The Exerpeutic 900XL is a recumbent bike that comes at an economical price and highly rated by customers.
It is a no frills bike as you’d expect in this price range. It does come with an adjustable seat and a basic console for monitoring performance while you are exercising.
One of the big advantages is the price but there must be more to the bike for it to continually get good reviews from customers over a number of years – you’d hope.
In this review we look at how well it holds up to being used over a period of time and whether it can deliver the benefits of a recumbent exercise bike.
Can it really provide a very low impact cardio workout for getting shape, recovery and losing weight?
As well as that it needs to be a bike that is reliable.
It starts off well by looking like a good solid bike and with a weight of 63 lbs you’d hope it was strong too.
Sturdiness
The bike frame is made from steel, it is low to the ground and has 22 inch stabilizers which keep the bike steady while you exercise. It doesn’t move around and there is no concerns with falling off.
You can just concentrate on your exercise or on the TV or anything else you might want to do while you’re on the bike.
It does need to be used on level surface. You can balance out small amounts of unevenness by turning the end caps in the rear stabilizer to prevent rocking that would otherwise happen.
Users have been using the bike for a number of years say that it is holding up well and are using it on a regular basis – 2 – 3 times a week.
The frame warranty is 3 years and parts is 90 days which is a little better than most exercise bike in this price range.
Adjustability
The seat can be adjusted to properly fit people from 5 ft 3 ins up to 6 ft 3 ins. It has a seat slider and pre-set holes to get it to the proper fit.
If you are over 6 ft 3 ins you are probably going to feel cramped and not get the full range of motion but you may like to exercise this, it just isn’t recommended.
Below 5ft 3ins you are going to have to stretch (in most cases) to reach the pedals at the far end of the stroke (or nnot reach them). Some people have put a pillow at their back to push them forward on the seat and have found that is enough to be able to reach the pedals properly.
It is a manual adjustment and needs to be done by getting off the bike. It is harder than it needs to be but it isn’t difficult.
There are 3 adjustment knobs under the seat and that you loosen with 1 you pull to free the seat slider then you can position the seat where you want it. Then insert the pin and tighten up the knobs to hold it all securely in place.
This allows the bike to be used by multiple users. It takes about 30 seconds to make the adjustments, so doesn’t add too much to the exercise. I just don’t know why this couldn’t be done with just the adjustment knob with the pin.
When everything is tightened up it holds it still – there is no shaking.
Both sets of handlebars aren’t able to be adjusted or moved they are fixed in place
Resistance
The bike has 8 levels of magnetic resistance so you can set the bike to the level of challenge you want.
The resistance is quiet and the change in levels in smooth. It is controlled by the tension knob at the front of the bike. You do need to lean forward to change it.
The magnets are inside the casing at the front of the bike and when you turn the tension knob they are moved closer to
It starts at little to no resistance at the low levels and get progressively as you turn the tension knob. The hardest levels are best described as moderately hard – they’re not really for people who are looking for very challenging or tough workouts that are like hill climbs.
For many people the resistance is enough to work up a sweat to work on their fitness to get in shape and burn calories. Many have used the lower levels to help them rehab and recover from surgery or build up strength in the knee (on their doctors advice). .
Most people find the resistance levels 3 – 6 to be where they can exercise for the period of time they want from a few minutes to extended periods of time.
As you move on to the harder levels of resistance ( 7 & 8) the pedaling motion becomes less smooth and starts to be choppier as you move around the stroke.
Drive type
The bike has a V-belt drive connecting the crank and flywheel and provides a consistent grip so there is no slipping as you pedal at all levels of resistance. It is very quiet and gives a smooth ride. It also shouldn’t require any maintenance.
Pedals
The pedals make it easy to get your feet on to them and give a good platform to push against.
They are textured and have a strap you can tighten to prevent and slipping and give a good grip for pedaling,
The pedals are designed to be used with shoes – athletic type shoes work best.
They are out in front of you so there less pressure on your knees. Though You may find it harder on your “glutes” than with an upright bike. Most people find it a comfortable riding position – it is very low impact and can help (with doctors advice) with range of motion in the knees and generally strengthening the legs as well as burning calories
Although you can pedal backwards the company says this is difficult to do and it is not really designed to accommodate this. Some people have managed to do it, when asked. about it!
Comfort
Seat It has an oversized bike seat (estimated 16 by 12 ins) with a back rest. The seat is on a slight angle backwards.
Like any seat of this shape some people find it comfortable others find it the hardest thing they’ve ever sat on in their life. This is to be expected with bike seats.
If you do have problems with the seat you can try sitting on a pillow. If you want something more secure you can try padded bike shorts or a gel seat cover.
One of these should be enough as it seems most people manage to get comfortable on the seat as changing the seat is an involved processed and would be best done by taking it to a bike shop.
The bike is easy to get onto as you can “step thru” with only having to lift your leg a few inches at most. The seat height is not high (about 1 1/2 feet from floor and slightly tilted backwards) and you sit down on to it unlike with upright bikes.
It makes it ideal for anyone who has trouble lifting their legs or getting on to high seats of upright bikes. You are sitting down rather than having to jump up on to a seat.
The back rest is slightly angled backwards to help in giving the support to your back. The angle of it can’t be adjusted.
Handlebars. The bike comes with 2 sets of handlebars. The set you are most likely to use are either side of the seat. Both sets are covered with a rubberized coating to give a good comfortable grip even when hands are damp.
The handlebars beside the seat have hand pulse sensor that you grip tightly when you want to see your heart rate on the monitor. They are slightly raised above the height of the seat and they are 20 inches apart which seems to be fine for most people who are within the maximum user weight of 300 lbs. You can remove these handlebars if you find they are annoying you but it does leave you with nothing to hang on to.
To use the handlebars at the font you do need lean forward somewhat so is not something you are going to want to do for too long but does give you a different position to exercise when you want a break from sitting back. These do not have hand pulse sensors.
Dust and Dirt. There’s not too much to be worried about with this bike in this respect. It won’t generate a lot of work with it just needing to be wiped down to prevent damage from sweat. The sweat can also damage your floor over time (especially if there is a lot of it) and you might want to consider a rubber exercise mat to protect it.
Noise. It’s a very quiet bike. You can easily watch TV, listen to music or talk on the phone without having to turn up the volume. If you wanted you could exercise during the night and not disturb others sleeping in the house (there will be exceptions if you have a very light sleeper but then you will already know that!).
For those in an apartment you should find you won’t have any problems with your neighbors. If you are on an upper floor and concerned about those underneath you a rubber exercise mat should prevent any possible vibration transmitting through the floor.
Storage
The bike requires an area of 22 by 54 ins when not in use.
When you want to move the bike there are two small rollers on the front stabilizer that you tip the bike on to by lifting it from the back. They take most of the weight of the bike making it easy to move the bike where you want it. They work well on hard surfaces but before moving on wood flooring test them out to make sure you don’t end up with scratches.
On carpet with deep pile or soft surface they might jam up due to their small size causing you to have to drag the bike (it weighs 63 lbs).
Assembly
The bike requires some assembly on delivery. Everything needed to finish off the assembly comes in the box including the tools and instructions.
The instructions can be a little confusing – the diagrams and words aren’t as clear as they should be. It even starts was a fully exploded diagram that lists every part of the bike – I’m not sure why as it is misleading as to the amount of worth that is required.
Despite the instructions the process is straightforward , You should allow up to 1 1/2 to 2 hours to get it done (some do it much quicker).
The hardware is already put in the holes where it is to be used eliminating the need to find and sort through the hardware pack.
The steps needed to finish are to join the back and front of the frame together, add the front and rear stabilizer bars, add the front handlebars posts (including tension knob), fit the pedals, attach the sliding seat tube, seat, back handlebar and backrest, and the console.
The pieces all go together easily with the connecting of the tension knob to the cables being the trickiest part of it and it pays to study the manual to get this done to avoid having the resistance to easy or too hard.
Console
The bike’s console is basic allowing you to see your numbers while you exercise. It doesn’t store them for keeping a record or analyzing later. It’s good for keeping an eye on where you are up to while you exercise.
It measures time elapsed, speed (mph), distance (miles), cumulative distance (miles), calories burned and when you grip the hand pulse sensors you can see your heart rate.
The numbers are big enough to see but the symbol indicating what measure is being displayed can be hard to make out even in good light. When the light is dim it can be hard to make out the measures too as it isn’t backlit.
You can set the display so you only see 1 measure while you exercise or set it to scan through them every 6 seconds.
There are 3 buttons below the LCD screen – set, mode and preset – these are used for choosing the measures you want to display or to clear all values except accumulate distance (odometer). Odometer is cleared by removing the batteries.
The console comes on automatically when you start pedaling or press a button. It turns off when the bike hasn’t been used for 4 minutes.
The measures should only be used as a guide only. The heart rate sensor in the handlebars don’t tend to be as accurate as a heart rate strap and many people find that it can be quite a big difference for what their heart rate actually is – this is an issue with most of these type of sensors.
If you want to track progress you need to record this manually in your journal or fitness account.
There are no pre-set workouts. Nor does it track your progress or allow you analyze your exercise results. To this you need to record your results manually in a journal or spreadsheet or type in to your fitness account.
The console is powered by 2 AA batteries that are easy to replace as required.
Exerpeutic 900XL Dimensions
The dimensions and weight of the bike are:
Height 34 ins
Width 22 ins
Length 54 ins
Bike Weight 63 lbs
Max User Weight 300 lbs
Accessories
The bikes doesn’t come with any additional accessories than already discussed such as the console and pulse sensors.
This means there is nowhere to put a water bottle or rest a book or tablet. You need to hold on to them if you want to use them while you.
It is possible to use the bike with an adjustable table to use a laptop on and put other items on that gives you the room to pedal comfortably at the same time.
The manual does include warm up stretches but there are no suggested workouts.
It does show you how to adjust the bike seat position but doesn’t give you any guidance as to the proper fit to get the most efficient and comfortable pedal motion with full range of motion – but this lack of information is normal for exercise bikes in this price range.
Pros
- Comes with a basic console for feedback while you exercise
- Has transport wheels to help with moving it
- Assembly is easy to do within 2 hours
- Economically priced
- Can be used by more than one person as able to be adjusted to fit a range of heights
- Two sets of handlebars for different exercising positions
- It can be used by all ages from youngsters to oldsters (70 yrs and beyond)
- It is a low impact workout that people find easy on the legs
- It holds you steady while you workout
Cons
- There are no pre-programmed workout programs
- Assembly instructions are complicated
- Adjusting seat setting is more involved than it should be – with 3 adjustment knobs to use
- Console doesn’t store information or allow it to be uploaded to a fitness account
- Measures should only be used for comparison purposes and feedback
- Resistance level only goes to moderately hard
- It is not for people who want challenging workouts
- Company can sometime be slow to respond to support requests
Exerpeutic 900XL Consumer Ratings
The bike does come highly rated by users. They like its smooth ride, that it supports them firmly. They are surprised at the overall quality of the bike especially considering the price.
However, a few customers note in their reviews they have issues when they’ve received a bike that wasn’t in proper working order and getting in contact with the supplier to get the issue sorted. The problems don’t happen that often and you can return the bike. It does seem the company is making an effort to address these issues now.
After reading over a hundred customer reviews the vast majority like they can get on the bike and exercise when they want to improve their fitness and burn calories.
Exerpeutic 900XL Price
The bike is priced affordably and you get a no frill bike that performs as expected for a recumbent bike. It is made from good materials and can be used for years making a good affordable option to get fit at home.
When I checked prices I found at Amazon it can qualify for free shipping
Review Summary
The Exerpeutic 900XL is a good solid recumbent bike that is great for those who want low to moderate levels of low impact cardio exercise in their home.
It can help with knee recovery (on doctors advice), getting in shape or losing calories. It seems durable and dependable so you can use it with confidence to help in being healthier, feeling better and looking better.
It’s not for those looking for challenging workouts. Nor is it for those who want pre-set workouts or somewhere for their tablets and so on.
It is very basic but does a good job at providing comfortable (in the most part) and quiet workouts that are very low impact.
If you are looking for an economical way to have low impact workouts at home this is a bike that can deliver it and do so for a number of years. You get to exercise when you want.