MaxKare Indoor Cycling Bike Review
The Maxkare Black Magnetic Exercise bike. When I first saw this bike, I was looking forward to reviewing it. It’s a fantastic-looking indoor cycling bike, and it seems like a lot of time has gone into it. I think it wouldn’t look out of place next to some of the high-end spin bikes I have been lucky enough to review.
Let’s talk about the price first, and its fantastic value for coming in at $330, and in some places, the delivery is free. Maxkare warranty is two years, and they also offer that if it breaks in 3 months, a full refund. That’s a powerful statement and shows great pride and confidence in their product.
The Assembly isn’t challenging and the tools needed are provided, I’d allow an hour or two to complete this depending on your experience in building exercise equipment. Maxkare has three bikes in their range.
The Maxkare Grey, Maxkare Yellow, and the Maxkare Black. The Maxkare Black is the most advanced of the bikes they produce, and that’s the spinning bike we’re talking about today. This is a very reasonably priced bike but is it worth your money?
The screen is the first thing you will notice when you get on the bike. I will start by saying it’s impressive a spinning bike of this price would have one to begin with. It is very basic and runs on batteries. It will give you a few data fields to work with, Time, Distance, Speed, Calories, and Heart Rate.
That’s perfect for a basic bike and enough to have a workout with. The Calories will probably be a rough estimate for the average person, and the distance will be calculated on Pedal rotations. It has a heart rate monitor built into the handlebars, which is a lovely touch, and grabbing the metal pads will bring up your heart rate on the screen.
The monitor is not backlit, making it a little tougher to see, but it’s not an issue providing the room is well lit. It is not compatible with Bluetooth or Ant+. Any external Heart Rate monitors and sensors can’t be added.
This also will make pairing up with third-party applications such as Peloton and Zwift not possible. Though if you are happy just to work out to a spinning video and not worried about figures on the screen, then this bike is perfect for that. Under the monitor, it has a tablet holder, and this is great as it makes it suitable for online classes or to watch a film while training.
The bike itself is very impressive when it comes to resistance. It has a magnetic frictionless system which is quite advanced. What it does is it has magnets hidden above the Flywheel. As you add resistance through the dial in front of you, the magnets get closer, causing a push against the Flywheel and making it harder to pedal.
Most spin bikes under $500 that have this system use three magnets. The Maxkare Black uses four magnets. The magnets are different sizes, and adding the resistance is very smooth. When using the bike, it’s easy to get that sweet spot of resistance.
It has a belt drive that adds to the ride’s smoothness and makes this system very durable in the long term. No lubrication and very little maintenance will be required to keep this bike in tip-top condition. With the frictionless system and the belt drive, the bike is very quiet, and if I was living in a flat, I wouldn’t be worried about upsetting anyone.
I found that the exercise bike felt sturdy, and I feel confident to put the power down when standing up for a climb or even go for a sprint finish. The system is a fixed gear like most magnetic spinning bikes, so it doesn’t freewheel. The resistance dial doubles as an emergency brake, so the cycle will stop quickly if you hit it down.
The pedals are basic and are a toe cage system with no SPD clip-in capabilities. It’s a standard thread, so these can be swapped out for pretty much any other pedal on the market. Unlike cheap plastic pedals I have seen before, they are metal, and they look like they are of high quality. The Q- Factor on this bike is Unknown but looks about a standard spin bike size.
Knowing the price is low, the first thing I thought might be a money saver for the manufacturers would be this bike to have a very light Flywheel. To my surprise, it’s 30lbs. That’s a great weight for an indoor cycle and gives a great feel while riding. Most of the top bikes on the market have Flywheels that weigh between 30lbs and 40lbs.
The indoor cycle itself weighs 90lbs and is easy to move around on the front wheels. It has a height of 45.4” a length of 42.3” and a width of 21”. It’s a small bike and honestly will be great if you want an exercise bike that saves on space at home.
The max user weight is 264lbs, and it will work for riders from 4ft 11” to 6ft 3. This is less than most bikes around this price, so worth checking if this will suit you before buying it. The bike is made of Steel frame and Aluminium components.
It feels solid and sturdy, and I feel confident in its ability to put a lot of pressure on it in a workout. It comes with floor levelers if you plan to put it on an uneven surface, which is a nice touch and easy to use. The handlebars are pretty different from other bikes and quite a unique design.
They have double front handles, one pair plain situated close to you at the front. Another pair with a heart rate monitor on that sits behind them. Then you have the climbing handles at the side. I like them and think they have put a lot of thought into them.
They are different, yes, but they do everything asked of them, and they open a lot of options for the user, in my opinion. The saddle is very comfortable and would suit riders who are new to spinning, and it will make the transition into bike seats nice and easy.
I feel someone who is used to racing saddles wouldn’t enjoy this saddle, but it can be swapped out easily. A massive feature of this bike is the saddle, and the Handlebars can move horizontally and vertically. This isn’t seen on many bikes, including Pelotons and Echelons. It can help you find a comfortable riding position, keeping you on the bike for longer rides.
Maxkare Magnetic Indoor Bike Features:
- Q-Factor: Unknown
- Pedals: Toe Cage
- Flywheel: 30 Pounds
- Resistance: Magnetic
- Transmission: Belt
- Weight capacity: 264 Pounds
- Height capacity: 4’11″ – 6’.3″
- Bike weight: 90 Pounds
- Bike dimension: 21″W x 45.4″H x 42.3″L
- Monitor: Basic Non-Backlit
- Connectivity: None
- Applications: None
- RPM tracking: None
- Speed tracking: Yes
- Watt tracking: None
- Resistance tracking: None
- Media holder: Yes
- Bottle holder: Yes
Maxkare Indoor Cycling Bike Pros:
- Affordable Price
- Looks Great and compact
- Saddle and Handlebar Movement in all directions
- Magnetic Resistance
- Belt Drive system
- 30lbs Flywheel
- Unique handlebars
- LCD Screen with Heart Rate Monitor
Maxkare Indoor Cycling Bike Cons:
- Screen small and hard to see without backlight
- No levels on resistance dial or screen to gauge improvement
- Warranty is not impressive (but acceptable for the price)
- User height limitation (not for tall riders)
- No RPM, resistance level, or watt readings (common for the price)
The Final Verdict
I highly rate this bike. It is basic, yes, but it ticks every box and will give you a great workout. The screen is nice to have, so you have some data fields in front of you, and it’s a smooth ride.
I know it doesn’t have Ant+ or Bluetooth or anything like digital resistance levels, but you wouldn’t expect those sorts of features at the price it is. It’s $330, and you get so much for your money.
They haven’t cut corners on quality to try to be more technologically advanced. They have simply made a high-quality basic spin bike at a meager price.
It would suit someone who likes basic spinning workouts or somebody who wants a spin bike at home for occasional use. Is it worth $330? I think this would still be value for money at $500. It’s a great deal!
Robbie Ferri from “Riding with Robbie” has been cycling for almost ten years. In that time, he has broken World Records, Bikepacked all over the World, and also raced ultra distance at a top-level. Robbie picked up a bike and started cycling when he was about 25 years old and said it was the best thing he ever did. The experiences and the fun he’s had have given him a huge passion for helping inspire others to ride further, farther, and get fitter.
