Gathering enough motivation to go outside for a bike ride or run can be overwhelming, especially because of sweltering temperatures.
However, investing in indoor exercise equipment like the Keiser M3i to add to your home gym can help ensure you have no excuses when it’s time for your daily workout.
Such equipment will help you maintain a regular exercise schedule, which will be enjoyable and help you remain consistent.
Keep reading to find a full review and determine whether the Keiser bike suits your workout goals.
Keiser M3i Indoor Bike Overview
The Keiser M3i indoor bike is an ideal choice for both seasoned athletes and novices alike. It mimics the sensation of a real-life ride while being adjustable to fit riders of any size. This way, you can find the perfect riding position – all without leaving your home!
This indoor bike is often used in gyms, incorporated mainly for group cycling. However, you don’t have to sign up for a gym class to enjoy this bike, as you can use it in the comfort of your living room.
The introduction of this indoor bike made a huge impact on the Spinning bikes market. The Keiser M3i is the first gym bike to have a Bluetooth wireless computer. Also, those using this bike for group exercises can effectively project workout data from the M3i computer onto a display.
Additionally, since you can connect this bike to an app, users can now download their needed data from the laptop to a tablet or smartphone.
Moreover, the Keiser M3i represents the first indoor bike to pass EN ISO 20957-1 certification. This was empowered by the bike’s innovative measures on the accuracy testing of its power display. With the certification, you can obtain accurate feedback on your workout progress.
When comparing this product to its famous teammate, the Keiser M3 Plus, the M3i surpasses all due to its cutting-edge technology and eye-catching sleek design.
Users can quickly adjust handlebars and the seat with a unique and creative pull-pin system which you won’t find on other cycles. The bike also incorporates handlebars with four- grip positions that are incredible for switching into different positions.
Keiser M3i Indoor Bike Features
Is Keiser M3i an appropriate indoor bike for you? Let’s dig deep into some of the top features of this incredible indoor bike.
Dimensions
The Keiser M3i indoor bike incorporates dimensions with a length of 49 inches, a width of 26 inches, and a height of 45 inches. The ultimate weight of the item is 85 lbs. with a maximum user weight of 300 lbs.
Seat
The Keiser M3i has a standard bicycle seat which is usually firm, narrow, and often uncomfortable. You should expect this aspect on all indoor cycles since they focus on offering a realistic riding experience.
However, the good thing about the Keiser M3i is that you can always exchange the original seat with it for any upgraded version you wish. You can also incorporate a gel cushion to make it more comfortable.
One crucial feature you’ll note with a Keiser M3i is its fully adjustable seat. With this feature, you can effectively adjust the seat’s vertical and horizontal position to your liking. Most expect to find fully adjustable seats on either mid-range or high-end bikes.
This feature goes a long way to ensure you obtain a comfortable fit on the bike. Plus, it gives you a lot of control over your positioning. An appropriate fit is also crucial to eliminating your injury chances, especially when you’re considering a long workout session.
Handlebars
The Keiser M3i bike also incorporates fully adjustable handlebars. These handlebars allow you to comfortably adjust the aft/fore positions and height to your preference. This is an incredible feature in most high-end bikes since it offers a more custom fit.
Additionally, these handlebars are multi-grip. This useful feature allows you to find a comfortable position regardless of standing or seated while riding the bike. Also, since they come with a capital design, you can place your hands anywhere you feel comfortable.
The handlebars are also connected to a media tray. This tray offers you a suitable spot to pack your smartphone or tablet. The tray is also handy when incorporating a fitness app alongside your daily workouts. Most M3i bike users report using this bike alongside the Peloton fitness app.
Flywheel
To most individuals, the flywheel is the first thing that pops up when considering spin bikes. Most companies attest that heavier flywheels are critical to offering a realistic and smooth experience. They use the general idea that the heavy flywheels build appropriate momentum and eliminate the choppy feeling of your pedal strokes due to the extra weight.
If you’re keen enough, most high-end indoor bike cycles provide flywheels ranging from 30 to 40 lb. However, Keiser disagrees with this “heavier is better” aspect. As a result, they incorporate a flywheel of 8lb in their Keiser M3i bike.
Keiser argues they don’t need a heavy flywheel since their bike has a high-quality magnetic resistance system and a well-designed belt drive. Let’s further explain these two aspects to help you understand.
The M3i uses a belt drive similar to the car engines instead of connecting pedals to the flywheel using a chain. Belts are more effective than chains because they need less maintenance and are quieter.
Because they’re costly, you’ll likely find these belt drives on high-end bikes. But what’s unique about Keiser M3i is that it makes its light flywheel move faster than heavy flywheels or traditional cycles.
The M3i incorporates a unique design that allows its flywheel to spin 11 times for every full pedal rotation. With this light flywheel, you don’t have to worry about stressing your knees when preparing for a cold start or slowing down.
The bike also has a micro-adjustable magnetic resistance system that allows you to make effective small changes regarding intensity.
An incredible aspect of this flywheel is its location at the back of the bike. Keiser was noted as the first company to incorporate such a design that helps keep the bike safe from the corrosive elements of sweat. The design may look dramatic, but it was installed to keep the flywheel working optimally and protect it effectively.
Frame
Another feature that makes the Keiser bike unique is its frame. Like the rear-mounted flywheel, Keiser primarily uses its unique frame to market the M3i.
The Keiser M3i bike stands out for more than just its aesthetic appeal; it also features a unique V-shaped frame. This shape and design provide the fitness machine with an impressive minimalist feel and looks to complement your workouts.
You’ll also notice that the handlebars and seat bar are set at a certain angle. Increasing the bike’s height will increase the horizontal distance between the handlebars and the seat. This incredible design aspect allows this bike to hold riders comfortably with a larger height range. This is not a design you’ll find on most bikes.
Keiser reports that the M3i can accommodate riders ranging from 4’10” to 7′ tall, making it suitable for many users.
Pedals
Indoor bike pedals can be cage or clipless-cage, with clipless meaning SPD or a different form of cleat compatible. However, when it comes to high-end cycles, they can accommodate both. The M3i pedals are, therefore, compatible with both cleats (SPD) and sneakers.
Additionally, Keiser M3i pedals incorporate a curved design to add extra comfort for its users. The cage’s unique design prevents it from hitting the ground when riders use the cleats. This means removing the cage when using the cleat is not compulsory.
The M3i pedals also have stronger bearings, stainless steel hardware, and upgraded axles. All these elements result in an incredibly solid-looking pedal that lasts long.
Price
The Keiser bike is truly an expensive and high-end bike, costing around $1,995. However, the price of this bike matches the quality. Even though you can use a few hundred dollars to buy an exercise bike, choosing to spend more will help you get a quality bike in terms of craftsmanship.
For instance, a more expensive bike like the Keiser M3i will often give you a more comfortable and quieter ride.
This bike is a common item in most spin and gym classes. Therefore the price guarantees you professional equipment without signing up for a gym membership. Due to its craftsmanship, you should expect this bike to last for years with minimal maintenance.
Warranty
When buying something expensive, a nice warranty can make the difference between purchasing and holding it back. Keiser bike has a reasonably good warranty. The wearable bike parts like the pedal cage, saddle upholstery, and pedal strap have a three months guarantee free of defects.
Keiser manufacturers place the other parts of the bike under a warranty of three years. Remember, this is a bike that users frequently use, especially in gym classes. Therefore, this warranty takes care of more wear and tear than a single user could ever place on it.
Compatibility
The Keiser bike has incredible Bluetooth capabilities that differentiate it from other brands in the same line. The computer on the bike connects to your preferred devices to send workout data to your phone. Connecting to this bike is easy and automatic.
The Keiser MSeries app is the most preferred way to connect to the M3i bike. Once you start peddling, the app presents you with three options; FTP Test, Free Ride, and a Guided Session. The Free Ride helps track your ride statistics and later saves them in the app.
The Functional Threshold Power test (FTP) helps you determine the amount of power you can withstand for an hour, thus giving you your fitness measurement. Incorporating this test will lead you to the third option of setting guidelines for the Guided Session workouts.
The Guided Session allows you to select from about 11 workouts within 45 to 60 minutes. You’ll find interval workouts, power workouts, and FTP improvements. All these are customized individually based on how you performed on the FTP test.
These workouts guide you to maintain a certain watt, gear range, and RPM, and note whether you need to increase or decrease these numbers on the screen. After the workout, the results will be automatically saved on your phone.
If you wish to expand the bike’s compatibility, choose the M series Converter. This Converter costs $99. It allows your Keiser bike to connect to common apps like The Sufferfest, Zwift, BKOOL, etc. The Converter’s work is simple as it helps convert the Bluetooth information from the M3i Into data accessible and usable on other apps.
Select a measuring device compatible with the Keiser bike to incorporate a heart rate feature. For example, a polar H10 heart rate monitor (chest strap) automatically connects to this bike.
Keiser highly recommends its clients purchase Polar brand monitors such as the Polar T31 and H1 WearLink models.
Depending on the store location you choose to buy your indoor bike, these devices may already be incorporated into the order. For example, a heart rate monitor is automatically included if you purchase your bike from Keiser directly.
Pros and Cons of the Keiser M3i Bike
After looking at the most crucial features of this bike, it’s now crucial to review the pros and cons of the bike.
Positives
The M3i bike presents many advantages due to the features mentioned above. To begin with, the latest model of the M3I guarantees a challenging and varied workout that will meet the different fitness level needs of different people. This is because the bike comes with magnetic resistant levels (24 geared) you can easily and quickly adjust using a lever.
The bike also incorporates a Poly-V belt that people use in car engines, making it durable, quiet, and reliable. This belt guarantees you’ll enjoy a quiet and smooth workout anytime you use the bike. The other bonus of this belt drive is that it doesn’t need ongoing maintenance.
On top of providing an extra smooth workout, the M3i also offers the utmost comfort, thanks to its four-way adjustable seat. Compared to previous models, this seat is easier to adjust.
The bike also comes with fully adjustable handlebars you can easily adjust forward, upward, downwards, and backward to assist you in positioning yourself comfortably on the bike.
The handlebars also incorporate a unique design that helps users select from multiple hand grip positions. Users can adjust the handlebars and seat, so anyone between 4’10 and seven ′ can use the bike.
The pedals of this bike also have unique designs to provide safety, durability, and superior comfort. The pedals are also designed to accommodate different cycling shoes thanks to their curved crank arms. They also have toe cages but are still usable with SPD cleats.
Regarding other features, the bike has a water bottle holder installed on the frame, capable of holding small and large bottles. The M3i also has transport wheels that make it convenient to move around.
The other great feature of this bike is the incredible backlit LCD which is clear and has easy-to-read numbers. This display helps you to monitor distance, time, pulse, and watts during your workout sessions.
In addition, the Keiser M3i has wireless capabilities and Bluetooth to make your sessions more exciting.
Therefore, each bike can work with a projection system to display the data of each user on a large screen in the case of group cycling classes. Individual users can also connect the bike to their phone’s app to monitor all their workouts.
Negatives
As mentioned earlier, one great benefit of the Keiser M3i latest model is the Bluetooth functionality and wireless capability. However, these elements also attract some disadvantages on the user’s side. This is because very few apps support these elements. As such, it may be inconvenient for many people looking to track their workouts.
Final Thoughts
After carefully considering what the Keiser M3i offers its users, it’s clear why this bike is at the top of everyone’s list.
With its unique features such as the belt drive train, magnetic resistance, Bluetooth capable monitor, and fully adjustable handlebars and seat, the Keiser M3i qualifies on all aspects to be rated as a high-end indoor cycle. Its well-thought design and engineering elements also make this bike an incredible item in the market.
Additionally, its V-shaped frame and the rear-mounted flywheel clearly show that this bike’s manufacturers made the necessary effort to bring a unique and better bike into the market.
This bike can easily withstand commercial use pressures and offers a comfortable fit to almost anyone. It’s also friendly to your joints thanks to its lightweight flywheel, which is fast spinning and provides a smooth pedaling motion.
Regarding the price of the Keiser bike, we believe it’s highly justified if you compare it to other competitor bikes. Remember, the money you pay for an item translates to the quality you receive. Therefore, if you desire to own the best indoor cycle, be ready to spend much on such an item.
