XTERRA AIR350 Air Bike Review
If you are looking for an indoor exercise bike for full body HIIT, one of the better decisions that you can make is to pick an air resistance bike. These bikes don’t tend to reach the same sort of prices that some of the magnetic spin bikes do, but they can also provide a quality exercise session. One of the cheaper bikes that you can look at that fits into this category is the XTERRA AIR350. We’re going to take a look at the AIR350 and see just how well the features of the bike match up to the prices. The resistance settings, the monitor, the comfort of the saddle and more shall all be valid targets of our criticism and praise as we judge this bike with our inspector glasses on. So with all of that out of the way, let’s hop right into our review of the XTERRA AIR350 Air Bike!
The first element that we’re going to cover about the XTERRA AIR350 is the price and the warranty that comes with the bike. As for the former, you can generally find it for around $300. Like we mentioned in the intro, this is pretty cheap for one of these bikes. However, part of this price reduction most definitely comes from the awful warranties that come with the bike. You get a 1 year deal across the board: 1 year for the frame, 1 year for the belt and 1 year for the rest of the parts. There is no warranty on the labour at all. This is pretty atrocious, even for a cheaper bike. You would hope that a company would at least put some sort of longer guarantees behind their machine. The shipping should take between 1-2 weeks, depending on a variety of factors. Human error, system slowdown and the like could all play a part in making it take longer. The assembly of the bike shouldn’t take too long, as it is a fairly simple machine. The instructions are all there, so you shouldn’t have a hard time following them. It might be tougher or take longer if you aren’t particularly skilled or experienced at such processes, but otherwise it shouldn’t be too much of a pain.
One of the elements that make modern air exercise bikes so good is the consoles and electronic elements that come with it. They can now provide so many different features like app connection, statistics tracking, and online entertainment. The XTERRA AIR350 has almost none of these included in its LCD console. While it isn’t one of the most simple out there, it isn’t exactly the pinnacle of electronic complexity. It’s not very large and will show you a pretty basic range of statistics. It will show your distance, time, total distance, speed, and calories burned. You can select a goal for these elements, and the monitor will count down until that goal is reached. There is a scan mode, which will allow you to see all of the statistics one at a time. A neat little addition (that all too many bikes lack these days) is the ability to switch between metric and imperial measurements when looking at the stats. You should note that the monitor is not backlit and you will have trouble actually seeing it in a darker environment. The lack of preset workouts is perhaps the biggest issue with this monitor. Especially when comparing it to many other modern bikes, you would kind of hope to have at least one or two of them. The monitor is powered by 2 AAA batteries, which means that you won’t have to worry about any sort of plugs or wires running from the bike.
Another of those crucial elements that make up the AIR350 and the other Xterra air bikes are their resistance. The AIR350 comes with a pretty good resistance system, as it relies solely on the 6 blade fan for all challenges. It is a dynamic air resistance system, which means that the harder and faster you pedal, the more challenges you shall face. The drivetrain of the AIR350 is a chain one. While this should work and be good enough to cause little issues, it will create more noise and require more frequent maintenance check ups than a belt drive would have. The crank system of the AIR350 appears to be a 1-piece one, which is unfortunate. You generally want 3-piece cranks, as they are not just a bar that is all molten together and have a much smaller chance of breaking. We also do not know the Q-Factor of the XTERRA AIR350, which is an important element for many bikes. For those who are unaware, the Q-Factor is the distance between the pedals. If it is too large, you get uncomfortable during the workout. If it is too narrow, the same happens and there is a possibility for injury. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to be an issue in user reviews, so you won’t have to worry about it.
Those with smaller homes will probably want to know just how much space the AIR350 takes. The good news for them is that it isn’t exactly a giant, so it should fit in the vast majority of homes. It measures out to be 48 inches (122 cm) long, 28.3 inches (72 cm) wide and 51.1 inches (130 cm) tall. The AIR350 weighs 77 lbs (35 kg) and can hold a maximum weight of 250 lbs (113 kg). The frame is made of a pretty standard steel component. The floor stabilizers on the AIR350 are actually pretty good and large, although they do come at a cost. The wheels that are located on the front of the bike are absolutely tiny. They are so small and insignificant that we actually missed them in the first version of this review and believed that it just didn’t have transport wheels. This makes the mobility of the AIR350 pretty awful, despite its relatively small size.
We’re going to finish out the XTERRA AIR350 Air Bike examination by continuing to look at the physical elements of the bike. First up are the handlebars, which cannot be adjusted. They are dual action handlebars, which means that they move with the pedals. The footrests on the side of the fan (or slightly above it) can combine with these handlebars to create upper body workouts for you. More exercise variety is always a positive. The seat of the AIR350 is adjustable both vertically and horizontally, which is most certainly nice. There are 7 positions on the vertical level, helping people between the heights of 4’7” and 6’2” fit comfortably on this bike. The seat itself isn’t that comfortable, despite being slightly wider than the average one you’ll find on other bikes. The seating tube that actually holds up the saddle is OK. It isn’t that thick and that steady. This can lead to some wobbling during the more intense rides, but it is somewhat offset by the hefty floor stabilizers. You might get some wobbling, but you won’t exactly be flying around while pedaling fast. Then there are the pedals of the AIR350. They are pretty simple, which is to be expected of a bike from this price range. They are larger than normal and that’s about it. As a final little bonus feature, the AIR350 does have a water bottle holder located in between the monitor and fan for some mid-workout hydration.
XTERRA AIR350 Air Exercise Bike Pros:
- Design and steel frame are both solid
- Adjustable seat allows for a wider variety of users to fit
- Monitor can display statistics in both metric and imperial measurements
- Solid stabilizers mean very little shaking
- Dynamic air resistance leads to wide variety of workouts
- The 6-blade fan provides a good challenge to all who seek it
- Dual action handlebars and footrests allow for upper body workouts
- Fairly cheap price
XTERRA AIR350 Air Exercise Bike Cons:
- Awful warranties that won’t back up this machine for long
- The console isn’t backlit, making it more difficult to see in the dark
- The console doesn’t have any preset workouts
- The chain drivetrain makes a fair bit of noise
- The absolutely puny wheels make for poor mobility
- 1-pieces crank that’s inferior to other types of cranks
- The seat is quite uncomfortable and might require some extra padding
Conclusion
The XTERRA AIR350 is somewhat disappointing. It has good elements, like the dynamic air resistance and adjustable seating. However, the basic monitor, horrific warranties and uncomfortable saddle means that you won’t actually be able to enjoy those positive elements. However, if you are willing to spend a little extra on comfortable padding for the seat and don’t fear those short warranties (and this bike is under $300), then the AIR350 should prove a fine cheaper alternative to many of those fancier bikes on the market. This is especially true if you are comparing it to the XTERRA AIR650 Pro, but we’ll get to that in another review. That said, if by the time you are reading this review the AIR 350 is above $300, I strongly suggest you look at the Marcy Air-1. It is a better bike with better built and crank system.
Sayed Hosseiny
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.
