Isokinetics Inc. Magnetic Pedal Exerciser - Gray - For Leg and Arm Exercise and Therapy - Smooth, Quite Operation

I have been searching and researching the best under-desk minicycle exerciser for quite awhile. Finally it came down to this one, after returning another one with a misleading product description. I have had this machine for a few days and I have decided that, despite its flaws, I will keep it. Part of it is that I'm just tired of returning products, and the other part is I'm just not convinced I will find one that is better and still reasonably affordable.First, the PROS: It is well constructed and arrived with very minor assembly required (a big pro in my opinion). All I had to do was screw in the pedals (it came with a wrench tool) and slide the front foot in. Note that there were no directions, so I hope I did this right. No complaints so far. The way the pedals work ensures that they will not become unscrewed over time if you tighten them enough.My biggest pro would have to be the resistance. I was not satisfied with the resistance of the previous cycle I'd tried, as there was none. In fact, it even came with a motor to assist with pedaling. The Isokinetics one, however, does have a resistance knob. It takes multiple turns to notice a difference, but the highest setting is quite a bit more resistant than the lowest one, which is great.I use mine on carpet, so I haven't encountered any issues with slipping. This might be an issue for smooth floors, but there are some fairly simple fixes for this, such as somehow attaching the cycle to the legs of your chair, or bracing it against a wall. It's heavy enough that it doesn't sway much side to side when you are using it.CONS: Fresh out of the box, I noticed a regularly spaced grinding noise inside of the machine upon use. I saw this in other reviews, and I honestly don't know whether this will cause wear and tear over time. If it weren't for the grinding, the machine would be virtually silent.The machine IS tall, but they make that clear in the product description. I was willing to get a bigger minicycle if it meant a better quality product. This does mean that I can't fit my knees under my desk while I use it, but my desk is shaped so that I can position my knees just out in front of it and still be able to use my computer.I might call the manufacturer and inquire about the grinding noise.

I bought this for upper body exercise, fighting a pernicious neck injury in late middle age.Delivery was surprisingly fast. Sturdy packaging almost entirely cardboard, one little piece of styrofoam, very good.The machine is very quiet - nice!The variable resistance works, though the range of adjustment isn't huge. But it takes many turns on the resistance wheel to go from one extreme to the other, so reproducing settings could be a challenge. Some sort of calibration would be quite welcome. Its absence is a barrier to sharing the device with a partner or friend, as it can be difficult to reproduce your last setting if someone else changes it.The electronic package fired up but didn't seem to work at first; it took me a couple of days to notice the miniplug on a short wire coming out of the top of the main body. When I plugged it in, the electronics began tracking properly. But with mediocre instructions and a clunky [cheap] interface, it doesn't seem very useful.Pros: - Quiet - Compact - Adjustable resistance - Seems solid enough, at least for arm exerciseCons: - No Resistance Calibration - Electronics operation is confusingI give this four stars, because it seems well-designed overall and does what I want and need, but has serious limitations because of the absence of resistance calibration. Also because other, similar machines which cost more suffer these same limitations, so this one seems a good value.

The pedal exerciser does not stay in place so I am constantly having to stop and put it back where I need it to be. I do not think it is worth the money I paid for it. Since it continues to slid forward or sideways I am not able to get the continuous work out I was looking for. I had a partial knee replacement and was hoping this would be helpful in my rehabilitation but it is not.