NordicTrack U60 Exercise Bike Review

NordicTrack is one of the most experienced and respected names in home fitness. Their range of exercise bikes has always provided for just about every type of person you can think of from the beginners right the way through to the serious fitness enthusiasts. If you want to cycle, there’s always a bike in their range that will be perfectly suited to you. The U60 is one that we’ve been trying to get around to test for some time now, so what did we think of it once we’d had a chance to finally check it out up close and personal?

The assembly process was straightforward and only took about half an hour which is fairly standard for this type of bike. All the parts went together without any problems and the instruction manual is clear and concise making this a manageable job for pretty much anyone, regardless of their level of DIY/Flat Pack furniture skills!

In terms of colours, NordicTrack have definitely gone for a more classic look with predominantly grey/silver with a touch of orange to spice things up a bit. More of the underlying frame at the front and rear of the bike is exposed giving it something of a ‘does what it says on the tin’ kind of look which is not unwelcome by any means. It’s a little bit different but good.

An important feature of any exercise bike is comfort and the U60 doesn’t disappoint on this front. The seat is oversized providing a large surface area and the padding is certainly superior to many bikes out there. The combination of additional padding and large surface area make for a really comfortable seat. Unlike a lot of other exercise bikes which will make you a little saddle sore for the first week if you haven’t used a bike for a long time, the seat on the U60 is highly unlikely to do so. As you would expect, in addition to being very comfortable, the seat adjusts both horizontally and vertically, while the handlebars are also adjustable via a quick release mechanism so that it’s easy to get into a great riding position without any fuss.

With all adjustments for position made it was time to get down to the nitty-gritty of putting the U60 through its paces. The action on the bike is excellent. The 9kg (19.8lbs) flywheel does a very good job of keeping things smooth and steady throughout the whole cycle. As this bike is advertised by NordicTrack as being suitable for standing cycling (a very rare thing on an exercise bike these days) we gave it a go and were pleasantly surprised. We were expecting it to show signs of strain and to start creaking at the seams as, regrettably, this is all too common on exercise bikes when you attempt to use them in the standing position. Instead, the bike maintained the same smooth and quiet action that it had when seated which is very encouraging.

Many larger fitness machines come with fans built into the console that are intended to cool the user down during but this is quite a rare thing to find on an exercise bike, especially at this price point. The fan on the U60 is built into the console and has two speeds so it’s possible to change the fan speed manually.  We found that it worked pretty well and certainly enough to feel that there was actually a point in having it there, though whether we quite fully agree with NordicTrack’s statement that “this fan blows other workout fans away” is open to debate 🙂 Still, it’s a fan on a mid-priced bike and it does certainly work so is worth having. Also featured are speakers and a 3.5mm jack to plug in your music player. It works, but the sound isn’t all that great and you’re probably better off using a pair of headphones.

In terms of operation, the U60 is actually is just about as simple to operate as it gets. To start, get on and start pedalling and you’ll go straight into manual mode! Beyond that, there are a 30 different preset workouts that are broadly divided into two types; Calorie and Performance based. There are lots to choose from that cover everything designed for someone trying to get fit after prolonged periods of general inactivity, through to  the much tougher workouts aimed at people that are already fit. A nice feature of the programmes is that the computer prompts you to maintain your pedalling speed near the target speed. Up and down arrows are displayed on the screen to tell you to slow down or speed up. This is a handy feature that’s designed to ensure you get the full benefit of a particular workout without pushing too hard and potentially injuring yourself. There are no heart rate control programmes but this is a standard feature of NordicTrack machines as Nordic’s iFit Live system replaces them.

In addition to the calorie and performance based workouts the U60 incorporates Nordic’s ‘set-a-goal ‘ feature that allows you to run programmes with a particular target for calories, distance or time. Once you’ve set your target just start pedalling and the programme starts. All in all there’s a lot here to keep one challenged and entertained so boredom shouldn’t be a problem. If it is, there’s always the option of adding an iFit Live module to give you access to all the interactive training that iFit offers.

Once you insert an iFit Module (sold separately) into the dock on the console and subscribe to the iFit website you can download more programmes and track your fitness improvements plus the software is also powered by Google Maps, so you can plot your own cycling routes around the world.

It’s not possible to tell you all about the features available to you through iFit live in a swift statement, just as it’s unlikely that anyone can get a lot from it without some time and effort  spent in getting to know the software. Between the 30 preset programmes, the ‘set a goal’ workouts and the options for iFit Live NordicTrack really have made an effort to ensure you won’t get bored with this bike.

Last but not least the build quality is certainly what we’ve come to expect from NordicTrack which is reflected in a decent 5 years frame, 2 years parts and labour (if registered within 28 days of purchase) manufacturers warranty that gives additional peace of mind in the unlikely event of something going wrong.