Exerpeutic Folding Upright Exercise Bike (Open Box)

A further update. Am now over four months and 40 miles short of 1000 miles on this exercise bike and find it has proved both durable and useful in getting an hour a day of exercise for my heart condition. It is extremely quiet and the magnetic resistance is so much better than the old system of a rubber roller on a bike tire type of bike. Most important to me is that in 4 months I have not missed a day using this bike and it lets me work out in front of the TV where I watch three lessons of Great Courses a day while getting my equivalent of 10,000 steps as is often recommended for those of us with heart conditions. In fact it has worked so well I have added a small book on its use in exercise programs to my website at www.amazon.com/author/scottro Other than the one early problem with the computer discussed below(which somehow ended up resolving itself so now I have a spare when needed) the bike has proved an excellent investment in my health. I do think that the pulse readings are a bit off and I keep an oximeter nearby when working out to verify my pulse readings trying to keep mine at 90% of maximum for my age (220 minus your age gives you theoretical maximum heart rate and normally recommend keeping aerobic exercise in 80-90% of that maximum range although that depends on your overall health). http://www.amazon.com/Contec-CMS50DL-Oximeter-Oximetry-Saturation/dp/B004BJT9OE/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417792738&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=osiometer This is an addition to earlier review. Have now used the bike for over three weeks and putting 80 miles a week on it. Remain extremely pleased with the bike. Unfortunately at 240 miles the computer decided to have mind of its own and started rapidly scanning and resetting the time. Pressing and holding button for three seconds plus did not reset. Then it would not turn off so had to remove the batteries. Called customer service and they had me on file even though bought through Amazon so they had purchase date. Sending me a replacement set of handlebars which includes the computer and told me to keep the old one for spare parts. Very nice to work with. Could not find the model number but turned out the four digit code (1200) on front of the manual is the model number. Serial number is on the leg of the unit should you need that. Despite this problem this is working beautifully for me. Would be ashamed to tell you how much exercise equipment have bought over the years that never got used that much. I do a one hour a day workout on this bike, three 20 minute sessions with 10 minute break, and have not missed a day yet. Started out at resistance of 3 and up to 5 now. How this will hold up long term have yet to see but if have more to report will come back and edit this review. Having read the reviews I agree that this is extremely well made and sturdy. Also smooth and quiet. Glad I did not go with cheaper and flimsy bike. While I have barely started using the machine I will return if in using it I find issues to note or helpful hints. In this review I am limiting my comments to assembly issues I ran into. It took me about half an hour to unpack and assemble. In unpacking you will want a box cutter or scissors to cut the various tapes and plastic. It comes very well protected. My first challenge was where the wheels went. I had to go back to the video to see they go to the front of the bike. Next they give instructions about how the peddles screw on and this you have to read very carefully. The left peddle screws in counterclockwise but the right peddle screws in clockwise. Doing otherwise can strip the threads. Their instructions on this are bit weak. The print on red warning on the wrapping is so small you need magnifying glass to read and in the manual they have bold print on the left peddle but not on the right peddle. The straps I found difficult to install. Finally found that on one side they pulled up over a flange. Before installing suggest you sit on bike and if possible have a partner adjust the straps to whatever footwear you plan to wear when peddling so you do not have to take off and reinstall the straps. If more than one person using this will need to adjust to the largest footwear. They were probably the hardest thing to install. As one who has had a lifetime of assembling Christmas toys for children and grandchildren I am used to instruction issues and a missing part or two. Alas this was true here although very minor. One of the small spring washers was missing --- and yes I did check the area carefully as well as the packaging. Minor item I will pick up at hardware store for a few pennies. The batteries are included but if you plan to use the bike frequently you will likely want to install alkaline or lithium batters as the heavy duty will not last long. Manual gives good instructions on how the computer works and I like the scan feature that lets you see all the functions one after the other. You can also set to just one if that is what you want. Can reset all to zero except the odometer which you can do but takes bit more effort. Manual does have some nice stretching warm up exercises included which are always a good idea before working out. Included is dual open end wrench, screwdriver and Allen wrench which is all you need to assemble. Did find when folding for storage needed to be sure holes aligned for the safety pin. Folding to the max pushed just beyond the hole. All of these are very minor items for what appears a high quality and extremely useful exercise bike. They include phone number, e mail and fax for any replacement parts you might need. No pricing but obviously can get that from them after the one year warranty period. One last item is that while not as bad as many items you will end up with all those little bits of styrofoam on the bike and elsewhere that are always a pain to clean up. So be prepared to vacuum and/or if you have a piece of packing tape handy that is good way to get these little devils. Any issues will come back and add. Hope you find this helpful.