review – Home exercise bikes remain a hit for fitness today, with hundreds (thousands?) of models and price points to choose from. The SUNMYTH exercise bike promises a better experience than your budget exercise bike, with a heavy-duty design, but it’s not as expensive as those $2000+ models. How does it do when we rotate it through the test? to the review!
what is it?
SUNMYTH is a rotary sports bike.
Hardware Specifications
- 44.88 x 21.26 x 46.06 inches
- Total weight 95 lbs
- 275 lb load capacity
- Adjustable resistance
Design and Features
The SUNMYTH Exercise Bike is a spin bike built around a heavier flywheel and body stance that mimics a racing car. The bike weighs 100 pounds, which the manufacturer claims reflects its heavy-duty construction for extra durability and stability.
Don’t let that weight scare you off after you’ve assembled it, though. I had some issues putting the bike together (see below), but if you need to hide the bike in a corner, a pair of solid rubber wheels helps get the bike around. Rubber feet make it ground to work. Tilt it on the wheels to move it.
The SUNMYTH’s solid wheel design is typical of other spin bikes I’ve used. Big, sturdy and smooth.
A large red control knob lets you adjust resistance during your workout. Note that this knob doesn’t have any unit-based resistance measurements, so you’ll make adjustments based on feel. You can press that big knob at any time to engage the brakes to stop the wheels.
SUNMYTH’s pedals are designed for spin bikes. Depending on your foot size, the stand can accommodate the front 1/3 to 1/2 of your foot. The shoulder straps are designed to fit a variety of foot shapes and are very easy to maneuver.
The seat and handlebar use the same knob mechanism for height adjustment. You will twist to loosen the knob, then pull it out to release the pin so the handlebar (or seat) can slide to the desired height.
For height measurements, the seatpost uses a number system, while the handlebar uses letters. I honestly don’t know why this is happening…maybe to rotate the class so you can remember your settings? I seem to be 13J.
The seat itself provides two additional articulation points. You can loosen the knob under the seat and slide the entire seat frame forward or backward to suit your size. You can also adjust the angle of the seat by loosening the nut under the seat. Don’t lose the Allen wrench that came with the installation!
SUNMYTH’s handlebars adapt to multiple hand positions depending on the sport you’re doing, and feature a rough, grippy coating so your sweaty hands won’t slip. There’s a tablet stand, which also uses rubber backing and shelves to keep your tablet from sliding out.
You’ll also find an onboard performance monitor that monitors your time, speed, distance, and calories burned. This battery powered unit does not have an on/off switch. It starts when you start spinning and turns off a few minutes after you’re done.
set up
Assembly of the SUNMYTH exercise bike is a bit difficult. Some I expected and some I didn’t.
The whole package weighs 1oo pounds and is beautifully packaged. You need some help to get it to the desired destination. You’ll have a whole bunch of packing material to deal with when you’re done, but in my case everything was well protected.
The main frame of the bicycle is integrally formed. You will assemble all relevant parts: base, handlebars, pedals, seat, etc. This seems like it should be straight forward, right?
Not so much.
Assembly instructions are few, poorly worded, and in some cases unclear. There were issues with the machining and/or preparation of the parts, which resulted in a couple of cases where I had to mallet something to fit in the designated slot due to the components not being properly aligned. The screws were dipped in some kind of hard plastic and I had to scrape them off or they would get stuck in the threads. The end result was that I had to assemble 9 components to the main frame, and it took 70 minutes of sweat, cursing, and grunts to get it into place.
The final build is rock solid, with all the parts operating smoothly, but the frame itself isn’t flat. It slanted to the left despite my efforts to level it using the adjustable feet on the base. Tablet trays are obsolete. See below. See how it’s not parallel to the handlebars? There’s only one way the clip hooks onto the rod, and it can’t be adjusted.
I know this isn’t a $2,000 gym machine, but it’s not super low-end either, retailing for $600. I don’t expect perfection, but I do expect better quality control at that price point.
Performance
The overall performance of the SUNMYTH exercise bike is solid. My wife, son and I have been using it for the past month without any issues related to stability or normal operation. The sturdy frame is very stable. Great for different body types. The wheel/pedal mechanism is smooth and firm. There are absolutely no issues to report any of these aspects.
The biggest issues for me are the little details related to the price of the product. For example, see the folding table next to the bike? We left it there because there are no cup holders on the bike for water bottles. It may seem like a small thing, but it’s a pretty standard accessory that stands out without it here.
There’s also the issue of performance monitors, which feel like dollar-box plastic units thrown in after the fact. The LED display is weak at best. See how you can barely see the display from this angle? It’s only clear when you’re directly above the monitor and standing on the pedals. It has no built-in controls or tweaks.
Given the price of the bike, this omission stands out like a sore thumb. If this was a $200 model, I would understand. But at $600 I would expect better.
I would also note that the SUNMYTH’s seat itself tends to move unless you actually lock the adjustment screw under the seat. After a lot of tightening, we did fix the issue. We also purchased a cheap cushion for the seat as an extra cushion after my wife and son reported that the seat was uncomfortable, but that’s not unusual for spinning bikes.
Finally, the alignment issues I found earlier were disappointing. Your tablet won’t slide out, but it won’t be parallel to the handle. The entire unit also appears to be slightly off-center. This all works, but I wish there was better quality control here.
I will stress again that the overall performance of the SUNMYTH bike is very good. Someone used the bike at least once a day (sometimes more) for the past month. It feels sturdy and gets the job done. But the lack of attention to small details is a shame.
what do I like
- sturdy construction
- Running smoothly
- Lots of adjustments for different body types
Areas for improvement
- no cup holder
- Assembly issues due to some bad finishing
- Alignment/Leveling Issues
- cheap performance monitor
final thoughts
There’s a lot to like about the SUNMYTH exercise bike. The build is rock solid and the performance is smooth. It adapts pretty well to everyday use, and I have no doubts about the long-term durability of this unit. But the $600 retail price puts this bike a notch above your typical budget exercise bike, and I wish there was better attention to small details at this price.
price: $599.99
where to buy (this: Amazon
resource: This product sample is provided by sun myth.
