Product Review: Fuel Fitness Model B42 Upright Exercise Bike
Summary:
Well-Constructed, Affordable and Enjoyable to Use
The Fuel B42 Upright Exercise bike is a well-built solid
construction piece of equipment – feeling on par with higher end (professional
style) products. It was relatively easy to assemble, and feels very comfortable
to ride. From my research, the product is
only available online, and is an exclusive option from a major sporting goods
retailer (Dick’s), but is not sold in the retail locations.
Past promotions indicate it was previously available through sites like
Woot (Amazon). Price ranges from
around $300 to $700. At the lower
range, this is a great deal.
I considered and compared the Fuel B42 with 3 other
products: Diamondback Fitness 510Ub, Spirit Fitness XBU55 Upright Bike and
(briefly) the Schwinn 170 Upright Bike.
The Diamondback and Spirit are professional grade products priced around
$700 to $1,000, whereas the Schwinn is a household grade product around $300.
Pros:
The
Fuel B42 assembly took me (working alone), a novice, about 1 hour to
assemble, and was pretty easy following the instructions provided.
Once assembled, the final fit was solid and once plugged in, was
ready to use.
The bike itself has wheels built in to the front
support rod, allowing it to be easily moved around a room.
You simply push down the front arms so the rear end lifts up, and slide
it into position. Although mine is
permanently located in my rec room, it made it easy to move into place.
The seat is average comfort.
Size is okay, but it could be softer. This is a pretty easy fix if you
want a softer seat. The seat can be
adjusted forwards or backwards, and of course up or down. The seat assembly has
a big range for lowering and raising the seat to accommodate many sizes of
people. I’m 6’4”, and have ample
height to use the bike properly. I
think I can still go another notch up.
Once on the bike, it’s designed so you can get into a racing position,
and it’s pretty comfortable the way the arms are designed.
The control panel has a variety of options (built-in
programs, plus manual mode and the ability to save two user programs).
It measures the standard variety of things, like speed and calories
burned. The unit also has pulse
sensors, but like my Horizon Elliptical, they need to be cleaned of sweat and
oil, or the results are erratic.
There is a single speed fan and a connection for a MP3 or other music device.
Cons:
The seat adjustment knob gets really tight after use.
I wanted to move it up one more notch, and it was really difficult to
adjust (but it was easy to initially set it).
The control panel is on when the unit is plugged in, and
there is no on/off switch, so you have to unplug the unit after use. Not a big
deal, but could have been easily fixed with a simple switch.
After about 2 weeks of use, there is sometimes a ‘knocking’
sound from the flywheel. It doesn’t impact the usage, but prior to this, it was
virtually silent. The sound is
inconsistent. If listening to music,
you won’t hear it, but my concern is this a future failure?
In one product photo, it shows a woman using the bike while
not seated. I find this impossible to achieve on the exercise bike, though I can
easily do so on my regular (outdoor use) bike. When attempting to use it
‘standing’, you cannot get a clean pedal flow.
Maybe it’s because of my height? This is definitely not for someone
seeking a racing bike.
Some product information online (Dick’s website) indicates
the arms are adjustable – they are not and the manual does not reference
anything about them being adjustable.
Further, there is certainly no obvious adjustment for the arms.
Freight delivery from Dick’s took 2 weeks from my order
date to delivery date and on arrival, the box was in horrible condition.
Dick’s shipped via ArcBest Freight and the product originated from Sole
Fitness. I carefully unpackaged the
item (since my only option was to wait weeks for a return and re-delivery), and
was impressed at how well Fuel Fitness packaged the product, such that it could
survive such poor handling. Nothing
was broken or missing. Obviously
there is no way to know how the package was shipped, nor where the damage
occurred, but no company (I contacted them all) has cared enough to even
respond. I would not recommend Dick’s.
I emailed customer service, received a coupon off a future purchase, and
wrote to the company, but have not had a response.
Tips:
There are plastic pedal straps, though I opted not to
install them.
My use is casual – a few times a week for 20 to 30 minutes
of use.
With little to no information (i.e. reviews) about the Fuel
B42, I took a chance, knowing if it was that bad, I could return it to Dick’s.
Fortunately, I was impressed, since packaged, it weighs in just over 100
pounds. I also scored a great online
deal, making the price point easily half the high end competitors.
As for the Schwinn, it was immediately out of consideration when I
visited a local Dick’s retail store, and found one on the showroom floor
essentially falling apart (the seat was wobbling and the height adjustment
failed to hold the seat in place). I
figured if it couldn’t handle being a demo, it couldn’t handle actual use.
The manual indicates it includes a 1 year parts and labor
warranty (in-home) and lifetime frame warranty.
The bike is made in Taiwan, per the box.
Overall, I am impressed and would recommend the Fuel B42
for an affordable quality exercise bike.