Marcy Air 1 Fan Exercise Bike Review

The Marcy Air 1 Fan Exercise Bike comes at a very good price and good reputation too. It certainly can help you get into shape without spending a fortune on equipment or gym fees.

It is a simple bike with only a basic console coming as an extra. Fan bikes can give you very good low impact cardio as the faster you pedal the more resistance you push against as well exercising both your arms and legs at the same time.

There is much to like about the bike with it seeming to offer all you need for training and working out in the comofrt of your own home

In our review we go through just what to expect what it can do and what it can’t so you can decide if this is the right bike for you to get your workouts to help you achieve your fitness goals.

Sturdiness

The bike frame is made from steel and provides a good stable base for low impact cardio workouts. People of all ages and abilities can use it.

It doesn’t rock or wobble while you pedal. You don’t feel like it is going to tip you off so you can just get on with your workouts.

The frame has been powder coated to help prevent it from rusting. From customers experience with the bike it is durable and provides many years of trouble free workouts.

The frame warranty is 2 years, which is about average for exercise bikes in this price range.

To prevent rocking on uneven surfaces there are 2 levelers on the back support bar that you turn to level up the bike for a stable platform.

Marcy Air 1 Fan Exercise Bike Adjustability

The seat can be moved up and down to accommodate a variety of different heights. It can be lowered to 29 inches off the ground and risen to 41 inches off the ground. As a rule of thumb the seat should be level with your hip but it does also depend on getting it so your leg is slightly bent when fully extended on the pedal.

It can fit people between 5 ft 1 ins and 6 ft 3 ins based on customer feedback, although for taller people they find they need to lean down to hold the handlebars and they don’t extend out enough for a full upper body workout.

The seat can only be moved vertically, it can’t be adjusted horizontally. This can result in the distance from the seat to handlebars being too close or too far causing you to feel cramped or stretching more than you should when handlebars are at their furthest point.

The adjustment is quick and simple to do, so it can be used by multiple users of different heights. You loosen the lock knob and pull it out and move the pole to the scale on the pole. Then release the lock knob which inserts pin into pre-set hole. You then tighten back up in place to hold it securely.

The pre-set holes are about 1 1/2 inches apart so you may end up with the feeling of slightly too high or slightly too low as the best fit may be in between.

Resistance

Resistance is provided by the fan wheel pushing against the air as you turn it with the pedals and handlebars. The faster you go the more resistance there is – it goes up/down continuously based on the speed you achieve.

It is not possible to change the resistance as you would with a spin bike using a resistance knob. If you want this type of training or workout you are better with a spin bike.

You do get a breeze blowing on your lower body and on your face. It does increase as you’d expect the faster you pedal but it isn’t that much more of like a breeze than a gale – it does help to keep you cool when it’s hot or when you’ve been working hard. It can be a little cold when you first start in the winter but it doesn’t take long before you’re grateful.

Drive Type

The bike has a belt drive with a chain for providing tension to keep the belt tight to prevent it slipping as you pedal. It is quiet and for the most part requires no maintenance (except as noted in consumer ratings below). After using for a number of years the belt will stretch and need replacing.

The fan wheel, handlebars and pedals are all connected so they all move together or they are all stopped. There is no ability to freewheel. Stopping is done by gently pushing back on the pedals and handlebars – it doesn’t take too much as the fan wheel isn’t weighted.

Pedals

The pedals are like standard pedals with a strap to tighten your feet in place. They are designed for standard athletic shoes only.

When you just want an upper body workout you can rest your feet on the footrests on the forks to keep them out of the way of the pedals.

When you just want a lower body workout you can either rest your hands on the handlebars or rest them at your side.

Comfort

Seat. Like all bike type seats there are many people that find it very uncomfortable and some people find it acceptable. If you are new to riding you can try a gel seat cover and padded bike shorts which can help with alleviating the pressure on the sit bones. In many cases it just takes time to get used to it (but not all do find this).

The seat is fixed in place by 3 bolts so it can’t be tilted (unless you use washers – not supplied) as you might with a bike seat. This also makes it difficult to replace without modifying the bike or buying additional adapter parts to accommodate other more “comfortable” seats.

Noise. The biggest source of noise is the fan wheel. It will sound like an electric fan and get louder the faster you pedal. It is likely you’ll need to turn up the TV to hear it and people in the next room may hear it but not really to a level that is disturbing. Also, at night it can be loud enough to keep people awake however if you’re family aren’t light sleepers you may get away with it.

Handlebars. The handlebars are in motion when the pedals and fan wheel are moving. It isn’t possible to stop them moving. The handles have a foam rubber covering that is comfortable on the hands, prevents blisters and stops them from slipping when they get wet from sweat. Some people find that the range of motion is not as long as they want so they don’t quite get the full extension in the arms needed for a full upper body workout – in particular taller people find this.

Dust and Dirt. The bike is relatively clean but the fan wheel does blow dust around. There may be some lubricant that drops from the bike but it should be minimal. The biggest problem is likely to be sweat from the rider when they push themselves hard. It will land on the bike and floor. It is a good idea to wipe the bike down to stop the corrosive effects of sweat damaging the bike. To prevent damage to the floor its best to put the bike on a rubber exercise mat.

Storage

This is quite a compact piece of equipment with a footprint of 25 by 45 ins enabling it to fit in most homes and apartments. It can also be fit into a large closet when not in use.

There are 2 transport wheels on the front stabilizer bar that you can tip the bike on to when you want to move the bike. They are freewheeling and hold most of the weight of the bike making it easy to move the bike on most surfaces including carpet except for those with a deep pile.

The transport wheels are close together, just either side of the fan wheel. You do need to be careful that the bike doesn’t overbalance as you turn corners and tip over because of the wheels being close together.

With a little bit of care this shouldn’t be a problem but is more likely to happen than those bikes where the wheels are further apart.

It is advised in the instructions that 2 people are needed to move the bike – this will reduce the chance of it falling over as you move it.

Assembly

The bikes comes mostly assembled leaving you with the job to finish this (it makes cheaper and easier to deliver).

It can be completed in less than an hour. The instructions are clear and the tools needed for the job are included.

It is much easier than kitset furniture. The hardware has been included in packets that are numbered by the step they are needed for preventing the frustration of working out which bolt/nut is needed.

The frame, drive, crank and flywheel are together when you receive it. You are required to add the handlebars, seat pole, seat, pedals and console.

Console

The bike comes with console that has a good size display that makes it easy to see the measures as you ride. It displays time, speed, RPM, distance and calories.

At the top half of the display it scans through the measures every 6 seconds when in active mode which is easy to see. Along the bottom of the display the measures are shown but they are small and difficult to see when you’re working out.

Distance and speed are in miles.

The measurements are approximate only so are good for comparison purposes rather than to be taken as gospel.

When it is idle mode it displays date, time and temperature.

The console is on a pole that helps to raise it closer to your eye line so you don’t need to bend your head to see it. The screen is not backlit make it difficult to read when using in low or poor light conditions.

The rotating through the numbers does make it difficult to use for interval training as is only on time for 6 seconds therefore if you intend to use for intervals you need to find another way to time them.

The console uses 2 AA batteries that are installed at the back. It is expected that the batteries will last 3 months.

It doesn’t come with pre-set workouts or the ability to set your own. There is no way to record your workouts automatically either on the machine or upload to an account. To keep track of your results and progress requires using a journal or spreadsheet or manual inputting into a fitness account.

Dimensions

The dimensions and weight of the bike are:

Height 47.5 ins
Width 25 ins
Length 45 ins

Bike Weight 82 lbs
Max User Weight 300 lbs

Accessories

There are no accessories for the bike, not even a water bottle holder. If you want water close at hand while you ride you’ll need to affix your own holder or ride close to table.

There is nowhere to place your MP3, tablet or book, and if that is something you want you need to come up on your own as the company doesn’t offer any of these accessories.

The owner’s manual doesn’t provide any instruction on where to set the bike for the best riding form and comfort. Also it doesn’t include any guidance on how to get the best out of the bike with example workouts or even general guidelines. Fortunately, there is guidance that can be found online on the web and YouTube.

Pros

• Quick and easy to assemble
• Provides a good solid base for workouts that can be used by all ages
• Low impact workouts that exercise the whole body
• You can choose to just exercise the lower body or upper body
• People of various heights can use the bike due to the simple and quick method of adjusting the seat height
• Console has large numbers that are easy to see while you ride (top part of display)
• It is good value for the price

Cons

• Can’t adjust the seat horizontally to bring you closer or further away from handlebars as required for a comfortable ride
• Many people find the seat uncomfortable. It is not possible to change seat without making modifications to how a seat fits on to the bike or using an adaptor
• You can’t lock the handlebars in place to use as an indoor bike
• You can’t manually modify the resistance
• There are no accessories included or able to be purchased separately
• There are no pre-set workout programs or any way to automate tracking of measures from workout to workout
• Top half of console rotates through measures every 6 seconds making it difficult to use for interval training – although the measures are displayed at the bottom of the display but that can be difficult to see

Marcy Air 1 Fan Exercise Bike Consumer Ratings

The majority of customer reviews for the bike are very positive where they feel they got a great deal for the price. They like the smooth ride and the sturdiness the bike is. People from various backgrounds including people recovering from surgery, senior citizens, young and middle age have all found they get a lot of good use out of the bike in getting in shape and help with losing weight.

Many people do hate the seat but do manage to get used to it.

There are some people that have had issues with it. The problem (in these few instances) has been with the belt drive slipping off. It appears they may have had a problem with manufacturing at one point but that now seems to be have been rectified with it not being reported recently. The company appears to make a good response in sorting these type of issues out quickly.

Having pointed that out, most reviews say they found the bike durable and trouble free.

Marcy Air 1 Fan Exercise Bike Price

This is an affordable priced air bike and offers good value. It is a good solid bike that can be used by multiple people in a household to help to get in shape.

When I checked at Amazon it qualified for free shipping.

You can check the latest price and availability by clicking here:
Marcy Air 1 Fan Exercise Bike

Review Summary

This affordable fan bike is great for those who are looking to get in shape, stay in shape or help with losing weight or even more intense training.

The workout is low impact so there is a lot less stress on the joints that you get on a treadmill or running outside.

It is best for moderate workouts to more intense workouts rather than those that very serious athelets are looking for (it can do those but is not really built to sustain them). If you buy it for moderately serious workouts you should get many “happy” years out of the bike and be pleased with your results. Resistance ssems to increasesless at a rate a little less than the more expensive fan bikes.

For those looking for very serious workouts the Assault Air Bike is a better option although it does cost more (it can also cater for moderate workouts).

This is a good bike that provides value for the money that can be used by all people in a household as it can be quickly adjusted for a various heights. When used for what it has been designed for – moderate low impact cardio training.