, the harder fix. The maximum forward setting on the seat adjustment still left quite a bit of square steel tubing to work with. When I pulled the tube out, I saw that there was a predrilled hole approximately every 1.25″. The last of these holes was 4″ from the end of the steel tube. I drilled an additional hole 11/32″ hole 1.25″ away from the last factory hole. (see photo) I cleaned up the edges to make it smooth and gained another 1.25″. Combined, these modifications allow the seat to be 3.75″ closer to the bars. While that doesn’t sound like much, it makes a huge difference.
There are many questions and comments about the seat height and inseam measurement. The actual lowest seat height is much higher than the 28″ shown on the product images or the 29″ listed in the description. The actual measured distance from the top of the seat in its lowest position to the top of a pedal in the lowest position was 31.25″ (see photo). This is not an issue for me, but my wife is petite with an inseam of 28″, so she had to stretch her legs, point her toes and even rock her hips to reach. There were three things I found to help here. First, the seat post clamp places the two steel bars built into the seat above the clamp bolt. I loosened the clamp enough to remove the steel bars, flipped the clamps over, then reinserted the bars. This placed the bars below the clamp bolt, lowering the seat 1.3″ (see photo). Next, there was a space between the bottom of the seat clamp and the bend in the seat post (see photo). There were two ways to lower the seat clamp down to the point where it touched the bend on the post, cut the post or bend a small tab on the top of the seat clamp which rested on top of the post. I chose to cut the post, lowering the seat an additional 0.5″. Finally, the seat adjustment slider had a minimum setting that left about 3″ of space between the two knobs that control vertical and horizontal seat adjustments. If I allowed the vertical slider to go below the last factory setting, it only gave me 0.8″ before the bottom of the slider internally impacted the diagonal frame at the base (see photo). The solution was to pull the vertical slider out and mark a line 1.25″ above the bottom front. From there I made a 45 degree cut down to the bottom edge. This allows the slider to drop further before impacting the diagonal frame member. I then measured from the top factory adjustment hole up 1.2″ and drilled another 11/32″ hole. This allows me to lock the seat height in at a position lower than the lowest factory setting. All combined, I removed 3″ from the minimum height so it really is 28.25″ now.
The Add-Ons:
Shimano ME3 Mountain Bike Shoes – $90 at a local outdoors retailer – These shoes are very comfortable with velcro and click adjust clamps. The SPD cleats mount in a recess within the soles so you can walk in them. I tried ordering shoes from Amazon, but it just didn’t work out. I got frustrated with the time required to order, ship, try on and return. I normally wear a US 10.5E (wide) athletic shoe and a size 46EU in these shoes fits perfectly.
Shimano PD-M324 Pedals – $56 on Amazon (http://a.co/d/dRcj5Pl) – These are dual use pedals with SPD clamps on one side and steel perimeter platforms made for street shoes on the other. Now I can clip in for my rides while any guests in my home can ride my bike without needing a pair of SPD shoes.
Wahoo RPM Cadence Sensor – $40 on Amazon (http://a.co/d/hxTsDuI) – Necessary to keep up with the Peloton lessons.
Supermats 30″ x 60″ Floor Mat – $30 on Amazon (http://a.co/d/0moPAR7) – Just in case I am sweating like crazy.
Domain Cycling Expanding Tablet Mount – $20 on Amazon (http://a.co/d/20t7PY4) – The clamp that attaches to the handlebar is great and the spring loaded arms work well, but the pivot point between them is loose and sloppy allowing my iPad Air2 to wobble a bit. Luckily this is a stationary bike, so there isn’t much jostling.
visnfa Bike Phone Mount – $14 on Amazon (http://a.co/d/68ABjsP) – This thing is rock solid with not wobbling. It is easy to get my iPhone 6, in its case, in or out of the holder and the mounting clamp fits the thick handlebar perfectly. Note that my phone has a relatively thin case. If you have a thick phone case like an Otterbox, this mount may not work for you.
Zacro Gel Seat Cover BS031 – $10 on Amazon (http://a.co/d/34VvFLi) – This thing is like heaven compared to the stiffness of the factory seat. Get one.
Nextour Mountain Bike Cycling Gloves – $10 on Amazon (http://a.co/d/ag4rXYA) – These prevent my hands from being sore from the hard and abrasive surface of the handlebars.
Peloton iOS app – $20 a month subscription – You can attend live or recorded classes for various skill levels from beginner to expert. Most of the instructors do a great job of guiding you through the class, telling you the cadence and resistance as you go and motivating you along the way. You will get a good workout. The app also offers classes for running, bootcamp, outdoors, strength, stretching yoga and cardio, so you can definitely get your money worth if you want.
***
I seriously LOVE this bike – great purchase, and amazing quality. I didn’t expect it to be nearly as nice.
A couple of months ago, I went to my spin class at the gym, only to find that it had been cancelled at the last minute. I have a hard time making my schedule work to get to class, so I was pretty disappointed. But I don’t like to ride outside in the cold (I’m seriously a wuss), so, rather than leave, I pulled up a spin class on YouTube. I got lucky and randomly landed on Paul Ryman’s 40 minute class on Global Cycling Network – this class is actually 45 minutes long, and is the best video I’ve found so far, so if you’re looking for a good video, that’s a great one. Anyway, I hopped on the bike at the gym and did the YouTube class, which then got me thinking. If I had a spin bike, I wouldn’t have to constantly try to work my schedule around the gym schedule, and I wouldn’t be stuck riding my road bike outside in the winter cold. So I started researching.
I wanted a belt driven bike, and something that would not be a source of constant disappointment. I liked the idea of the Peloton bike, but I already have a TV on the wall where I work out, and thought maybe the screen might be annoying. I also didn’t want to pay that much for a bike.
I read tons of reviews on as many belt driven bikes I could find, and liked the idea of the 49 pound fly wheel. After making my purchase, I can say that the weight of the flywheel is a major point in favor of this bike. The weight makes a fantastic ride – I can really control the resistance well, and there’s just something about it that makes the ride super smooth. The construction of the bike itself is also fantastic. I don’t even want to say “for the price,” because I feel that is a completely unnecessary qualifier here. The frame is steel, and I don’t have any wobbling or loose bolts. It’s easy to put together and move around once it’s ready. It’s a great size – my workout room is a small den, and the bike doesn’t take up much room at all.
Long story short, I really, really love this bike! I could swear it’s better quality than the ones at my gym – maybe they’re just worn out, and I know they don’t do maintenance on them like they should. BUT – the Sunny bike is SO smooth, and being belt driven, it’s quiet. My husband tells me he can’t tell when I’m spinning in the next room over. There’s a little bit of a woosh noise from the resistance pad (which is leather, btw), but short of buying a magnetic resistance bike and shelling out A LOT more money, this is the very best choice I could have made.
I haven’t had any of the banging issues that other people have noted.
I’ve had the bike now for a week, and I’ve used it every day. It has already made my life better! I spin in the morning before work, and have tons of energy all day. I can’t wait to go on my next actual road ride, because I can tell my fitness has already improved.
A couple of things to note about fitting this bike. I’m a 5’2″ 134 pound woman. My inseam is borderline for this bike as is listed in the product description – barely 29 inches. After I clicked the Buy button, I really worried about what I would do if my legs weren’t long enough. But after getting it all set up, I probably have about an inch to spare. The seat moves forward and back as well as up and down, which is, of course, integral to avoiding knee injury. The handlebars adjust in height, but don’t adjust forward and back, which I knew from reading other reviews prior to purchase. It is a slight bit longer of a reach than I would prefer, but it’s completely dealable and not really an issue. The seat is not as uncomfortable as I expected, but one of the reasons I chose this bike over some of the others is because I was able to swap out the stock seat for my favorite seat. Some other spin bikes don’t give you that ability. I also changed out the pedals for SPD’s. The pedals that come with the bike are fine, though, if you’re used to using cages (straps) or want to ride flat foot. The cranks do seem a slight bit wider than I’m used to, but so far I’m not experiencing any pain or issues.
All in all – this bike is a great buy. Sturdy, smooth, easy to assemble – and the price is unreal. Super stoked that I made this purchase!
I’ve been riding the bike for a couple weeks now and honestly can say this is going to rank high in my “best decisions ever made” category of purchases. The bike was delivered in a fairly compact box for what I knew was in there and it actually arrived early (which ended up being the worst part of the whole set up process…I’ll discuss that below). Once I hefted this sucker up three flights of stairs and into my apartment, I let the box sit for a couple days…scared of what I would find in there. Finally, with a glass of wine for courage I opened it to find what was essentially 3 main pieces, a little tool and extra hardware set, and some instructions.
SET-UP: I am somewhat of a home-building ninja. I love putting IKEA furniture together and do it well so use that as a gauge but I’ll say the instructions were clear and easy to follow. Something not mentioned in the instructions is that a lot of the hardware you need is actually already on the main piece of the bike so what they send in the little pack is extra. All tools you need are provided with the bike. The main pieces are heavy so if you haven’t been to the weight room in awhile, have a second person on hand to help set things up. I’m a 5’7″ lady with some muscles and I set this up completely by myself fairly easily.
BIKE and RIDE: This feels to me to be a pretty standard spinning bike. The flywheel is beautifully smooth and was from the minute I got on it. The seat is adjustable forward toward the handlebars and heighwise so I didn’t have too much trouble getting the adjustment right for a comfy ride. The handlebars are minimally padded but also easy to adjust heightwise. The resistance knob is a small quibble…it’s not uniform resistance so you turn, turn, turn…nothing…and then on the fourth turn, everything. This is more a matter of practicing and getting to know the bike. Since there’s no measure of resistance, it’s hard to know where you’re at…but feel your way and you’re all good. Pedals are clipless but really spiky and with an adjustable toe cage so I feel like my shoes are sturdy in there…these can easily be switched out for clips if you want. Many people have complained about the seat…this seat to me is pretty standard and what you would find on any flywheel or soulcycle bike…don’t order a gel seat unless you know you need it or until you try out the one that comes with it.
The ride is wonderful for me. I’m pushing toward the weight limit for the bike (hence buying the bike) and I can stand, sit, and really pump in a standing position and it feels completely sturdy beneath me. I was worried about the pedals feeling rickety when under my weight but they don’t at all.
Do make sure to put a mat under this bad boy as it’ll really scratch a bare floor (unless it’s concrete, I guess…that always wins). It does have little feet on the bottom of the bike so a mat even on carpet could help to not have permanent feet marks forever etched in your carpet. Little roller wheels are mounted on the front of the bike for easy moving…despite it’s weight, it’s so easy to move, you could plan to move it almost effortlessly for every workout if you needed to…
NOISE: One of my biggest concerns was noise because I live in an apartment with a jumpy neighbor below who gets annoyed at my *walking* sometimes…this thing is incredibly quiet. Even 110+ cadences are very very quiet…no squeaking or whining.
My one complaint in all of this is with Fedex and has nothing to do with the bike. Because shipping was a day early, it got to my building when I was not at home. I had asked to require a signature so the delivery dude could help me carry the box up my stairs but they delivered anyway without a signature. So I actually hauled this thing up 3 flights of stairs by myself. The shipping box weighed 126 lbs. I’d NOT recommend doing that. You’re gonna need someone to help you although if you’ve got an elevator and/or carpet, you can push the box fairly easily.
I’m hoping this piece of equipment stands the test of time but my initial experience so far has been nothing short of outstanding.
Early i know, just got it Thursday and assembled it today. Box in good shape. Though the delivery (I wasn’t home so don’t know) must have banged something- it had ZERO effect on the bike. They packaged it very well. There are disposable protective metal supports lightly bolted where the stabilizing bars and wheels are to go and they did their job well. A dent on the side of the dummy bar, and grateful the company had packed it with them. There were wooden protectors wrapped in foam, wedge supports in the angles to protect them and the entire thing was wrapped all over in foam and wedged into Styrofoam. It was well wrapped and yet easy to remove. The bike came mostly assembled and all I had to do was bolt on the stabilizing bars, the pedals and put the seat and handlebars on. Took maybe 30-45 minutes at most. It came with open end wrench, a spanner and screwdriver and Allen wrench. The tools and the 6 bolts and washers needed were packed better than any I’ve ever dealt with. They were softly carded together, numbered, and the cardboard was perforated as well near each item. BUT the plastic cover was so light to get off, I just peeled it back as I needed the part having NO muss, no fuss, no lost parts rolling around and no struggle to get to them. The instructions were clear and the numbers were there to correspond to the part. With pictures. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten such a well thought out partial assembly ever. We both tried out the bike and we both love it. It is so far (first day) smooth, comfortable. The seat is fine as I do know how to adjust them for comfort (sometimes a slight downward tilt makes it all good) Even my husband loves it and he’s not an exerciser but at 75 yrs old (I’m 63) and seeing me ride my bike, work out and use the tread-climber he’s finally getting interested. It’s only been over 45 years lol. He hauled it up 13 steps BTW it was too big for the dolly and he didn’t wait for me to come out and help using a makeshift ramp out a board. Still can’t believe how easy it was to put together and how well done the packaging and instructions were. We hope to get a few years out of it at least. Here it’s over 100 in the summer and tourists make riding a bit riskier in the summer and seems to rain every weekend in the winter or too much ice (N.Calif) and my job is not compatible with racing around the lake to try to get to the spinning class during the week, making my bike training hard to keep up with, with only a weekend available. This is why we got it so at least on too hot, too wet, or week days I can keep it up. Though I’ve ridding at 109 degrees F fine when in shape, our location is not ride-able due to roads and traffic and requires a trip to the safe riding areas with hills to climb which I love to do. This is the perfect answer to those barriers and needs. I bought a phone/tablet holder in case someone wants to distract themselves with it and also a Cateye speedometer and odometer because I HAVE to measure…and maintain or improve. Too easy to backside without a way to monitor. Most bikes do not have them except the most costly and the cheapest…(go figure) so I added my own. I’d rather pay for the bike than “stuff” I can get cheaper and just as good.
What we had to sacrifice:
Interaction – One very cool thing about Pelaton is the live classes. If you are a competitive person, or if you gain encouragement in knowing that someone else is also sweating their butt off with you right now, then this is a valuable feature. Their bike comes with a screen (you can only use it for Pelaton – it’s not like a tablet or iPad that you can use for other apps or web browsing). During the live classes, you can see how you are doing in comparison to others in the class. It’s like social media exercising. That’s very cool, but for us, it’s definitely not worth the added expense.
Weight holders – If you do arm exercises while you work out (some instructors include arms), the Pelaton bike has bars that hold your weights. Sunny does not. To us, it’s not worth the extra cost.
Resistance % monitoring – this is the one Pelaton feature that we really feel like we are missing out on. The Pelaton instructors will tell you to turn your resistance to a percentage (i.e., 35-45%). On the next “hill” they’ll say, increase it by one or two. Their bikes have a concise digitally gauged resistance control, whereas the Sunny bike has a knob and you have to guess what 35% is – what 50% is. We get a little frustrated about this because we don’t know how to gauge where our resistance levels are. I do, however, believe that over time, we will have a reasonable idea of feeling the resistance. Over all, we know what our abilities are and we know what 35% effort feels compared to 50% effort and are gauging it that way. Plus our heart rates help us to monitor if we are putting in enough or too much effort and we adjust as needed. But still, it would be nice to see how we are doing compared to what the instructor is telling us to do. (Kind of like doing Rx in Crossfit – it feels good when you’re know your strength is up to par.)
Here’s our garage setup:
Two bikes
Two gel seat covers – we are new spinners & our bottoms aren’t used to a bike seat! The gel makes it bearable as we build resistance.
Phone mount on the handle bars / we use the Wahoo Run app on our personal phones to watch our cadence, heart rate, calories & other data; purchased phone mounts to hold them secure onto the handle bar
A wall-mounted TV – We watch Pelaton classes on the TV v/s an ipad strapped to the handlebar. It helps us keep our heads up as we spin (good posture)
An Apple TV and old iPod / we use the Pelaton app ($15/month subscription) and mirror from the iPod to the TV with the Apple TV.
8’x10′ area of interlocking puzzle floor mats (looks fantastic & prevents sweat stains from spotting up the garage floor)
Our cost for a two-bike set up:
$336 – Sunny B1002 Bike (they are $50 cheaper now than when we purchased)
$336 – Sunny B1002 Bike
$40 – Wahoo RPM Cadence Sensor
$40 – Wahoo RPM Cadence Sensor
$15 – Taotronics Bike Phone Mount
$15 – Taotronics Bike Phone Mount
$80 – Wahoo Tickr X heart rate monitor (you’ll love this for other workout programs too)
$80 – Wahoo Tickr X heart rate monitor
$14 – UShake Gel Saddle Seat Cover
$14 – UShake Gel Saddle Seat Cover
$966 TOTAL for TWO BIKES & GEAR ($483 for only one bike & gear)
Extra stuff you may need:
$140 – Apple TV (we already had one)
$170 – 32″ Smart TV (we already had one)
$200 – iPod touch (we already had one)
$89 – ProSource Puzzle Interlocking Exercise Mats (enough for 8’x10′ area)
$13 – VideoSecu TV Wall Mount
$11 – Right-angle HDMI Cable (our wall mount was tight aganst the wall and we had to replace the HDMI cable to a flatter system)
$623 FOR EVERYTHING YOU MAY POSSIBLY NEED TO SET UP
$15/month for Pelaton app spin subscription. We love OnDemand and have thousands of classes to choose from. 🙂
If you are starting from scratch and had to purchase every single thing you need for setting up a spin studio in your garage, you’re looking at spending $1589 for two bikes or $1106 for one bike, but the cool thing is that you can use the other items (iPod, Apple TV & Smart TV) for so many other purposes too. One Pelaton bike costs $2400 and can be used only for a Pelaton spin class (that subscription is $40/month).
If you have money to spare, I’d say go for the Pelaton, just because it’s so nice to know where you are with resistance. But if money is a factor, I think you’d be super happy with a setup similar to ours. They are rock solid bikes, extremely easy to assemble (the people who wrote the assembly instructions should receive an award – they were so clear, accurate & thorough) and we just love them.
I am giving this bike five stars after assembling it and using it for less than a week. I’ll come back and revise this review if I have further experiences/thoughts that may be helpful to others. The five star review is based on value for money. I bought this bike to use with the Peloton App. I have had the bike assembled for three days and have done four rides so far. I am really enjoying it and feel more motivated to work out than I have in a long while. I am definitely sore and you will be too if you haven’t cycled in a while. There will be a temptation to blame the bike but you would be sore even with a more expensive spin bike, trust me.
Here are my initial thoughts:
Assembly – My husband has some experience with bikes and was able to put this bike together in 20 minutes. I think on my own it would have taken maybe another 20 minutes but I am pretty bad with tools. Overall it was very easy to put together and Sunny includes all the tools you need which is very nice.
Quality – The bike is much nicer than I expected. It looks and feels sturdy when you ride it. It pedals very smoothly, again, much more smoothly than I expected and on par with spin bikes I’ve ridden at the gym.
Adjustability — This is where the bike fails a little – the seat goes up and down and forward and back. That is nice but the holes are pretty far apart and would probably not fit someone very tall or very short. (Note that one nice feature is that you can adjust how the seat is tilted too, when first assembled ours was pitching me forward but I adjusted it to be more level and now it is fine). The handlebars go up and down but again the holes are pretty far apart. I also don’t think the handlebars go high enough. They are fine for me at 5’6″, but they will be very low for my husband who is 6’2″.
Data — This is a no frills bike. You will not be able to do any at-home spin classes without adding a cadence sensor. I would recommend ordering either a spin computer or the Wahoo speed and cadence sensors. I went with the Wahoo cadence sensor (attached to the crank) to start with which displays on my phone. After a few rides I quickly decided I also need to know my distance and heart rate so I have also ordered the Wahoo speed sensor and the HR monitor. All of this costs around $120. You can also get a stand alone spin computer. For me I thought I’d prefer to track my work outs using my phone.
Other accessories – You will likely want to get a mat for the bike. I also ordered an iPad holder and phone holder as well as a gel seat. I ordered Shimano spin shoes and I got clipless pedals. The shoes and pedals are kind of a luxury item compared to other accessories, but I definitely feel a difference in my effectiveness in the clipless . I ordered the wrong pedals for the shoes at first, – I ordered mountain bike shoes and road cycle pedals. Do a little research, my recommendation is to buy SPD moutain bike type shoes and compatible SPD pedals as I understand that mountain bike pedals are common at spin studios in general, so you could possibly also use them if you ever were taking a class out of the house. In any case, know that there is a difference between the cleat system between mountain bike type and road bike type pedals and shoes.
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Initially I had looked at buying the Peloton bike because of their really great app but ultimately decided it was not worth the investment considering spinning was completely new to me. My intention was to use this bike in conjunction with the Peloton app ($12/mo). So far I am very satisfied with my purchase.
Delivery – I paid just under $300 for the bike which included shipping. Which is really unbelievable in and of itself. I’m not sure how the UPS guy even got it up the stairs to our landing because the box weighed over 120 pounds. This bike is *very* sturdy. My first concern was that for $300 you would get a rickety piece of garbage. Not the case. Peloton charges $250 just for shipping.
Assembly – honestly, the actual assembly part took about ten minutes. But it took 10 minutes to get the box into the basement, 15 minutes to unpack the box and unwrap all the parts and another 5 to sort of gather everything together. There are very few actual pieces, like I said, the bike is very sturdy when put together.
“Add ons” / changes – I made a few minor additions to the bike to improve the use.
1 – Added a pair of Shimano SPD pedals ($35). These are fantastic pedals, I *highly* recommend them and they work great on this bike. Took only a few minutes to swap out. So far zero issues with the pedals. Please not if you have never used clip-in pedals before, you will need bike shoes with SPD cleats on them to use.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ZMDK5C
2 – Simple ipad holder for the handlebars ($20). I have a beat up, cracked-up old ipad4 that I planned to use on the bike and this clip works perfectly.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D5YTO5K
3 – Bike mat ($30) – perfect size, seems to work great so far. Its a mat, nothing fancy.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001THTUAO
4 – Wireless computer from spinning.com ($65) – I tried two of the Cateye models and just did not like how small they were and one I could not get to work with the spin bike. The spinning.com computers are made to work with their brand spin bikes but seems to work great with this model. Look I am not an engineer, I’m not going to guarantee that these are insanely accurate and are really only made for their brand bikes – but its worked fine so far. I was most interested in something that was wireless, would display time/cadence at the same time and that was easy to read.
So I spent $150 or so on other options and am completely happy right now with my setup.
***Notes on use with the Peloton app*** – As I said, I bought this bike specifically to use with the Peloton app. I am very impressed with the app so far. They have dozens of live classes every day or thousands of on demand ones. The app has a pretty simple filter that allows you to search/sort by class type, time, instructor etc. I wish there were a couple of minor tweaks – like letting you save your favorite rides into some kind of favorites menu – but so far I am very happy. The ipad version of the app is $12/month whereas if you have the Peleton bike they charge you $40/month. Even at that price, IMO, its worth it since I have been using it every day. Spin studios in the DC area can run upwards of $175-200/month for unlimited rides.
***Notes on FIXES or things that might break*** – As has been noted in other reviews there seem to be a couple of quality control issues, both of which I ran into.
1 – Squeaky resistance pad – Definitely happened to me over the first week. I used it every day and it seemed to get worse. I bought a $7 can of liquid graphite spray off Amazon and I gave it a few shots, it cleared right up. I could see just giving it a shot every couple weeks. Nothing major here, very easy fix.
2 – That BANGING or knocking on every peddle stroke. – If you’ve had it, you know what I’m talking about. It sounds like the bike is broken and goes BANG BANG BANG on each peddle stroke. I emailed the company and they sent me a PDF with pictures about making some adjustments to the belt with the two adjustment screws on the front. I spent @ 20 minutes screwing around with it and eventually it did stop. It was a pain in the neck and very annoying to have to deal with but it did finally stop.
– Take the belt cover off – screws on the two sides and bottom
– take the big side nuts off from the fork
– adjust the screws I circled in yellow. Experimentation and patience required!
Look, this bike cost $300 shipped. For that price, I had a reasonable expectation that the bike would not be perfect and would probably need some adjustments. If I wanted to buy the $2000 bike with $250 shipping charge, I would certainly have expected a higher level of quality. But for the cost I am very happy with my purchase.
Classic (3 times the cost). Went with the Sunny obviously. I have had it right at a month and do a 50 minute spin class off Utube (Fuel My Fire from Real Fit TV). This is a typical good spin class that will get you going. I ride 6 times a week. The machine has been all I could hope for so far. Belt drive and big heavy fly wheel are quiet and smooth. I have been riding bikes for 61 years and the seat is as comfortable as you can hope for, shut up about the seat. The tension adjustment is fine, shut up about it. I ride in the garage and move it each time I ride, sometimes it creaks and pops as I ride as a result of not being 100% level but the machine is solid. No spin bike will coast, shut up about it and spin like you are supposed to. Bottom line, this is a good buy. You get out of it what you put into it. It is heavy and awkward in the shipping box, have a two wheeler from Harbor Freight handy and it is no problem. It is easy to put together for even a dimwit. So I figure half the population will struggle. Good luck and Cheers.
Update 9/23/15,
For those that read and understand reviews. A little more than 2 months in and the good news is that my gut is gone and my butt and legs are like steel. Have been using the Utube video “Fuel Your Fire” on Real Fit TV. I work hard for the 50 minutes 6 times a week and finish soaked with sweat. The results are there if you are willing to work. I am 66 years old.
As far as the bike, it has been the tool that has helped me get in shape. It recently developed a squeak/screech that has become intolerable, the bike was still functioning great but no fun riding to that noise. I tore the bike down to the bottom bracket trying to find the source of the noise. The keeper ring was a chore to remove, didn’t have correct tool. Ruined one of the sealed bearings in the bottom bracket getting it apart. No problem as I figured it was the cheap Chinese bearing causing the racket. They assembled my bike dry, no grease used to set the bearings or on the crank axle. Not sure if it was the cheap bearings or if the dry assembly that was squeaking. I put 2 new higher quality bearings in and assembled using plenty of high quality lithium grease ($35 pair of bearings). Seems to have done the trick. Seems it would be an easy fix for Sunny Health to use higher quality bearings and bump the price than have unsatisfied customers and bikes with a short usable life. Most won’t have the ability to change out the bearings so don’t know what to tell you on buying the bike. It’s a great form of exercise.
REVIEW UPDATE – after four months use (approx. 100 hours/2500 odometer Kilometers). The five star rating remains unchanged.
Details on bike computer installation:
Most bike computers are based on a clock, micro-switch to sense magnet attached wheel & or pedal crank, and memory of a manually input wheel circumference) with statistics reported calculated from these three elements, As I wished to have continuous display of speed and and pedal rpm as well their session averages I chose to use two separate single sensor computers. Wheel circumference setting input to yield speed was the measured flywheel circumference, 1460 mm (57.5 inches) about the same as for a 409 bike tire size. Wheel circumference setting on input to yield pedal revolutions was 167 mm (correct conversion factor is actually 1667 mm, but because of specific input limits of computer used, the lower amount was used. Resulting “speed” mode display is 1/10 or actual crank revolutions per minute, with two displayed digits after the decimal point (for example, 100 RPM is displayed as speed of 10.00).
The actual computers selected were Sunding model SD 558A because of display size and price (actually paid less than $5 for both, but currently available on internet for about $12 a piece). Their sensors are wired. Virtually any available bike computer could be substituted, but specific mounting and setting procedures might be required.
The computers with their display screens mount on the center of the handlebar using the supplied mounts and zip ties. Because of the cycle frame configuration, sensor mounts required fabricated shims and longer 11 inch zip ties (the originally used tape eventually lost its grip).
The shim for the RPM sensor is approximately 1/4 ” X 4 1/2″ x 2″ with 2 drilled holes in one end to secure the sensor to the shim with supplied zip ties, and two 11″ zip ties around the upper belt guard and shim secured it in place . 3 11″ zip ties secured the sensor wire to the frame between the sensor and its display head. I replaced the supplied wheel magnet with a .75″ round ceramic magnet attached with only its own force to the right pedal crank arm at the inside of the pedal.
The shim for the speed sensor is approximately 1 3/8″ X 5/8″ X 4″ 2 holes drilled in one of the 1 3/8″ sides to secure 11″ zip ties to the left front bike fork and 2 holes opposite them to secure the sensor with two supplied zip ties. An additional 2 11″ zip ties secured the speed sensor wires to the bike frame between the sensor and its display head. I replaced the supplied wheel magnet with a .75″ round ceramic magnet attached with only its own attraction to the flywheel, just below its rim.
The resistance device works well, with proportionate increases in resistance with knob turns, no noise or vibration and no odor.
I did spray the resistance pad with silicone lubricant before use and again after about two months use when a minor vibration had developed, I assume this will be a normal maintenance requirement, a two second burden I can live with.
I contacted Sunny Sports and Fitness at their customer service web address to determine where cycle model specific parts could be obtained. A response arrived the same day that they could supply my needs (a resistance pad assembly and seat tube sleeve plastic sleeve). cost incl. postage was $12.50, which I consider a bargain.
The water bottle holder presented two problems to me. In its original position, my right knee would occasionally bump the holder as I performed jumps (I am not yet as smooth at these as I should be). Relocating the holder to the front of the fork frame and reattaching with 2 11″ zip ties solved this issue. The 28 oz. water bottle I use did not slide into the holder easily. Slight bending of the top of the holder front and rear wires improved the bottle fit.
I consider myself a casual bike rider and I’ve never been to a spin class. In fact, I had never even heard the term “spin bike” before. My background in bikes is with mountain bikes and the last bike I had was about 6 years ago. I’m really a runner so I load up some hard-core-testosterone metal on my music player and run/walk about 2 miles in the wee morning hours. I’ve been contemplating on a stationary bike or treadmill for some time now and I finally decided to go ahead and get something. I plan to alternate this with my morning runs and have an alternative low-impact workout. I hate having to deal with bad weather or dogs or nosy people. So having this bike can give me some power over my workouts and will let me stay away from gyms, which I utterly loathe. I usually get distracted and it takes away from my workout. And I don’t have to pay a gym membership to use the aerobic equipment. Also, I don’t have to deal with dishonest gym owners and employees locking me into 20 year gym memberships. This ends all of that for me.
I’m a big guy at 6’2″ / 220 lbs so I was concerned that I wouldn’t fit or it would be uncomfortable. That’s not the case. I have plenty of room in the leg department and I don’t feel cramped on it. I’ve got plenty of stretch for my legs and I can still go up on the seat a few more notches. The handle bar post could go up one more notch for me but it’s nothing so serious that I want to return the bike. I’m worried about the belt breaking and not being to able to replace it, but after a little research on the web it seems that the belt is a standard size belt (5PK520) that you can possibly purchase at an auto parts store. It looks like the belt housing can be removed with a Phillips head screwdriver. The frame is really solid and doesn’t move or wobble. The seat is hard and uncomfortable but it wouldn’t be hard to replace it or get a cover. I took the shoe harnesses off and just plan to use my running shoes. This thing is really quiet. I can see using it in an apartment or even a dorm room. I wanted a bike that I could ride at 3 am with a person asleep in the next door room and I wouldn’t bother them. I think this will do the job.
Overall I’m pleased with this bike. I was going to get the cheaper chain version by Sunny but after reading the reviews and doing some research on the web, I decided to spend the extra 100 bucks and get this belt drive version. This is easily a great bike for someone who is new to the spin bike world. Ride on!