I know that we are getting into peak outdoor bike riding season and a fitness bike blog post may be a little “out of season” but, as I had mentioned in my last post, I had just visited the Johnson Healthtech headquarters recently and wanted to post an update on my visit and to let you know about the 2 New Horizon Fitness Bikes that I will be available online and in stores this fall.
Johnson Healthtech is the maker of Horizon, Livestrong, and AFG (Advanced Fitness Group) fitness bikes and other quality commercial and residential fitness equipment. I have been fortunate to have a good relationship with the people at Johnson and have been invited to see their new fitness bikes at their corporate headquarters, in Cottage Grove, Wis. (east of Madison), when new models become available.
Johnson is coming out with more new models of fitness equipment this year but since my speciality is bikes, I focus exclusively on their fitness bikes. I have always found the quality of all the brands that Johnson produces to be very high so I don’t have any problem recommending their products.
Moving right along into the 2 New Horizon Fitness Bikes that will be coming out in the fall. There will be 1 new Recumbent model and 1 new Upright model, which will be a nice addition to their line up since Horizon does not currently offer an upright exercise bike (other than the Horizon M4 which is technically an Indoor Cycle).
Both of these bikes retain the quality and popular features of the legacy Horizon bikes but have newer and more advanced designs and updated consoles. The emphasis on these bikes is to enhance the user experience from comfort to a better and more productive workout.
The New Horizon Comfort R
The Horizon Comfort R is the new recumbent bike from Horizon and what stood out most to me was how comfortable this bike is (as you would expect from the name (and from being from Horizon)) and how easy it was to adjust and to get on and off of. This bike has a complete step-though design and higher upper handlebars, which make it easier to get on and off and also give you plenty of room between your legs and the handlebars.
On top of the ergonomic design you get the new heart-rate wheel display on the console which gives you an easy to read graphic display of the of your current heart-rate workout zone.
The New Horizon Comfort U
The Horizon Comfort U is the new Upright Fitness Bike from Horizon. There are a few very unique features of this upright bike. The first thing that you notice is that the handlebars are designed like a typical flat-bar outdoor bike. If you ride a flat-bar mountain, hybrid or road bike this bike will feel very similar to your outdoor bike (only more comfortable actually). Just look at any other Upright Exercise Bike on the market now and note the difference in the handlebar designs.
The other very unique feature is the complete step-through design making this bike very easy to hop on and off of. Step-through designs are not new to fitness bikes but I do not recall ever seeing this design on an Upright Exercise Bike.
The Comfort U also has the the new heart-rate wheel display on the console with the easy to read graphic display of the of your current heart-rate workout zone and this model also has a telemetric receiver that can be used with a wireless heart-rate strap.
I will be writing up more complete reviews of these new exercise bikes from Horizon when they start to become available online and in stores.
If you like the quality and features that Horizon provides but do not want to wait until this fall to get your fitness bike then see our Horizon RC-30 Recumbent Review and/or our Horizon M4 Indoor Cycle Review.
Well that’s the latest “out of season” Fitness Bike update. I am recovering from my leg/hip injury and have been out there riding some decent miles once again so I hope to be hitting some new trails and getting some new trail updates and photo tours soon.