Sunny Health and Fitness Indoor Cycle

Getting exercise while traveling can be difficult. I find the easiest thing to do is bring running gear with me. It doesn't take much space in my suitcase, and it's usually possible to get a run in. If running outdoors is a safety issue, hotels almost always have a treadmill somewhere on the premises. The one problem for me is that I really can't run two days in a row, because of a resolving injury. I recently spent the weekend at my brother's, and fortunately for me, he has an indoor cycling bike. It's a Sunny Health and Fitness Indoor Cycle, Model SF-B901. My brother and sister-in-law aren't cyclists. They have two young boys, and wanted something relatively inexpensive they could use at home for exercise. They did some research and purchased this bike, but haven't used it much. My brother was interested to see what my take on the bike was, since I'm an experienced cyclist, and have used a variety of gym-quality indoor bikes.

My immediate impression is that the Sunny is set up very similarly to other indoor bikes that I've used. There are two small wheels built into the front of the frame to move the bike. Since the bike weighs only 108 pounds, this was very easy to do, even for a small woman like me. I'm used to moving the Spinner bikes at the local Y, and I have to use my body weight to tip them forward on the wheels to roll the bike. There are three adjustment knobs on the bike: handlebar height, seat height, and seat distance from the handlebar. The knobs turn, then pull out, and can be moved into pre-drilled holes. This makes the setup, especially for the seat, much more secure. My position on the bike felt very similar to other indoor cycling bikes that I've used. The seat was comfortable. I had thrown tri shorts into my suitcase instead of cycling shorts. Much thinner padding, but I was fine for the one hour ride that I did. A longer ride may require shorts with a thicker padding. The pedals are a two-sided affair; one side flat and the other has a toe cage with an adjustable strap. I'm used to using gym bikes with pedals that allow me to use my cleated cycling shoes. I doesn't appear that Sunny offers this option with this particular model. Nor, interestingly enough, is there a bottle cage or an option to purchase one. I suppose a cage could be retrofitted on, but that would require drilling holes into the frame, voiding the warranty. The bike is advertised as being quiet, and it was. There was a very slight "shushing" sound as the flywheel passed through the brake pads, but it was minimal (and maybe could be adjusted to eliminate altogether). I was able to use the adjustment knob to achieve my desired cadence and heart rate--actually had a pretty nice puddle under the bike when I was done. I don't think this is the bike for a dedicated cyclist looking for a winter training option. Lowest retail I found for this model is around $270.00. For that amount, you can buy a new Kurt Kinetic Road Machine trainer for your bicycle. But, if you're looking for a home exercise machine, and like the idea of an indoor cycle, I think this is a solid choice.