Reebok Titanium TC2.0 Exercise Bike Review

As one of the best-known brands in the home fitness equipment market, Reebok Fitness have built a strong reputation for providing good value machines at the entry level. Now, with their Titanium range they’ve set their sights at the upper mid to premium side of the market so we thought it worth checking out the middle of the upright bike range, the TC2.0 to see just what you get for your money.

The assembly, like most upright bikes, is easy enough.The steps are clear and assembly was very straightforward with no problems along the way. Expect assembly to take around 45 minutes although if you’re a flat pack furniture wizard you’ll be able to get that down to around half an hour.

Once assembled, the TC2.0 looks good. The design looks both chunky and modern and it really does look like it’s built to last. All very encouraging but how does it actually perform?

As with any upright bike at this sort price the TC2.0 has all the things you’d expect. Adjustable seat for both height and distance, adjustable handlebars, and a nice comfy gel padded seat. Getting a good position on the bike took less than a minute’s worth of adjustments due to the tried and tested mechanisms Reebok use for this. That seat really is nice and wide and soft and should prevent any saddle soreness even if you’ve not been on a bike for a long time.

Getting started on the TC2.0 is very, very easy. So simple in fact that the console guide that comes packed in the box is a single sheet of paper with print on one side and a blank sheet on the other, bringing a new meaning to the phrase ‘quick start guide’. The one notable thing was a lack of a complete and detailed console manual. If you want one of those you have to go to the Reebok website and download a copy, which is free. If you’re using a tablet to view the manual, the PDF translates nicely and you can blow the size up to a considerable degree without losing resolution. An example of the simple nature of the bike is getting started. To start, switch on the bike, press start, pedal. Doesn’t get much easier than that!

The action on the bike is nice and smooth thanks to the 11kg (24lbs) flywheel but the thing that immediately stood out was the resistance. 75 levels does seem excessive, as quite why you’d need that many stages in resistance something that we can’t really get our heads around. However that aside, it’s impressive. Very impressive. The max resistance level is more than enough for just about anyone that’s ever likely to use this bike in anger and, what’s more, the speed of change in levels is really quite stunning. From level 1 to level 75 takes around 4 seconds (just under in repeated tests). It’s quick and it’s tough making this model ideal for short high-intensity burst interval training. The reason for this impressive turn of pace is the electromagnetic braking system which does away with a servo motor and uses electromagnets instead. This braking system is totally silent, making no sound as you ramp up the intensity and it’s more reliable than a servo motor too as there are no moving parts governing the level of resistance. All in all this is a superb aspect of the TC2.0 and not something you’ll find on many (any?) models at this price level. It’s certainly a system that we want to see more manufacturers making use of as it really does change the character of the bike, and being able to nigh on instantly alter the resistance from very high to very low makes the TC2.0 silky smooth, responsive and very enjoyable to use.

When not going through the quick start route, you can make use of the full range of functions the console has to offer, which are not inconsiderable. With 5 user profiles that allow you to enter personal data for improved accuracy in training data, the TC2.0 is well suited for use as a family bike. Entering your personal details is quick and simple because of the main dial and really couldn’t be made any easier. The same goes for selecting a programme. There are 12 preset workouts to choose from and each of them can be customised by changing the intensity, setting a countdown time (or leaving it to count upwards), setting calorie or distance goals and so on. This level of flexibility is something that’s become more and more common across all brands and models, it’s just that adjusting this on the TC2.0 is so easy due to that central dial which does make it stand out.

In addition to the preset workouts, there are also options for heart rate control either by percentage of max heart rate (3 different levels) or by inputting a specific target. There is also a user-defined programme, a fitness test workout (8 minutes long with a rating at the end of the workout) and the random workout function. This last function is somewhat unique to Reebok bikes as far as we’re aware and is a nice function. Get on, select Random and you’ll get a random workout each day! The random workouts are also adjustable for intensity but only one section at a time, unlike the preset workouts where adjusting the intensity affects all the sections at once. The random feature should keep you on your toes and prevent boredom so we like it.

The display itself is a 5 inch blue backlit LCD display which is bright and clear enough to see easily in bright ambient light conditions. While we’re used to seeing either dual of full-colour displays at this price point it’s obvious that Reebok have put the investment into the braking system rather than the display and to be honest your reviewer isn’t questioning that decision in this instance so good is the nature of the resistance control. So as the display fulfills its function well enough not to pose any problems then we’d say it’s a more than fair trade-off to get a superior braking system. Dedicated sections of the display show exercise data and pretty much everything is accessible by just using the rotating dial. All very neat, tidy and simple.

While The TC2.0 is clearly coming from a different, higher production quality factory than the old “Z / ZR” bikes the warranty remains the standard 2 years parts and labour warranty offered across all the products in their ranges.

All in all this is a very comfortable, feature rich, well built bike that’s a real pleasure to us and at this price point it’s one that we’re very happy to recommend!