Stamina Airgometer Air Bike Review – Not a great purchase
Upper-tier air bikes that have plenty of crazy technological features and elements that you wouldn’t normally find might be all the rage these days, but there is still room for those that look to moderate themselves. The Stamina Airgometer is one such air bike.
It isn’t the cheapest air bike that Stamina offers, nor is it the most expensive. Instead, it looks to meet a happy middle ground between the two.
Does it provide enough value to downgrade from the Stamina X and does it warrant an upgrade from the cheap Stamina 876? We’re going to look at just how good of a job they did with the Stamina Airgometer.
So with all of that out of the way, let’s hop right into our comparisons of Stamina air exercise bikes and then we move on to the Stamina Airgometer exercise bike review! At the end of the article, I will also give the name and information of better alternative air bikes.
Stamina Air Exercise Bikes Comparison
Stamina manufactures some of the most popular budget mid-range fitness equipment. It is not the highest quality or an innovative brand, but they are affordable so you would often get good value for your money when shopping for Stamina fitness equipment especially one of the air rowing machines by this Stamina.
Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for the Stamina air exercise bike line/series. I used them and have compared them with other similarly priced air bikes from other fitness machine brands. They nor have the quality or features to stand the competition with Assault Fitness, Schwinn, or even Marcy bikes.
The three models of air resistance bikes by Stamina are either low quality and overpriced or high quality and over overpriced. For instance, the Stamina X air bike is a great quality HIIT exercise bike but it’s $500 more expensive than the Schwinn Airdyne D7 bike. Unforutnelty it doesn’t offer anything to justify the extra $500.
The same goes for the Stamina Airgometer and 876 air stationary bikes. Now, let me get into more detail about the three models of Stamina air exercise bikes and see what makes them really different and if they can justify the prices that come with these air bikes.
| Name | Stamina X | Stamina Airgometer | Stamina 876 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $1300 | $400 | $200 |
| Wheels | With transport wheels | With transport wheels | None |
| Crank | Durable 3-piece | Cheap 1-piece | Cheap 1-piece |
| Material | Heavy steel frame | Light steel frame | Light steel frame |
| Handlebars | Dipped (multi-grip) | Foamed (single-grip) | Foamed (single-grip) |
| Saddle | Comfortable 4-way adjustable | Hard 2-way adjustable | Hard 2-way adjustable |
| Pedals | Durable with cage | Cheap without cage | Cheap without cage |
| Capacity | 350-lb | 300-lb | 250-lb |
| Console | Large with 8 detailed readings (displayed simultaneously) | Small with 4 readings (displayed singly) | Small with 4 readings (displayed singly) |
| Programs | 8 (custome, interval, and targets) | None | None |
| Quality | Exceptional | Cheap | Cheap |
| Resistance | Air (13 blades) | Air (7 blades) | Air and belt (7 blades) |
| Footrest | Yes | Yes | No |
| Shelf | Yes (tablet shelf) | None | None |
| Bottle holder | Yes | None | None |
Amazon.com
Stamina Price and Warranties
The first elements that we’re going to look at are the prices and warranties that come with the Stamina Airgometer exercise bike. As we mentioned, it is in the middle of the Stamina air bike lineup when it comes to the price.
You can generally find it for about $500, which is a steep increase compared to the lower 876 air bike. It does come with better warranties than that model, but not by a whole lot. There is a 3 year warranty on the frame, 90 days on the parts and 90 days on the belt. There is no labor warranty.
Generally, you would expect a little bit more, as is the same sort of warranty that Sunny Health & Fitness attach to their bikes. It isn’t horrifically bad, but it looks worse as the price goes up. Even just 1 year on the parts would be a much better deal.
The official shipping of the Airgometer says that it should arrive within 5-10 business days and they offer free shipping within the continental United States. Anywhere outside of that and you will have to investigate what it will cost you.
Of course, if you are ordering from some other location with different shipping rules, those apply. As for the assembly process, you should find that it is extremely easy. The instructions are clear and all the necessary tools are provided for you. Even if you aren’t particularly handy with a set of tools, you should be able to get it done fairly quickly.
Stamina Airgometer Display
We mentioned all of the fancy monitors that so many bikes have in the modern day, so we might as well see if the Airgometer has one that is even comparable. Although, as we alluded to, it really doesn’t.
It does get the fancy “InTouch® Fitness LCD Monitor” name, but it doesn’t actually do all that much. It’s a pretty small screen that will only display one statistic at a time, although you can use the scan function to cycle through all of them.
The choices that you get to look through are your time, distance, speed and calories burned. That’s it. While this would not be that big of a problem on a much more basic and cheaper bike, for a bike that costs $500, you would generally expect just a little bit more.
Even just a larger size to display some more of the statistics at a time or give some watts as a statistic would be improvements. As it is, the console is as basic as the Stamina 876, which costs significantly less than the Airgometer.
Stamina Air Bike Airgometer Resistance
If the monitor disappoints, you would hope that the resistance of the Stamina Airgometer does not. After all, the challenge that these sorts of bikes offer are the main reason to actually look at them.
The resistance of the Airgometer is provided by the dynamic air physics of the fan. What this means is that you get basically unlimited amounts of challenge during workouts.
The harder you pedal, the more resistance you face. This works a lot better than the friction/air resistance combination that the 876 uses.
The drivetrain of the Airgometer is a belt one, making it a lot quieter than a chain one might have been. The crank of the airgometer looks to be a 3-piece one, which would be good news.
3-piece cranks are the best, as they are made up of stronger independent parts rather than being one giant welded piece that could break everything if something goes wrong.
One element that we don’t know anything about is the Q-Factor of the Airgometer. For those who are unaware, the Q-Factor is the distance between the pedals of the bike. If it is too wide, you’ll get an uncomfortable ride. If it is too narrow, you could get the same experience or even some injuries.
While we don’t know the exact distance, considering it hasn’t really been mentioned in other reviews (customer or otherwise) it doesn’t seem to be an issue. In general, you will be happy with the resistance of the Airgometer. It is probably the highlight of the machine in general.
Stamina Airgometer Size and Capacity
Those with smaller homes generally will want to know how big of a bike they would be purchasing, which is the element that we’re going to be looking at next. The Stamina Airgometer is actually not that big, which is good news for those hoping to not import a giant of a machine.
It measures out to be 46 inches (117 cm) long, 23 inches (58 cm) wide and 50 inches (127 cm) tall. It also isn’t as heavy as you might think, although it still does weigh 82 lbs (37 kg).
As for the weight that it can comfortably hold, that sits right at 300 lbs (136 kg). The wheels on the front of the bike allow it to be moved around much more easily than you otherwise might, although there aren’t any sort of really good floor stabilizers that you can rely on. They technically exist on the rear of the bike, but they aren’t really that good.
How the Handlebars Stand
We shall finish things up with the rest of the physical elements that make up the Stamina Airgometer. The handlebars are dual-action, moving with the pedals. They actually combine very nicely with the footrests that sit on either side of the fan of the bike.
If you want to get an upper body workout in, all you have to do is take your feet off the pedals and just use your arms to push and pull. The handlebars have little foam grips, but that’s about all you can expect in terms of comfort efforts.
The saddle of the Stamina Airgometer is actually fairly large and decently padded, making it a lot more comfortable than that of the 876 and the more expensive Stamina X model.
However, one of the issues that all of the bikes face is that their saddles are only vertically adjustable. Considering how standard a practice that making seats 4-way adjustable has become, the fact that it isn’t present here is a big strike against the Airgometer.
You get 10 different levels of adjustment up and down, but that is it. It’s a shame because if the 4-way adjustability was present, this would actually be a very good saddle.
Normally we don’t really have much to say about the pedals of bikes, as they don’t actually do that much. However, this time there is actually bad news. The pedals of the Airgometer seem to have issues actually staying on.
What we noticed and a common complaint from customers is that they seem to constantly come loose and require tightening. The fact that they also don’t have any sort of toe cage or strap to keep your feet in place is also not a bright spot.
Stamina Airgometer Exercise Bike Pros:
- Dynamic air resistance provides plenty of challenge and workout variation
- The seat is wider and more comfortable than any other Stamina air bike
- Dual action handlebars and footrests make upper-body workouts available.
- Transport wheels to make movement around the home easier
- Easy assembly process
- It has a 3-piece crank, which is more reliable
- The belt drivetrain makes the entire bike quieter
Stamina Airgometer Exercise Bike Cons:
- Pedals have a tendency to become loose
- The seat is only adjustable vertically
- The monitor displays only the basic series of statistics
- The monitor doesn’t have any sort of preset workout programs
- Fairly short warranties for the price
- One-piece crankarm system
Final Verdict and Alternative Air Bikes
The Stamina Airgometer is a funny case. It is an air bike that costs around $500 (unless it is discounted). So you would expect some sort of elements that would justify that price.
If not the extremely basic monitor, then perhaps a flawless physical build and resistance would be delivered. But then there are elements like the 2-way seat and pedals that have real issues and take away from the value even more.
If the Airgometer was cheaper, then perhaps these flaws could be overlooked or just accepted as part of the sacrifice. However, with the higher cost comes higher expectations, and the Airgometer just doesn’t quite meet those expectations.
The good elements like the dynamic air resistance and comfortable seating are just overshadowed by those you wouldn’t want. It’s a shame, as the Stamina Airgometer is not a bad bike, but just an overpriced one. I would highly recommend you consider the Marcy AIR1 instead of this Stamina bike.
But if you can afford to spend a little more, I would highly recommend the Assault Classic air bike. It costs $699 and has much better quality and many better features that would directly affect your high-intensity interval workouts.
Hi there, I'm Sayed Hamed Hosseiny, the founder and one of the authors at yourexercisebike.com (YEB). I am a former indoor cycling instructor and personal trainer with nearly 20 years of experience. With a passion for indoor cycling, I have spent years designing cycling parts, repairing, and importing exercise bikes. All the articles, tips, guides, reviews, and comparisons on YourExerciseBike.com (YEB) reflect my personal opinion and expertise in the field. I'm excited to share my knowledge with fellow exercise bike enthusiasts and help people find reliable indoor cycling information and the best exercise bike for their needs. If you have any questions or suggestion, you can contact me at sayed@yourexercisebike.com.
Having bought this bike after only 6 rides at 10 min each it has started making a clicking noise from left crank area at lower speed
Hi Mike, I am sorry to hear that but as you can see in the review, we weren’t impressed with the bike either.