Dripex Exercise Bike for Home Use, Magnetic Resistance

 

Updating on 11-17-2023… Have had for a month now, coming back to update about the pedals. The placement of the caps on the pedals made it too uncomfortable to ride so I have since replaced the pedals with wider pedals that have a strap instead of the cup design. Also made sure to get them without the “teeth” on the pedals because I’ve hit my shin more than once and left a few scrapes from the original pedals. So as mentioned in initial review that they may need to be replaced, that has happened. Other than that, getting a good indoor ride with this bike.

I was looking for an inexpensive exercise bike at home to help with my mobility, and after comparing mini models, and after previously owning a Sunny Fitness bike that I hated, I went with this model.

There were a number of fitness vloggers who were sent this model bike to try out and review. A few gave completely honest reviews of what they thought, the set up and also showed riding the bike which really helped me to make my decision buying thid online. The one draw for this for me was that everyone said it was lighter and that it was smaller so it would take a less space. I don’t know about you, but where I live I’m definitely space limited.

It took a few days for my bike to arrive, and when it did, I had to unbox it in the hallway and bring it to my workout space in pieces just because box was too heavy, and bulky to manage taking upstairs. The flywheel comes already attached to the bike itself so you’re gonna have one big portion that is the lower half of the bike and then you’ll have the bars for the feet, handlebars, the pedals and the seat bars that you have to install. The lower portion of the bike was actually pretty light. You just need to get your hand around the bottom of it in a ways that you can carry it, but it wasn’t overly heavy, and because it wasn’t bulky it was easy to maneuver.

I was able to get the bike assembled in about 30 minutes. The quirks that I find now that it’s assembled and I’ve been using it. My handlebars have one side that’s bent inward instead of being straight out like it should be so it’s a little bit awkward. I found that the padding on the handlebars was too thin so it hurts my hands so I went to Lowe’s and picked up some foam pipe wrap ( basically a black pool noodle) that cost about $3.50 but gives the perfect amount of comfort to the handlebars and it also gives about a 2 inch lift on the handlebar because I feel like the handlebars are too low even at their highest setting. That is another thing I think that they could’ve done better, adding a few more inches and notches to the handlebar attachment so that the bar would lift up higher for taller riders I’m only 5 foot eight and I find it a little too low for me. I think if you’re much taller than me, you might have trouble with this bike model. And the seat has positions that move forward and back so you’re able to adjust your seat. The seat they send itself is hard and a bit uncomfortable after riding but that’s with most bike saddles. It’s also a smaller, narrow one so you might want to consider a different saddle if that’s an issue for you. The petals come with a grip you stick your toe in through and can tighten around your foot. It’s also detachable if you don’t want to use it, I find that that grip is a little narrow for my feet because I like my foot, a little more flat on the pedal Instead of more of my toes on the pedal alone, I find the default of the pedals make my calves cramp. So either you can remove the strap and the toe cap from the pedal or you can replace the pedals with something you find better for your own feet.

The other thing I had issue with, that might not be a problem for others is the design of the handlebars and the placement of the phone/tablet holder. Now it all fairness this is a very inexpensive bike, there was no expectation at all that this would be the same quality as a peloton. But my budget cannot afford a peloton when I think a lot of people feel the same way about that. So the issue I find with where the tablet holder goes there are two part so the handlebars are like a normal bike handlebar that you reach out and that your arms over and then where they got the center hold handbar position it is a loop that goes across the middle of the handlebars and that’s also where the attachment for the phone and table goes and so it lays low and it’s hard to look at your tablet if you’re trying to follow along on a riding app whereas the peloton is up high in front of the bike so you’re definitely gonna have a difference there. I think they would’ve done better to not have that round loop for the center handlebar position and moved the digital tracker that they send with it down to that position and move the bar of higher in the back to where your tablet would’ve been sitting farther out. It’s definitely an ergonomic issue because also the attachment that they send for the tablet hooks over the center of the handlebars and makes you have to move your hand position further out to where it starts to curve and is really uncomfortable to ride if you have your iPad there. For me, I’m able to get around that by using a light stand that I have for photography and a different iPad holder that I just put in front of my bike and I am able to move it up higher but for others that don’t have that it might be an issue.

 

This bike was easy to assemble and it’s a good ride. The only problem I had to purchase a larger seat, because the seat that comes with the bike was too small.