Lifecycle 9500HR Upright Bike Review

Scott Trader

Lifecycle 9500HR Upright Bike Quick Stats:

25"W x 56"L x 48"H.
Weight 128 lbs.
Price: 2-3000 dollars new, about $1200 remanufactured/used
7 different cycling programs: fat burning, random, manual, cardio, zone training, personal trainer, and hills.

Why I Chose the Lifecycle 9500HR Upright Bike

I've been in the market for a home exercise bike for a while, but none of the ones I tried at the sporting-goods stores ever seemed as comfortable or sturdy as the ones at my gym. In particular, I've always been fond of the Lifecycle stationary bikes, both recumbent bikes and upright. So when one of the local gyms closed down and sold off their equipment, I got in line to buy. I paid $1000 for a used Lifecycle 9500HR Upright Bike. They also had the recumbent bikes, but it looked like the upright bike had a smaller footprint. I wanted something that wouldn't take up a lot of space in my condo. Now I've looked at the Lifecycle bikes new and they are very pricey (in the neighborhood of $3000). This makes sense since they are very durable pieces of equipment. They have to be since they are used by so many people every day at the health clubs. Still I'm not sure if I would spend the money to buy one new. If you want to buy a Lifecycle bike I recommend trying to find one used like I did. Also I believe there are some places on the Internet that sell them remanufactured which is probably even a better deal since you get a bit a warranty.

Anyway let me talk a little bit about the bike. I've had it for about six weeks now and there haven't been any surprises. Since I'd use the Lifecycle bikes a bit before I pretty much knew what I was getting. But let me a break it down for those who haven't tried the Lifecycle 9500HR Upright Bike before.

The knob to adjust the seat height is easy to reach without actually getting off the bike. You just have to stand up a bit on the pedals and reach under the seat. The seat itself is surprisingly comfortable. Much more so than road bikes or mountain bikes I've used. Sometimes I'll work out for 45-60 minutes, and my butt doesn't get sore or anything. (Now my legs get sore, but that's the point, right?)

I never feel the need to strap my foot in for use on a stationary bike, but the little straps on the pedals of the 9500HR are easy to adjust. You can probably do it without even getting off.

The readout on the control panel is easy to understand. It has a part for showing your heart rate, optimal heart rate, time, etc. and a part that shows your training program in progress. You basically start paddling, choose the program you want to do (i.e. fat burning, cardio, hills), and enter the length of time you want to go for. The bike figures out your work out, including warm-up and warm down periods, based on the time duration you enter. You can also enter your target heart rate, and the bike will adjust the amount of resistance in order to keep you at your target heart rate.

The Lifecycle 9500HR itself is sturdy and a very smooth ride. It's also much quieter than treadmills, so it's easy to watch TV or read while you work out. There is just no comparison to the junk I tried at Sears and sporting-goods stores. As I mentioned, it's a lot to pay for one new, but if you can get a used or remanufactured one, it's a good deal.

Life Cycle 9500HR Exercise Bike Remanufactured
Life Cycle 9500 Exercise Bike Remanufactured
Life Cycle 9500R Recumbent Exercise Bike Remanufactured

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