Yosuda Indoor Cycling Bike Stationary Review

The Yosuda Indoor Cycling Bike Stationary (Model L-001A) is in demand and highly rated by customers overall.

It comes at a reasonable price. It’s compact for storage. The coloring with red stripe looks good – it’s not going to be an eyesore if you have to leave it out but it can be easily moved.

It is adjustable to fit a range of heights to be used by more than one person.

The bike has a good look and seems to have all the basics covered for a good exercise experience and to help you in achieving your fitness goals.

Read on to see how it works and if it is the right bike for you.

In a hurry? >>>

Sturdiness

For an indoor cycle with a 35 lbs flywheel it is on the light side with a heavy duty steel frame it comes in at 68 lbs. Despite that on the whole it gives a stable platform for your spinning workouts.

There may be some slight wobbling when going full out but not enough to be disconcerting.

There are 4 plastic end caps on the stabilizer bars that provide the stable platform. There are levelers in them and by turning the adjusters at the end of them you can balance up the bike if the floor is a little uneven.

Customers have reported that it appears durable with them using it for 11 months or so without issues.

But there are a number that have had problems with pedals falling off and other issues. This is concerning. However, the supplier appears to be very proactive in sorting the issues out and replacing parts without question which helps offset many of the issues and getting people back exercising

If you do want to contact them this needs to be done through Amazon or by email they don’t appear to have presence in USA. I’m not a fan of this I like to see a presence in USA and on the web but they do a good job of supporting customers despite this. However, they haven’t responded to my email request for information.

The warranty is to replace parts for 12 months and they seem to stand solidly behind that.

Yosuda Indoor Cycling Bike Stationary Adjustability

The seat can be adjusted vertically and horizontally. The handlebars height can only be adjusted. This allows the bike to be adjusted to get the best fit for people of different height and sizes.

It won’t be as close a fit as you can get with the addition of horizontal handlebar adjustment.

The manufacturer recommends the bike for people with an inside leg measurement between 25 ins and 35 ins which I believe would suit people of heights between 4 ft 10 ins and 6 ft 4 ins. However, I do have a concern with this.

The top height seems a little off to me and I think someone of the top height may be able to use the bike without hitting the handlebars but they won’t have proper leg extension at the bottom of the pedal stroke, i.e. leg should only be slightly bent.

The bottom of the range seems to be about 4ft 10 ins from customer feedback for reaching the pedals although people do say they are stretching for the handlebars. The top of the range seems to be more about 5ft 10 ins from customer feedback.

The height of seat and handlebars are adjusted using the adjustment knobs on their posts. You undo them and pull to release the pin from the preset holes in the adjustment pole, you then slide pole into position and re-insert holding pin into the hole after re-aligning and tighten into place. It is simpler than I’ve written and is a common method of adjustment for exercise bikes.

It holds the seat and handle bars in place. As it uses preset holes sometimes you can find that you’d prefer a position in between two of the holes where one is just too short and one just too high. It can be a little uncomfortable, but unfortunately there is little that can be done. Most find it is a close enough fit.

You can easily be adjust it to the height you want if someone has moved after you’ve used it to get it back to the best fit for you. It can be done quickly and if sharing with others you may want to mark the pole with a marker pen to show you where you want it adjusted to.

The horizontal seat adjustment is similar operation to the vertical adjustments. You need to undo the adjustment knob underneath the seat and slide into place and then tighten back into place. The adjustment is about 2 – 3 inches and some customers have felt it leaves them too far from the handlebars in particular when you are on the lower end of the adjustment scale or too close they are at the top end of the scale.

The handlebars don’t have as much vertical adjustment and if you do decide to get the bike and you are over 5 ft 10 ins you may find they are lower than you want for a comfortable fit and it has been noted they can move slightly from side to side at the top of the adjustment range.

Resistance

Resistance is used to make the pedaling harder is provided by felt wool pad that sits on top of the flywheel at the front of the bike. The amount of resistance is controlled by the tension knob at the front of the bike near the water bottle holder.

To increase or decrease you turn this knob. It can go from very easy to very hard. The increase is incremental and you can place it to the amount you want.

When the resistance is applied you get a quiet whooshing sound especially when pedaling hard and the resistance is on hard. It shouldn’t disturb anyone else in your home.

The felt wool pad does wear down from contact with the flywheel. It can start to make a squealing sound or start skipping. This can be sorted by applying some silicone based lubricant.

Also, it will require replacing at some point with time depending on usage. Included with the bike is a replacement pad for when the time comes. There aren’t instructions included on how to do this but it can be worked out and customer service will send out details or a video on how to do this when asked.

The level of resistance is not recorded on the knob or the console. If someone has changed the resistance on the bike after you finished you’ll have to go by feel to determine the level you want to workout at. This is common for indoor cycles at this price range (and more expensive ones too.)

It’s the same when following along to a workout that has numbered levels, like Peloton, you have to estimate the level. It can be a little hit and miss to start with but in a short period of time it can be mastered.

There is a guard over the resistance pad and flywheel to prevent sweat and other things dripping on to it – this helps prevent damage to the pad and flywheel from the corrosive effects of sweat etc.

Drive Type

The bike has a belt drive with a 35 lbs flywheel. They provide a quiet and consistent along with the resistance feel to the pedaling.

The flywheel weight momentum keeps the pedaling motion constant reducing the slow down that would happen at the top/bottom of the pedaling cycle turning it more into a stepping motion which results in impact to the joints.

The belt is low maintenance and provides a smoother experience than you have with a chain drive. You should not have to make any adjustments to belt as you would with chain but you do lose some of the authentic feel and noise of an outdoor bike that a chain gives you.

You can’t freewheel. The pedals and flywheel are fixed – when the flywheel is turning the pedals are turning too. This helps with cost and keeping the legs turning over. It is common for indoor cycle and spin bikes to operate this way.

It does mean that when you want to get off the bike you have to wait for them to stop with gentle pressure with your feet or you can press down hard on the resistance knob as it acts as a brake when you want to get off in a hurry.

The belt and pedal wheel is enclosed in a plastic guard which helps to protect ankles as well as the mechanism itself. It can also keep little fingers from being trapped or hurt but the flywheel is open so when being used it is important to be vigilant if you have little children or pets.

Pedals

The pedals have a toe basket that you can slide your shoes into with straps to tighten to keep your foot in place and prevent them coming off in the middle of a workout. It also helps with pulling and pushing through the pedal cycle.

The pedals fit athletic shoes. There is no need for specialist shoes.

If you do want to use spinning shoes you can replace the pedals with the SPD clip in pedals. It has a 9/16 thread which is standard. You can use outdoor bike pedals with this thread on the bike.

If you want you can pedal backwards on the bike to get a different type of exercise. It does have a heavy flywheel so will some add more pressure than you have with upright bikes and recumbent bikes.

According to the manufacturer the Q-factor is 177mm which is the horizontal measure between the pedals. This is narrower than most indoor cycles at this price range. It can help with keeping feet, legs and hips in alignment which can prevent injuries.

Yosuda Indoor Cycling Bike Stationary Comfort

Seat The seat is contoured with ventilation and padded to provide some comfort to the sit bones. Some like it and find it just right but as with all bike seats it won’t be to everyone’s liking, as comfort in this area is very personal.

If you’ve not ridden a bike in a long time you will likely suffer before your sit bones become use to the seat. After a couple of weeks the soreness can go away and the area not go to sleep.

But this won’t always be the case. If you are unlucky there are a few options you can try. You can try a cushion or folded towel if you stay in the seat and are steady on the bike. For a more secure solution you can try padded bike shorts or a gel seat cover (seat dimensions are 2.3 ins by 7.7 ins and 10.24 ins).

Alternatively it is possible to change out the seat with a more comfortable one. Most standard fitting bike seats should fit the bike. It is similar to changing an outdoor bike seat.

Noise It is a quiet bike apart from low whooshing sound that won’t disturb others in the house even when they are asleep in another room. There may be only a little vibration from the bike so you should be okay using it an upstairs an apartment and an exercise mat will make it doubly sure that you don’t disturb anyone in your home or below you.

Dirt The bike won’t add too much to your cleaning chores. It is important to keep it clean to stop sweat in particular starting to corrode the bike. It takes a quick wipe down with a damp cloth to do this. It shouldn’t drop anything on your floor other than sweat and dust from the pad but an exercise mat can help prevent any damage to your floor from any movement or dirt.

Storage

The bike is reasonably compact needing an area of 40 by 22 ins when not in use so doesn’t take up too much room when being stored.

To help with moving it around there are 2 small wheels on the front stabilizer that you tip the bike on to when wanting to move. The bike weighs 68 lbs.

The wheels hold the weight with you having to roll and navigate the bike to where you want it to go. It can be a little tricky due to angle it is tipped on to, to get round corners but as long as you don’t rush there shouldn’t be any issues. One person can do it but it is easier with two to avoid mishaps.

Most exercise bikes use this method for moving them around. They work well on hard surfaces but can get more difficult to move on carpet especially plush ones where the wheels can jam up

Assembly

The bike does require assembly when delivered. It can be completed in an hour with some completing it in 30 minutes.

The bike comes with instructions and tools to complete the assembly. The instructions are clear with diagrams to help. There is also a helpful video online that shows how to do it – it’s about 6 minutes long.

You are required to add the stabilizer bars, handlebars, support posts, seat, pedals and console to the frame. It is much easier to put together than most kit set furniture.

The delivered product weighs about 69 lbs. It can be helpful to have 2 people complete the installation of the parts. It makes fixing and holding easier but it can be done by one person.

It is important that care is taken over the installing of the pedals and the correct one is attached to correct side of the bike. The left pedal has a reverse thread and needs to screwed counter-clockwise and the right is turned clockwise. This is normal for bikes and prevents them coming undone as you pedal. This may help stop the issue that some customers have had with pedals coming undone or the thread being stripped.

It isn’t onerous at all but if you are really unsure there is an assembly service offered by Amazon but it does cost extra.

The video below goes through the assembly process and then a brief user review of the bike from 5:50.

Yosuda Indoor Cycling Bike Stationary Console

The basic console that comes with the bike provides time, distance, speed and calories. It has a small LCD screen that shows one measure at a time and mode button below. The numbers are still able to be read.

You can choose which one that shows by pushing the button below – a small arrow lines up with the index to let you know which metric you are being shown. You can also select the scan feature to cycle through the measures every few seconds to keep fully updated.

To reset you hold the mode button down for a few seconds. The monitor will start when you start pedaling.

The console is powered by 2 AAA batteries and these are included. It doesn’t need to be plugged into a wall socket. It makes it easier to use the bike where you want and the bike will work without the console working.

The console is unlikely to be backlit so you won’t be able to see it when light is dim.

It won’t upload your data to an App, so if you want to track progress this will need to be done manually.

There are no pre-set programs included. You can follow online workouts or use an App service like Peloton or Les Mills for classes to follow.

You are likely to find that the lack of resistance measure, no RPM measure in particluar or heart rate monitoring means you need to estimate and go by feel to follow along but you can still get a good workout. (Many indoor cycling bikes don’t have these measures relying on people to gauge RPM and resistance level by feel and experience).

The measures on the console are a guide to how you are going but shouldn’t be relied on. The calories doesn’t take into account your weight or resistance. You can still use it to measure progress by comparing workouts to another if you keep a record.

There is confusion as to whether distance is measured in miles and kilometres. (I have asked for clarification from supplier.) It can make a difference if you are using the information in an App to determine calories burned but you can still use for motivation and feedback on how you are getting on. With either measure it is an estimate but can be a good psychological boost to keep you motivated – I know I like to have it.

Dimensions

The dimensions and weight of the bike are:

Height 45 ins
Width 22 ins
Length 40 ins

Bike weight 68 lbs

Max User Weight 270 lbs

Accessories

The bike comes with a couple of accessories:

Water bottle holder This is situated around the middle of the bike. It puts the bottle in easy reach when in the seat without stretching too much. It fits a small water bottle comfortably but it can be stretched for larger ones – just makes it a little harder to put the bottle back when cycling.

The positioning does require you to be a little careful when getting on and off the bike. If you step through rather than swing leg over the back you may find you are kicking the holder and break it off or have the bottle disappearing to the other side of the room.

Media Tray There is a spot just below the console with a holder for your media devices. It can easily fit a smart phone for watching videos. It’s not really designed for anything much larger.

If you want to put an ipad or larger tablet then you can have a bit of a struggle as you need to balance it up against and covering the console. It will be at more of tilt than you might want making it difficult to read.

Pros

• Basic console
• Quiet belt drive
• Media tray included
• Transport wheels
• Affordable price
• Adjustable for a range of heights
• Proactive customer service
• Easy to assemble
• Q factor is 177 mm which is good for indoor bikes in this price range

Cons

• Doesn’t work with Apps
• Resistance levels are not displayed
• RPM (Cadence) is not measured
• Customer service is only through Amazon
• Some problems noted with pedals
• Media holder is small
• Handlebars only adjust vertically

Consumer Ratings

The bike comes strong customer ratings. However, the supplier does seem to push for good reviews with customers especially where it has solved an issue for them. This may have skewed the results.

Some of the reviews left do appear to have a strange style of English to them and have been found very helpful.

Having said that, I think the bike is well rated, even allowing for the above.

Customers like the feel of the bike for the price, it’s easy to assemble, it’s quiet and they can have workout when they want in their home. Customer service is highly praised in most circumstances.

Price

This is an affordable priced bike that comes with reasonable quality for the price. You can get a lot of the same fitness benefits as you would with a more expensive bike without the added features and cost.

When I checked at Amazon it qualified for free shipping on eligible orders.

Check for availability and pricing here:
Yosuda Indoor Cycling Bike Stationary

Review Summary

The bike is a good starter bike and for those who want a moderate indoor cycling workout.

It comes at a fair price and you get a fair build for it but it seems to me that it isn’t built for high intensity workouts.

If you are looking for something for that more intense type of workout you may want to look at the Sunny Health & Fitness SF-B1002 Indoor Cycling Bike but it doesn’t come with a console or you may want to spend extra for the Schwinn Fitness IC3 Bike it comes with a better console, dual pedals and better tablet holder and more. Both are good for “newbies” too.

The Yosuda Indoor Cycling Bike Stationary can provide a good solid workout. It’s adjustable for range of heights and resistance goes from easy to hard so more than one person can use it comfortably for their cardio exercise.