Pedal Your Way Through That Afternoon Slump With FlexiSpot’s Desk Bike

• Finding time in the day to exercise can be a struggle; riding a bike while you work keeps your body moving and your mind from feeling sluggish.  
• The bike’s 300-pound weight limit makes it an option for heavier people to use. 
• Lesley’s overall assessment of the bike is positive with high ratings for comfort, noise and assembly, but minor critiques about the desktop and cupholder. 

Allwork.Space is supported by its readers, and this page contains sponsored links. Allwork.Space earns a small commission when you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. Read our full website policy here.

Ergonomic furniture company FlexiSpot sent us their All-In-One Desk Bike/Bike Workstation V9 to review.  

Advertisements

FlexiSpot, a company focused on designing ergonomic office furniture, offers eco-friendly and practical products for the workplace or the home office.    

Sitting in your desk chair all day is bad for your health and for your focus. One great way to switch things up to stay active and avoid that sleepy feeling in the afternoon is with a desk bike. 

Advertisements

As a plus-sized woman, I’ve always been discouraged when shopping for a desk bike because most of them have surprisingly low weight limits.  

The All-In-One Desk Bike/Bike Workstation V9 from FlexiSpot, though, has a 300-pound weight limit, making it a great option for me and many others who are above the more-typical 200-pound limits of other versions.  

When you’re trying to stay active — and hopefully lose weight — while working it’s important to have equipment that is accessible and functional. FlexiSpot delivers.  

The set up  

Shipping was very fast; it arrived within a week of ordering. I let the box sit for eight days after it came, anxiously awaiting my friend to be available to help me put it together.  

Advertisements

I felt really foolish when we opened the box to discover it came in two pieces — the pre-assembled base and the desktop — and required only a single screw to assemble. This was the easiest assembly I’ve ever done.

All you have to do is fold out the legs, attach the desktop with that one screw, put in two AA-batteries, place the cupholder base and (if you want) attach the silicone covers to the bike pedals. It took all of six minutes from box opening to being finished. 

That one screw was so easy to attach, in fact, that my four-year-old did it for me. Assembly would have actually been even faster if I hadn’t allowed my son to assist. 

Tip: If you have pets, try not to drop the silicone pieces (pedal covers and drink holder insert) on the floor. They attract dog hair like a magnet, although they do wash off really easily.  

More stories for you

How To Combat The 7 Self-Destructive Tendencies Holding You Back At Work With Vicky Oliver

2 days ago

How To Combat The 7 Self-Destructive Tendencies Holding You Back At Work With Vicky Oliver

6 days ago

This Is The Surprising Antidote To Loneliness At Work

1 month ago

Google Ordered To Pay $28 Million In Employee Racial Bias Case Settlement

2 months ago

Four features we reviewed:  

1. Practicality  

Finding the motivation and time to exercise can be difficult during a busy workday. This desk bike makes it truly simple to add movement into your day.  

My favorite feature is the silicone covers on the pedals. I very rarely have shoes on when I’m working from home, and often don’t even bother with socks. These covers make the pedals so comfortable that I can hop on the bike and cycle barefoot with no problem at all.  

Removing the need for shoes is just one less barrier standing between you and a potential workout.  

Another great feature is that it is very quiet. My office fan is louder than this bike; it definitely won’t be heard if you’re on a call.  

Advertisements

The most noise it makes is a slight beep as the display turns on when you start biking. (This is a pro for parents; this beep has alerted me more than once to my curious young child who “wanted to do exercise” by himself.) 

2. Aesthetics 

The desk bike is sleek looking and comes in a black or white finish. The base has legs with wheels that fold in for storage and the pedals fold in, too. If you take the desktop off you could easily store this in a closet without taking up much room at all. 

The digital display is located on the area between your legs, making it unobtrusive when you’re trying to focus on work.  

The only negative is that the cup holder is also between your legs in front of the display panel. It’s great that it doesn’t take up valuable space on the desktop itself, but I found myself occasionally bumping it with my legs. 

Advertisements

Using a narrower drink container (I usually use a rather large travel cup) would solve this for most people. But, I’ve also knocked it down more than once when getting off of the bike simply because I forgot it was there.   

Moral of the story: Pick a bottle or cup with a screw top so when it falls it won’t spill. 

3. Ergonomics 

FlexiSpot prides itself on its ergonomic office furniture, which is furniture that is designed for efficiency and comfort in the working environment.  

The bike is surprisingly comfortable. I biked for a solid 15 minutes before the seat started to feel a little uncomfortable. This is 15 minutes longer than any other exercise bike I’ve ever been on.  

Advertisements

Shifting in the seat a little gave me 15 more minutes before I really felt the need to take a break. I hope this time will get longer the more I use the bike. 

The seat and desktop heights are easily adjustable to make sure the pedals are at the right spot for your legs and the desk is at the right height for your wrists; it also features a wrist rest to keep your wrists at the right angle when working.  

The desktop slides forward and back which makes it great for petite people like me (5’3”) whose arms wouldn’t comfortably reach a desk that is farther away from the body.   

As mentioned earlier, the bike’s 300-pound weight capacity makes this a great desk bike for plus-sized women and men. The FlexiSpot specs also note that it’s built for people 5’1” to 6’2”. 

My only complaint about the ergonomics is that I wish you could tilt the desktop upward at an angle. I’ve used it several times in the evening while reading and it’d be great to be able to prop up a book closer to eye level. 

4. Capability 

This desk bike more than met expectations. It’s comfortable enough to add a decent fitness break into my day and the features make working while on it easy. 

The desktop is generally spacious with a 20” by 22.8” work area, however my 16-inch Macbook Pro fills that without much extra space for anything else.  

While you could fit an external mouse if you wanted, I can’t fit a notebook or my planner, which I like to have next to me to stay on task.  

This certainly wouldn’t be an issue for those with smaller laptops, and I understand that it’s not wider in order to keep the overall footprint small.  

Is it Useful?  

I’ve ridden the bike every afternoon since I set it up, and typically pedaled for four miles each time. This has both banished my afternoon slump and made me feel more productive every day. 

Having a bike with a desk attached — that’s also on wheels — has been great for switching up my work environment to help with focus. It’s at the other end of the house from my office, which makes me feel like I’ve taken a break from working without actually taking a break. 

If you find that you want a more active lifestyle, this desk bike may be a great option for you. 

Visit the FlexiSpot website to learn more about this All-In-One Desk Bike/Bike Workstation V9 and other products like the Sit2Go Fitness Chair and ProPlus Standing Desk.

Advertisements