Sunny Health and Fitness SF-B2952 Bike Review
If you are searching your heart out for a new piece of exercise equipment, then it can be a difficult process. There are a wide variety of options on the market today, but you don’t always know how good they are. Sometimes the cheaper bikes can offer a great deal while others are quite terrible and not even worth the little money that you do pay. That’s why we are slowly combing our way through the upright exercise bikes on the market to review and see just which ones are worth your time and money. Today we have the Sunny Health & Fitness SF-B2952 home exercise bike. We’re going to check out what this cheaper bike has to offer and see just how well it stacks up against the price.
We already mentioned that the SF-B2952 upright bike is cheaper than the large majority. So we figured that we might as well start off looking at the price variation and the warranties that come with it. The prices that you can generally find the SF-B2952 cardio bike for will range between $290 and $320. It might not be dirt cheap, but it most certainly is cheaper than the vast majority of exercise bikes on the market. The warranties that come with it are the same warranties that you would find on just about every piece of Sunny Health & Fitness (SH&F) equipment ever made. You get 3 years on the frame and 180 days on the parts. There are no labour warranties. These warranties look better the more the price goes down. You get a larger guarantee where other companies (looking at you Marcy upright bikes) would give less protection. The shipping process of the SF-B2952 upright bike should take about 1-2 weeks, although this can be affected by factors like weather, human error and so on. The assembly process should be an easier one than some others. The majority of it is pre assembled, with the rest being easily put together thanks to the instruction manual that comes with the SF-B2952 upright bike.
Another key factor of the modern home exercise bike is the monitor. These monitors can take a fairly regular piece of equipment and turn it into something spectacular or they can add almost nothing. Because of the price, you shouldn’t expect the former. However, this monitor falls somewhere in the middle. There are no preset workouts on the LCD monitor of the SF-B2952 upright bike. Nor are there any sort of Bluetooth connections available. In fact, the only real benefit that you can get out of this bike’s monitor is the statistical data. The lower screen will show your statistics like time, distance, speed, calories, RPM and pulse. You won’t be able to see all of these at once, but will need to use the scan function to scroll through them. It also can’t track these statistics in metric measurements. On top of the screen itself is a sticker that shows what sort of zones you want your pulse to be in based on your body mass index (BMI). But outside of those stats tracking and the ability to set goals for those stats, there isn’t a whole lot to see here. Especially in the dark, as the screen for the SF-B2952 is not backlit. Trying to keep track of your stats in the dark will not be an option unless you’re bringing a flashlight.
If you are investigating one of these Sunny Health and Fitness upright bikes, you are obviously interested in some level of fitness. To that end, you will generally want a piece of equipment that offers a wide range of resistance and will hold together when used. The resistance of the SF-B2952 cardio bike is of the magnetic variety and will combine sweetly with the belt drivetrain. These two factors together will make the entire use of the SF-B2952 upright bike much quieter. There are 8 different difficulty levels available, which isn’t the greatest amount, but it will still work well. You will still get a good challenge from the upper level, but you will have less options to finely tune everything together. One of the downsides of the SF-B2952 upright bike is that the crank of the bike is only 1-piece. This basically is a welded together stick that holds the pedals together, which is not great for durability. We don’t know the Q-Factor of the SF-B2952 cardio bike. For those who are unaware, the Q-Factor is the distance between the pedals of the bike. If it is too large, you get uncomfortable. If it is too narrow, you also get uncomfortable and run the risk of an injury. We also don’t know the specific flywheel weight, as that isn’t officially listed. However, considering the overall weight of the bike (more on that in a moment), we figure that it can’t weigh more than 20 lbs (9 kg). If it did that would certainly raise an eyebrow or two.
The size, weight and general maneuverability of these bikes can also play an important role in how appealing they are. The SF-B2952 stationary bike is certainly not the smallest that you’ll ever see, but it isn’t like it will take up entire buildings either. It measures out to be 40.5 in (103 cm) long, 21 in (53 cm) wide and 51 in (129.5 cm) tall. Meanwhile it weighs 56 lbs (25 kg) and it can hold a maximum weight of 275 lbs (124.7 kg). There are transportation wheels on the front of the bike, which are absolutely tiny. Then there are the floor stabilizers that appear on either end of the SF-B2952. You likely aren’t going to be shaking too much onboard this bike. The SF-B2952 has a pretty standard steel frame.
We’re going to finish out the last elements of the SF-B2952 upright bike with the rest of the physical parts that you’d be interacting with. The handlebars are our starting point. The handlebars here are pretty basic. They aren’t adjustable in any sort of fashion, although they are multi-grip and have a thin foam grip covering them. The other nice aspect is the pulse sensor on the handlebars. This gives the monitor the information to estimate your heart rate. The saddle is distinctively OK. It is commonly complained about as being uncomfortable, but it can at least be adjusted both vertically and horizontally (unlike that of the SF-B2906, but that’s a story for another time). It is estimated that it vertically ranges from 24 inches (61 cm) to 36.5 inches (92.7 cm), which is pretty good. In fact, the people who will generally find themselves able to get most comfortable on the SF-B2952 are those that measure between 5’2” (157 cm) and 6’5” (165 cm). If you want to fix the comfort factor, all you have to do is get a gel cover or just replace the seat. The saddle pole is fairly thick as well, although you still might feel the occasional wobble on harder workouts. Then there are the pedals of the SF-B2952 cardio bike. We already mentioned the crank, but the pedals themselves aren’t too spectacular. They are weighted in order to keep them facing upright, while they also have adjustable straps to keep your feet in place. But that’s about it. Then there are the bonus features. When looking at some of the other Sunny Health & Fitness upright bikes, you can get some pretty nifty features like speakers and water bottle holders. Alas, the only thing that you get here is a media tray that covers the BMI heart rate sticker on the monitor. Not much, but it allows for some entertainment at least.
Sunny Health and Fitness SF-B2952 Bike Pros:
- Saddle is 4-way adjustable, allowing for more customization
- Weight limit of 275 lbs should hold a good range of people
- Magnetic resistance and belt drive make for quiet use overall.
- Upper levels of resistance provide a good challenge
- Pulse sensors in the handlebars
- Frame warranty of 3 years is a good one
- Media tray available for entertainment
- Statistical tracking is decent enough
- Not a ton of maintenance is required of the SF-B2952
- Pedals are weighted with straps and don’t let you down
- Fairly cheap price for a sturdy machine
Sunny Health and Fitness SF-B2952 Bike Cons:
- Monitor has no online connectivity
- Monitor cannot display stats in metric form
- Monitor has no preset workout programs available
- Saddle is uncomfortable
- No labour warranty available
- No water bottle holder available
Final Verdict
The SF-B2952 upright bike is a fine choice for those looking at cheaper upright bikes under 300 and don’t care too much about advanced elements like the monitor. The resistance settings might not give you a wide range of options to choose from, but they certainly offer enough to get you fit. It is a sturdy bike that doesn’t require too much maintenance and remains fairly cheap. It isn’t perfect, certainly. The uncomfortable seating, limited monitor and basic build overall might not be for everyone. So while you might not be disappointed with the SF-B2952 home exercise bike, it likely won’t send you over the moon either.
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.
I purchased a SUNNY Upright Exercise Bike – SF-B2952 – and it arrived on August 30, 2022. It is less than three months old. I weigh 170 lbs. I use it 30 minutes each day. About four weeks ago, a loud “click” began to be heard in the mechanism. Not a squeak, but a loud click. I emailed the suggested maintenance service (Jerrie at Sunny Support – case 160368) who told me to remove the plastic case covering the mechanism. I did. I could see nothing broken, yet the loud click continued. The maintenance service (Jerrie) has asked me to make a phone video of the mechanism in motion. At 81 years of age and not at all tech savvy, I’m asking a much younger friend to assist me. Why is this malfunction happening so soon after purchase?
Hi Andre, I am sorry to know this has happened to your bike
As explained in the review, this bike uses a single-piece crank system which is a little less durable than a three-piece crank system and makes the maintenance a little more complicated.
Usually, this happens when the crank and flywheel bolts/nuts are loose or when the bearings are worn out. Before disassembling bike parts, I suggest you try to tighten the flywheel and crank system (pretty much every bolt and nut you see under the plastic cover). If it doesn’t solve the issue, I suggest you request a refund (or a replacement bike) because your machine is still under warranty.
If you end up returning the bike, I recommend you take a look at the Nautilus U616 and U618. They are on offer and at an affordable price range.