You have come here to find out whether the Marcy Me 709 Recumbent Exercise Bike meets your needs as a home workout machine. It is understandable if you are confused and unable to make up your mind. When it comes to world fitness, there are countless options available, from gym equipment to our diets, we are surrounded by advertisements telling us what to buy and how.

Introduction

If you just started going to the gym but found it hard to keep up the routine. The solution for you is setting up a home gym by buying some basic equipment like dumbbells and a pull up bar that will take care of your upper body but for cardio and lower body strength you have to buy a good exercise bike. The only one that fits your budget is the Marcy Me 709 Recumbent Exercise Bike, now you want to know all the juicy details before buying it.

So let’s dive in and discover all its features and drawbacks.

Why a recumbent bike?

Now what makes a recumbent bike better than other exercise bikes in the market, let’s go over a few essential factors that influence your buy.

The most obvious factor is the seating position, other exercise bikes in the market mostly have an upright seating position while this is good for power and speed, it is harmful to your spine in the long term. Now recumbent bikes have reclined seats that support your lower back with larger and broader structures.

On an upright bike, the entire weight of the body is focused on your tailbone will give you a sore butt and back-related problems, especially for the elderly. The seating position in recumbent bikes is such that the legs extend away from your body horizontally, which lowers the risk of a knee injury. Your ankles are safe from rookie mistakes, and the overall structure equally distributes the weight over your entire back rather than just your tailbone.

Top/Best Recumbent bikes also activate more muscle groups simultaneously than other exercise bikes because of their seating posture.

A decent recumbent bike comes with a magnetically controlled flywheel which drastically reduces the sound. The open design allows easy access and control over the bike’s settings.

 To sum it up recumbent bikes are the best choice for you if you want almost zero risks of injuries but want the maximum growth potential. The bike can be used by all and adjust to fit any kind of medical needs. It’s also used in rehabilitation to increase or maintain lower body strength. There are lots of resistance options for you to grow into and reach your desired fitness level.

The company Marcy Me: Overview

The Marcy Me 709 is built by the MARCY brand which is owned by the parent company IMPEX.

Now IMPEX began its journey in 1982 and was immediately loved by the market, it has a stronghold over the fitness industry as a manufacturer of fitness products for many well-known fitness equipment companies. Over the years it has taken over many high-profile brands, some of them you might even know like MARCY, STEEL BODY, HERS, APEX, and BIONIC BODY. Most of these brands focus on one specific category within the fitness industry, like sports equipment. But all the final products are manufactured by IMPEX.

The company is known for its innovative ideas and affordable products. And an excellent customer service system that the consumers loved and trusted.

So the Marcy Me 709 is made by a reputable company that you can trust and not by a young startup.

Main Features of the Marcy Me 709.

Specifications

• The fully assembled machine has a length of 55.5″, a width of 25″ and the height 37.55″. It is a compact machine that will not take up your whole living room or study.
• The total weight of the machine, including the flywheel, is 61 lbs, which makes for easy movement while arranging it inside the house.
• The Marcy Me 709 comes with an LCD screen, therefore, needs 2 AA batteries to work, but you have to buy it because they are not included in the package.
• Speaking of weight, the maximum user weight defined by the company is 300 lbs, but people up to 350 lbs have said that they had no problem using the machine whatsoever.
• The seat height is a good 19″ off the ground, which is a comfortable height for stretching your legs.
• The maximum and minimum adjustable length between the seat and the pedals are 27″ and 36″. Which means a person of 6′ or 6.4′ can easily adjust their legs to reach the pedals.
• The handlebars on your sides are exactly 22″ apart giving you open easy access to the seat.
• The recommended use height is from the minimum 5′ to the maximum 6’4″, that is a great range for all kinds of people.
• Lastly, it comes in three colour combinations Black, Copper and Gray. The colour options are suitable for visual aesthetics but have no effect whatsoever on performance.
• It has 8 magnetically adjustable flywheel resistance levels.
• And finally a limited warranty period of 2 years.

Smart and Simple design

Since this machine comes under the 200$ price point, the company decided to keep it neat and straightforward. The Marcy Me 709 has an open design, easy to mount and dismount, unlike other upright bikes where you have to climb onto the small seat on which you will slip off if the height isn’t adjusted correctly. The design reduces the chance of injuries and stress on the joints, making it the perfect bike for the elderly and those with joint pains.

Although the design is simplistic, the parts can handle heavy stress for extended amounts of time. The frame is built of a heavy-duty 14-gauge steel tubing that has a powder-coated finish which is quite durable.

It is an ergonomic look that will add a neat personality to your room. 

Counterbalanced pedals

Even when riding regular bikes, have you ever felt like the pedal on one side is so light and weak that you might fall if you try to push the bike further? Well, the same is kind of true for exercise bikes because of the stationary design the bike tends to wobble when too much force is applied to the small pedals. To solve that problem and to add more stability to the Marcy ME-709, the pedals were perfectly counterbalanced with more weight and width to give you more control over the exercise bike. To further improve the foot support, they added adjustable straps to the pedals so that your feet get a perfect fit and don’t slip off at high speeds. All this enables the user to pedal backwards almost as well as pedalling forward.

In short, the Marcy ME-709 is more comfortable to ride and safe because of the foot straps otherwise if your foot slips off the pedal, it will come a full circle and hit you on the shin as you pull your leg back, which is painful, to say the least.

LCD display

One of the most important factors that people look for in an exercise bike is the display because it directly allows you to measure your progress. Recumbent bikes are known for their great console functions like the built in preset workout programs, heart rate sensor, which make it easier to adjust your fitness goals.

But the Marcy ME-709 has just a standard console similar to the one found on a low budget upright bike. It has no preset programs or any other notable functions except the basic metrics distance, calories burned and time on the display.

Recumbent bikes, in general, come with magnetically controlled flywheel whose main purpose was the easy adjustment of your training level through the console. 

I am not happy with the standard LCD display that’s given but then again for the price, it is a pretty good overall package. You can adjust the resistance with a knob quickly, and since its magnetic, there is no noise while pedalling.

Anyway, the Marcy ME-709 comes with all the necessary parameters that you need to track your progress and adjust your workout timings.

The console is small, but the numbers are displayed with clarity and large enough size. It has three physical buttons for set, mode and reset.

Overall the console ticks all the necessary boxes when it comes to just getting the job done.

Flywheel Resistance

One of the most efficient ways to increase your fitness level is high-intensity interval training. Meaning pedalling faster and with higher resistance for a short amount of time like 5 mins depending on your fitness level, then lower the resistance until you recover. This will increase your lower body strength much faster.

To achieve this, you need a bike with variable resistance levels to repeat the process once your body gets used to the current resistance of the bike.

Or like an average person, you can just crank up the resistance when you feel that the current level is no challenge.

Luckily the Marcy ME-709 offers 8 resistance settings which can be adjusted through the turn of a simple knob. The magnetic flywheel ensures a smooth and silent transition between the levels.

These 8 levels are enough for a beginner to an intermediate if you have a good technique like mentioned above. Suppose you are participating in massive competitions where all that matters is speed and strength rather than fitness you should opt for a spin bike. In that case, the spin will give you the correct seating position of a regular bike and the posture to output your maximum performance.

For a normal person, 8 levels is plenty, so don’t worry about that unless you are a professional.

The seat

Apart from the console, one of the defining features of a recumbent bike is the comfortable seat. If you had an exercise machine with all the things you could possibly ask for, except it has an extremely uncomfortable seat, would you use it?  

Well, you are in luck with this one because it has a padded seat that is very comfortable and won’t hold you back in any way. On a spin bike or an upright bike, the seat is small, and the only adjustable factor is the height. But on a recumbent bike like the Marcy ME-709, the seat adjusts to your body and becomes a perfect fit. You can change the seat position with a sliding mechanism at the bottom frame, allowing the machine to adapt to any size. The seat is 19 inches off the floor which is manageable for all age groups.

Comfortable seats are mandatory for long sessions to improve stamina and endurance.

I am glad that the Marcy ME-709 comes with a larger and broader seat for back support as well as comfort.

Assembly

Well, one of the good things about this machine is that it comes in the most high-quality packages. Each individual part is covered with foam and cardboard, there is no chance of the machine getting damaged in transit. But on the other hand, it will take you almost half an hour to unpack everything before assembly.

The assembly is straightforward because the manual is well written and easy to follow. 

You might need an extra hand to connect the seat and flywheel steel tubing other than that, a single person can handle it all under an hour.

Check out our review on nautilus r614 recumbent bike.

Pros of the Marcy ME-709 

• Easy assembly and the parts are individually packed inside.
• Almost no noise during workouts.
• Numbers are visible clearly on the display
• Comfortable and adjustable seats.
• No stress is transferred to the joints and spine.
• Great buy for its price.

Cons of the Marcy ME-709 

• The seat adjuster on the button frame is a little tight.
• No workout programs or additional settings.
• Only a standard LCD screen with basic parameters.
• No heart rate monitor.

Conclusion

After considering the price of the Marcy ME-709 recumbent bike, I will say that it is a great first time buy for beginners and the elderly. Professionals will not go for this bike as it lacks some key features that they look for, like connectivity.

This is an excellent choice for keeping in shape and adding a little muscle toning to your body, nothing more advanced.

I hope after reaching the end, all your doubts have been cleared and are now sure of your choice.