The term Ironman brings to mind many excellence, toughness and resilience especially in the triathlons field.
These are some of the attributes you’d expect from exercise equipment with the term in their name such as the Ironman H-Class 510 Indoor Training Cycle. In our review we put it through its paces to see if it is worthy of the name and just how it can help you in achieving your training and fitness goals
It is a spin bike or indoor training cycle that includes a console, magnetic resistance, belt drive, a heavy flywheel, a rubber mat and has a steel construction.
It certainly has the basics to be a very good indoor bike to use at home in training for a triathlon or other fitness workouts including spinning.
We’ve spent a great deal of time looking in detail at the specifications, checking through the manual, the manufacturers site to write a complete review of just how it measures up.
The first feature to look at is how stable a ride you get and how durable it is.
In a hurry? >>>
Sturdiness
The frame is constructed from heavy duty steel that won’t flex or move around while you cycle as hard as you want. There should be no shaking or wobbling whether in the saddle or out or while transitioning between the two.
The pedals are screwed into a strengthened crank system to reduce maintenance and keep pedals steady while pedaling especially when you are stood on them.
While the bike keeps you steady the heavy flywheel provides the inertia necessary to provide a natural fluid pedaling motion so there pedals don’t slow during the cycle as you get with lightweight flywheels.
It weighs 44 lbs. It has been balanced and aligned which helps to ensure the best riding experience. This all helps to make the pedaling easy on your ankles, knees and hips with a low impact motion.
This allows you to concentrate on getting the most out of your workout and to not be concerned about the bike.
Under the stabilizer bars are stabilizing feet that can be adjusted to stop the bike from rocking on uneven surfaces. They’re easy to adjust by turning them to correct height to level out the bike.
The bike has been tested by the manufacturer for durability and longevity. However, as it is new we’ve yet to see how it works in the real world by people using it in their own homes for a number of years. It does seem to have verything in place with strong construction of the frame. crank and pedals. The company does offer a lifetime warranty on the frame which provides some further assurance.
Adjustability
The Ironman H-Class 520 Indoor Training Cycle is best for people between 5 ft and 6 ft 4 ins tall. You adjust the bike using the adjustment poles and sliders to move the seat and handlebars to the ideal position for your size.
The seat and handlebars can be adjusted forwards, backwards, up and down. This helps to get the bike just right for the most effective workout so you are comfortable and help prevent injury.
It also helps to get the positioning close to how you ride your outdoor bike for when using it as part of you indoor training plan for an event.
The adjustment is quick and takes a couple of minutes or so at most to move it to where you want it once you’ve done it the first time. The horizontal movement of the seat and handlebar allows for you to adjust it to exactly where you want it and then tighten in place. The vertical adjustments you need to move to the closest preset holes are and then tightening into place.
You need to be sure tighten fully to prevent nay shaking of the seat or handlebars when working out.
Due to the quickness of the adjustment it can be used by a number of people in the household, as no one wants to be spending too much time getting ready once they’ve decided to get buy exercising. You may want to mark the poles with a felt tip pen to make it easier to adjust it to the position you want as the poles do not have any markings to guide you.
Ironman H-Class 520 Indoor Training Cycle Resistance
The resistance on this bikes looks like a friction resistance with what looks like a felt pad on the top of the flywheel. But this houses the magnets which provide the resistance.
You increase or decrease the resistance by turning the tension knob at the top of the frame which moves the magnets closer or further away from the flywheel. The magnets never actually touch the flywheel which makes it silent, so there is no dust and no maintenance required as you have with friction resistance.
By using the tension knob you get an incremental increase on a continuous scale so you can set it to the amount of resistance you want between easy and very difficult. There are no levels marked which can make it difficult to know how hard you’ve adjusted the resistance to and you need to estimate the amount to turn the tension knob when you want to return to a previous level.
I’d like to see a cover over the resistance “pad” to prevent sweat dropping on to it and damaging it as it seems a bit exposed there especially with it using magnets rather than friction.
Drive type
The bike comes with a belt drive that gives a very quiet ride. There is no ongoing maintenance required as you get with a chain drive but in a few years time the belt will stretch and need replacing. But before that time you should have had years of trouble free training.
You do lose some of the outdoor bike feel with a belt drive as the belt drive does not go over sprockets where there is a slight tug as it connects with the chain link instead it is a constant pull.
The belt is protected by a guard which stops sweat damaging when it drips down. It also helps to protect your clothes and ankles getting caught by the belt as you pedal.
You can’t coast or freewheel on the bike as it has a fixed gear. This means when the flywheel is turning so are the pedals which can take a little getting used to especially when trying to get off. The flywheel continues to turn even when you stop pedaling because of the momentum thereby pulling the pedals round as well. It slows and stops after a few turns as the resistance slows it down or you apply the emergency brake.
The fixed gear also gives you the ability to pedal backwards if you want
Pedals
The pedals are made from hard wearing steel. They are standard type bike pedals with toe baskets and straps. You slip in your athletic shoes and tighten the straps to get a good solid grip on the pedals for pushing and pulling.
The pedals do not take specialist shoes and you can’t change the pedals for specialist pedals as the bike doesn’t have standard bike thread for pedals.
Comfort
Seat. The seat included is a standard bike seat, so you may find it uncomfortable especially if you aren’t used to riding a bike. This is normal for spin bikes. If you don’t like it you can try padded bike shorts or a gel seat cover. If neither of these work you can always change it for a bike seat that is more to your liking – as long as it is a standard size one.
Handlebars. Handlebars are shaped so you can use in various riding positions and grips including the aero position. They are covered to make them easier to grip and prevent blisters especially when hand are wet from sweat. They are not padded and do not come with elbow pads for resting your forearms on, so if you do intend riding in the aero position for long periods your arms are likely to start to hurt.
Noise. This is a very quiet bike with the belt drive almost silent and the magnetic resistance is silent. You are going to be able to watch the TV or hold a conversation at normal levels. The loudest noise is likely to be your heavy breathing. You are unlikely to disturb anyone in your house while you exercise at any time including first thing in the morning or in the middle of night. If you live in an apartment your neighbors shouldn’t hear you either.
Riding Position. You ride the bike in the same position as you would an outdoor bike – in various positions sitting or standing leaning forward with hands/arms on the handlebars. If you do have issues with your back this might not be the right bike for your and should checkout other exercise bike styles.
Dust And Dirt. The bike is not going to drop much dust or lubricant but there will be some from time to time. Also you and others who use the bike may drop sweat on the floor. The rubber mat included should catch all this and stop any damage. The bike does need cleaning to prevent sweat from corroding it.
Storage
The bike has a relatively small footprint requiring just 24 by 49 inches when not in use. It can be stored out of the way not in use against a wall or in a large cupboard or in the garage.
It has 2 small transport wheels on the front stabilizer bar that you tip the bike onto when you want to move it somewhere. They take the 136 lbs weight of the bike leaving you to manoeuvre the bike to where you want it. A little care does still need to exercised to ensure you keep it balanced on the wheels. Most of the weight is low down making this relatively easy to do.
The wheels work on hard floors as well as carpet – they shouldn’t jam up except possible on deep pile carpets. If you have wood flooring you may want to make sure that wheeling the bike over it won’t dent or scratch it.
Assembly
The bike does come mostly assembly. It should take less than 60 minutes and is much easier than putting IKEA furniture together with only a few parts needed to be added to complete it.
The shipping weight of the bike is 147 lbs and its fully assembled weight is 136 lbs so you may need someone to help you with the installation to hold the bike steady while adding the stabilizers to the frame.
The drive, crank, frame and flywheel are already put together. You are required to add the stabilizer bars, adjustment poles, seat, handlebars, pedals and computer.
The tools needed to complete the job are included.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aVcpFrWyq8
Console
This is the same console that comes with Ironman Triathlon X-Class 510 Indoor Training Cycle.
It does not come with any pre-set programs even with it being able to paired to an App. You’ll need to follow along to ones of your own design or videos on YouTube or DVD.
Dimensions
The weight and dimensions of the bike are:
Height 53 ins
Width 24 ins
Length 49 ins
Flywheel Weight 44 lbs
Bike Weight 136 lbs
Max User Weight 300 lbs
Accessories
As well as coming with a console this bike comes with some accessories which is a little unusual for spin bikes. They are:
It has a water bottle holder in the middle of the handlebars that you slide your bottle into and out of. It is s easy to reach and is out of the way of much of the sweat that you may drop,
Most bikes that do have the ability to monitor heart rate don’t come with a strap but this bike does which is good to see.
There is a rubber mat included to place your bike on which can help to protect your floor from sweat and also from scratching if there is any movement of the bike.
It does have a place where you can place a tablet or a book on top of the console. You won’t be able to see the console and a book might be difficult to read in that position. It is more designed for your tablet or smartphne when using bluetooth a pair with the console for monitoring your workout.
The instructions included are fine for assembly and stretching but there is not much in the way of guidance on how to get the most out of your bike to adjust it properly etc. This is okay for more experienced persons but beginners will find it annoying. Fortunately you can get the information you need from the internet.
It doesn’t come with somewhere to plug in your MP3 player or speakers.
Pros
- Easy to assemble which can be done within 60 minutes
- Easy to assemble which can be done within 60 minutes
- Has magnetic resistance and belt drive for a quiet and low maintenance bike
- Comes with exercise mat to help prevent damage to floor
- Heart rate strap included for monitoring heart rate
- Console included with ability to use an App and Fitness Account for further monitoring and analysis
- No backlight on console makes it hard to see when light isn’t the best
- Heavy flywheel gives a smooth riding experience
- Lifetime warranty for frame, electronics and labor – 3 years, most major parts – 3 years
Cons
- No resistance levels marked making it difficult to return to previous settings
- Pedals only fit standard shoes and these can’t be changed as the bike doesn’t have standard bike pedal thread
- There are no pre-set programs to follow along to
- Seat is a standard bike seat which you may find uncomfortable but can be changed
- No markings on the adjustment poles
Ironman H-Class 520 Indoor Training Cycle Consumer Ratings
As the bike is new there are very few customer reviews to check out. In fact there is only one and that person is happy with the bike except for there not being a backlight for the console.
If it is a problem you could use it with the App if you want and then use a tablet to monitor performance which should provide a better screen and look to see your performance as you workout. As more reviews are completed I’ll update this section to give a complete picture.
Ironman H-Class 520 Indoor Training Cycle Price
For the price you get a number of premium features including a heavy flywheel. magnetic resistance, belt drive and a console that works with an App for monitoring and tracking performance. This all makes it more reasonably priced.
It did qualify for free shipping on Amazon.
Summary
This is a well put together bike that can be used by beginners and more experienced trainers or spinners to get workouts to the intensity and length they want. It is stable and gives a smooth riding experience with it being able to be adjusted to fit most people properly.
For beginners it may depend on your fitness goals and experience as to whether the price is something you want to pay although you are going to get a bike that should be with you for many years and will continue to provide the basis for great workouts as you progress.
It is missing the same things most spin bikes miss out on – such as somewhere to plug in your MP3 player and ability to program in your own workouts and have marked resistance levels. However, it does come with the ability to track and record workouts, magnetic resistance and a belt drive for a quiet low maintenance ride that is stable for excellent cardio workouts.
Very good and comprehensive review. Great job.