Fitness Reality Fitness Reality X-Class

Our FR-450 recumbent arrived on time in two packages. Two of us aged 80 and 75 unpacked them in an hour and put it together in 5 hours without undue hassle. Everything works excellently, except operating the programs. We wish better instructions were available to set them up.After two weeks, the bike is still super quiet with the most comfortable seat ever, and we've ridden some beasts. He's 6'1" with long legs, yet don't need it all the way back. She's 5'6", and it easily accommodates both. Shifting the seat takes some getting used to, but when locked, it doesn't move or wobble like others.Assembly instructions are good, but operation of the console is not very well explained and takes a lot of trial and error. We'd be happy to stay at one low level, but it resets each time to random programs and changes during the ride. We're working out our own procedures, but it's been frustrating.I have a tungsten hip and knee, and our docs recommend at least 30-minute rides for both of us every day, but we wore out our first big-name brand recumbent in only 2 years. It wasn't nearly as quiet as this new one and got progressively louder until the pedals wouldn't turn. It wasn't nearly as sturdy nor as comfortable as our FR-450. The pulse connecters on the R-161 never worked.5-week update: Our FR-450 recumbent still works great. It still runs silent as a whisper. Some may find these pre-steps helpful initially:1. Set seat position by loosening adjustment pin lever counterclockwise (viewed from the bike’s right side) not more than one full turn. Pull out pin and slide seat. Snug lever by turning back clockwise—in the same direction the pedals rotate.2. Before putting feet on pedals, push “START”3. A big “M” should appear onscreen, referred to in our manual as “P1" though not shown anywhere in our pages.4. IMPORTANT: Press “START” again.*5. From “Level 9,” arrow down to easier pedaling and program bars you want. We use the lowest, which show only one row of bars at the bottom. For our needs, any of the levels on this screen will keep us fit.6. When finished with a session, press “STOP.” Only auto-off turns the screen off in 20 minutes. However, the upside of this is you can press "STOP" to get off to answer the door or go to the restroom, then press "START" when you want to continue.* We've found if we don’t follow the above steps (especially pushing START twice), unwanted exercise configurations can appear, which change tension every minute.Note: To go back to P1 and level tension, hold the “START” button down firmly until the big “M” shows as in item 3 before going on to item 4.Three month update of our FR X-Class 450SL Recumbent Exercise Bike: Still silent. Still works great. The comfort seat becomes ever easier to shift, while still remaining sturdy. All a terrific buy.

We've owned three recumbent bikes in the past 15 years and this is by far the best of the three.The biggest factors when I was searching for a good recumbent bike were seat cushioning and back support. This bike did not disappoint in those areas. The seat cushion is very thick, but you don't sink into it which is great. The back support is perfect, neither too stiff nor too weak. It also has a nice higher and wider back than typical recumbent backs so it doesn't cut into shoulder blades and offers full support.The pedal motion is smooth, and the pedals themselves are nice and wide. Also, since i love to be barefoot, i will mention that the grip on the pedals is not pointy and pokey and i can easily use it without shoes.There are about 20 preprogrammed rides and i mostly use those. i have used the custom one once, and just increased or decreased as i went along, but haven't set up an actual custom program yet. I like the variety of the preprogrammed ones, and the higher levels really make me work hard so it's difficult to do 'lazy cardio' on those. :) I'll admit i'm very happy when it drops down to level 4, lol.This thing is sturdy. The only time i've felt it shake is when i was doing hiit, and doing my high intensity portion during a time when the resistance level was only on one so i was pedaling like a spaz.One thing, this bike isn't for shorties. I'm 5'4" and i have to be at the closest setting to ride comfortably. Anyone shorter than that will be stretching their legs rather far.It's an incredibly comfortable bike. I'm 130 and 5'4", and my husband is 250 and 5'9", and we are both comfortable using it.The instructions for assembly were easy to follow and straight-forward. It did take some time (maybe 90 min?), but i wasn't rushing.The cup holder doesn't fit any of my tall cups so i don't use that. The pulse detection seems to be hit or miss as the hands have to be very exact when holding them, and requires that i bend my wrists in a strange way to get it to pick up properly. I have not used the HRC program yet due to not fully trusting the detectors to be accurate.I utilize this 5-6 days a week. Two days for intervals (20-30 min), and 3-4 days steady state (30-40 min).~Darcie

This bike is extremely comfortable for those like me that have a bad back or other condition that makes exercising uncomfortable. Its very sturdy, built solid, and I expect will last for years. It took two of us about an hour to assemble. The electronics leave a bit to be desired, but at this price point I can't complain. I couldn't get it to pair at all with my Dell Android tablet, but it paired with my Samsung Android phone without issue. I can watch the display while exercising while the phone is laid up in the convenient rack. There is no virtual reality or anything like that, just a display of your time and distance traveled. It does keep a log of your activities. Overall it does the job well and I would buy it again.

This machine is beautiful. It is quiet as a church mouse in operation. Its pedal action is smooth as silk. I found the pedal crank length to be perfect for my cycling needs. It is also very sturdy and strong. Could not ask for a nicer machine.The instruction manual to assemble the bike was very detailed and excellent in every aspect. There was a problem assembling the kit I received, however. Four holes to bolt the handlebars to their support brackets were punched wrong. I had to re-drill those two holes on each side and move them 23mm forward to make those fit and bolt up to the arm rests. Having done that it all fit together perfectly. I now have a wonderful machine.