Sunny Elite Recumbent Cross Trainer for Home Workouts

Worth the time to assemble IMO
I have looked at this Sunny exercise elliptical bike many times, read reviews, watched videos, read the specs, and thought about it over and over. I don’t like to buy something without being as sure as I can be that I will really use it and that it’s the right version of whatever it is for me.I have a Sunny spin bike (SF-B1110) and it’s very well built and operates really great IMO. For that reason, I didn’t hesitate to consider this Sunny equipment now. I took a bad fall off of our deck almost two years ago and could hardly walk for months. Slowly I was moving more and now I’m moving pretty good but I still have trouble and lose my footing sometimes. I cannot get my leg up to step over the bar to get on the spin bike now. I need a step and still it’s hard. Also, sitting in that position is hard on my back (after falling), so that is when I started thinking about this recumbent elliptical bike. In my mind it made sense that being able to sit with a backrest was what I needed right now. I really need a way to move enough to get my heart rate up and burn some calories and I thought that having the arm action would really help too.I finally went ahead and ordered one after looking at it on Amazon and the Sunny Health site for months. I’m so glad that I did.First, the box is big and heavy so unless you are the Hulk, I don’t recommend trying to move it yourself. My husband and I managed to get it into the house (up four steps) and slid it into the house. Unpacking the box took about an hour. We opened the bottom of the box (long end), bent the flap back and then stood the box on that long end so that we could lift the box off of the equipment. It slid up easily and proved to be what I think is the best way to open the box.Next I spent time unpacking the various components which were nicely fit into styrofoam and taped on the outside so that nothing spilled out. It took a bit of time but I’m glad everything was packaged so well. That was enough for one day though!Yesterday my husband and I assembled the elliptical bike in the room it would be used it so I carried parts from the main room to that room and got a bit of a workout again. The heaviest component is the frame but I was able to move it myself.I think the instructions were good. The diagrams were a bit small for my eyes but that’s what reading glasses are for. It looks complicated with all of the little parts and lines and labeling but if you read the instruction carefully and then look at the corresponding diagram, it will make sense. We worked our way through it one step at a time and didn’t try to jump ahead when it was obvious that this should go here or that should go there. We waited until instructed because I didn’t want to get ahead and then have to undo something.Getting the long axel into place (the part that the handles attach to, was a little tricky but there’s a glob of grease in the tube and with a few little taps on one end the axel slid through pretty easily.Overall, I think this equipment is very well designed and made, and documented. It would definitely be harder for one person to build but that is possible. Working together it took my husband and I about 2 hours to assemble, a little less. We took our time to make sure we got it right.BTW, it’s not as long as I was expecting which is nice. One reason I hesitated is I thought the footprint would be bigger and that it would be this bulky monster of a thing. it’s not at all and that is a pleasant realization. Even with my achiness, I lifted it using the handle on the bottom of the frame at the back and rolled it around to position it differently from where it started out. It’s heavy but I did fine.Using the elliptical bike is a breeze. Just make sure you know how to slide the slide the seat forward/backward, step through the frame and sit down. Set your feet on the pedals to see if you need to adjust the seat, move it if needed and the go. It doesn’t need to be plugged in to use however, if you want to use any of the programs or you just want to change the pedal tension, you’ll need to plug it in. The plug goes into the front of the frame and then you plug it into a wall outlet. We have Maine Coon cats that like to chew on some things so, because the cord is one of those thin ones, I don’t leave it plugged in. When I’m done, I unplug from the wall and machine and put it up where the cats won’t get at it.I have not tired any of the programs yet, I’m still getting used to using it and working up to doing it more (don’t want to overdo to start because of my injury). I expect that I will really like this machine over time and will use it daily and I’m hoping it will help get my legs stronger and back to walking better. The arm exercise will be great too.If you are thinking about this equipment and it appeals to you, I say give it a try. The only thing is, if you change your mind you’ll probably have to sell it locally because you’ll never take it apart and put it back in the box! Haha!

Great for a home gym
I’m at an age now where going to a gym with annoying young people isn’t my bag anymore. I want the convenience of working out at home and I only need a bike, a bench and some dumbbells. When I got the box it took two guys to move it, it’s heavy. I wrestled it on to my hand truck and got it to the room I’m using it in. Do bear in mind before you order, it is big, heavy and hard to move until you assemble it and then it rolls easily.I’m amazed it didn’t have any damage considering the box looked like it had been through a war. The styrofoam was also pulverized in some places. But the box and the styrofoam did its job, not a scratch on the bike itself, very impressive. Putting it together isn’t that bad. It took me about an hour and a 1/2, I went slow and took my time. I only had one misfire but other than that it went together pretty easily. I’d recommend only hand tightening everything until you’re sure everything works then go through and do a final tightening.The quality is quite good considering the price. The overall construction uses a LOT of metal and is very solid feeling. The look is midrange which is fine for me. My only complaint about build quality is some of the drilled holes left the plastic shavings inside. Then they added the grease on top of that. The work needed to clean it out and then reapply the grease seemed way too much effort so the plastic shavings are staying in there. I do think it adds a bit of resistance but it’s not particularly noticeable. The screen isn’t premium and if there’s one place they cut corners it’s the control screen, but it works.In use it’s great. It feels about 80% as good as a professional gym recumbent bike, This is quite good given that those gym bikes cost 5 or 6 times as much as this one, maybe more. It’s extremely quiet and I think you could literally use it right next to someone who is sleeping and cause almost no disturbance. I don’t think I’d get this bike for hardcore workouts. The pedal distance is not very long and if you try to really get this thing going hard you will find it has limits. It’s ideal for people who want to get into a low-impact cardio range and stay there without trying to pretend they are climbing Everest.If putting things together isn’t your thing you’d be well served to pay for assembly. I don’t think I’d use Amazon’s service, the people they send aren’t always the best. I clipped off a star because their warranty length is quite short.

Works wonderfully…was easy to assemble… since getting it I have lost 42 pounds!