ProForm XP 90 Exercise Bike - Dead at age 3/4 of a Year. This one gets filed under “consumer advocacy”, last April 2006 I purchased the ProForm XP 90 exercise bicycle at Sears for $299.

Cheap(ly Made)

“Not a bad price” I said to myself as I ordered it online. After having had the Elliptical trainer for more than 2 years with no complaints but an abnormal amount of squeaking, I decided again to buy ProForm. However, I will never buy from that company again after my recent phone call with their service department

ProForm Exericse Bike - Broken after 8 Months

I don’t care that it only has a 90-day manufacturer’s warranty - if the product breaks in 8 months time so it’s unusable, then I should get a replacement part free. After explaining that the bike’s computer console malfunctioned for the past month and half, and finally died last night, they wanted $200 for a replacement console - on a $300 piece of equipment.

ProForm Values “Extended Warranties” Over Quality

I explained to them, that as a customer, what they are telling is to “never, ever buy ProForm products again.” And their representative refused to let me discuss it with a supervisor, then changing her story that I had actually gone through improper channels (the 800 number on the proform web site)…and should’ve called another 800 number from the user manual.

Bottom Line - Buy Schwinn Instead of ProForm

The bottom line is, while ProForm Exercise equipment is cheap, and somewhat attractive, plan on buying a new bike or exercise machine within the year. My recommendation is to forget about ProForm unless you get it free from a neighbor or friend, and look into spending an extra $100 on a better quality piece of equipment, Schwinn is one that comes to mind for exercise bikes.

For the Price of an “Extended Warranty” - I Could’ve Had a Schwinn

I could’ve spend $100 on a 1-year warranty, which would’ve *barely* saved me in this case since it was under 1 year. But that doesn’t make much sense - forget “extended warranties” and buy a better bike.