Sunny Health and Fitness SF-B2883 Bike Review: It Could be better

Looking for a piece of exercise equipment can be a tiring one. There are so many options, especially when it comes to the upright stationary bike market. How is anyone supposed to know which ones are quality and which ones are best-left gathering dust? That’s where we at your exercise bike website come in.

We’re going through and making a judgment upon all the upright exercise bikes that we can find and put our hands on. Up today is another offered upright stationary bike by Sunny Health & Fitness: the SF-B2883 upright bike.

We’re going to take a peek at all the features that this stationary cardio bike comes with and see just how well it matches up to the price that is asked for it. So with all of that out of the way, let’s hop into our review of the Sunny Health & Fitness SF-B2883.

Cost, Warranty, and Value

Cost is the first part of any exercise equipment that people check, as it generally determines whether or not they can afford such gear. The Sunny Health & Fitness (SH&F) SF-B2883 costs in between $260 and $450. This is a fairly wide range of pricing, which makes it a tad harder to gauge its worth. When I bought the bike, I paid $235 which was around 25% discounted and great value.

As for how this cost measures up to other upright bikes, it sits in the middle to lower range of prices. It certainly isn’t one of the more expensive options you have. The warranties that come with the SF-B2883 upright exercise bike are the same that you’ll find on just about any piece of SH&F equipment.

You get 3 years of backing on the frame of the bike and 180 days on the parts. There are no warranties on the labor. The frame warranty is good, although we’d still like to see more from the parts and labor warranties. It has been almost two years since we bought and never had to use the warranty but I think the company should improve the warranty to at least 1 year for parts like Nautilus and Schwinn.

Shipping and Assembly

As for the shipping process of the SF-B2883, it should generally take about a week or two to arrive. Keep in mind that this can be affected by human error, weather and other factors outside our control. We received our bike in 8 days.

The assembly process of the SF-B883 upright bike was pretty easy and shouldn’t be too awful of a process for anyone even if you aren’t really good with tools. Most of the bike is pre-assembled, while the rest can be put together using the guide that arrives with it.

The main part that needed assembly were the front and rear base, pedals (left pedal tightens counterclockwise), saddle, and console. The needed assembly tools were in the box but I used my own tools as they are sturdier and easy to use. So, I would suggest you keep your toolbox close, especially for the pedals and frame base.

Bike Monitor and Program

Monitors and technology are some of the key features that you can expect on modern exercise bikes. The same is true of the SF-B2883 upright bike, with a monitor that actually shows up many of its Sunny Health & Fitness stationary bike compatriots.

The first noticeable aspect that makes this console stand out from others is the number of programs that it has. Of course, you have a manual mode, but you also have a BMI program, custom programs, a watt program, and 12 different preset workout programs. In total, there are 24 different modes on the SF-B2883, which is quite a nice bit of content.

However, what the console doesn’t have are a cooling fan, speakers, or any Bluetooth features to connect with apps or other elements. The console will display some data based on your exercise performance.

These include your time, distance, speed, calories, pulse, RPM, and heart rate (via pulse monitors on the handlebars). After a few minutes of exercise, it also displayed your average which is really helpful. It is nice to see all of these statistics, but you will only have the option to read them in imperial measurements rather than any metric forms.

Unfortunately, but that is one of the more minor negatives of the SF-B2883’s console. Finally, the LCD monitor is backlit, which is actually a rather positive feature. It makes it easier to see in different lighting conditions, including any of those late-night workouts you might want to be going for. I usually turn off the light at night to avoid bothering others and I can still see my metrics.

Resistance Levels and Transmission

Let’s be quite honest: the reason you’d want to purchase any home stationary bike is because of the fitness and resistance that it can provide. If the bike doesn’t provide a good challenge, then it really isn’t worth getting.

Fortunately, you shouldn’t find that to be an issue on the SF-B2883 upright bike. You’ll find the type of resistance here is electronic magnetic which is better than manually adjustable magnetic. It also has a belt drivetrain to deliver a smoother cycling experience.

These combine to make the entire ride a lot quieter and require a lot less maintenance. There are 16 different levels of resistance to choose from, which will give you a good variety to pick from. The top end also provides a decent challenge, at least for me.

The flywheel of the SF-B2883 upright bike is a pretty light one, only weighing 6.6. Lbs (3 kg). Yet, you shouldn’t notice any lack of resistance on account of that light weight. It does feel a little lighter and less smooth than those commercial-quality upright exercise bikes I tried at the gym. But I guess to get a heavy flywheel, you really need to invest more than $300. So, for the price the weight is understandable.

Bike Pedals and its Crank System

The crank of the SF-B2883 upright bike is unfortunately a 1-piece crank. This is quite sad, as it is inferior to those 3-piece cranks that offer better stability between the pedals. 1-piece cranks are just basically a piece of metal welded together with the pedals, and the 3-piece is just much better.

The Q-Factor of the SF-B2883 cardio bike is not available on the manual or product website. It’s a little wide but still comfortable for a low-impact cardio exercise. For those who are not aware, the Q-Factor is the actual distance between the two pedals.

If the distance between pedals is too large, you can get quite uncomfortable while pedaling. If it is too narrow, the same can happen along with a chance of injury. The good news is that the Q-Factor is not complained about in both user reviews and official ones, meaning that it will likely be fine for you as well.

The pedals aren’t anything too special but are self-leveling with some adjustable straps to keep your feet in place. I wear size 9.5 shoes and there is little room for the straps to fit larger feet. They are okay but not the highest quality and not so grippy.

Bike Dimensions + Weight and Height Capacity

Most people want to know how big of a package they are getting when ordering such a bike. The SF-B2883 is actually a fairly small bike, being built more vertically than anything else. It measures out to be 34 in (86.4 cm) long, 22.5 in (57 cm) wide and 55.5 in (141 cm) tall. It weighs 60.9 lbs (27.6 kg), but can only hold 240 lbs (108.6 kg). This is actually less than a lot of other Sunny Health & Fitness upright bikes.

There are floor stabilizers on the back of the bike in order to keep you in place when cycling. They do a fairly good job of this. There are transportation wheels on the front in order to help with movement around the home. There aren’t any official height recommendations for the SF-B2883, but you will generally find that those between 5’1” (155 cm) and 6’3” (190 cm) will fit comfortably.

Extra Features

We’ll finish out our examinations with the rest of the physical elements, starting with the handlebars. They are multi-grip, but cannot be adjusted. They have pulse sensors and are covered with a nice foam padding which I found useful during longer summer day rides. But that’s about it for them. There is no built resistance or program control on the grips.

The saddle is adjustable both vertically and horizontally, which is nice. It adds to the amount of people who can fit comfortably onboard. Vertically it adjusts between 29.5 inches (75 cm) and 39 inches (99 cm). I am 5.5 and there is still plenty of room to adjust the seat lower or higher so I would say most people can fit the bike.

While the seat itself isn’t the most comfortable, it still shouldn’t cause too many issues. I used the bike for a while but then decided to get a gel cover, I think it’s just better to buy a new stationary bike saddle if you don’t feel comfortable.

The seat tube is fairly thin, which is fine for me because I do relaxed cardio workouts on upright bikes but might wobble a little on the more intense workouts. However, the floor stabilizers help in this regard.

Last, but not least, there are a couple of bonus features for you on the SF-B2883 upright bike. On the console, you get a little media tray in order to be entertained by a phone or tablet. It sits above the monitor properly, so it doesn’t block the screen. Then there is the water bottle holder that sits right beneath the console. This is nice for some mid-workout rehydration.

Sunny Health and Fitness SF-B2883 Bike Pros:

• Monitor has 24 different programs available, including 12 preset workout programs
• 16 different resistance levels gives nice levels of variation
• Magnetic resistance and belt drive makes the workouts much quieter
• Saddle is 4-way adjustable
• Transport wheels make it easier to move around
• Frame warranty is quite good
• Bonus features like water bottle holder and media tray are appreciated
• Handlebars have pulse monitors to estimate heart rate
• The SF-B2883 has a fairly small footprint
• Assembly process is easy and straightforward one
• Monitor is backlit and fairly easy to see workout progress

Sunny Health and Fitness SF-B2883 Bike Cons:

• Monitor doesn’t offer any online connections
• Monitor doesn’t offer metric measurements
• Parts and labour warranties aren’t great for the price
• Has a smaller weight limit of 240 lbs (108.6 kg)
• A 1-piece crank is always a bad sign

Sunny Health Fitness Upright Stationary Bike Comparison

Sunny Health Fitness offers four models of upright exercise bikes, each with different features. The SF-B2969 Upright Exercise Bike is their top-of-the-line model and includes a digital display, heart rate sensor, Bluetooth, 24 resistance levels that I found very challenging and 12 workout programs built directly into the bike which helps to keep you motivated.

Then there is the famous mid-level Sunny Health and Fitness SF-B2883 upright exercise bike which I tried and reviewed in this article. It doesn’t have Bluetooth, fan, speakers, or angle adjustable handle like the previous model (SF-B2969) but it does offer good value for money. I paid less than $250 and I think I got lost of value for it. I just wish it had better crank (3-piece) and heavier flywheel.

Third on the Sunny Health Fitness list of upright exercise bike is the ASUNA 4200. It’s another mid-range model and includes a digital display, heart rate sensor, and an electronic magnetic resistance. There is no specific resistance level because it has an up/down dial. I really don’t like the idea of not knowing my resistance so it’s really a no no for me. I like its screen, it displays the number pretty big and easy to see even dark room settings. Its media shelf is what I hate the most because every time you put a tablet or phone, it blocks the resistance controls.

The third Sunny Health and Fitness upright stationary bike is the SF-B2952. I know it’s pretty popular but I didn’t like the ride. It’s not as smooth as I am used with upright exercise bikes and I think it has something to do with its lightweight flywheel and cheaply made overall mechanism. I wouldn’t recommend it unless you can find it under $200.

The SF-B2906 is the most basic model of Sunny Health Fitness‘ upright bikes and includes a simple analog display and 8 levels of manually adjustable magnetic resistance which I am not a big fun of. I find it pretty boring because manual resistance means no workout programs like heart rate program or 20-30 minute cardio racing program.

Alternative Upright Exercise Bikes to Consider

For alternatives to Sunny Health Fitness SF-B2969, I would highly recommend the Circuit Fitness AMZ upright bike and the smart Renpho exercise bike. I tried both of these and loved them much more than the Sunny Health Fitness SF-B2969.

They are both great options for those who are looking for an upright exercise bike that has better quality and offers more features than Sunny Health Fitness SF-B2969.

If you like doing relaxed cardio workout in fully upright position, the Circuit Fitness AMZ is the best alternative. It has everything sunny health bike has, plus more features like speakers, better tablet holder, more programs, better pedals and crank system, and even a more comfortable saddle. Currently it costs only $80 more than the Sunny SF-B2969 and I think it’s worth it.

Another sturdy alternative to Sunny SF-B2969 is the smooth and smart Renpho stationary bike. It’s a semi-upright-bike and semi-spin-bike so you would need to lean forward while cycling rather than sitting in full upright position. If you like to do longer rides and even get off the saddle while pedalling or connect your indoor bike to Zwift, this is a great alternative Sunny Health and Fitness SF-B2979 stationary bike.

Although it is about $199 more expansive than Sunny Health exercise bike, it has superior quality, a very sleek and compact design that would fit great in smaller homes. Overall, I would highly recommend either of these two options over Sunny Health Fitness SF-B2969.

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