MagneTrainer-ER Mini Exercise Bike Arm and Leg Exerciser

I'm posting this same review for three closely related products: the MagneTrainer-ER Mini Exercise Bike, the Quick-Connect kit for the MagneTrainer, and the Ergonomic Hand Pedals for the MagneTrainer. I bought all three and together they effectively become a single product.Background: I'm a 62 y.o. COPD patient going through a pulmonary rehab course. One of the machines used in the course is an "arm bike" which you use by cranking some handles with your hands/arms using the same motion your feet would make on a bicycle. This makes you push and pull with your arms, shoulders, upper back, etc. I noticed that this felt like an efficient way to work a lot of muscles that I usually don't work in a short period of time, and it can be as tough or as easy as I choose since the resistance is adjustable. How to get that experience at home without spending big bucks on a gym-quality machine the size of a small car?I read lots of reviews and decided to try out the MagneTrainer and I am sold. It has the feel and performance of the pricey equipment you find in hospitals, rehab centers, gyms, etc. The action is silky smooth and consistent throughout the range of motion, regardless of the resistance. It's nearly silent. You don't need to plug it in (it runs off of one AA battery). The machine is heavy and well-balanced enough that I've experienced no wobbling...it feels like it's nailed to the table or floor when used as they tell you to use it.The standard foot pedals are substantial and comfortable and have Velcro straps to keep your feet from slipping off, and they can be used as hand grips. I bought the optional hand grips ("Ergonomic Hand Pedals") because I liked the similar feel of the handles on the equipment in rehab. The hand grips are substantial, durable and so heavy you could fling them at a burglar and knock him cold. Likewise the optional Quick Connects that allow you to swap the foot pedals for the hand pedals are very solid, well machined, industrial quality stuff.Assembly: the process is easy to understand but you need to put some muscle behind the wrenches when putting this together. All the tools needed are included.You can buy the hand pedals and the quick connects later if you're not sure about the machine, just be prepared to go through something of a second installation when you add them. You don't need the hand pedals but if you buy them, you absolutely need the quick-connects as well. Otherwise if you wanted to switch between hand and foot pedals, you'd have to break out a wrench and risk stripping threads and by the time you were done, you'd be so aggravated you wouldn't want to use the thing! I plan to use it mostly for upper body exercise, but decided to just bite the bullet and outfit the thing completely as I expect I'll have this for some time.With the quick connect adapters installed I find it easy to swap the handlebars for the foot pedals and vice versa. I also find it easy to move the MagneTrainer between the table and the floor if I'm switching from hands to feet (it has a handle). My take is that if you'd find those tasks difficult, you most likely have a helper available who could do it for you.I have two nitpicks. Resistance is adjustable from nothing to plenty with the turn of a dial, but when you find a setting you like there's nothing to let you remember that setting. If you and I were sharing the same machine it would be neat to know that I'm working at, e.g., Level 6 and you're working at Level 9. That way if you used it last, I could dial back to my comfort zone of Level 6. No such luck. Resistance is easy to adjust but it's like a garden hose. "Hey, how far did you have it turned on?" "I dunno, about half way or something." Not precise, but not a huge deal to work around.The other nitpick is the electronics module. It does exactly what it needs to do but given the overall quality of the rest of the machine and attachments, it feels a little cheap. No backlight, tiny display, no memory. On the other hand, this device has NO POWER CORD and those fancy items take power. This thing runs off of a single AA battery inside the electronics module.This isn't cheap, but for something that feels this sturdy and durable it's worth it to me.

I wanted a mini pedal leg exerciser which could double as an arm exerciser.Using the internet I discovered the Magnetrainer would fill that need.While there are other exercisers less expensive, they were also very light weight. The major complaint users had was they wobbled and moved round a lot during exercises.I tried my Magnetrainer in the middle of my kitchen floor and found it solid with no movement at all even with the rear extender all the way into the unit.The extender can go from 15.5" out to about 21" but I saw no need for that.I believe that stabilization is because of those 15" horizontal front and rear bars that keep it from rocking, and especially those front and back rubber feet that grip the floor to keep it from sliding.I found it's a very smooth and quiet exercise machine. I really like that.I found using it both as a leg and arm exercise machine satisfactory with no need for me to purchase the optional hand pedals & quick disconnect.If you buy the hand pedals unless you only use it as an arm machine you'll need the quick disconnects (just removing & inserting a pin) otherwise you'll be needing thatwrench to remove one set of pedals and install the other each time you want to change the configuration.I took 4 stickers marking them 0, 1, 2 & 3 and added them to the resistance dial (see picture) with 0 sticker being at the top when the dial is at minimum resistance position. Rotating the dial I found my total dial travel to be about 5.75 rotations. You dial range may be different.Those sticker markers allow me to redial to my last setting should anyone else use my machine.The display unit at the top displays speed (MPH/KPH) and goes to zero when stopped.The bottom displaysR RPM average which also goes to 0 when stopped.D total travel distance (miles or kilometers )T total exercise timeC total Calories (possibly accurate using the highest resistance setting)There is also a scan mode which cycles through those 4 lower displays.Momentary pressing the display button toggles the display to a different display setting.Holding the button for about 3 seconds zeros the display.Holding the button for 6 or more seconds not only zeros the display but changes between miles and kilometer each time you do that.The total distance display seems to be what it would the travel distance if you were pedaling a bike. If you wanted how approximately how far one of your feet moved then divide that number by about 9.You might have noticed a youtube video titled "Magnetrainer pedal exerciser display issue"The root cause of that was really old batteries left in the display module corroding and eating away part of battery holder spring.From the get-go I put in fresh name brand batteries into the display module and plan to swap out from them out probably at the same time that I replace my smoke detector batteries.The advertised 39lb effective flywheel weight is probably because of the difference in the internal pulley diameters since the weight of the unit is only about 23 lbs.In the 3 day period from my ordering to receiving the unit the purchase price increased by $20 from $159 to $179 (maybe because of those tariffs) but even at that higher price I would have ordered the Magnetrainer as it seems to be a very good value.