Stamina Conversion II Recumbent Exercise Bike/Rower

4.0 out of 5 stars

By Justin VanAusdale - Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2016

Works Well for Tall and Short Users!

My review will only cover the actual product as it was quite a bear to actually get the item to my house. This was not the fault of the seller, so they should not be punished for a mistake in shipping. Packaging: packed very well and had zero broken or missing parts. A big concern prior to purchase was how the bike was packaged as many other reviewers reported broken or missing parts. I am happy to say it arrived very quickly after the shipping error was remedied, and was packed very well. It comes in a brown box, about the size of a small coffee table. The box was printed with a description and picture of the item, but as this was not a gift, I was not concerned with it being open. The box is quite heavy at roughly 100 lbs, so having a second person to assist with bringing it into the assembly area would be a great idea. Unpacking: everything was very well packed and protected inside the box. There was a lot of Styrofoam, plastic baggies, and flexible padding to get through. The instructions were pretty clear (for me, at least), and I was able to lay out everything to get ready for assembly. Assembly: the box does contain some tools needed for assembly, but other tools from a personal stash are recommended since the tools provided are meant to be temporary. Allen wrenches, screw drivers, regular wrenches, and a small hammer were what I needed to complete the assembly. All told, the assembly took me about an hour once I unpacked everything. The length of time was partly my fault because I made a wrong turn when putting together the seat. The instructions are a fair representation of accurate assembly, especially once I got the hang of them. Use: So far, so good. We have had the product for a few months now and it has held up very well. I have put a few hundred miles on the bike/rower and there have been zero malfunctions. The resistance is good for what we need it for and after a few months, I'm only using level 6 and 7 out of 10. The seat extends far enough to be comfortable for a person who is 6'5" tall (me) and is able to be used by a person who is 5'2" (wife) with no issues. The machine is very quiet and we are able to use it while watching TV without it being very loud at all. Cons: I have very large feet and this is not great for this machine for two reasons. 1. When using the bike portion, I have to make sure my feet are snugly fit into the bike pedals or they will bump into the foot holds for the rower. Anyone with size 14 or greater shoe size may have an issue with this if they're not careful. 2. When using the rower, my feet extend above the molded plastic holders and routinely slip out of the back heel stop, which cause my entire shoe to come loose. It makes me have to stop the rowing motion to re-strap my foot and is quite annoying at times, especially when in rhythm. If I strap in tight enough, I can get by, but it's not ideal. If the rower foot holds were better suited to hold large feet, I would absolutely give a 5 star rating. Note: not sure if this is specified on the product page or not, but the unit does not need electricity or batteries to operate. It's ready to go as soon as fully and correctly assembled. However, the display will not function without AA batteries, and those are not included.

4.0 out of 5 stars

By Dr. AJ, D.N. - Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2019

all hardware listed is not in the bag - the missing pieces are already attached to unit.

the resistance is not great - ok but for musle building on upper body after time you will need more weight. unable to get the foot strap on the peddle - try to do this before installing pedal. all the hardware listed is not in the hardware bag - the missing pieces are already on the device. some say the seat is hard, I did not find is so. I watch a 2 hr video and pedal and found the seat very comfortable and I can put my feet on the top of the unit to rest the feet aftr pedaling. love all the different exercises you can do without changing pieces. half way through the contruction process I needed a second person. tip: the bar with the screw in it that goes through the unit and holds the foot pads for standing workouts requires installation from under the unit. I did this last with a freind tipping the unit to access the screw hole. all in all, love the product.

5.0 out of 5 stars

By Valerie E. - Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2017

Great for Family Exercise

I originally bought this for myself, but as soon as it arrived, my 15 year-old son put it together and used it. My husband also uses it. Except for the creak of the seat, it is very quiet. We can now watch TV while exercising. I had been looking at rowing machines to round out my workout as I also use free weights and my bike trainer. The recumbent bike is so much quiter than our bike trainers, that we might get rid of them and regain some space in the basement. It is very sturdy and easy to switch between biking and rowing. The only thing that I would caution is that if you are looking for exact stats on your workout, you will need to purchase a heart rate monitor. The calculation for calories burned is complex and the machine does not caputure all of the data necessary to make a correct calculation. I wore my old Impulse 12 chest band and my new Fitbit wrist monitor to compare to the machine. The Impulse and the Fitbit were close in stats. The Stamina machine was a couple hunderd calories high. Overall, we love this machine.

4.0 out of 5 stars

By A-Z Shopper - Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2016

Good Buy / Works as Advertised

The Stamina 15-9003 arrived within 3 days. The manufacturer preassemblies a number of larger assemblies so the at-home set up is easy. Inventory the parts, and the follow the instructions - it will take about 45 minutes to complete. The machine is very quiet. The seat slides smoothly when rowing, and is easily adjusted into several fixed positions for the recumbent bike. Although the resistance at the highest level will not be what you experience at a gym, it is more than sufficient for a home workout. You will feel the burn! It folds/stands up easily and can be quickly moved out of the way when not in use. I've just started using the machine, but am happy with what I've experienced so far. Its a great purchase for the money spent.

4.0 out of 5 stars

By S. Weitkamp - Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2018

Row, Row, Row your Bike...

Nice rower, nice bike, but not as good as separate pieces of equipment. As a rower it is adequate and a decent workout. As a bike it is hard to sit on an angle that feels right and the seat is slightly wobbly. Getting 2 machines in 1 is a bonus and there is nothing wrong with the rower or the bike; however, like many people have said it is tough to make something as good as a single machine. I did like that this version has the digital screen right on the machine, but it is tough to read the screen when you are rowing because the strap is directly in front of the display. My wife enjoys doing light curls and triceps extensions on this. The space you save with a 2 in 1 machine is nice, and I like being able to do a rowing work out and switch right to a biking work out. I feel very comfortable when rowing. When biking it is hard for me to get comfortable on the seat, but the movements are very smooth. If you are looking for a decent work out on a unique machine that saves space, than this may be for you. If you are looking for long intense rowing and biking work outs with a lot of programs than this is probably not for you. Overall the quality seems pretty good and you can easily get a good work out on this machine...