Exerpeutic 2000 Recumbent Bike Review

The Exerpeutic 2000 Recumbent Bike is an updated recumbent exercise bike from the makers of the popular and highly rated Exerpeutic 900XL.

It comes with pre-set programs, more comfortable seat and arm rests which can all help to make for a more comfortable and effective workout.

The seat and those arm rests do seem very comfortable.

It looks like it will support your back well and not cause a pain in the sit bones area so you can exercise for as long as you feel like without discomfort.

It also comes with a number of the features you’d expect such as a range of resistance levels, able to be adjust the seat to accommodate people of different heights and a good stable platform for low impact workouts that are gentle on the joints.

However, there are a few things to look out for that I go through in my review below, when considering this bike for your in home workouts.

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Sturdiness

The steel frame and stabilizers provides the good solid basis for workouts at a full range of intensities.

It supports you fully and feels solid benath you.

There should be no rocking or shaking as you workout.

If you are using on a slightly uneven floor the end caps at the end of the rear stabilizer bar can be turned to balance out the bike.

The seat does need to tightened up regularly to prevent it wobbling – it works loose over time –

It involves tightening the 3 adjustment knobs under the seat.

The bikes comes with a limited 1 year warranty which is shorter than other bikes priced in this range.

Adjustability

The seat can be adjusted backwards and forwards to accommodate people between the heights of 5 ft 3 ins and 6 ft 3 ins for an effective workout and full range of motion of the legs.

The actual process of making these adjustment is more involved than it should be. It’s more annoying than difficult. It takes a little extra time than a single knob or a lever that other bikes use to make this adjustment

You do have to be off the bike to make the adjustment.

You are required to loosen three knobs under the seat and then move the seat to the position you want it and then tighten up the knobs again. The seat slider does have preset holes that you need to insert the pin in one of the knobs into to hold it into place. Moving the seat itself is easy it’s just annoying you have 3 knobs to turn.

It does allow the bike to be used by multiple users in a household to work on their fitness. They just need to allow about 30 seconds or so before they start to get it set for them.

If you are under 5ft 3 ins it is likely that you won’t be comfortable on the bike as you will have to stretch and sit forward on the seat to reach the pedals at the furthest point of the pedal stroke. Some people under that height might be okay due to having a longer leg length.

Above 6 ft 3 ins you probably will find you don’t get the full range of motion with your leg not straightening out (slightly bent not locked ou) at the end of the pedal stroke. You may also feel cramped up.

Resistance

It has an 8 level magnetic resistance which is quiet and smooth. The 8 levels of resistance make it easy to set the amount of tension you want to push against.

You can easily return to previous levels and know where you want to go next.

The resistance is controlled using the up/down buttons on the console which also displays your current level of resistance. The resistance is created by magnets that are moved closer to a flywheel (in the shroud) to increase resistance and moved further away to decrease it.

They never touch so it is silent and doesn’t require any maintenance.

Levels 1 and 2 is easy to pedal against with little resistance to push against. The 3 – 6 range is where most people end up exercising at.

Levels 7 and 8 are harder but they are really moderately hard rather than very tough. So if you are looking for a challenge this bike is not really for you.

You may want to look at the Schwinn 230 that is about the same price and comes with tougher resistance, easier seat adjustment and more workout programs

Drive type

It has a precision balanced flywheel and v-belt which gives a smooth and quiet pedaling motion. These help to keep it all consistent and reduce choppiness. However, at the higher levels of resistance you may find it starts to pulse as it slows down at the top/bottom of the pedal stroke due to the flywheel not have the momentum to carry the pedals through the stroke.

There should be no requirement for any maintenance.

This is all enclosed in the shroud which helps to keep your legs and clothes from getting caught up in the mechanism – and kids and pets too. It also stops the drive from being damaged.

Pedals

The oversized pedals are textured and have plastic straps to help keep your feet from slipping at all levels of intensity.

They also give you plenty of support.

The bike is best used with athletic shoes or similar.

The straps don’t come with a buckle but are the ones where you fix it to the pedal by inserting a plastic knob on the pedal to a hole in the strap at the required length.

They can be tough to get them fixed on the knob to begin until they soften up a little.

Exerpeutic 2000 Recumbent Bike Comfort

Seat The seat pad is a 3 1/2 inch “Air Soft” pad which helps to give comfortable support to the sit bones and helps to disperse heat with it being breathable.

It does help when you are on the bike for an extended period to keep you from getting too sweaty and uncomfortable.

The backrest is padded and angled to provide good support and comfort. The angle is fixed so can’t be adjusted. The backrest does move with the seat when you adjust it.

Getting on and off the bike is simple. The seat is at a height where you just need to sit down as you would on a chair with the handlebars can also there to help with lowering or for support when getting out of it. You can step through the bike to get into position without having to lift your leg over the frame.

Handlebars. The handlebars are around the sides of the seat and are about elbow height. They include padded armrests that help when you are using your arms for support to prevent them getting sore when resting them. At the end of the handlebars are hand pulse sensors.

The ends are turned up to make it easier to grip them while you can still rest your arms on the arm rests.

The handlebars do not move separately to the seat – they’ll move backwards/forwards with the seat.

Dirt and Dust. The bike isn’t going to add too much cleaning hassle to your life. It won’t generate much dirt on its own when being used but the people using it may sweat and this can drop on the bike and floor.

It’s important to give the bike a quick wipe down to prevent the sweat starting to corrode it over time (it will happen despite the paint due to the salt in the sweat). The floor can also get damaged over time from sweat and a rubber exercise mat can stop this happening).

Noise. The bike is very quiet so it can be used in an apartment or when others are sleeping. It is likely that heavy breathing will be the loudest noise coming from your exercise. You can use it anytime without disturbing others and if you want to watch TV you won’t need to turn up the volume.

Storage

The bike has a footprint of 54 by 22 ins. It doesn’t fold down.

It has 2 small transport rollers on the front stabilizer bar that you tip the bike on to, for when you want to move the bike from room to room or to and from storage. The rollers support most of the weight of the bike so just about anyone can do this on their own.

With most of the weight at the bike it is also fairly easy to tip the bike up by lifting it up at the bike.

The rollers work well on hard surfaces but you may find on soft surfaces they may stick or jam. The only other to be aware of is that they may scratch wood floors so it is advisable to check before moving across them.

However, the arm rests make it much wider (36 inches or so) which can make it difficult to get through standard doorways.

You probably want to assemble it in the room you want to use it and plan on storing it in that room too.

Assembly

The bike comes partly assembled. It is a fairly straightforward process to finish it off and can be done within 2 hours.

As with all Exerpeutic bikes instruction manuals you can ignore the overview diagram, it shows every part that goes into the bike not the few parts you need to attach. It could do with being after the assembly instructions.

The assembly instructions themselves are reasonably clear. The tools needed to complete the job are included. The parts line up too so there is no forcing them together.

The drive, shroud and front frame are all together. You are required to add the stabilizer bars, add the back frame, seat support, seat, handlebars, back rest, pedals, front post, arm rests, bottle holder and console. You do need to exercise a little care clipping together the wires but that is probably the hardest part.

One person can do this on their own but a second person can help with holding pieces in place while they are bolted on.

Console

The console comes with 5 pre-set programs, 1 user defined program and a manual program.

It monitors RPM, speed, time, resistance level, distance, calories and heart rate when the pulse sensors in the handlebars are being gripped.

The display is not backlit and is difficult to read when light conditions are poor.

There are 4 buttons below the display – start/stop button, up, down and set

To start/stop the console you press the start/stop button at the bottom left of the console. To re-set the workout measures you hold it down for 3 seconds

The up/down buttons are used to select the program you want to use, making changes to programs and altering the resistance level.

The set button is used to confirm your actions when making changes to the programs and targets.

The 5 pre-set programs are intervals, climbing, hills, plateau and valley – which have a variety of resistance levels set as you work through the program.

You can set a target for time, distance or calories. The measure selected as target will display as counting down. The program will stop when the target is reached.

You can also set a target heart rate and you’ll have to grip both of the hand pulse sensors to get a reading. The console will flash if you exceed this target.

During the programs it is possible to change the level of resistance to a level you want by pushing the up/down buttons on the console.

The user program gives you the option to program your own resistance levels over 10 intervals that will be determined by the target you set for time, distance or calories.

The manual program gives you the option to set targets time, distance or calories and also target heart rate. You set the resistance as you go using the up/down buttons.

If you are wanting to track you performance over time you are going to need to do this manually as it doesn’t keep this information or allow you to upload this to an fitness account.

To use the console (and resistance) the bike needs to be plugged into the wall supply using the included power cord and adapter. Without power the bike you can’t set resistance or use the console.

Dimensions

The dimensions and weight

Height 34 ins
Width 22 ins
Length 54 ins

Bike Weight 63 lbs
Max User Weight 300 lbs

Accessories

The bike doesn’t come with much in the way of accessories over and above those talked about in the console section. The 2 additional accessories are:

Above the display is a media tray where you can slide in your personal electronics with a clip at the top for holding it in place. You can watch movies or video clips etc and make changes close at hand without having to position it in front of a TV. You need to lean forward to reach your player or tablet.

I like that it adjusts in size to fit various sized electronic devices and hold them in place in securely. It’s also great that they don’t cover the LCD display allowing you to continue to see your measures as you exercise.

If you put a magazine or book in the holder you may find it is too far way to read properly unless you’ve got good eyesight.

It doesn’t have a charger or speakers to boost the sound. The bike is quiet so you should be able to hear the video or music playing through your player or tablet.

It won’t fit a laptop and you’ll probably struggle to fit a book on it but it is fine for a kindle.

On the left hand side of the console stem is a water bottle holder. You do need to lean forward to access it. The bottle does slide in and out easily.

Pros

• It is very quiet and can be use anytime of the day or night without disturbing others
• It has 5 preset programs to help you get started and effective workouts
• Handlebars have padded armrests to give comfort when you want to have some extra support
• The bike comes with the majority of it assembled with you just needing to complete it – this normally can be done within 2 hours
• It is stable to provide a good steady platform for your workouts
• It can be adjusted to fit people between 5 ft 3 ins and 6 ft 3 ins
• It has a smooth low impact pedaling motion
• Has transport wheels that help when moving it
• Has a shelf/holder for your electronics that doesn’t cover up the console
• Bike can be adjusted for a range of heights between 5ft 3 ins and 6 ft 3 ins
• Is easy to finish the assembly
• It is solid when being used with no rocking

Cons

• You can’t track your workouts over time unless you do this manually
• You can’t change the resistance or read the console if you don’t have power to the bike
• Involved and annoying 3 knobs need to be used to adjust the bike (doesn’t take too long to do)
• With arms attached it is too wide to go through most doorways they may need to be removed when you want to move it from room to room
• Company can be slow and difficult to deal with at times when there is an issue
• Console display is not backlit which make it hard to see in poor light conditions

Exerpeutic 2000 Recumbent Bike Consumer Ratings

Overall the bike is well thought of by the majority of customers with many rating it a 4 or 5 in their reviews.

But there are serious concerns discussed in one of the top reviews about the bike’s durability and customer service.

They do seem to have problems from time to time with quality control especially with the resistance not being properly calibrated and being too tough at the lower levels. The next part is that many have found the company doesn’t respond quickly or is hard to contact. It has left them disappointed.

However, some do report that they have had a very good response from the company when they’ve encountered an issue. It may include having to return the bike.

Most people don’t have any issues with the bike finding it sturdy and they like the low impact workout they get including those that are using it to rehab their knee or other issues where they need something gentle on the joints while they get more activity into their lives.

Exerpeutic 2000 Recumbent Bike Price

This bike is  more than the Exerpeutic 900XL (depending on current deals). For this you are getting a better console with its’ 5 pre-set programs plus user and manual), the more comfortable seat including back rest and better handlebars with arm rest. I’m not convinced the extras justify the price differential unless you think you’ll get more use out of the bike due to the seat and handlebars and the programs.

It is priced similar to the Schwinn 230.  The Schwinn 230 has 22 workout programs, 20 levels of resistance (going from very easy to very hard), a fan, speakers, much simpler seat adjustment, a charger and a fitness account. This looks to have more value with the Exerpeutic offering a better more comfortable seat and handlebars arrangement as its advantages over it.

When I checked at Amazon it qualified for  free shipping.

To check latest pricing, shipping cost and availability click here:
Exerpeutic 2000 Recumbent Bike

Review Summary

The Exerpeutic 2000 is a bike that can be used by adults of all ages (children can use if tall enough and supervised). It is best for beginners and those looking for light to moderate intensity.

It provides a good solid base for low impact cardio workouts and a comfortable seat that is gentle on the joints and supports the back.

The console includes 5 pre-set programs that can be adjusted as you go to provide you with workouts to follow along to. It also has a holder for your personal electronics so you can watch them as you exercise to help with boredom.
The comfortable seat should also mean that you can exercise for as long as you want and not be limited by your sit bones getting sore.

It isn’t really for people who are looking very intense tough workouts as the resistance level only goes up to moderately difficult.

Otherwise this is a good solid bike for those wanting to recover and get into shape or burn calories to help with weight loss.