Fitdesk Review

The FitDesk is an affordable, compact bicycle desk. If you find yourself being sedentary most of the day, this desk lets you use a laptop or engage in other activities while you cycle. Research is showing the health risks of sitting still too much throughout the day. You can turn normally-sedentary time into active time, burning more calories per day. For those of us who get much of our exercise from walking or running, a stationary cycle uses the opposing muscle groups -- the quadriceps instead of the hamstrings and gluteus.

While I get in plenty of walking, I also spend most of my day working at the computer. I also don't give my opposing leg muscles much of a workout. The FitDesk sounded like a nice solution. First, the price was right, at under $250.

The FitDesk arrived in one box and only needed a couple of things assembled with the tools included. You need to attach the foam desk surface to the handlebars, attach the seat and pedals and the legs it balances on. The FitDesk weighs 33 pounds, so it is right at about the limit for something I would want to carry up and downstairs without help.

For normal usage, the desk can be left standing, or you can fold it to take up slightly less space. It's 42 inches front-to-back and 18 inches side-to-side. Folded, it is 36 inches front-to-back.

The FitDesk is meant to be used for a low-intensity workout, so the tension on the cycle doesn't go up very high. You want to be able to pedal while doing your normal work on the computer, or gaming, watching television or reading. It's meant not to be distracting, but to give you more activity. If you are looking for a bike workout to get your heart rate up, this isn't it.

The FitDesk has a weight limit of 250 pounds for the user. I felt it was pretty stable for my use. The seat is moderately comfortable. You don't need padded bike shorts to use it for 30 minutes at a time. I found it most comfortable to use for 15 minutes at a time.

FitDesk comes with a usage monitor that shows your workout duration, speed, distance, and calories burned.

The FitDesk is pretty much silent to use, which makes it perfect to use in an office set-up or while watching entertainment. You can silently cycle while you do your normally-sedentary activities.

With the FitDesk, it's hard to use excuses that it's too cold, hot, wet, or windy to get in some activity as a work break. You can't say you're too busy, either. You can use it while on the phone, texting, answering email, writing, working on spreadsheets, or reading reports from others. Nobody really has to know you are actually using the cycle.

As opposed to a treadmill desk, I like being able to sit and cycle. It is easy for me to use a keyboard while cycling, as opposed to walking. Others may find walking slowly at a treadmill desk to be less distracting. I had no motion-sickness problem with the FitDesk, which can be a problem when trying to read while using a treadmill.

I usually slip into a pair of minimalist athletic shoes when using the FitDesk at home. But it will work with most shoes. Because you aren't raising your heart rate significantly, you don't have to change into any special workout clothing to use it. Unless you are wearing a tight or very-short skirt, any office or lounging clothes work just fine.

Comparison to DeskCycle
The DeskCycle is a small pedal cycle you can place under your regular desk to pedal while you work. I preferred the larger range of tension I could get with the DeskCycle vs. the FitDesk. I also liked being able to use my regular computer set-up rather than laptop.
Review: DeskCycle

I am very pleased with my FitDesk. I can use it in my home office without disturbing my husband. Every bit of activity helps.