Pro-Form 290 SPX Indoor Exercise Bike Review

The Pro-Form 290 SPX has been designed with a commercial grade steel frame to provide many years of effective workouts, which is backed up by being provided with a 5-year frame warranty.

Handlebar design and workout tracking

Unlike your normal stationary exercise bikes, spinning bikes are designed to have the handlebars positioned much closer to the level of the seat.

This is to allow you to perform more intense workouts, creating a frame shape that is much closer to a road bike’s and allowing you to stand up and cycle without worrying about compromising on stability.

As well as the lower height, the handlebars on the Pro-Form 290 SPX have been ergonomically designed to help cut down on fatigue and prevent discomfort.

With the different angles and bar positions, you can quickly change your grip according to your body position to put you in the most effective position to get the most out of your training.

While there are many higher priced spinning bikes available, the Pro-Form 290 SPX has all the features you need for effective workouts, with varying levels of resistance available.

If you are used to workouts with a stationary bike but haven’t tried a spinning bike then it can take some getting used to. For example there is no display unit on the Pro-Form 290 SPX for showing workout information such as distance and calories burned.

If would still like to keep track of information such as the time spent exercising and your heart rate then there are many heart rate monitors that can be bought separately.

Fully adjustable seat and foot pedals

The seat on the Pro-Form 290 SPX is fully adjustable in a similar way to many of the high end stationary bikes, but is a little thinner and less well padded (a common feature of spinning bikes).

The foot pedals are designed with a strap which you can tighten down to keep your feet in position, which is also helped by the ‘cage’ style design to prevent your feet from slipping forwards and improves your stability during workouts.

Although there is no way to fold the Pro-Form SPX away, this is common with spinning bikes that will almost always feature a chunky steel frame.

If you do need to move the bike before or after your workouts then there are wheels on the front that allow you to do this.

You can simply hold the handles, tilt the bike towards you and push to where you need it.

There is also a water bottle attached to the main frame which is a nice touch if you want to drink some water to keep energy levels higher throughout your workout.

Pro-form 290 SPX Indoor Exercise Bike – Features Summary

• An adjustable felt brake shoe allows you to vary the resistance of the flywheel.
• The resistance dial adjusts the bike’s flywheel braking mechanism to give you full control over the intensity of your workouts.
• 20kg flywheel for a smooth realistic motion.
• Pedals feature a toe cage, designed to keep your feet in place and increase stability. For added intensity and advanced users, the pedals can be used with the opposite side up.
• Easily move the exercise bike from place to place with the built-in transport wheels.
• Adjustable, Non-Slip Handlebars: These non-slip handlebars are ergonomically designed to cut down on fatigue and prevent discomfort
• Warranty: 5 Years Frame, 2 Years Parts & Labour (if you register your warranty within 28 days of purchase, 1 year parts & labour if not)

Adjustable resistance and the quick stop brake

In terms of noise from the Pro-Form 290 SPX, the chain drive system powered by the cycling movement is actually almost silent on lower resistance settings. Once you start moving up to a higher resistance though you can find that the friction pad rubs against the flywheel and creates a bit more noise.

While this still isn’t very loud if you do prefer a quieter spinning workout then you can simply apply silicon spray to the wheel which will reduce the noise. This will also help increase the lifespan of the friction pads.

Pro-Form 290 SPX Exercise Bike

The Pro-Form 290 SPX Indoor Exercise Bike comes with all the great features you would expect from a high quality exercise product company like Pro-Form.

The heavy duty frame and easily adjustable seat and pedals cater for a wide variety of body types and heights, while the variable resistance is quickly adjusted from very light cycling to an intense cardio workout.

Product weight: 43kg
User weight limit: 113kg
Product dimensions: 106cm (H) x 50cm (W) x 112cm (L)

Update September 2021

This product is no longer available for purchase online. To find current alternatives, please see the recent reviews of Exercise Bikes.