The Evo-Fit is an affordable recumbent bike being offered by Sunny Health & Fitness, one of the most popular budget-friendly brands around.
Besides having a cool name and a spiffy paint job, the Evo-Fit offers folks a generous selection of features for this price range.
Highlights include 24 magnetic resistance levels, 36 built-in workout programs, bluetooth speakers, USB charging, and an integrated cooling fan.
I have to admit, all of that is pretty good for a recumbent in this price range, but like everything else in life, the Evo-Fit isn’t perfect.
Notable downsides include a light flywheel and a short warranty.
If you’re interested in a recumbent that won’t break the bank, I think the Evo-Fit is a pretty good choice, especially for folks who want a lot of workout variety.
But before you buy, you need to know what you’re getting into – and that’s where I can help.
In this review, I’ll go over everything this bike has to offer, including where it falls a bit short.
After reading, you’ll know whether or not the Evo-Fit is the right bike for your home.
The Sunny Health & Fitness Evo-Fit Recumbent Bike
Sunny Health & Fitness (SHF) is one of the better budget fitness brands around – in a market full of cheap, forgettable brands, they certainly stand out.
They’ve been around for about 20 years or so, which by itself says something, considering how many budget brands come and go in a much shorter period.
Fun fact: SHF is name after their founder, John Sun… I can’t believe it took me so long to realize that…
Anyway, Sunny has a ton of fitness equipment to choose from – like seriously, they have a larger lineup than any brand I’ve ever seen.
Which I guess is a good thing, but it does make it harder to tell the difference between some of their products, especially considering how similar a lot ’em are.
And they don’t always give their bikes unique names, many of them are simply named “magnetic exercise bike” or something like that, which means you have to go by the model numbers to differentiate ’em.
That isn’t really an issue with the Evo-Fit though, which comes with a hip name.
The Evo-Fit is one of probably 20 or so recumbents currently in SHF’s lineup, but it’s one of their more popular models.
Pros
- 24 levels of magnetic resistance
- 36 built-in workout programs
- Heavy-duty frame
- 300 lb weight limit
- LCD console
- Bluetooth speakers
- USB charging port
- Built-in cooling fan
- 2 device holders
- Affordable price
Cons
- Light flywheel
- Short warranty
- Not compatible with chest strap heart rate monitors
Resistance
I realize that most people looking for a recumbent bike might not be too concerned with finding a model that can provide intense resistances, but it’s still a smart idea to check under the hood.
Keep in a mind, a bike’s resistance system also largely determines how smooth the pedaling motion is going to feel.
And a smooth feel is something I think we’re all looking for in an exercise bike.
Recumbent bikes, just like most other types of exercise bikes, work by pairing a spinning flywheel with a resistance mechanism (usually magnetic).
And, just like most other bikes, having a heavier flywheel in usually a good thing because the extra weight helps the flywheel build more momentum, which reduces lag between pedal strokes.
Which means a smoother feel.
Most affordable recumbents come with really light flywheels; most also don’t disclose their flywheel weights… which in itself is usually a sign that it’s really light.
And by light, we’re talking 8 – 12 lb.
For the sake of comparison, higher-end, more expensive recumbents (like Sole’s LCR), come with flywheels in the 30 lb range.
Which is still kinda light compared to the massive flywheels found on indoor cycles, but still plenty heavy for recumbents.
Anyway, with all of this in mind, SHF doesn’t tell us how heavy the flywheel is on the Evo-Fit, but I reached out to their reps and found out that it weighs 7.7 lb.
Which is pretty darn light.
That doesn’t mean this recumbent can’t offer a decent ride, but it does mean that people looking for a more rigorous workout might want to consider a more powerful bike.
Looking past the flywheel, I like that the Evo-Fit comes with 24 resistance levels because that gives you a lot of play on the intensity of your workouts.
Just keep in mind that more resistance levels doesn’t necessarily mean more resistance, it just means you can make smaller adjustments between levels.
For the sake of comparison, Schwinn’s 270, one of the most popular recumbents in this price range, comes with a 13 lb flywheel and 25 resistance levels.
Overall, I think the Evo-Fit does ok in the resistance department. The flywheel is quite light, but most in this price range are; at least it comes with a lot of resistance levels to play with.
Frame
Affordable recumbents usually come with light flywheels, that’s a given, but they usually come with really light weight frames too.
Which is why so many of these bikes feel shaky or wobble some during use.
The fact that these bikes are lighter weight is one of the big reasons they cost less to begin with though.
That said, all budget recumbents aren’t equal.
When comparing bikes, I encourage you to compare the assembled weights – this spec tells you exactly how heavy each bike is.
And seeing heavier weights is a good thing because that means the bike will feel more stable during workouts.
With this in mind, the Evo-Fit comes with an assembled weight of 100 lb, which is actually very good for a bike in this price range.
Schwinn’s 270 mentioned above, only weighs in at about 87 lb and Nautilus’ R616 only weighs in at around 92 lb.
So compared to these models, the Evo-Fit is pretty heavy-duty.
The Evo-Fit also comes with a weight limit of 300 lb, which is pretty standard for any self-respecting exercise bike.
This bike is also pretty standard with regards to its assembled dimensions, taking up a footprint of roughly 5′ x 2′.
And according to Sunny, the Evo-Fit should be able to accommodate folks with an inseam anywhere between 26″ and 34″, which is a pretty wide range.
Overall, the Evo-Fit scores highly with its heavier than normal assembled weight, which should make for a more stable ride.
Warranty
Sunny Health & Fitness backs the Evo-Fit with the following residential warranty:
- 3 year frame
- 180 days parts
Ok, so 3 years on the frame isn’t too bad for a bike in this price range, but 180 days on parts is pretty short.
I’d like to see at least a 1 year parts guarantee here, but the 270 and R616 mentioned above offer 2 and 3 year parts warranties, respectively.
They also both offer 10 year frame warranties.
I like SHF as a brand, but I’ve always thought their warranties could be better.
Overall, the guarantee on the Evo-Fit isn’t awful compared to some of the other similarly-priced brands, but it’s a lot shorter than what the top models in this price range are offering.
Features
The SHF Evo-Fit Recumbent Bike comes with the following features:
LCD console- the console on this recumbent is fairly large and brightly colored, making it easier to read during workouts. It displays all the standard metrics you’d expect (including an estimation of watt output) and even comes with a generous library of workouts.
36 workout programs- that would be 36 workouts to be accurate, which is a ton of workout options for any price range. These workouts consist of varying hill/interval profiles where the resistance changes automatically based on the workout.
Bluetooth speakers- the console also comes with bluetooth speakers, allowing you to listen to your workout jams wirelessly.
Heart rate monitoring- there are grip heart rate monitors built-into the seat handles, but it doesn’t look like the console is compatible with bluetooth monitors.
USB port- this nifty feature allows you to charge your phone or tablet up while working out.
Device holders- there are 2 places to store your phone/tablet: one located above the console (better for tablets), and the other right in front of the console (better for phones).
Built-in fan- there’s also a integrated fan that’ll help keep ya comfortable during workouts, something a lot of affordable recumbents don’t come with.
Water bottle holder- this convenient feature gives a place to put your water bottle.
Price
Time to talk dineros.
At the time of writing this, the Evo-Fit comes with a full retail price of $699 on Sunny’s website, but it’s on sale for $599 through Amazon.
I obviously like Amazon’s price better, but either way, I think it’s fair to call the Evo-Fit a very budget-friendly recumbent.
But at around $600, this bike finds itself in direct competition with Schwinn’s 270 and Nautilus’ R616, both of which are usually priced somewhere in the $600 – $650 range.
Both of these recumbents come with heavier, 13 lb flywheels and much better warranties.
They’re both also compatible with chest strap heart rate monitors.
To be fair though, the Evo-Fit is heavier-duty (in terms of frame) than both of ’em.
There’s also ProForm’s 325 CSX, which is a little more affordable at around $400 – this bike comes with a 14 lb flywheel, a heavier-duty frame, and a much better warranty.
Overall, the Evo-Fit finds itself in a very competitive price range.
Final Thoughts
Alright, I think it’s about time to wrap this review up.
I think the Evo-Fit is a very respectable recumbent bike with several nice features for such an affordable model.
I like that it comes with so many resistance levels and that it has such a heavy assembled weight.
I’m also impressed by how many built-in workout programs it comes with and that it has a few higher-end features, like bluetooth speakers, a USB charging port, and a fan.
The flywheel is quite light, even for this price range, and that warranty needs some work, but all things considered, the Evo-Fit is a pretty solid bike.
Its biggest problem is that it finds itself in a highly competitive price range, with bikes like Nautilus’ R616 and Schwinn’s 270, both of which come with heavier flywheels, nicer consoles, and much longer warranties.
I don’t personally see any reason to choose the Evo-Fit over either of these bikes, but if it ever went on sale for under $500, I could see it making more sense.
