Sunny Health & Fitness Motion Air Bike Review
The field of exercise equipment is a rather large one, and it can be difficult to actually pick out some of the best choices these days. This is especially true if you are trying to pick out some of the better options for not a lot of money. Sunny Health & Fitness (SH&F) is one of those brands that seeks to give that quality option, while also remaining fairly affordable. One of their attempts comes in the form of the Sunny Health & Fitness Motion Air Bike (or SF-B2916 if you prefer identification numbers). In terms of the air bikes from Sunny Health and Fitness, this is one of the upper bikes, although it doesn’t quite reach the top. It is still fairly cheap compared to many other air bikes on the market, which certainly works in its favour. But how does the rest of it stack up? That’s what we’re here to find out. So with all of that out of the way, let’s hop into our review of the Sunny Health & Fitness Motion Air Bike!
We’re going to start by looking at the price that we mentioned earlier. The Motion Air Bike is more expensive than the other 2 air bikes in SH&F’s regular lineup, but it is still significantly cheaper than the highest-tier of these bikes; the Tornado Fan Bike. The Motion Air Bike costs right around $300, which is $100 more than the Zephyr air bike and around $180 more expensive than the Hybrid bike. However, it costs around $400 less than the Tornado Fan Bike. So while it clearly isn’t the most expensive bike here, it is more expensive than the usual cheap prices of SH&F. The warranties that come with the Motion Air Bike are the same ones that come with just about all Sunny Health & Fitness air bikes. You get 3 years on the frame of the bike, 90 days on the belt and 90 days on the parts. There is no warranty on the labour. This is part of the reason that SH&F is able to keep their prices low, but it also means you can’t rely on them to replace any parts that break for very long. If you are ordering directly from the SH&F website, shipping is reported to take about a week. However, you cannot order outside of the continental United States, which seems like a dated policy. The main part of the Motion Air Bike comes pre assembled, with you only having to put together some of the other parts. This process shouldn’t take more than an hour, as you get clear instructions and all the parts needed.
Monitors are almost as important to modern air bikes as the resistance of the bike. They can improve the experience onboard massively, while those that are lacking now feel extremely dated. However, these more advanced monitors also tend to drive up the price quite a lot. The monitor of the Motion Air Bike is fairly basic compared to many modern bikes, but it is more advanced compared to many of its compatriots. There are no preset workout programs in it, which is rather unfortunate. It can track statistics like time, speed, distance and calories burned. It has a Mode button that will allow you to scroll through these various stats and see how you are doing. Alternatively, you can just hit the scan button and see them all scroll by. The only real unique feature (compared to the other Sunny Health & Fitness air bikes) of the Motion Air Bike’s monitor is that it has the ability to switch between metric and imperial measurements when displaying the statistics. There is a tablet/media holder on the top half of the monitor, although it will cover the upper half of the screen (which shows heart rate if you have a device that can track it). There are no Bluetooth connections or anything like that here. The monitor is powered by 2 AAA batteries as the power source.
The resistance of air bikes is probably the most important element to consider. After all, you aren’t buying an air bike for its monitor. You want to exercise on it. One of the best parts of air bikes in general is that they often have dynamic air resistance. This means that the harder and faster that you push on the pedals of the bike, the more resistance you will end up getting. The Motion Air Bike has exactly this type of resistance, which is a definite positive. It means that you have a much greater range of challenges to pick from when hopping on board. The drivetrain of the Motion Air Bike is a combination of belt and chains. The chain elements make it louder than it would be if it was just a belt drive, but the combination seems to work well enough. The crank of the Motion Air Bike is only a 1-piece crank system, which is not ideal. You normally want a 3-piece crank system, as it is more durable and more reliable in general. Q-Factor spiel?
Many people also want to know how much space these bikes take up. The Motion Air Bike certainly isn’t the biggest of the SH&F air bike lineup, nor is it the heaviest. Its steel frame measures out to be 40 inches (102 cm) long, 23 inches (58 cm) wide and 47 inches (119 cm) tall. Meanwhile it weighs 60.6 lbs (27.4 kg) and can hold a maximum weight of 265 lbs (120 kg). There are no sort of feet stabilizers to keep you in place or have a steadier ride, and the wheels of the bike are pretty small. This makes the Motion Air Bike less mobile than it otherwise could be, but it still isn’t the largest or most immobile around.
We’re going to finish with the rest of the physical elements of the Motion Air Bike. The handlebars only have a single grip and cannot be adjusted, unlike those on the Zephyr Air Bike. The handlebars are dual action, meaning that they move with the pedals. With the footrests on the side of the fan, this allows you to get upper body workouts in only, which is a definite bonus in terms of the exercise variation. The saddle of the Motion Air Bike is adjustable both vertically and horizontally, which is good for making sure that all users can comfortably fit. What is not good for comfortability is the fact that the seat itself. It is contoured and has a layer of padding, but suffers from the same problem as the rest of the Sunny Health & Fitness air bikes: they just aren’t very comfortable to sit on for long periods of time. You’ll probably want some other gel or padding for the seat. The adjustability and basic build of the seat generally allows for users between 5’2” and 6’4” to fit comfortably onboard the bike. The tube that holds up the saddle is not particularly wide, which (like the lack of stabilizers) doesn’t help the stability of intense rides. You might find yourself swaying back and forth sometimes. The pedals are about as basic as you can get. They are described as non-slip and have a strap in order to keep your foot in place, but that is quite literally all. Although since the pedals do tend to be one of the more overlooked features in bikes, this isn’t particularly surprising to see on one of the cheaper models.
Sunny Health and Fitness Motion Air Bike Pros:
- Dynamic air resistance means that you have nearly unlimited challenges
- Easy assembly process thanks to it being partially assembled
- It is a fairly cheap bike, especially in comparison to other brands and the Tornado
- 4-way adjustable seat gives more customization to the user
- Dual action handlebars and footrests allow for upper body workouts
- Monitor allows for switching between metric and imperial measurements
- Media tray above the monitor for entertainment
Sunny Health and Fitness Motion Air Bike Cons:
- The seat is rather uncomfortable and might require extra padding
- A 1-piece crank is not a great pick for any bike
- The monitor only can display statistics
- The monitor is not backlit, which means you’ll have a hard time seeing it in darker settings
- No Bluetooth connections with the monitor
- The handlebars are not multi-grip or adjustable
- The standard SH&F warranty gets worse as the price goes up. It’s bordering on bad here.
Conclusion
The Sunny Health & Fitness Motion Air Bike is one of the better options you can make in the air bike market. It seems to be right in that sweet spot where it isn’t too expensive, yet has enough features and general value that it offers a good deal. It provides a dynamic workout experience and will allow for a decent amount of customization with the saddle. It does suffer from a fairly basic monitor and uncomfortable seating, but you wouldn’t really expect much else for the price. But in general, if you aren’t looking for the highest quality bike on the marketplace, the Motion Air Bike will do a good job of satisfying.
