Fitness wasn’t a priority for me, but sudden changes during the pandemic made me realize where my health was wrong. For those who have always ignored what his body is trying to say, I am now very healthy both physically and mentally. I did it myself, without going to the gym or paying the trainer. Exercising hard in the morning worked pretty well, but I felt that the help of an expert would make a difference. After all, this is not a one-time thing, and spending time and money on your body is not a luxury. This is exactly the space Flexbike + has slipped into over the past few weeks as a personal trainer at home.
Flexbike + seeks to recreate the cycling experience in your home studio through a 22-inch touchscreen console, easy-to-adjust seats, and an internet-connected bike with access to on-demand classes. I’m still exercising in the morning, but I also love exercising on Flexbike + at home at the right time, without going to the gym or training classes.
Here is my review of the connected cycle.
The retail price of Flexbike + is Rs 59,999 including shipping and setup. With the purchase of Flexbike +, you are eligible for a free all-access membership to access Flexnext content. We’ll talk more about this later. Flexbike + can be purchased as a standalone unit or in a package that includes accessories that add cost. In my review, I will focus only on Flexbike +.
Flexbike +: Delivery and setup
I received a phone call from the company to confirm the date and time and on which floor of the house I would like to install the bicycle. Delivery and setup are part of every Flexnest bike purchase. When I scheduled the delivery date, a man came to my house and assembled a bicycle in front of me in about 40 minutes. After assembling the bike, it took me another 10 minutes to set up a Flexnext account, log in, and be able to ride. Don’t worry; the guy will help you navigate the interface and explain the basics of the bike.
Flexbike +: Pretty compact
My room is a bit large, so installing the Flexibike + in the corner of the bedroom wasn’t a big deal. The bike does not occupy a lot of space and connects to a wall socket. Since it has a roller, it can be moved. However, because bicycles are heavy, we do not recommend repositioning them or moving them from room to room unnecessarily. Be careful not to place your bicycle on a balcony or in a location that could be damaged by water.
Flexnest’s products consist of the class and the bike itself. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia / Indian Express)
Flexbike +: Hardware
The bike frame is made of steel and is all black, giving it a luxurious feel. A horizontal bar connects the two hind legs, and from this center the tube moves diagonally upwards to the handlebars. There is a flywheel between the fork legs, from which the belt moves backwards towards the crank. The crank is fixed via the diagonal tube mentioned above. The bike also has an adjustable seat. Adjusting the height of the seat was pretty easy, thanks to the simple adjustable knobs.
At the front of the bike is a plastic cradle for water bottles. In front of the handlebar placement is a huge adjustable 22-inch HD touchscreen used to stream classes (more on this later). The monitor has a built-in speaker, and you can also connect headphones via Bluetooth. Like most indoor style fitness bikes, a large resistance knob is there to increase or decrease the resistance mechanism of the bike. The good thing is that it’s placed within easy reach. For clarity, the handlebars cannot be moved back or forth or tilted in any way.
The resistance knob is in the center between the handlebars. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia / Indian Express)
Flexbike +: On-screen interface
The main attraction of Flexbike + is software, not hardware. The huge high resolution Wi-Fi enabled screen separates Flexbike + from the standard, more affordable Flexible. But why do you need to attach a monitor to your indoor bike? Well, it’s not a gimmick, it’s a class that is the most important aspect of a premium bike. When turned on, a computer-like login screen is displayed.
Flexnext allows you to create multiple profiles depending on how many people in your family want to use your bike. When you enter the login screen, you will see a dashboard with classes. There are lots of classes (more on this later), instructors, challenges and more. Stream on-demand classes and riders can compete with other participants to take aerobic exercise snapshots (by the way, like how the live leaderboard ranks riders based on “output”. ).
Joining a session is easy. Simply press the power button on the attached screen, connect to the available internet and select a session from your live session or library. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia / Indian Express)
Flexbike +: Ease of use and class
I’ve tested Flexbike + for over a month, and on average I’ve tested about 3 classes a week. I was already exercising a little every day, so I didn’t rely solely on my bike for fitness like many others. But yes, there was a balance between the connected indoor bike and outdoor riding. It took me a couple of days to get used to the bike, but once my muscle pain had subsided, I enjoyed exercising on the bike. Changing the resistance of this bike is very easy. Physical resistance knobs are ideal for on-demand classes with targeted metrics.
For me, what worked with a device like a connected indoor bike was that there was no gym-like commitment to go no matter how busy. It’s easy to ride a bike, exercise for 20 or 30 minutes (based on stamina) and still stay home. There were days when I was exhausted from running in the morning and evening and lost the energy to ride a bicycle. But then it was me who chose what I wanted to do with my daily fitness routine.
Choose from many different classes and your instructor can give it a try. You can choose from beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels based on your comfort. Various classes are available and are divided into live classes and on-demand classes. Most of the classes I took were places where I could connect with music. I’m not tired of classes and instructors.
The angle of the community is interesting. I was competing with riders all over the country on any vehicle. Another thing I liked about the bike was the touchscreen tablet display (streaming Flexnext branded classes from studios in New Delhi and Dubai), ride time (elapsed time and remaining time), current speed, while riding. All kinds of statistics, such as distance, are displayed. Covered cadence (speed of pedaling, number of revolutions per minute), resistance strength, and calories burned. This is indicated by body size and effort level. You can pause the class you started, but if you can’t end it (which happened to me many times), there’s no way to start from where you paused.
You can choose from many live and on-demand sessions. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia / Indian Express)
Is Flexbike + worth it?
Flexbike + is not cheap.and Rs 59,999The initial cost is certainly high, but reasonably, it costs less than a good gym member. The benefit here is that it’s convenient and you can exercise at home without going out. One of my favorite things about Flexbike + is that I didn’t want a connected indoor fitness bike. I always hated going to the gym (I’m embarrassed there), but now I have the option to turn my room into a home studio. Yes, the cost of owning this bike is high, but think about the long-term benefits.
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