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Exercising from home is increasingly becoming the new normal, now that most of us can’t go to the gym. However, having the right equipment for your home gym is essential if you really want to achieve your fitness goals.
Exercise bikes like the Slim Cycle are a great way to get a workout from the comfort of your home. They provide a straightforward and uncomplicated way to get the exercises you need to stay fit and lose weight.
Currently, there are so many options available in the market, with different indoor bikes that offer different benefits and features. For those with a limited budget, you will likely come across bikes with less resistance, features, and few programming options. On the other hand, if you’re willing to splurge, you will find many high-end bikes that come with advanced features such as multiple profile settings, preset workout programs, a myriad of connectivity options, and extended warranty.
One of the most compelling options you will likely come across is the Slim Cycle 2-in-1 exercise bike. And by the time you’re here, you’ve probably come across the commercial on the product, and you’re actually considering getting one. But is it really the right choice for you?
In this Slim Cycle review, we aim to not only help you make the right decision, but also make sure that this exercise bike is right for you and your home gym. You will learn everything you need to know about the machine, including its features, the pros and cons, and an overview of how it actually works. We’ll also look at its benefits in terms of whether it can help you improve your health, fitness, and wellness.
What is Slim Cycle?
Slim Cycle is an exercise bike that has been positioned as the perfect exercise machine for cardio workouts. The product is a stationary, folding exercise machine made for indoor use, that comes with a heart monitor and arm resistance bands in one package.
The bike is “2-in-1” in two different ways. For starters, it essentially integrates full cardio exercises with resistance training for the upper body. The seat can also be moved around, such that it transforms from a recumbent bike to an upright one and vice versa.
The upright position is ideal for intense workouts, while the recumbent position works best for relaxed workouts. The bike comes with eight levels of ultra-quiet magnetic resistance, along with a large digital display that tracks distance, calories, and speed. This lets you see your pulse via the heart rate monitors built into each of the handles.
The handles also help make getting in and out of the machine easy, while the comfy, 2.5-inch memory foam seat provides ample support for users up to 300 pounds. The seat is adjustable, and it can accommodate users between 4′ 11″ and 6′ 4″ in height.
As a folding bike, the construction is made of a strong steel structure, which indicates a higher durability and wear resistance. The magnetic braking system offers an easy and smooth ride. You can also manually regulate the load, with 8 levels or resistance.
FitNation makes our favorite version of the Slim Cycle…Here’s a look at it in action:\
What Makes the Slim Cycle different from Traditional Exercise Bikes?
One of the key things that differentiates Slim Cycle from other bikes is that it comes as a combination of an upright and a recumbent bike, all in one package. You can easily hop into the Slim Cycle and start pedaling from the comfort of your home to shed a few extra pounds. On top of this, the bike has 8 different resistance levels, complemented by in-built arm resistance bands that let you sculpt and tone muscles during indoor workout sessions.
With other similar exercise machines, the target area is mostly the legs, and they do not provide a full body workout. Since most of these machines only have one function, they can get boring quite easily, as there’s only one exercise the user can do. However, with the Slim Cycle, it’s two exercise machines in one. This allows for a multitude of workouts that can be done from what appears to be a standard bike.
Moreover, the Slim Cycle bike can fold up to the size of an ironing board, allowing it to be stowed away easily. This is quite unique to exercise bikes as most of them are bulky and can’t be folded. They take up a lot of room when they are not being used, which can clutter the room and make it unnecessarily untidy.
Key Benefits of Slim Cycle
Slim Cycle offers a lot of features that come together to make a high-quality bike. Below are some of the key features and benefits you should have in mind when considering it as your potential go-to home exercise bike.
- Adjustable resistance levels
Slim Cycles offers 8 levels of adjustable resistance based on how intense you want your workout to be. For beginners, you can easily start with the lower levels and build yourself up. Over time, you will find yourself wanting to increase the resistance levels to challenge yourself towards higher fitness levels. The resistance level is controlled by a knob located just below the display panel.
- Arm resistance bands
The Slim Cycle bike also features arm resistance bands that you can incorporate into your upper body strength training when doing your cardio workouts. Whether you want to do a full body workout, tone your arms, or sculpt your upper body, the arm resistance bands give you a different dimension to your cardio workout.
- In-built Heart Monitor
Want to find out if you’re pushing hard enough? Well, your heart rate is a great indicator of your workout intensity, and how productive your workout is. To make the most out of your full body workout, you want to stay on top of your heart rate.
The bike will help you do this with its in-built heart rate monitor, through the hand pulse sensors located on the bike’s handlebars to let you monitor where you are during your workout depending on your heart rate target zones.
- Memory foam
In case working comfortably is more important to you, you can rest easy knowing that Slim Cycle comes with a 2.5-inch memory foam seat and cushion for back rest support. The seat adjusts to fit users that are between 4’11” and 6’4” tall, and supports weight of at least 300 lbs.
- It’s Portable
For those concerned about the machine being another exercise machine that becomes an eyesore to look at because it takes way too much room in your home, don’t be. The bike has the capability of folding flat such that you can fold it up and store it away into a corner or even under the bed when it’s not in use.
- Large Digital Display
The bike also helps you to track workouts with a large display that keeps track of your distance, burned calories, speed, and miles travelled. With your workout stats displayed in front of you at all times during your workout, it will be much easier to determine how hard you need to push yourself, so that you can tailor your workout to meet your session goals.
- Low noise levels
Slim Cycle boasts the ability to be completely silent during operation. In fact, most of the users are surprised at how the machine really is. You can have the peace of mind using the machine at home knowing that the machine won’t be a bother to your family members in terms of noise.
Does it Help with Weight Loss?
As you probably know, cardio is one of the most effective ways to lose weight and get in shape. However, many people don’t realize how monotonous cardio can get. Resistance training is generally a great way to tone muscles and build muscle mass. But you won’t get the weight loss results you’re looking for with resistance training alone. However, when combined with cardio training, the results are near excellent.
This is why companies like Bulbhead, the creator of Slim Cycle, developed the product – to give users a cardio and resistance training workout at the same time. It’s arguably a revolutionary idea, with the company claiming that you effectively get two times the results in half the time.
All in all, the number of calories you burn during your workout will depend on the resistance settings. Generally speaking, the average person burns at least 8 to 10 calories per minute with this workout machine. And as you increase the resistance, the more calories you will burn.
The Slim Cycle bike ideally targets multiple muscles at the same time, which is what makes it unique. Aside from putting your heart, quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves to the test due to its pedals, you also get to workout your shoulders, arms, and back using the resistance bands. This is a great, multi-position option for people who want to put their entire body to work.
Slim Cycle Workouts
The Slim Cycle can also be useful for:
- Aerobic Workouts
Also referred to as cardio exercises, these raise your heart rate. When performed regularly, they will help you burn extra calories and improve your cardiovascular health, among other health benefits.
- Muscle Building
Every time you turn those pedals, you will be using many different lower body muscles, which will help them, and the bones they are connected to, grow bigger and stronger.
- Everyday wellness
According to Harvard Health, these benefits carry over to different aspects of your daily life, including walking, balance, standing, endurance, and more.
- Low impact
Despite these muscle building and aerobic workout capabilities, cycling is generally low-impact, which means it’s easy on the joints.
When you start using the Slim Cycle regularly, you will start to notice significant changes in your body weight. You only need to use the bike for about 20 minutes a day and the results will be significant. If you’re trying to get rid of pot belly fat, you could have much of the fat burnt down in a few weeks.
Does it Come Assembled?
The machine is disassembled its packaging large box, and experienced users may quickly assemble the it using the instructions on the manual. However, for people who haven’t done it before, the assembly can be time-consuming as there are multiple parts that can take a while to piece together. In general, it will take you at least 30 to 50 minutes to completely assemble.
It’s advisable to read the instruction manual carefully and watch the instructional videos when setting up the machine and before starting out the first exercises. This ensures that the piece of equipment is properly set up and that you understand how to fold it down and put it upright.
The instructional videos will give you some safe exercises to do when starting out. This is aimed at preventing the user from experiencing any strains or sprains from using the equipment improperly.
What We Love About Slim Cycle
Slim Cycle is a bike that is easy to store. Following each workout, you can fold the machine away and put it into a closet or a corner of a room to save space. It also comes with transport rollers, which makes it easy to move the machine from one place to another. The compactness lets you place the device almost anywhere, and you can use it both indoors and outdoors.
Plus, almost anybody can benefit from using this product. It will be great for you whether you’re a beginner or an experienced fitness enthusiast. Slim Cycle also provides an all-round workout experience, with a beautiful blend of strength-based and cardiovascular options. Whether it’s pedaling or working on toning your arms with the resistance bands that come with the machine, you can be sure that it will do both well.
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If you don’t have the time to use multiple machines for your workouts, or if you just don’t want to spend a fortune on gym equipment, this is a great starting point for your home or gym setup.
You also save money by not needing to pay for a gym membership. The Slim Cycle machine essentially creates a home-based personalized gym. You don’t even have to purchase extra pieces of equipment to get a full body workout. For the cost of the product, you get video instructions on how to make the most out of the machine (more on this later). This should save you some cash on personal trainer costs, since all the instructions you need are included with the product, free of charge.
Slim Cycle Pros and Cons
Of all the stationary bikes you could use to exercise at home, Slim Cycle is one of the best. Consider the following pros and cons to decide for yourself.
Pros
- Upper body sculpting
One of the key features of Slim Cycle is its upper body toning function. The bike comes with 2 resistance bands attached to the handlebars. These bands let you exercise your upper body and elbows as you cycle, providing you with an all round exercise.
- Different resistance levels
The slim cycle lets you set different resistance levels, depending on your endurance. The higher the resistance level, the more effort you need to cycle, thereby enhancing your workout. The ability to adjust resistance levels will let you vary your workout to suit your workout targets, which gives you more benefits from the workout.
- Can be used by people of all ages
Another major benefit with Slim Cycle is that it can be used by people of all ages. This is largely because it has adjustable handlebars and seats, making the bike suitable for everyone no matter their height and age.
- Large enough digital display
The digital display is one of the best features in the bike. Most of the models come with a digital display that lets you monitor the progress of your workout. The display lets you view your speed and distance covered, thereby letting you set daily targets for your workout.
- Foldable design
The folding design of the Slim Cycle bike is one of the most impressive features it brings. It makes it easy to carry the bike around easily and store it in tight spaces.
- Large Opening
The bike also comes with high quality handles, which are well spaced from the seat. This way, no matter the size of the user, you won’t feel like you’re squeezing yourself into the machine when mounting it. There’s also enough room to comfortably get off the bike with minimal risk of injury.
- Adjustable Resistance Bands
The upper body resistance bands of the Slim Cycle are adjustable. You can effectively increase the resistance by pushing up the band through the handle covet length, and then lock the ring by pulling through. You could also decrease the resistance by repeating the same process. You should note that only one side of the resistance band can be adjusted, so, if you can’t adjust one side, try the other.
- Heart rate monitoring
With its heart monitoring capabilities, the bike lets you know when you’re straining too much. This way, you will know when to reduce the intensity of your workout and avoid injury.
- Virtual Rides Included
When you buy the bike, you automatically get 10 complimentary virtual rides that you can download on your tablet or smartphone via the designated app. In these rides, your instructor will let you know what to do, and when. As such, if you are a complete beginner with exercise bikes, you may find them very helpful.
Cons
As much as the bike has a lot of benefits, there are still some drawbacks you need to have in mind:
- Limited to sitting down
You might think it would be a great challenge to stand on the bike and even pull the resistance bands at the same time, but the bike is simply not designed for standing. Standing up could cause you or the bike (or both) to topple over, which could potentially result in injury and damage to the machine.
- The Slim Cycle bike is quite pricey, meaning it won’t fit into all budgets
- You need to assemble the bike post-purchase, which can be a huge drawback to some
- The bike comes with a relatively short warranty
- The seat angle is not adjustable
Price: Is it Worth it?
Currently, Slim Cycle is priced at $199.95 with free shipping. There’s also the option of making 5 payments of $39.99. Each purchase comes with an app containing a library of 10 on-demand virtual rides at no extra cost. Some of these rides include instruction. When checking out, you can opt to upgrade to a full year access to these videos for an extra $5.
You can also pay for the Deluxe plan or version, which comes with a free water bottle, a metallic gunmetal finish, a floor mat, upgraded handle grips, and a 2-year extended warranty for a total of $270.90.
Each package comes with:
- Slim Cycle 2-in-1 exercise bike
- Water bottle holder
- Slim Away belt
- Protective floor mat
- Comfort padded seat cover
- 2-year extended warranty
- A 30-day refund policy (less S&H charges)
We tried getting in touch with customer support, but none of the representatives we spoke to could give us additional information on how long the app videos are available for without paying for the upgrade.
See current Fit Nation Flex Bike prices at their website.
Final Thoughts
The Slim Cycle bike is a great choice for anyone looking for a flexible bike, especially in terms of recumbent and upright position. It allows for upper body and lower body workouts, and it’s easy to fold and stow away. It’s also perfect for people looking to do intense workouts (upright) and low impact workouts (recumbent).
And with all the benefits and features we have outlined in the post, the Slim Cycle exercise bike checks all the boxes, for an affordable price. Whether it’s the sleek design, the built in resistance bands, or the foldable setup, you are really getting the best of everything, which makes it quite special.
Rather than spending a fortune investing in multiple machines, Slim Fit provides you with a high-grade, practical option, with the trusted quality and reliability you’d expect from Bulbhead. So, if you’re looking for something that will fit in right away, you simply can’t go wrong with Slim Cycle.
