On yer bike, mate!
Written: Dec 02 '06 (Updated Dec 11 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Small, cheap, good customer service
Cons: Poor design, display conked out after one use, awkward flywheel motion
The Bottom Line: With better design and more durability this would be a good exercise bike, but as it is you;d be better off choosing something else.
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| captaind's Full Review: Beny Sports V-Tec Neptune Exercise Bike |
Since being members of a gym was turning out to be too much of a financial strain (when we have the money I think it would be a good idea to join again though, it really did make a difference to our general health, fitness, and weight), we decided to get some gym equipment for the home and in the long run save a lot of money by not spending £60 per month on the gym between us. The theory is, of course, that if you work out at home you also save time and money not having to travel to the gym in the first place – the truth is that it’s much harder to motivate yourself to properly work out at home than if you’ve already made the effort to go to the gym. Therefore, good equipment is really a must so that you feel more inclined to do it.
At first glance, the V-Tech Neptune exercise bike certainly seems to fit the bill. I’m not the greatest fan of exercise bikes myself but they often seem the most practical first step in working out at home, because they are relatively inexpensive and don’t take up much space. This bike certainly lives up to both of those things – it was a shade under £50 (about $90-100 at current exchange rates), and very compact. Assembly was relatively easy though a bit tiresome (it took about 45 minutes altogether with reading the instructions, putting it together, and checking everything), and the finished product is relatively attractive. It’s size is small enough that it can fit quite nicely even into our tiny flat (which was kind of the whole idea…).
On first using it, things seemed quite promising. The accompanying manual was clearly presented and had a few good tips for warming up and getting the most from the bike. There were no problems, the bike was relatively comfortable as far as the upright exercise bikes are, and the readouts were fine. You get calories burnt, distance travelled, speed, cals/hour, time elapsed. A decent workout was had with this and a couple of other pieces of equipment, and I was looking forward to giving it a positive review. It seemed like it might be pretty durable too, with the pedals far enough away from the body of the machine for you not to catch the body as you cycle and end up damaging it (unlike some other bikes I've used).
Then it all started to go wrong. Next day, full of enthusiasm, I went on the exercise bike again… and the display had stopped working. We check and rechecked all the connections and the battery, but no joy – it was so dead that a dodo could have taken lessons from it (if there were any dodos left, of course). “Never mind,” thought I, ever the optimist, "we can still use it as a normal exercise bike".
Even here however, there were to be problems. The pedal action is drive chain and flywheel, which means it’s not very smooth and tends to stick at the bottom end of every cycle. This is more of a problem when you have the resistance set higher. The straps that you slip over your feet to keep them close the pedal easily must be made of tapioca or something – they broke after a couple of uses (and no it’s not because I have enormous feet!). With everything combined it got little use except as a novelty coat hanger.
BUT…
I decided that it might just be worth emailing Beny Sport’s customer services, not really expecting much from this. Imagine my surprise when, five minutes after sending the email, I got a reply back asking for my name and address so they could send a new display unit. Now that really is quality customer service! The new computer was sent, it works, and now the bike gets used for what it was intended to do (after a bit of DIY on those pesky straps!).
So overall, the quality of customer service has saved this from a one-star review and I’m giving it three. It does have its merits, mainly cheapness and small size, but with the design problems I’m not going to recommend it. I’m sure there’s something much better on the market – it’s just a pity that my finances dictate that it will never find its way to my home!
(Thanks to Openroad for adding this to the Epinions database for me.)
Links
When I was going to the gym, I had the opportunity to try out some much better (or at lest, more expensive) equipment:
Exercise Bikes
StairMaster Momentum 3800 RC Exercise Bike
StairMaster Momentum 3400 CE Exercise Bike
Cross Trainers
Reebok Body Trek Elliptical Trainer
Reebok Body Peak Elliptical Trainer
Life Fitness 9500 HR Elliptical Trainer
See also: Top Ten Reasons to Join a Gym (I think I need to read this again!!)
The Abs Diet
Recommended:
No
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