Nautilus R616 Recumbent Bike Review – The Best Mid Range Exercise Bike For You

Exercise plays a major role in keeping your body and mind active so that you can lead a healthy life. Regular exercise, along with a balanced diet, can do wonders for increasing productivity. Otherwise, you will feel lethargy and hesitation even towards daily tasks like brushing your teeth. Jogging or biking is the simplest way to get your heart pumping.

Introduction

A stationary exercise bike is a great alternative to biking if you don’t have the time or the circumstances outside are not favourable. During the lockdown, many have purchased exercise bikes to keep their bodies in shape. When it comes to the best recumbent exercise bikes, the two best-known names in the market are Nautilus and Schwinn.

The Nautilus R616 is a great mid-range stationary bike for beginners and professionals of all age groups. But most people require more detail and specifications to clear their doubts and make up their minds about it.

Here we will discuss all benefits and little details about the Nautilus R616 Recumbent Bike; by the end of this article, you will have enough information to make your final decision.

Nautilus Overview.

Nautilus is one of the best known and respected brands out there when it comes to fitness equipment. They started their journey almost 40 years ago, starting with strength machines; now they have grown some much working with famous brands such as Bowflex, Schwinn, Universal. They are a trusted brand among all fitness enthusiasts, and the name often comes up when discussing any fitness equipment.

Main features of the Nautilus R616 Recumbent Bike.

Specifications 

• After assembly, the Nautilus R616 has a total length of 65.3 inches, a width of 28.3 inches and the maximum height is 37.5 inches. It’s larger than a spin bike and takes up about the same space as an average treadmill.
• Including the magnetic flywheel, the total weight comes in at 91.9 lbs. Compared to cheaper Recumbent Bike under 300$ models, it’s heavy, but the front transport wheels make it easy to move it to any part of the house.
• One of the eye-catching features of an exercise bike is the console. Here the Nautilus R616 comes with a dua track two blue backlit LCD window system, the secondary screen is really useful when the upper screen is covered with a tablet or phone.
• The maximum user weight per the company manual is 300 lbs, but people over that weight limit have used this machine smoothly without any complaints. The seat is adjustable so it can accommodate people with the height range of 5.2′ to 6.2′ comfortably.
• The machine comes with 29 workout programs and 25 levels of resistance, great for beginners, experts and children.
• In terms of the warranty, the Nautilus R616 gives you ten years on frame, a two-year warranty on the parts, one-year electronics warranty and a 90-day labour warranty.

Design 

The Nautilus R616 has a simple step-thru design, meaning you don’t have to step over or bend to get into the seat. The frame is sturdy and can handle heavy usage for hours. The seat and pedals are placed at a good distance, lifting pressure off your knees, allowing you to stretch them with each cycle during workouts.

The seat has a vented backseat to cool you off during workouts, and the bottom part is padded to avoid saddle sore. You can move freely during workouts as there is ample space between the console and the seat.

The bike has a high inertia drive system with a perimeter weighted flywheel for a smooth and silent pedalling experience. The flywheel is also magnetic, allowing you to adjust the resistance level with a push of a button on the console.

Recumbent bikes are known for comfort; the Nautilus R616 is no different. The design is suitable for those with back or spinal injuries compared to upright bikes and treadmills. The bottom frame is wide with the seat closer to the floor, making the Nautilus more stable during intense workouts.

The crank system is durable as it is made of solid steel; the pedals are large with adjustable straps that help the user keep their feet secure at high speeds without slipping.

Console

The console design and features are on par with more expensive exercise bikes; the dual-track backlit LCD screen has a wide array of information on it like time, speed, distance, resistance level, calories burned and heart rate. There are also buttons for selecting one of the 25 resistance levels and 29 training programs which contains12 profile programs( 4 fun rides, 4 mountain rides and 4 challenges), 9 heart rate programs with custom settings, 4 user profiles to store personal information and store workout data, 2 fitness test programs to measure your physical fitness improvements, 1 recovery test program to measure your how quickly your heart rate recovers and a quick start program.

The blue backlit on the LCD screen is useful in a bright environment; there is also a media shelf for placing your tablet or phone.

Connectivity Options

As you know, the Nautilus R616 is computerized, so all the data collected by the console can be transferred with the help of a USB port and wirelessly through Bluetooth. The data can be transferred to the Nautilus Trainer app and My Fitness Pal; this allows you to adjust your routine and level with advice from your trainer or the community.

The console has support for Explore the world app, which offers stunning virtual trails worldwide; three trails are available for free you need a subscription for the rest. It also supports the Ride Social app, which gives you access to trails on Venice beach, Tibet and many more. The Ride social app can be hooked up to a VR goggle, which will make your experience even more immersive.

These will further motivate you to exercise for longer periods, heck you might feel like an hour is too short to really appreciate the beauty of the trails.

Comfort and Risk of Injury

The seating posture and the seats themselves make the Nautilus R616 a very comfortable machine to use. The seat is larger and wider than a standard bike seat; it keeps your lower spine and hips straight, giving you a comfortable posture to start your workout in. The oversized pedals and straps make sure that you don’t slip during your workout preventing ankle injuries.

Common injuries like knee, hip, neck pain and saddle sore are prevented by the reclined seat of the Nautilus R616. On a normal bike, the upper body leans over the handlebars creating stress on your wrist, but here the handlebars are positioned at the seat level beside your hip, so there is not much weight on your wrist. 

The Nautilus R616 is an excellent choice for the elderly and people with joint pains. All the weight and stress is taken off the joints so you can enjoy your workout without feeling pain with each push. Of course, your muscles will feel the burn, and you will see your lower body becoming well-toned and popping after a few days.

Muscle growth and Workout programs

As you know, this machine has a total of 29 workout programs, which includes a quick start mode, four user-defined programs, two fitness tests containing beginner, advanced, and a recovery test program, nine heart rate control programs (four beginners and five advanced), and finally 12 profile programs( 4 fun rides, 4 mountain rides and 4 challenges). Now the machine comes with 25 resistance modes that can switch from lighter to heavier workouts with a push of a button.

Now, these features give you a lot of freedom and room to improve; the seating posture of this machine primarily focuses on the lower body engaging the quads, hamstrings, calves and glutes.

The cardiovascular system will be put through its pace, strengthening your heart and maintaining your blood pressure.

The transaction between the resistance levels is quick and smooth; it’s good for high-intensity training where you warm up with low resistance, then change it to a higher level for a short amount of time, then repeat. This method is very popular; it raises your heart rate faster and burns more calories in a short amount of time.

 As there are 25 resistance levels, a beginner can start at level one and work their way up. A great thing about this model is that a person of any age group or medical background can give it their all without suffering any injuries because of the seating posture.

Assembly

 The packing is very thorough, each part is carefully placed to make sure there is no chance of damage during transit. But there are a lot of parts, it will take you an hour just to unpack and arrange them before putting it together.

A single person can easily assemble the machine in an hour, the instructions are simple to follow and pretty straightforward. Just make sure to handle the screws carefully because if it falls into the gaps, you will have to turn the entire bike upside down to get it out. Also check out our nautilus r614 recumbent bike review.

Some Other Neat Features 

The Nautilus R616 has many nifty little features that make your training experience even more comfortable and seamless.

The chassis of the machine has transport wheels attached to the front to make it easier to move around in a house.

To make sure you don’t have to regularly get up to drink water, there is a side-mounted water bottle holder to keep you hydrated.

This model comes with Bluetooth LE, which allows you to transfer data to a fitness app of your choice.

The Nautilus R616 has a dedicated sensor built into the handle grips to check your pulse during your training sessions. There is also an option for telemetry enabled chest strap; it works through Bluetooth monitoring your heartbeat freeing your hands during a training session.

The seat is large and wide, the backrest is vented, and the bottom part of the seat is padded. The seat is adjusted with the help of a sliding mechanism under the seat; you simply have to turn a few knobs and choose the desired length.

The magnetic flywheel, crank and belt work together with perfect synchronization; there is little to no vibration or any kind of wobble during workouts. The Nautilus R616 also has a very low center of gravity, making it very stable during intense workouts.

 There is a media shelf above the secondary screen and dual speakers just below it. The speaker can be connected to any device with Bluetooth or the input port.

 The magnetic flywheel is much more silent than a normal exercise bike.

Pros of the Nautilus R616

• Great design, made with durable material.
• Silent during training sessions.
• 29 preset programs and 25 resistance levels.
• Low risk of injuries because of the seating position.
• Comfortable vented and padded seat.
• Advanced digital console with many connectivity options.
• Ride Social and Explore The World app compatibility.
• Wireless chest strap feature.
• Dual track backlit display, good for bright places.
• Front transport wheels.
• The best option for injured personnel or the elderly.

Cons of the Nautilus R616 

• The wireless chest strap is not included; you have to buy it separately.
• Short frame warranty.
• Upper body muscles are not heavily affected.

Conclusion

In short, the Nautilus R616 is a great mid range choice with the best combination of features and build quality. This recumbent exercise bike is very comfortable and challenging at the same time. Because of its 25 resistance levels, this bad boy can handle anyone, no matter their fitness level or age. The Nautilus R616 is an excellent choice for beginners, the elderly, and people with past injuries or joint pain. Experts might find this machine a little lacking because of the low impact of the workouts due to the seating posture. 

This machine is built more for comfort than hardcore training.

Honestly, at this price point, Nautilus provides you with many more features than what others are offering.

I hope you have gained all the necessary information you need to make an informed decision.

Good luck on your fitness journey