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Welcome to my review of one of my favorite indoor spin bikes, the Gold’s Gym Cycle Trainer 290 C. I absolutely love this bike because not only is it an extremely awesome value for the features, but it comes with build in workouts!
Build In Workouts
This is one of the only budget spin bikes that comes with built in workouts when the bike arrives at your front door. This particular model comes with 14 different workouts, all of which have been created and certified by a personal trainer (so you can make sure they are good!). While it is great these are built in, it gets even better. Some of the build in programs are for weight loss. These programs are carefully created so that they can say that if you stick with the program, in as little as 8 weeks, you can transform your body. While I have not put this to the test, you can certainly lose weight using this bike, or any bike really, you just need to eat right and work out hard. If your main purpose of buying a trainer is to lose weight, then the 290 C was created just for you. It will hold your hand along the way and help you hit your goals.
Resistance
You can typically expect to find up to 8 resistance levels on a bike at this price. However, the 290 C Gold’s Gym unit greatly beats expectations and gives you a whipping 16 levels of resistance. I really like this because it means that a complete novice can use it, but an experienced fit cyclist can also get in a brutal workout. There is no need to turn a knob to adjust it, you simply will adjust it through a digital computer. Again, this is something that is rarely seen on a unit at this price point.
Comfort
This cycling machine has a very large over sized seat which we found is fine. It is not comfortable and could use an upgrade, but it is not uncomfortable either. Exercise bikes rarely have very great seats, so this is expected. There is plenty of padding though which adds to the comfort. You will also be able to adjust almost all aspects of this bike to fit your size and body weight.
The Computer
One of my favorite things is that the computer in this unit is great! You get a LCD display that is pretty large and displays all sorts of cool things such as time, distance, speed, resistance, calories, and even your pulse if you use the powerpulse heart rate monitor that is built into the handlebars. When testing, i found that the hear rate monitor was spot on. Usually these are way off on budget bikes, but this was a great find. Do not expect the calorie counter to be spot on, as they rarely ever are. They are just guessing based on your weight and intensity of your workout.
While the computer is pretty awesome, the 290 C also offers some other features not found on other budget exercise machines. These include two speakers and a musicport to plug in an ipod, as well as a CoolAire fan that has 2 settings to keep you cool while working out.
Transportation
This bike is overall pretty light and comes with transport wheels to move it around easily. This was not nearly as heavy as expected which was nice to move around the house when I was expecting guests
Warranty
The Gold’s Gym Cycle Trainer 290 C has an excellent 5 year warranty on the frame and a 90 day warranty for parts and labor. Remember, if you are larger than 275 pounds, if you use this bike you could be voiding the warranty.
User Reviews of the Gold’s Gym Cycle Trainer 290 C
When checking out some of the reviews on Amazon, almost all of them on the Gold’s Gym 290 C are very positive. One mentions that he expected the battery life for the unit to not last long at all and would have to use the power supply. He was very surprised when the batteries lasted much longer than 2 months.
Others have mentioned at how light the bike is, which allows them to move it around their home with ease.
I would personally like to see the flywheel be a bit more heavy, but the ride is still extremely smooth and people seem to agree.
Final Thoughts
If you want to get a budget spin bike with all the features of a much higher priced unit, this is what you should be buying. Not only does it come with all the features at a fraction of the price, but it is incredibly well built, sturdy, and gives great results if you stick with it. We love that it has built in workouts and many resistance levels and are extremely excited that it holds your hand on a weight loss journey which is what some people really need to get over the hump.
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