Sunny Health Fitness Belt Drive Indoor Cycling Bike - SF-B1002

Delivered quickly and well packed. Exterior or package showed evidence of a drop on one corner, but only apparent damage was a significantly deformed packing strut (intended to be discarded). Instructions for assembly and adjustment were complete and useful. Insertion and adjustment of seat and handlebar columns required dead-blow hammer force, but as adjusted are completely stable -- no wobble or loosening, Based on other review comments, I replaced the supplied saddle with one I knew to be comfortable for me, along with the supplied pedals with clipless pedals. I also installed standard wired bike computers, using alternate spoke magnets and sensor attachment methods (double sided tape, longer zip ties and wood spacers). Time, cadence, speed, distance and other statistics are now available. As I have only had the unit a short time, with about 15 hours of use, long term durability is unknown. Operation has been excellent. Entire unit is rock solid, operation is virtually silent, and resistance device works well. REVIEW UPDATE - after four months use (approx. 100 hours/2500 odometer Kilometers). The five star rating remains unchanged. Details on bike computer installation: Most bike computers are based on a clock, micro-switch to sense magnet attached wheel & or pedal crank, and memory of a manually input wheel circumference) with statistics reported calculated from these three elements, As I wished to have continuous display of speed and and pedal rpm as well their session averages I chose to use two separate single sensor computers. Wheel circumference setting input to yield speed was the measured flywheel circumference, 1460 mm (57.5 inches) about the same as for a 409 bike tire size. Wheel circumference setting on input to yield pedal revolutions was 167 mm (correct conversion factor is actually 1667 mm, but because of specific input limits of computer used, the lower amount was used. Resulting "speed" mode display is 1/10 or actual crank revolutions per minute, with two displayed digits after the decimal point (for example, 100 RPM is displayed as speed of 10.00). The actual computers selected were Sunding model SD 558A because of display size and price (actually paid less than $5 for both, but currently available on internet for about $12 a piece). Their sensors are wired. Virtually any available bike computer could be substituted, but specific mounting and setting procedures might be required. The computers with their display screens mount on the center of the handlebar using the supplied mounts and zip ties. Because of the cycle frame configuration, sensor mounts required fabricated shims and longer 11 inch zip ties (the originally used tape eventually lost its grip). The shim for the RPM sensor is approximately 1/4 " X 4 1/2" x 2" with 2 drilled holes in one end to secure the sensor to the shim with supplied zip ties, and two 11" zip ties around the upper belt guard and shim secured it in place . 3 11" zip ties secured the sensor wire to the frame between the sensor and its display head. I replaced the supplied wheel magnet with a .75" round ceramic magnet attached with only its own force to the right pedal crank arm at the inside of the pedal. The shim for the speed sensor is approximately 1 3/8" X 5/8" X 4" 2 holes drilled in one of the 1 3/8" sides to secure 11" zip ties to the left front bike fork and 2 holes opposite them to secure the sensor with two supplied zip ties. An additional 2 11" zip ties secured the speed sensor wires to the bike frame between the sensor and its display head. I replaced the supplied wheel magnet with a .75" round ceramic magnet attached with only its own attraction to the flywheel, just below its rim. The resistance device works well, with proportionate increases in resistance with knob turns, no noise or vibration and no odor. I did spray the resistance pad with silicone lubricant before use and again after about two months use when a minor vibration had developed, I assume this will be a normal maintenance requirement, a two second burden I can live with. I contacted Sunny Sports and Fitness at their customer service web address to determine where cycle model specific parts could be obtained. A response arrived the same day that they could supply my needs (a resistance pad assembly and seat tube sleeve plastic sleeve). cost incl. postage was $12.50, which I consider a bargain. The water bottle holder presented two problems to me. In its original position, my right knee would occasionally bump the holder as I performed jumps (I am not yet as smooth at these as I should be). Relocating the holder to the front of the fork frame and reattaching with 2 11" zip ties solved this issue. The 28 oz. water bottle I use did not slide into the holder easily. Slight bending of the top of the holder front and rear wires improved the bottle fit.

If you've had the BANGING issue with this bike, skip to the end for notes on my fix *********************************** Initially I had looked at buying the Peloton bike because of their really great app but ultimately decided it was not worth the investment considering spinning was completely new to me. My intention was to use this bike in conjunction with the Peloton app ($12/mo). So far I am very satisfied with my purchase. Delivery - I paid just under $300 for the bike which included shipping. Which is really unbelievable in and of itself. I'm not sure how the UPS guy even got it up the stairs to our landing because the box weighed over 120 pounds. This bike is *very* sturdy. My first concern was that for $300 you would get a rickety piece of garbage. Not the case. Peloton charges $250 just for shipping. Assembly - honestly, the actual assembly part took about ten minutes. But it took 10 minutes to get the box into the basement, 15 minutes to unpack the box and unwrap all the parts and another 5 to sort of gather everything together. There are very few actual pieces, like I said, the bike is very sturdy when put together. "Add ons" / changes - I made a few minor additions to the bike to improve the use. 1 - Added a pair of Shimano SPD pedals ($35). These are fantastic pedals, I *highly* recommend them and they work great on this bike. Took only a few minutes to swap out. So far zero issues with the pedals. Please not if you have never used clip-in pedals before, you will need bike shoes with SPD cleats on them to use. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ZMDK5C 2 - Simple ipad holder for the handlebars ($20). I have a beat up, cracked-up old ipad4 that I planned to use on the bike and this clip works perfectly. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D5YTO5K 3 - Bike mat ($30) - perfect size, seems to work great so far. Its a mat, nothing fancy. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001THTUAO 4 - Wireless computer from spinning.com ($65) - I tried two of the Cateye models and just did not like how small they were and one I could not get to work with the spin bike. The spinning.com computers are made to work with their brand spin bikes but seems to work great with this model. Look I am not an engineer, I'm not going to guarantee that these are insanely accurate and are really only made for their brand bikes - but its worked fine so far. I was most interested in something that was wireless, would display time/cadence at the same time and that was easy to read. So I spent $150 or so on other options and am completely happy right now with my setup. ***Notes on use with the Peloton app*** - As I said, I bought this bike specifically to use with the Peloton app. I am very impressed with the app so far. They have dozens of live classes every day or thousands of on demand ones. The app has a pretty simple filter that allows you to search/sort by class type, time, instructor etc. I wish there were a couple of minor tweaks - like letting you save your favorite rides into some kind of favorites menu - but so far I am very happy. The ipad version of the app is $12/month whereas if you have the Peleton bike they charge you $40/month. Even at that price, IMO, its worth it since I have been using it every day. Spin studios in the DC area can run upwards of $175-200/month for unlimited rides. ***Notes on FIXES or things that might break*** - As has been noted in other reviews there seem to be a couple of quality control issues, both of which I ran into. 1 - Squeaky resistance pad - Definitely happened to me over the first week. I used it every day and it seemed to get worse. I bought a $7 can of liquid graphite spray off Amazon and I gave it a few shots, it cleared right up. I could see just giving it a shot every couple weeks. Nothing major here, very easy fix. 2 - That BANGING or knocking on every peddle stroke. - If you've had it, you know what I'm talking about. It sounds like the bike is broken and goes BANG BANG BANG on each peddle stroke. I emailed the company and they sent me a PDF with pictures about making some adjustments to the belt with the two adjustment screws on the front. I spent @ 20 minutes screwing around with it and eventually it did stop. It was a pain in the neck and very annoying to have to deal with but it did finally stop. - Take the belt cover off - screws on the two sides and bottom - take the big side nuts off from the fork - adjust the screws I circled in yellow. Experimentation and patience required! Look, this bike cost $300 shipped. For that price, I had a reasonable expectation that the bike would not be perfect and would probably need some adjustments. If I wanted to buy the $2000 bike with $250 shipping charge, I would certainly have expected a higher level of quality. But for the cost I am very happy with my purchase.

First I want to thank "Thorin Thunderfoot", a reviewer of this product from 11/08/2014 as his review allowed me to solve an annoying grinding noise problem that began only after 3 days since acquiring the unit, and only 45 minutes of riding (see bottom of post for details on the grinding noise fix) Though, let me say, this is a very nice and well built exercise bike. It comes packaged very well organized, the instructions and manual are very clear, and it was fairly easily assembled. Though it is quite heavy, initial moving and positioning required two people. It took me about an hour to fully assemble but the work was not hard. I do appreciate how well it was packaged and organized, with very clear assembly instructions. Here I will note that the seat that comes with it is hard as a rock, after purchasing an aftermark gel bike seat cover, this elevated the riding experience significantly. I did purchase this on a Black Friday deal for 60% off and I would say this was an extremely good purchase if you are interested in exercise and health. I feel like I got my money's worth. The bike rides very quitely when it is operating normally, I ride this bike at 5 am and it does not wake any of my room mates. The only sound it has is the sound of the felt resistance pad rubbing up against the fly wheel, and when properly lubricated the sound is incredibly smooth and quiet. I really like the adjustment knobs and how easy it is to customize your ride, both in terms of resistance of the fly wheel, and for the seat and handlebar dimensions. GRINDING: Now I will address this grinding issue that occured to me today. The problem boiled down to the chassis front and backplate that covers the drive belt and back drive wheel. Essentially the backplate had warped and was a little bit bent, the way it was tightened meant that it began to rub up against the back drive wheel and created friction and resistance, and this led to the annoying grinding noise observed when doing a full revolution of the wheel, and it was noticably audible and undesired. The previous review mentioned, in his case, the plastic backplate was rubbing up against the drive belt itself, while that wasn't my particular problem, my backplate was warped in such a way that it was rubbing up against the actual back wheel itself, creating the grinding noise. So, in his review, after removing the front plate covering the drive wheel, his workaround solution was to slip a small piece of carboard between the front and backplates to provide more separation from the drive belt. However, in my case, I found the solution was to remove a metal washer that was part of an upper screw connecting the backplate to the main frame of the bike, this gave the necessary distance between the backplate and the rear drive wheel so they wouldn't rub together and solved the grinding noise problem coming from inside the front/backplate chassis. Note that I also did not screw back in three bottom screws on the back of the backplate, closest to the rear wheel, I found that tightenting those screws also caused the backplate to press up against the rear wheel because of how tightly it is enveloped. Leaving those three screws out (and screwing in the rest) helped this problem and the drive belt chassis was still secured in place. The main criticism for this part is how tightly enveloped the plastic drivebelt chassis is, and how when tightened and with plastic warping, has the potential to rub up against these moving internal componenets. For me, it was removing that metal washer (and keeping the rubber washer in place) that solved it in combination with leaving those 3 backplate screws out, but the issue may occur along any point of the chassis and drive/belt or rear wheel. It just depends on how it's warped. It would be nice if they redesigned their chassis to make it a little bigger in a way that mitigates this potential problem. Other than that, it is a very solid bike, overall well built, easy to assemble with clear directions. Though it is extremely heavy (over 100 lbs) so it is difficult to move. I plan to get a lot of frustration free exercise out of this bike as long as the grinding doesn't happen again (or any other noise problem, like banging, as other reviewers noted), and as long as the parts are maintained and lubricated with regular use. Getting this bike for 60% off the MSRP seemed like a total score and I am happy with the product despite the minor issues that are possible in regards to the noise.

This Sunny spin bike is very similar to the bikes we had at the gym when I first started spin classes there. 12 years ago. They upgraded to some more glitzy bikes, but I continued to just monitor my heart rate with a chest strap and cell phone app. Which is my go-to with the Sunny bike at home. If I want to participate in a group session on the bike, there are plenty available online and it is easy to find a way to attach your phone to the bike. Now I just put on the radio and watch my heart rate go up. And I can hear the radio better now since this bike is so quiet (I had been using a cyclops wind trainer before which was fine, a little noisy, and not the level of workout that this bike provides) Personally , I have no need for anything fancier than the heart rate monitor/fitness app, but there are a lot of reviewers that purchased add-ons that provide a 'Peloton-esque' experience. Even with the expense of the add-ons, you can't beat the price and quality of this bike. A lot of reviews and questions I read before purchasing this bike indicated that some folks are a little naive about what is required to use and maintain a good spin bike. When I attended spin classes at the local gym the bikes developed the kind of issues reviewers here are complaining about. So the bikes had to go to maintenance and were returned. They were used a LOT, so not surprise there. Same goes for this bike, if you purchase and use it a lot. However, if you set up and maintain it properly, including fixing it when it thumps or creaks, it will pay you back in a great spin. Sunny has videos and documents online to help you. My bike was a little thumpy at first. Usually a pedal problem. You can just tighten up the pedals more, but I recommend using a threadlocker on the threads when you screw the pedals in place. I used harborfreight semi-permanent threadlock. Another reviewer used loctite. I also changed out my pedals to use shimano pedals that allow me to use either clip or clipless. If you prefer clipless, you might go that route. Either way, tightening the pedals with threadlock eliminated the thump immediately. I have not had to tighten the crank, but I see this as something that may be necessary down the line. There are videos on doing that with bikes in general online. The other item you really need to check when you first set up your bike is the leather brake pad. It will likely need to be lubricated. Some folks complained that the bike smelled like something burning. My guess is that they never lubricated the brake pad. If you bike is new, this is as simple as putting a few drops of 3 in 1 oil on the flywheel where the brake rests with light resistance, rotating the wheel and letting the oil soak in. The pad will get considerably darker in color. If you have been riding it a while, you might need to pull the pad gizmo off and rough it up a bit for the oil to absorb. That requires removing one screw. Not rocket science. One of the beauties of this spin bike is that its design is relatively simple - not all those bells and whistles that potentially go bad. That also makes the great price point of this sturdy piece of equipment, especially the heavy flywheel that you wouldn't find in an inexpensive bike and that makes this an amazing spin bike.

I have owned a lot of different fitness equipment over the years that has slowly turned into expensive, ugly clothing racks. I have wanted to try spinning, but I was absolutely not going to drop a huge wad of cash on one of the fancy bikes before I knew if I would stick with it. I found this bike for a steal during Prime days, and I decided to bite. The bike is very heavy and sturdy feeling. You're going to need help if you need to get your box upstairs, and it was a bit of a struggle for one person just to get it in off of the porch. Not a complaint, just something to be aware of if you're planning on ordering. Assembling the bike was pretty easy. This is a pretty basic model, so I added some upgrades to make it a little more pleasant and compatible with online classes. I added: Clipless Pedals - VENZO Multi-Use Compatible with Shimano SPD Mountain Bike Bicycle Sealed Clipless Pedals Wahoo RPM Cycling Cadence Sensor for Outdoor, Spin and Stationary Bikes A gel seat cushion A mounting clip for my phone Not counting my bike shoes and cleats, I've spent about $255 for what seems to be a really great bike! In addition to the bike not having all of the bells and whistles, there are a few other negatives. I do wish there was a little more adjustment in the seat. I'm 5'5", and I could probably benefit from being a touch closer to the handlebars. Also, there is a bit of a smell when you have the resistance turned up. Sunny Health & Fitness really shines with its customer service. They have videos and guides for assembling, maintaining, and troubleshooting. And when I realized I had an issue with my seat, they were super responsive and replaced it right away. I almost didn't even ask because I just don't expect items to have any real warranty anymore, but they actually do stand behind their products. I was pleasantly surprised. Overall, this is a great entry-level bike. If you're more advanced or have a larger budget, you'll probably want something with more electronics and adjustments.

**Update after having bike for about five weeks -The bike is still working very nicely. I have noticed the resistance knob is not always consistent in how much resistance is added/removed. Overall the bike is still riding well and is quiet, no problems with noise or otherwise** I am giving this bike five stars after assembling it and using it for less than a week. I'll come back and revise this review if I have further experiences/thoughts that may be helpful to others. The five star review is based on value for money. I bought this bike to use with the Peloton App. I have had the bike assembled for three days and have done four rides so far. I am really enjoying it and feel more motivated to work out than I have in a long while. I am definitely sore and you will be too if you haven't cycled in a while. There will be a temptation to blame the bike but you would be sore even with a more expensive spin bike, trust me. Here are my initial thoughts: Assembly - My husband has some experience with bikes and was able to put this bike together in 20 minutes. I think on my own it would have taken maybe another 20 minutes but I am pretty bad with tools. Overall it was very easy to put together and Sunny includes all the tools you need which is very nice. Quality - The bike is much nicer than I expected. It looks and feels sturdy when you ride it. It pedals very smoothly, again, much more smoothly than I expected and on par with spin bikes I've ridden at the gym. Adjustability -- This is where the bike fails a little - the seat goes up and down and forward and back. That is nice but the holes are pretty far apart and would probably not fit someone very tall or very short. (Note that one nice feature is that you can adjust how the seat is tilted too, when first assembled ours was pitching me forward but I adjusted it to be more level and now it is fine). The handlebars go up and down but again the holes are pretty far apart. I also don't think the handlebars go high enough. They are fine for me at 5'6", but they will be very low for my husband who is 6'2". Data -- This is a no frills bike. You will not be able to do any at-home spin classes without adding a cadence sensor. I would recommend ordering either a spin computer or the Wahoo speed and cadence sensors. I went with the Wahoo cadence sensor (attached to the crank) to start with which displays on my phone. After a few rides I quickly decided I also need to know my distance and heart rate so I have also ordered the Wahoo speed sensor and the HR monitor. All of this costs around $120. You can also get a stand alone spin computer. For me I thought I'd prefer to track my work outs using my phone. Other accessories - You will likely want to get a mat for the bike. I also ordered an iPad holder and phone holder as well as a gel seat. I ordered Shimano spin shoes and I got clipless pedals. The shoes and pedals are kind of a luxury item compared to other accessories, but I definitely feel a difference in my effectiveness in the clipless . I ordered the wrong pedals for the shoes at first, - I ordered mountain bike shoes and road cycle pedals. Do a little research, my recommendation is to buy SPD moutain bike type shoes and compatible SPD pedals as I understand that mountain bike pedals are common at spin studios in general, so you could possibly also use them if you ever were taking a class out of the house. In any case, know that there is a difference between the cleat system between mountain bike type and road bike type pedals and shoes.

Received this bike today via my friendly UPS guy. It was easy for me to setup; the tools are included and the instructions are easy to understand. It is a big package and heavy, so I can see how it would be cumbersome to get it out of the box. The bike is packed really well and I didn't receive a damaged product even though I could tell that the box had seen some action. Total unpacking and setup probably took me about 45 minutes. After I got it setup, I referred to a great YouTube video that explains how to "calibrate" everything so I feel like I did everything properly. There's tons of information on the web about spin bikes and I found nothing but positive reviews about this model. I consider myself a casual bike rider and I've never been to a spin class. In fact, I had never even heard the term "spin bike" before. My background in bikes is with mountain bikes and the last bike I had was about 6 years ago. I'm really a runner so I load up some hard-core-testosterone metal on my music player and run/walk about 2 miles in the wee morning hours. I've been contemplating on a stationary bike or treadmill for some time now and I finally decided to go ahead and get something. I plan to alternate this with my morning runs and have an alternative low-impact workout. I hate having to deal with bad weather or dogs or nosy people. So having this bike can give me some power over my workouts and will let me stay away from gyms, which I utterly loathe. I usually get distracted and it takes away from my workout. And I don't have to pay a gym membership to use the aerobic equipment. Also, I don't have to deal with dishonest gym owners and employees locking me into 20 year gym memberships. This ends all of that for me. I'm a big guy at 6'2" / 220 lbs so I was concerned that I wouldn't fit or it would be uncomfortable. That's not the case. I have plenty of room in the leg department and I don't feel cramped on it. I've got plenty of stretch for my legs and I can still go up on the seat a few more notches. The handle bar post could go up one more notch for me but it's nothing so serious that I want to return the bike. I'm worried about the belt breaking and not being to able to replace it, but after a little research on the web it seems that the belt is a standard size belt (5PK520) that you can possibly purchase at an auto parts store. It looks like the belt housing can be removed with a Phillips head screwdriver. The frame is really solid and doesn't move or wobble. The seat is hard and uncomfortable but it wouldn't be hard to replace it or get a cover. I took the shoe harnesses off and just plan to use my running shoes. This thing is really quiet. I can see using it in an apartment or even a dorm room. I wanted a bike that I could ride at 3 am with a person asleep in the next door room and I wouldn't bother them. I think this will do the job. Overall I'm pleased with this bike. I was going to get the cheaper chain version by Sunny but after reading the reviews and doing some research on the web, I decided to spend the extra 100 bucks and get this belt drive version. This is easily a great bike for someone who is new to the spin bike world. Ride on!

I watched a ton of reviews before purchasing my first bike and decided on this one. I’m really happy with my choice. Assembly was very easy to do by myself, but I’d recommend a second person since the bike is fairly heavy. Once assembled, the bike is very sturdy and easy to move around with its wheels. I’m 6ft and my wife is 5’5, the bike adjusts very well for both of us. The resistance is easy to change. My only complaint is that the factory seat is very small and hard. I’ve swapped the seat out and it’s much better now. I’ve also added a MagSafe iPhone holder to it so I can view workout stats during rides and watch videos.