DeskCycleUnder Desk Bike Pedal Exerciser

i doubt that cycling under my desk is going to result in my figure looking like it did when i was practicing muay thai 13 hours a week, or even when i was spending an hour and a half on an elliptical trainer each night, but what i can say is that it is AWESOME to know i'm burning at least a handful of calories extra each hour than i otherwise would.here's my quick and dirty review after two days of use:this product is, as everyone else says, shockingly well made. despite the hundreds of reviews indicating its high quality, heft, smooth rotation, and absolute silence, i was skeptical, and couldn't help but wonder if perhaps everyone just had lower expectations. well, i can vouch: it is high quality, heavy without being forbiddingly so, and rotation is absolutely smooth and there is no noise at all. i cannot tell you how many people have walked by my desk in the past two days who didn't even know i was cycling unless i pointed it out.so that right out of the gate: if you want to try an underdesk cycler, don't go cheap to save $50, and don't waste your money on the $300 versions. start here. even if it ends up not being for you, it WON'T be because it's cheap or squeaky or impossible to put together.which brings me to the next thing: it is, again, as others have mentioned, painless to put together. i did it in about ten minutes, and it only took that long because people kept stopping by my desk to ask me wtf i was doing.as for results, it's too early to tell, and again, i don't expect them to be shocking, but what i can say is that my thighs and even glutes are already noticeably firmer (not sure how my glutes are, since i'm just SITTING, but indeed they are). the most surprising benefit, though, is already tighter abs. when i woke up this morning, i expected my legs to be sore - they weren't. it was my CORE that ached, and it was a delicious sort of ache.this is because if used properly, you will be sitting on the edge of your chair, holding your stomach in, and relying on your core for balance as you pedal and type at the same time. which brings me to an important note: you definitely want to observe correct posture,, and NOT try to use this sitting back in your chair, because if you don't, your lower back will begin to ache in as little as five minutes.also, regarding those who have said they don't like peering under their desks to look at the display - i can't speak for older versions of the machine, but at least in the new ones, there's a long cord and stand so that you can put the adapter on your desk and monitor your progress.i will say that i'm a little flummoxed by reviews here and elsewhere that indicate averaging "ten miles a day", or even 40, because at least if mine is calibrated correctly, i did 97 my first day and 104 today. i hit 7 miles within the first ten minutes of my workday today. of course, i have resistance set at only 2, and am pedaling quite fast, and doing so *most* of my workday (290 minutes yesterday, 300 today), but i have a hard time believing i'm ACTUALLY pedaling at 23 to 25 mph, which is what the meter indicates. so i'm skeptical i've actually hit THAT distance.either way, this is probably the best $160 i've spent in awhile, and even if i don't end up looking like i spend three hours a day in the gym as a result (and i won't), it's awesome to not just be sitting and spreading ever wider the nine hours a day i'm behind my desk.also, as others have stated, my coworkers are fascinated. the skeptical ones: "we'll see how long you stick with it," and "there's no way that mileage is correct." the curious ones: "that's so cool! if you start seeing results, i might get one too!" the enthusiastic ones: "let me try it! oh wow, this is awesome!! where did you get it? how much? can you send me the link?"all in all, again, if you want to go an under-desk cycle route, don't even hesitate to go with this product.oh, by the way:regarding the calorie counter, don't get excited. i'd supposedly burned 2000 calories by noon yesterday. even the literature that comes with the cycle says "don't trust the monitor, it's wrong." go to the website they give you and plug in your age, height, weight, resistance, distance, and time, and it will give you a theoretically more accurate calorie count. for a profound example, by the time i left the office today after 5 hours of cumulative peddling, i'd supposedly burned over 4000 calories. when i plugged my numbers into the site, it gave me a far more realistic read of 687. not as exciting as four grand, but still, 687 calories more than i'd have burned otherwise.in summary, you can't go wrong with this - though if you are tall or your desk is weirdly low, you'll have issues - but you would have issues with ANY of these products, in that case, and probably none that would be so smooth and silent and well-made. this is a shockingly high-quality product for the price, and honestly, i kind of can't believe how inexpensive it is relative to its worth.

This DeskCycle is the Cat's Meow...whether or not you own a desk. And to think I was within moments of purchasing one of the cheaper ones, I should say, one of the 'non-magnetic resistance' ones. Then somehow I stumbled across this one, and am so glad I did. I never knew cycling could be this smooth and quiet. I see no way for any part on this unique little machine to ever break down. Just wait until you see how it works. You can actually see the mechanism working as you cycle, thru the dark transparent top down into its smooth working innards. But you'll never hear it. Sweet....I stumbled a bit putting it together, not paying enough attention to which end was the front, but once I recognized what I'd done wrong, everything was a piece of cake after that. I will emphasize what the instructions do, and that's to tighten down very tightly the pedal screws. You don't want the threads eventually stripping, which is the only thing I can see that could possibly go wrong with this cycle.I'm using the cycle with a very small fold-up round seated chair and sit back comfortably there and watch TV. Maybe tomorrow I'll read a book instead (currently working on the 1400 pg. 'Sacajawea' by Anna Lee Waldo...great book!). I think that will be a very pleasant time with a very pleasant cycle.I have no problem whatsoever with the cycle moving forward or anywhere else on my very short carpet. I can pedal it downward (as suggested in the instructions) or pedal it forward, it makes no difference, it stays securely where I've put it.This is a high-quality made exercise cycle. It's heavy enough to remain stable when on a carpet, but not too heavy to pick up and carry around. Although I think it would be perfect for placing under a desk, it's certainly not made for that purpose alone. Anyone who wants or needs this kind of exercise should be thrilled with the workout you can get with this cycle. And...you can take it easy on Setting 2 or 3, which you probably should anyway in the beginning, or set it on an upper number for a real tough workout. Don't worry about not getting enough 'resistance' with it. I can see now that I could never pump it at a setting of probably more than about 4 or 5 (it goes to 8).Oh...the pedals. I don't need the straps to go over my shoes so I just pedal on the straps (don't know if that's okay or not). I was pleasantly surprised to find that pedaling barefoot or with just socks (directly on the pedal) is equally comfortable.Somebody brilliant must have invented this cycle. And somebody equally brilliant wrote the instructions. They're clear and straightforward (a rare thing) and it should take you about 10 minutes to put this together. The pedals were just a little challenging for me...just be patient and make sure you start threading the screw in the right direction for each pedal. Then screwing it in all the way takes just a little muscle, but be sure the screw goes in all the way and to make it a very tight fit. (Don't keep screwing it in if you think it's not in the right threads...just start over til you're sure.)I wish everyone could afford to buy this cycle, and can just say it's more than worth saving up for if that's what it takes to have one. My advice to those who can't buy it right away is to either save up, or ask for it as a Christmas or Birthday gift. I would have been thrilled to receive it as a gift. Oh yeah, it comes with a one-year standard Warranty.If you're not sure between buying the DeskCycle or the MagneTrainer, write to 3D Innovations and they'll send you a chart that shows the similarities and differences between the two. The folks there are very friendly and helpful. I came down on the side of the DeskCycle because of its low and smaller profile.Well...I'm a lady and no spring chicken. And I don't work for this company. But I do think this DeskCycle is awesome! I'm looking forward to getting a lot of use out of it and having a lot of fun with it for a very long time. I highly recommend this DeskCycle to everyone who's looking to buy one.P.S. I just ordered another one for my daughter today (17 Dec). She tried out mine and fell in love with it. I think she knew if she raved about it enough I'd take the hint and get her one for Christmas. I bit the hook because she really wants it and I know it will help keep her healthy. What more could a mother want! lol