Horizon fitness IC 7.9 bike vs Assault airbike elite
This is a comparison of the Horizon fitness IC 7.9 indoor cycle and the Assault airbike elite including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.
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Overview and review of the Assault airbike elite
The Assault Airbike elite comes in at $1299. In this article you will learn more about the product itself, its Pros and cons and alternatives you might want to consider. This article has originally been published in the overview "Which conditioning equipment to buy from Rogue".
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Overview of the Assault airbike elite
Air assault has been around a while in the world of
Air bikes. The elite is their take on taking it tongue next level. Compared to the basic version you will get an upgraded LCD, bigger seat and sturdier steel frame. The
Air Assault Elite comes with the following specifications:
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Color Black
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Product weight 140LB
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Length 51“
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Width 27“
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Height 55“
Airbikes are a great option for your cardiovascular training. The resistance increases naturally the faster you go. This makes it a great tool for interval training. In addition, you also address your entire body. With the
assault bike, you also have the option to only focus on the upper or lower body by keeping the feet or arms engaged or out of the loop. If you want something else from a treadmill and find cycling not challenging enough the
air assault elite is the best you can get in the market.
Pros of the Assault airbike elite
Compared to other air bikes the assault bike elite has one of the most advanced computers. If this is important to yourself or the image your gym want to convey, this is a great option. Quite a few other vendors are behind when it comes to this. Still, keep in mind that most options will never be used.
The Bluetooth capability is nice in the age of the internet of things. You might want to combine the output of the air bike with other technology you are using for analysis or your clients just want to hook your phone up.
I personally admit that I like overbuilt gym equipment. I lift comparatively heavy and like to abuse any kind of cardio machine I am on. That I weigh 90kg does not help the machines. If it rattles and I feel like it will break right under me, I am not too impressed. If you have a team of rugby players to entertain, maybe spent the extra money so that they feel like they are safe.
With the Assault, you are hooking up with a company that has been around the block. You can expect good customer service.
Cons of the Assault airbike elite
The main point against the elite is the price. When you compare
Airbike to
Airbike the elite comes in at almost double the price compared to other
Airbike options. Are the extra features worth giving up on one extra
Airbike for the same time? Most of the times probably not unless you are 7’ 10” tall and weigh 250kg. You can also make an argument for this if your marketing strategy is to never ever be seen to be cheap because you charge your clients a fortune for your services (well to them it is peanuts, but that is precisely why you have to give them the best of everything).
The other downside to the
Assault Air bike elite is that the movement pattern is not specific to most sports. Except cycling, the carryover will not be as high as with a treadmill or
run rocket when you train athlete who competes on their feet on a pitch.
Alternatives to the Assault Airbike elite
Alternatives to the Assault Air Bike elite are:
The
TrueForm runner is the best you can get in the realm of self-propelled treadmills. It will put you back considerably more than the
Assault air bike elite. However, if you consider the Elite budget is probably not one of your main concerns.
What goes for the
TrueForm also holds true for the
Versaclimber SM. The SM is the top of range product of
Versaclimber with all the bells and whistles and a generous warranty for commercial use. If you want the workout that burns the most calories per square foot over time this is the way to go.
The
Rogue Echo bike is the reasonable choice if you want an Airbike at a normal price tag. The
Echo is overbuilt and Rogue took the best ideas from the existing mass products and offers them at a very competitive price tag for the amount of bike you get.
Summary for the Assault airbike elite
The
assault air bike elite is a great option for you if you train big athletes or only want the best of everything. It is also one of the cheaper options for top equipment when you want to offer your clients or yourself that special care. If you are budget conscious you can save about half by getting solid alternatives from the mid-market price range which are under $1000.
Overview and review of the Horizon fitness IC 7.9
This is an overview of the Horizon fitness IC 7.9 bike including pros, cons, and alternatives. This article was first published in Which Horizon fitness bike to get?
For the most up to date information and asking direct questions you can follow me on Instagram.
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Overview of the Horizon IC7.9 Indoor cycle $699
The
Horizon IC 7.9 bike is an indoor cycle that follows a classic spinning bike design. It is belt-driven and uses mechanical resistance to simulate a bike ride from the road as best as possible while being in the comfort of your home. The full specifications list runs as following:
Frame Type: Indoor Cycle
Adjustable Pedal straps: Yes
Pedal Type: Dual-sided Pedals with Toe cages/clips
Seat Type: Racing style road saddle
Seat adjustment: Horizontal, Vertical
Resistance System: Magnetic
Resistance levels: Resistance lever 0 -100%
Flywheel weight: 35lbs
Extras: Tablet rack, Transport Wheels, Water Bottle Holder
Max User Weight: 300
Weight: 123 lbs.
Assembled dimensions: 53x 24 x48
Home Warranty Frame: Lifetime
Home Warranty Parts: 1 year
Home Warranty Labor: 1 year
This is a solid option for someone who likes spinning classes and riding hard outdoors but does not want to bring their road bike in a home stance for convenience reasons.
Pros of the Horizon IC7.9 Indoor cycle
The frame of this bike is sturdier than if other bike options you can get from Horizon fitness. This seems that bigger athletes can exercise harder on this bike compared to the
GR3.
A lot of bikes work with magnetic resistance in today’s high technology environment. This bike still works with a belt and a mechanical brake. While this means higher maintenance it also translates to an experience that is closer to biking on the street. Depending on what you are looking for this might be an advantage for you.
With the dial to adjust the resistance at the wheel, it is easier to adjust resistance compared to the
GR3 indoor cycle. Think of the
IC 7.9 as a high-quality spinning bike for commercial use, while the
GR3 is more aimed at home users.
Cons of the Horizon IC7.9 Indoor cycle
The included computer of the
IC 7.9 is basic and only provides revolutions, distance traveled and other information about how far and fast you are traveling. As it is very similar to a spinning bike you need to set it up near a television or find someplace else for your tablet or phone to rest on. This is not going with the times where peloton and echelon have entire entertainment systems onboard.
The price is rather high for something that is essentially not a lot more than a bike on a stance. If you already have a high-end cycle at home you might as well get an indoor stance for it which is cheaper and gets you the real deal at home.
Alternatives to the Horizon IC7.9
Alternatives to the Horizon IC 7.9 are:
The
horizon GR3 is the little brother of the
IC 7.9. It has the same basic functions but all the parts are a little less sturdy than with the
IC 7.9 which makes the bike cheaper overall. If you are a light home user this bike is the better value for money for you. Commercial buyers should stick with the
IC 7.9 instead.
The
Nordictrack VU19 is the entry-level stationary bike from Nordictrack. It is more aimed at the leisure cyclist and for commercial use. It is bigger and sturdier than the
IC 7.9 and the flywheel is under, rather in front of the user. Therefore the target group is a little different but if you are a commercial buyer comparing the Horizon and Nordictrack fleets have a look at the
VU19.
The
Rogue echo bike is in my opinion the best value for money cardio machine in the sub $1000 category. This is the case if you want a sturdy machine with a basic machine that you can go hard at. If you want a smooth ride and sit comfortably other machines might be better. A lower-budget copy cat of the
Rogue echo bike is the
TITAN fan bike.
If you want a low-impact cardio kick on a small footprint the
concept 2 skierg might be for you. It takes up minimal space compared to other machines and is also fairly silent. The only downside is that it is not a bike or full-body workout and mainly targets the upper body.
Conclusion for the Horizon IC7.9 Indoor cycle
If you are looking for a spinning bike this is the best you can get from Horizon fitness. Especially if you want to stay under $1000 and still get something solid the
Ic 7.9 is a very good option. There are cheaper bikes on Amazon, but they might have some quality issues. There are other bikes with more multimedia and gamification options, but those will break the $1000 budget wall.