Body Sculpture BC903 Mini Bike

Recently I read that short spurts of intense exercise (going for a run, going to the gym, etc.) isn't the best way to stay healthy - instead you should be steadily active all day long. Hmm. Not easy for anyone who works in an office (how many times can you go back and forth to the water dispenser?!).

I sit at a desk all day long and so thought some kind of under-desk exercise machine would be a wonderful idea. Low and behold, it already exists. There aren't many reviews of this mini-bike online but I decided to risk it and give it a go. The bike arrived well packaged but I suspected it had been 're-packaged' (so sold once and returned and now sent out again) - I think this was probably the case because I did find a fault - one of the screw holes was drilled too large and so the screw didn't fit. I put the bike together as best as I could anyway in order to give it a go (it is very easy to assemble) - it was a bit slippy on my floor and made a funny clicking noise. That said, I really liked the idea, the look of it, and the simplicity of it. So I returned the first bike and reordered another. The second bike fits together and works perfectly.

A note on returning - I used the 'click and collect' option and I have to say it was brilliant. The postage is prepaid, my local click and collect office was just up the road, no queues (like you get at the post office), and receipt provided. Amazon don't wait for the returned item, they just send the new one straight out and so it was delivered just a couple of days later. Excellent service.

About the product - it isn't going to make you amazingly fit, but it will help you stay active and burn a few extra calories in situations where it is difficult to do so or whilst you're doing other things (e.g. when your job involves a lot of sitting, when you're watching tv or on the phone, or if you're older/ill and need a low impact exercise). The big draw is of course its size - it is unobtrusive and can be hidden away easily. It is quite light which makes it easy to move around (also has a carry handle) but means it isn't as stable during use. It can slip on wood flooring but if you're sitting upright to use it then this is less of a problem - I imagine it would be fine on carpet. The monitor is clear and easy to use (to install batteries you have to flick off the front screen and then pop it back into the slot). It isn't disagreeable to look at - not a marvel of sleek design, but not too ugly either (actually I rather like the look of it - like a little robot!). It is nice and quiet (I saw a review of another bike that complained about noise - no noise here). The resistance is pretty low but it has to be - anything higher and the bike would become unstable - and it is a bit sticky at the higher resistance although this might resolve itself with more use. I find a medium resistance is just fine. I used it while on the phone the other night - a 60 minute phone call so 60 minutes of cycling. My heart rate certainly increased (I got very warm). Mostly I liked that I could happily chat away for an hour whilst getting in some exercise that didn't in any way distract from or intrude on the phone call.

All in all - very pleased. Room for improvement and I would never have paid £89.99 for it (£29.99 was more than enough) but overall I think this is a good idea and a simple design that is fairly well executed.

It is an excellent product, well built and robust. It is ideal when our less than perfect weather makes it difficult for outdoor exercise.

The item is quite a nice design, was straightforward to put together and the display gives you some useful feedback, although is battery operated and has no backlight. Main disappointment is that the tension adjustment is not very impressive. There are a total of seven complete revolutions of the tension adjusting knob, but the effect between lowest to highest is barely noticeable. I would also take the calorie counter information with a pinch of salt!