Marcy Foldable Upright Exercise Bike NS-654

Wonderful bike for the price I paid (around $130 at the time). Just because these folding bikes look like folding ironing boards doesn't mean they aren't mechanically sound for what they do--it's a great design that I wish I had decades ago--lightweight and takes up little space. My bike snob friends scoff at me, but I don't care! Chances are their heavy, over-priced stationary bikes are sitting in their basement unused, when this folding bike can be moved around (in front of the TV or in the kitchen) whenever I want. It's no good to have an exercise bike if you never use it!However, I've only had it a short while and can't vouch for how long the parts will last--that is still to be determined. It seems well built, but not heavy-duty like a bike at the gym, so I wouldn't stand on the pedals, which would probably put too much force on the mechanism and might upset the center of gravity. The seat post flexes slightly in use at my weight (165 lbs), but seems sound. It is extremely quiet and doesn't even vibrate the floor when using it.There is no pulse monitor nor recumbent seat, but I have good balance and can kind of sit upright to relax the neck if I don't want to lean on the handlebars.I ordered the NS-652 model since I am 5' 10" male with medium-length legs, and it extends high enough for full leg extension, with room to spare, so I would expect that it would provide full leg extension for someone 5' 11", too. Some people don't prefer or want that much extension, so it might also work for someone 6' or taller if they like their legs a little bent. Knees might get close to the handlebars for taller people, but my knees have a lot of space. For much shorter people, Marcy has a smaller NS-654 model that might be more suitable.I was worried about some of the reviews mentioning that the seat is hard, but it's just dense foam like what you might have a gym, not hard like a board, with a seam around the back that is comfortable enough for me, but stationary gel/foam bike seat covers are available and not too expensive if that is a concern, which also has the nice benefit of increasing seat height another inch or so, too. Just make sure you get one big enough to fit the dimensions of the seat.I am a masters runner (do occasional races) and have a fitness bike for outdoor cross-training, but I'm using this stationary bike for indoor recovery of a sprained ankle, and the resistance level 8 does seem to provide about the same resistance level that I use on stationary bikes at the gym for a casual cardio workout, but I'm not a cyclist nor triathlete. Levels 1-8 do provide noticeably different resistance which is nice, since I can dial it down until my ankle heals. Sometimes I may just want to increase circulation, not necessarily get a cardio workout, and I can just hop on and off, doing 5-minute sessions throughout the day.The frame is well built, well-painted, well-packed with good instructions, comes with wrenches, and was easy to assemble (about an hour). I had to be careful threading in the 4 bolts that mount the handlebar assembly to make sure they weren't cross-threaded and stripped, but I took my time to hand-screw them in first to get them started and they were fine. And I had to take some time to make sure I got the correct orientation on the pedal safety straps by looking at various pictures before attaching.The photos don't do it justice. The one I received looks better in person than in the photo since it has a slightly darker shade of white and the seat is black only (no light patch on the back). The front part of the frame with dual bars is also thinner and looks better in person, something hard to tell in the side-view photos. It has a neat little flywheel that you can see spinning through the translucent housing. The LCD panel is spartan but seems to work well and changes between a scanning mode where it rotates through the speed, time, distance, calories, odometer, or you can press the button to stay on just one of them. It will automatically turn on and off when you pedal and stop pedaling, but you need to supply it with two AAA batteries which are not included.It also stands upright on its own when folded, a nice feature, and you can just fold it and stand it in a corner--no need to lean it against a wall, and it looks nice. It doesn't have wheels but is light enough for me to just lift and carry to where I want to put it, but it might be a little heavy for an old or frail person to lift, and I do have to lift my leg over knee height to get on on the seat, something to keep in mind if it's for someone lacking mobility. Folding and unfolding it is quick as long as I look to see when the holes line up for the safety pin as I fold the frame.

Does the job for a petite (4'11"), fit, experienced road cyclist and mountain bikerI have had this bike for 1.5 years now and am still happily using it.My criteria:I wanted to find an easy-to-assemble, light, portable stationary bike to supplement outdoor cycling and mountain biking. I have access to a Peloton at work but wanted something for the home. This bike took me about 20 minutes to assemble on my own and was easy for me to lift and carry up the stairs as a fit, petite woman in my 40s.My top three concerns with this bike were:1. Size/Fit: Will it be too big for my 4'11 height?2. Difficulty: Will the resistance be high enough to be a worthwhile ride?3. Stability: Will the bike feel sturdy? Can I stand and sit and mimic outdoor riding?Reviews were inconsistent regarding the height issue so here's a review from the perspective of someone that owns several different types of bikes, has been road cycling and mountain biking for 20+ years, bikes weekly, and has logged hundreds of hours on road, mountain, and stationary bikes, in rides up to 100 road miles in a day.1. Size/FitThis works just fine for 4'11." Plus, I have short legs so I would even say 4"10'. I suspect for people that are complaining it is too big, there are two reasons:a) Your knee should have just a slight bend in it when fully extended during the long part of the pedal stroke. Many newbies don't realize this and try to ride with the seat too low.b) If I sit on the front edge of the seat, it more closely mimics riding on a road bike, and that is where the height works for me. If I were to sit all the way back in the seat, "as designed" then yes, the bike is too big for me and I would not be able to properly reach the pedals. However, I wouldn't ride like that anyway because this is a very wide, bench-like seat, and too recumbent/not like a road or mountain bike if sitting all the way back. That said, if you are a petite man or woman in your 70s/less fit/more frail you may want to sit further back on the almost bench-like seat, and then yes, the bike would be too big for you.2. Difficulty/ResistanceIt's not going to feel like you're powering up a steep hill but when set to level 6-8, the resistance is good enough that you will be able to get your heart rate up and get a good ride out of it, even if you're in great shape. Again, I mountain bike, road bike, and do Peloton rides that get my heart rate up in the 85% range as a fit woman (according to my doctor, my fitness instructors, and my Fitbit) in my 40s. There is enough resistance here. I wish I could crank it up to a 10 or 11, and that would more closely mimic the resistance that I use on a Peloton but it's not bad for such an inexpensive bike. For those that use Peloton Power Zone rides, I converted the difficulty level for each setting on this bike to the approximate zone on the Peloton, and always use this bike with the Peloton app. It's not as fun as riding on my real Peloton in the office gym but it's surprisingly satisfying.3. SturdyI put this on a cycling pad on my carpet and had no problems with a sturdy ride. I can stand and sit just fine during a ride, although I am still a little more cautious about doing it on this bike whereas I don't think twice about sitting and standing on a Peloton. I do check and tighten screws occasionally, with the assumption that an inexpensive bike has to be maintained more carefully. So far, no problems!