Yosuda 001C Exercise Bike Review

Who this bike is for

The Yosuda 001C is the bike for a house where everybody is going to ride it. I'm 6'5" and 270 to 280 pounds, and I can ride it. My wife can ride it. My kids can ride it.

It's also for somebody who wants to just get on and pedal. There's no app, nothing to charge and nothing to set up.

Why I got it and where it lives

I have a garage gym, but this one is in my basement, where I've been adding a few pieces of equipment. I asked my wife what she'd like to have down there, and that's where the idea of an exercise bike came from.

I reached out to FED Fitness and they were gracious enough to send me two Yosuda bikes. This is the first one. They sent it for free and they're not paying me. I can say whatever I want, and if it was crap I'd tell you.

How it rides

The first thing I noticed was that it's smooth. It's a nice, smooth ride.

Resistance is one knob in the middle of the frame. Loosen it all the way and it's super easy. Too easy. Tighten it down and it gets hard fast, and if you keep going it'll stop the wheel.

I'll be honest, it didn't blow me away right from the start. But I rode it longer than what you see in the video, I got comfortable on it, and it's a nice piece of equipment. It really is.

Does it hold a big guy?

That was my question going in. At my size a bike needs to be pretty beefy to hold up, and this one felt solid under me. It seems nicely built.

I can't give you a clean weight limit, though. The listing says 300 pounds in one spot and 350 in another, on the same page. I don't know which one is right. I can only tell you how it felt at 270 to 280.

The flywheel weight isn't published anywhere either. The ride was smooth, but I'd rather have the number.

Fitting different people

The seat slides forward and backward, and it goes up and down. The handlebars go up and down too.

That's what makes it work for a family. I can set it up for me, and then my wife or one of my daughters can drop it down and ride.

The pedal cages

This is the one thing I don't like. The pedals have cages with straps, and they feel small for my big feet. They're hard to get into.

They got a little better the more I used them, as they stretched out. Not enough. I'm going to see if I can take them off and ride without them.

If you've got normal size feet, you may never think about it. If you've got big feet, plan on it.

The monitor and tablet holder

The monitor is pretty simple. Nothing too crazy. It shows time, speed, distance, calories and an odometer, and it runs on two AA batteries that come in the box.

There's a tablet holder that snaps on over the handlebar post. The instructions literally call it an iPad holder. It'll hold a phone too.

Putting it together

It came by regular shipping. I didn't have to schedule a freight delivery or anything like that, because it's not super heavy. The listing puts it at about 64 pounds.

The bike comes mostly built. You put on the two feet, the pedals, the seat post and seat, the handlebars, the tablet holder and the monitor. A wrench and an Allen wrench are in the box, and that's all you need. It's a one person job.

Two things to get right. The foot with the wheels goes on the front of the bike. I had it on the back at first. And the left pedal threads on the other way. It's not righty tighty on that side, so look for the L and the R before you start turning.

What I don't know yet

These are first impressions. I built it, I rode it, and I liked it. I haven't had it long enough to tell you how it holds up.

There are no numbered resistance levels, so you can't go back to the exact same setting twice. That won't matter to a lot of people, but you should know it.

Who should buy it

If you want an affordable bike that more than one person in the house can ride, and you just want to get on and go, this is a solid pick.

If you're close to 300 pounds, I'd wait until the listing settles on one weight limit. And if you have big feet, know that the cages are going to bug you.

I'm going to put it through its paces and do a side by side with the other Yosuda once I've had more time on both.