ProForm’s Pro C10U is an affordable, lightweight upright bike with a 10″ HD touchscreen console designed specifically for workout streaming through iFit.
It isn’t the highest performing upright bike (far from it actually), but with a compact footprint and affordable asking price, it could still be a good buy for folks looking for a comfortable way to access iFit workouts.
Other than the HD console, the Pro C10U also comes with 25 magnetic resistance levels, a fully adjustable seat, a cooling fan, and bluetooth speakers.
Not bad for an upright bike in the price range.
If you’re looking for an affordable streaming upright bike, I think ProForm’s Pro C10U is a good buy, but it’s got its fair share of flaws too (like a light flywheel and low weight capacity).
So, before you decide, you need to learn as much as you can about this upright – and that’s where I can help.
In this review, I’ll discuss all the specs, features, pros, cons, and pretty much anything else you can think of regarding this bike.
After reading, you’ll know whether or not the Pro C10U is worth investing in.
Let’s do this.
The ProForm Pro C10U Exercise Bike
I like ProForm as a brand because they offer a nice selection of affordable cardio machines with solid performance specs and pretty high-end features.
I feel like they’re most recognized for their treadmills, but their exercise bikes are nice too.
Like NordicTrack, ProForm has also gone all-in with home streaming, so you’ll notice that all of their equipment now comes with touchscreen consoles designed for iFit streaming.
And this is no coincidence – NordicTrack and ProForm (and iFit) are all owned by the same company.
ProFrom tends to be a little lighter-duty and more affordable than NordicTrack, but both brands are almost always amongst the best options in their respective price ranges.
Anyway, ProForm has slimmed down their lineup a little and at the time of writing this, the Pro C10U is their only upright model.
They only have 1 recumbent bike too, the Pro C10R.
Let’s get this reviewed started off by taking a look at all the performance specs the Pro C10U has to offer.
Pros
- 10″ HD touchscreen console
- 25 levels of magnetic resistance
- iFit
- Interactive training (iFit)
- Instructor-led workouts (iFit)
- Scenic rides (iFit)
- Bluetooth
- Cooling fan
- Fully adjustable seat
- Quick touch resistance buttons
- Good warranty
- Fair price
Cons
- Fairly lightweight flywheel
- Weight capacity only 275 lb
Resistance
Upright bikes are just like indoor cycles in the fact that they both use weighted flywheels and magnetic resistance systems to create the resistance you work against.
Well, some indoor cycles still use friction brake pads, but we’re seeing less and less of these each year.
Anyway, since uprights use the same mechanisms to create your resistance, I think it makes sense to compare flywheel weights with uprights too.
I mean, assuming you want an upright with a decent pedaling motion and the ability to provide some solid resistance.
Heavier flywheels are usually preferred because most home bikes are designed to benefit from the extra momentum the added weight provides.
This momentum helps keep the pedals moving on their own as you pedal, reducing lag between pedal strokes – resulting in a smoother overall feel.
With this in mind, ProForm doesn’t disclose the flywheel weight for the Pro C10U on their website and when I reached out to a sales rep, he didn’t know the flywheel weight either.
But, all is not lost…
I checked around and according to Best Buy (who also sells this bike), the flywheel weight for the Pro C10U is 14.96 lb.
I prefer to get all my specs directly from the manufacturer, you know, for the sake of accuracy and what not, but sometimes you gotta take what you can get.
And in this case, these numbers make sense.
Considering its price and assembled weight (more on that in a minute), a 15 lb flywheel is about what I’d expect for this bike.
Assuming this is accurate, the Pro C10U comes with a pretty light flywheel in the grand scheme of upright bikes, but this is standard for a bike in this price range.
For the sake of comparison, Schwinn’s 170, which is similarly priced, comes with a 13 lb flywheel; and then there’s the Nautilus U618 which also comes with a 13 lb flywheel.
These are all light compared to the 20 – 30 lb flywheels found on higher-end uprights, but again, this is to be expected in this price range.
ProForm pairs that 15 lb flywheel with 25 resistance levels, giving you a lot of control over the intensity of your workouts, which is always a good thing.
And with a belt drive, you shouldn’t have to worry about this bike being too loud during use either.
Overall, the Pro C10U comes with a lightweight flywheel, but it’s actually a little heavier than those found on the other top uprights in this price range.
With a lighter flywheel, this upright isn’t going to be the highest-performing option, but this is as good as it gets in this price range.
And at roughly 15 lb, the Pro C10U should still be able to offer a fairly smooth feel during workouts.
Frame
Flywheels and resistance levels is important stuff, but I’m assuming we all want a bike that feels solid and stable when we’re up on it too.
And unfortunately, this is usually something we have to sacrifice when going with a more affordable bike.
In other words, budget bikes aren’t exactly know for being heavy-duty and robust.
But, that’s one of the reasons these bikes are more affordable in the first place.
It can be hard to get an idea of how robust a bike is going to feel without being able to try it out first, but there are still some things you can look for to get a good idea.
The first one is the assembled weight.
Seeing a bike with a higher assembled weight is always a good sign that it’s going to feel more secure with you sitting on it.
How heavy is heavy enough?
Personally, I like to see an assembled weight of at least 100 lb, but that might not be that realistic in this price range.
But higher-end bikes far surpass this weight – for example, Sole’s LCB weighs in at around 130 lb.
With all of this in mind, ProForm doesn’t disclose the assembled weight for this bike either… but Best Buy does.
And according to Best Buy again, the assembled weight for the Pro C10U is roughly 77 lb.
This seems really light compared to the more expensive LCB, but it’s not so bad considering Schwinn’s popular 170 only weighs in at around 58 lb.
Nautilus’ U618 is a little heavier-duty with an assembled weight of 83 lb, but not that much.
Based on these comps, I would say the Pro C10U scores pretty highly in the heavy-dutiness department (again, for its price range).
What isn’t quite as impressive though, is its weight capacity.
With a weight limit of only 275 lb, the Pro C10U falls below the 300 and 325 lb limits seen on the 170 and U618, respectively.
So, certainly something for larger users to consider.
But with a compact footprint of only 21″ x 35″, the Pro C10U is a bit smaller than these bikes, so if floor space is a real issue, this could be an advantage.
Overall, this bike is reasonably heavy-duty for its price range, but its weight limit is a little lower than some of the other top comps.
Warranty
ProForm backs their Pro C10U Exercise Bike with the following home warranty:
- 10 year frame
- 2 year parts
- 1 year labor
All things considered, I think this is a pretty generous warranty.
Ten years on the frame is great for a bike in this price range, matching what Schwinn and Nautilus both offer on their upright bikes.
Two years on parts is also pretty good, although Nautilus goes a little above and beyond, offering 3 years on their U618.
A year on labor is pretty standard stuff for most bikes, although in this price range, it isn’t a given (Schwinn only offers 90 days on labor).
Overall, the Pro C10U comes with a surprisingly good warranty.
Features
The ProForm Pro C10U Exercise Bike comes with the following included features:
10″ HD touchscreen console- the touchscreen display is clearly the star attraction here and at 10″, not only is it easy to see, but it’s really big for a bike in this price range. This large console is designed to pair with iFit, making it easy to view all the instructor-led workouts and whatnot.
iFit- this is ProForm’s streaming platform and what allows you to access all the workouts, metric tracking, scenic routes, and more. ProForm includes a 30 day trial with purchase, but then you’ll be responsible for the $39/month membership fee. It isn’t mandatory, but I’m not sure why you’d invest in this bike unless you plan on using iFit (that HD screen would be wasted).
Interactive training- this is a cool feature that allows the instructors to automatically adjust your resistance to match your workouts, so all you have to do is try and keep up (you don’t have to use this if you don’t want to).
Bluetooth- the console is bluetooth compatible with headphones and strap heart rate monitors, always a plus.
Quick touch buttons- you can instantly set your resistance to where you need it with the push of one of these convenient buttons.
Fully adjustable seat- you can adjust the height and fore/aft position of the seat, making it easy to find a comfortable riding position.
Cooling fan- there’s a built-in fan to help keep ya cool during workouts.
Water bottle holder- there’s even a place to put your water bottle.
Price
Prices change all the time, so I apologize if these numbers aren’t accurate by the time you read this, but that said, at the time of writing this, the Pro C10U costs $599 on ProForm.
You can also find this bike for sale through a lot of other retailers too, but the price seems to be pretty consistent as far as I can tell.
At roughly $600, the Pro C10U is quite affordable as upright bikes go, especially ones that come with HD touchscreen consoles.
I’ve already mentioned the top comps in this price range, but I want to go into a little more detail here.
Schwinn’s 170 usually goes for somewhere around $500 (give or take) and it comes with a 13 lb flywheel, 25 resistance levels, 29 workout programs, and a lighter-weight frame.
And as I mentioned earlier, its warranty isn’t quite as good as what ProForm offers.
There’s also Nautilus’ U618, which is a bit more expensive at around $650, but it’s also quite a bit heavier-duty.
The U618 also comes with a 13 lb flywheel and 29 workout programs, but its assembled weight is higher, as is its weight capacity (325 lb).
The U618 also comes with a longer warranty (surprisingly long at this price range): 15 year frame, 3 year parts, 1 year labor.
You maybe noticed though, that neither of these comps come with an HD touchscreen console or readily accessible streaming capabilities.
Final Thoughts
So, if you’re looking for an affordable upright with streaming possibilities, I think ProForm’s Pro C10U is kind of a no-brainer.
There really aren’t that many streaming upright bikes on the market now, especially in this price range.
NordicTrack’s Commercial VU 19 comes to mind, but that one’s still quite a bit more expensive (going for around $1k) at the time of writing this.
And even though the Pro C10U isn’t the heaviest-duty upright around, it actually still scores pretty well when compared to other bikes in its price range.
And it comes with a good warranty too.
The biggest downside I see is probably the lighter-weight frame and lower weight limit, but as long as you fall under the 275 lb limit, you should be fine.
So, long-story-short: yes, I think the Pro C10U is indeed a smart buy.
