The Body Rider BRD2000 is one of lowest priced elliptical trainers available for home use. It is less than a tenth the price of some of the high end home use models. It makes this seem like a real bargain. On top of that it offers the ability to use it as an exercise bike as well as an elliptical trainer. Unfortunately, these type of dual use equipment can leave a lot to be desired especially at the lower end of the market. So is it really a bargain or is its price too good to be worthwhile? Lets find out.
Specifications
- Dimensions: 36 x 28.5 x 57.5 inches
- Visual Display: Yes
- Weight: 67.5 lbs
- Weight Capacity: 250 lbs
- Warranty: Limited Frame – 1 Year, Parts – 90 days
- Stride Length: 13-inch
The Pros:
Cost: This is the most obvious benefit of this trainer. It’s the first thing you notice. You can only find a few trainers that are near this price. This is immediately appealing especially for those that can’t afford those machines that cost many hundreds of dollars and even into the thousands for some of them. You do quite a bit for the money too. You get a dual trainer – an exercise bike as well as an elliptical trainer. This all adds to the seeming value for money appeal of this machine.
Two In One Exercise machine: This piece of fitness equipment offers 2 forms of cardio workout – with it offering elliptical trainer functionality as well as exercise bike features. When you sit down you can work on your cycling strength giving your legs are workout. Stand up on the machine and you can use as an elliptical trainer and exercise your upper body, core and legs.
Fan Wheel: The fan blades of the exercise bike provide a nice additional feature you don’t get with many other trainers. The blades on fan wheel produce a cooling breeze that can help to keep you cool while you exercise. The faster you go the stronger the breeze is. This means even when you are really pushing yourself you are not going to get too hot as the breeze washes over.
Assembly: Unfortunately some elliptical trainers are very hard to put together. It sometimes seems as they were not designed to be put together at all. It is good to see that the BRD2000 isn’t one of those and it is fairly easy to assemble. The holes line up with each other and the parts aren’t too heavy which all helps in getting it assembled. The instructions included are clear and most people can complete the job inside of an hour.
However, it is probably best to not use the tools provided with the machine if you have your own. They really aren’t up to the job and make the task harder than it has to be.
Weight: This is a relatively lightweight machine weighing 67.5 lbs. This makes it pretty easy to move around after it has been put together and can be relocated as you need. With some other pieces of fitness equipment they are probably too heavy for one person to move on their own and you’ll need the help of a few people to move them or you’ll need to take them apart and move it in pieces. The rollers on the base of it work well too. So this feature makes it a very easy to move it around and if you wanted you could move it outside and exercise out there when the weather permits and move it back inside when finished.
The Cons
Tall People: Unfortunately this machine is not a good fit for taller people. This is because of the design of the machine. Most trainers and bikes can be used by people of all sizes including those who are larger. But, this machine isn’t really a good fit for people with long strides naturally or they are over 6 ft tall.
When using it as an elliptical trainer the hand grips are not high enough for tall people. When extending the arms they move down towards the ground rather than in parallel direction to the ground as they should be. This is an unnatural movement and is very uncomfortable. Also tall users will find the stride length restricting and leave them feeling cramped. This product is more suited for those who are average or below average in height and is not for anyone who is taller than that.
Noisy: Possibly because of the use of the cheap parts and the fan blades that are part of the exercise bike there is quite a bit of noise made when it is being used. This makes it impossible to use in a room where others want to watch TV or listen to music.
Noise can be a problem with even some of the high end machines in the home fitness equipment market. However, it is still a problem. If you want a quiet machine you will need to look at other alternatives to get this feature.
Longevity: It appears because of the parts used in building this dual trainer it doesn’t cope with intense exercise that well. This is going to cause a problem for anyone who wants to use their machine on a regular basis.
It is difficult to predict the actual length of life it is going to have after only using it for a short period of time. It seems from customer comments that problems start to occur after only 3 months of use. This is clearly not as it should be. But, it may be OK if you only want to use it for light training and only every now and then. It is not going to be such a big problem.
Should You Buy The Body Rider BRD2000 Elliptical Trainer With Seat?
The Body Rider BRD2000 Elliptical Trainer With Seat is one of the better lower end machines available. Unfortunately, this is not praising it. If you are looking to take your exercising seriously then this bike is not really for you. Also, because of its design it isn’t for anyone taller than average. It is really for those who want to do moderate exercise every now and then. If you are looking for something more then you will probably want to look for a better machine.
