| Unit | Size | Supported weight | Resistance | Drive | Exercise meter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BodyCraft SPR Check Discounted Price | L:52" W:22" H:47.5" | 350 lbs | Manual magnetic | Belt | Time, Speed, Distance, Calories, Pulse*, Watts, RPM, Goals |
Although the BodyCraft SPR is also a gym-grade indoor cycling bike just like the BodyCraft SPT-Mag that we’ve previously reviewed here, it features a different construction and resistance system. It also includes an exercise meter which can be correlated with the selected resistance level in order to provide the most accurate readings. The bike offers quite a few other features and functions over other gym bikes, and in this review, we’ll try to cover them all.
Technical Details and Specifications
- Assembled dimensions: 52L x 22W x 47.5H inches (132L x 56W x 121H cm)
- Assembled weight: 127 lbs (56.5 kg)
- Supported weight: 350 lbs (159 kg)
- Handlebars: 4-way adjustable
- Seat: 4-way adjustable
- Drive mechanism: Belt
- Resistance: Manual magnetic
- Fitness meter: Time, speed, distance, RPM, Watts, pulse, goals
- Bottle holder: Included
- Warranty:
– Commercial: Frame 10 years / Parts 3 years / Wear items 90 days / Labor 90 days
– In-Home: Frame lifetime / Parts 5 years / Wear items 1 year / Labor 2 years
Frame construction
The BodyCraft SPR is an indoor cycling bike designed to support all kinds of spin workouts. It has an extremely sturdy construction, being able to withstand riders up to 350 lbs (159 kg). Its frame excels in compactness, featuring a low center of gravity which considerably enhances its 
stability. The fully assembled bike weighs approx. 127 lbs (56.5 kg), which is much more than the weight of the average road bike. This weight also plays an important role in its overall stability. On top of that, both bike’s bases integrate large, adjustable stabilizers, so you can perfectly level the bike on any surface.
Needless to say, the frame is made of heavy gauge steel tubing. The seat and handlebar tubes are ovalized to maximize sturdiness. However, the bike’s crank pulley and belt, along with the middle base frame, feature PVC covers.
An important feature for spinning is the horizontal small bar that unites the handlebar tube with the seat tube. It has a step-up pad attached to it allowing you to safely perform all the spin workouts that require you to step on/off the frame for a maximum muscle burn. Other indoor cycling trainers, such as the XtremepowerUS for example, don’t have this feature.
The BodyCraft SPR is slightly larger than other spin bikes. For example, the Spinner S5 is only 43″ long. The BodyCraft SPR takes 52″L x 22″W (132 x 56 cm) of floor space, but still, it is far from being a large fitness machine such as a running treadmill or an elliptical. But nonetheless, it is recommended to assign a usage space for it of at least 70″ x 60″ (178 x 153 cm), in order to be able to perform all the spin workouts correctly and safely.
The bike doesn’t have a folding design. However, its front base bar is equipped with large, ball-beared silicone wheels which facilitate its relocation. By using these wheels to transport the assembled bike, you will only have to handle less than half of its total weight.
One last aspect to mention here regards the bike’s paint finish. The main frame features a black powder coating while the seat post and the handlebars post are silver gray. The paint used is corrosion and scratch resistant. The BodyCraft logo is painted in white on the handlebar frame tube.
Seat and handlebars
The BodyCraft SPR is equipped with a slim spin saddle, 10.5″ long, 6.75″ wide. (26.6 x 17.1 cm). Like most spin seats it’s not made for comfort since at least for half of the workout you shouldn’t be seated. This being said, if you’re new to spinning, you won’t find this seat 
comfortable at first. It is, though, an elastomer-cushioned seat, offering optimal comfort for all the spin workouts.
The saddle has a standard design. Therefore, compatible replacements for it are widely available. Plus, you can always enhance its comfort by a gel cover.
The bike offers exceptional micro-adjustability possibilities. Both its seat and handlebars are 4-way adjustable (up, down, forward, and back). There are 24 adjustment positions for the upright bar of the seat, 10 for its horizontal slider, 16 for the upright front bar, and 7 for the handlebar slider. The adjustment increments are 1 cm (approx 1/2 inches). These being said, the bike can accommodate users between 5’0″ and 6’6″ (153 – 198 cm), promoting a complete and healthy leg extension.
Both the seat and handlebars are easy to adjust. They feature large levers which are very easy to grip, turn, lock, and unlock, so it shouldn’t take more than a minute to bring them to your own requirements.
Finally, the bike is equipped with a versatile handlebar assembly. It offers multiple grips, including aero, cross, bull-horn, drop-down, and loop. The whole handlebar is covered by a sheet of high-density foam, providing a non-slip, secure, and comfortable grip. The bike’s fitness meter has its own small bar within the handlebar assembly so it won’t impede your gripping in any way. The water bottle holder is attached to the loop aero bar, at the front.
Resistance system
The BodyCraft SPR indoor cycling bike is equipped with a manual magnetic resistance system. But even though the bike’s construction is similar to the Keiser M3 bike, its brake is totally 
different. The housing of the magnetic brake is attached to a small bracket on the longitudinal base bar of the frame. The tension cable passes all the way through this base tube and handlebar upright tube, being attached to the tension lever at the base of the handlebar assembly. By moving the tension lever, the position of the magnets on each side of the flywheel adjusts, creating more or less drag, depending on your preference.
The bike’s magnetic resistance system offers 16 distinctive tension levels. By pushing the tension lever all the way up you will get the 16th, most difficult resistance setting, which simulates a very steep climb and will help you achieve a very consistent muscle burn. Conversely, by pressing the lever all the way down, you will get the lowest resistance setting, which promotes fairly light workouts.
Since the bike’s resistance is manual, you don’t have to connect it to a power circuit. The console is battery powered.
Drive system
This BodyCraft exercise bike is equipped with a 2-piece, aluminum alloy flywheel. Its weight is not specified, but it’s definitely a heavy flywheel as it delivers a very consistent momentum. Most of its weight is placed in its outer section, which results in a very smooth rotation motion
and pedaling feel. It spins on heavy-duty SFK ball bearings, manufactured in Germany and France.
The flywheel is bi-directional. In other words, you can pedal in reverse on this exercise bike. This doubles the number of workouts that you can perform on it. However, before changing the way of pedaling for front to reverse or vice-versa, it’s recommended to stop the flywheel by pushing the adjustment lever all the way forward.
The bike features a belt drive, using a high-performance, Hutchinson 5PK V-Ribbed belt, designed to last a lifetime. There are two main advantages that come with a belt drive. One, it doesn’t require lubrication or any maintenance whatsoever. Two, it’s almost silent. As opposed to a belt drive, a chain can always emit squeaking noises especially if it isn’t lubricated. Also, its links can lock which can result in the crank skipping.
Since it’s a bike designed for all spin workouts, it is equipped with a highly durable, 3-piece crankset. Its crank arms are made of solid steel and can support the user in complete standing up position, even if they are close to the maximum (350 lbs) weight capacity. The pedals are also very durable, made of metallic alloy. However, the pedals are only equipped with toe cages, but not SPD elements for spin shoes. But they do have standard 9/16″ threads, so replacements for them are widely available. BodyCraft actually offers a set of SPD pedals specifically for this bike and the SPT-Mag bike.
The spacing between the pedals, or the bike’s Q-Factor is narrow, measuring 175mm (6.8″). This means that your feet are positioned on the pedals naturally, and the pedaling motion doesn’t come with any extra lateral stress on the knees and ankles.
Exercise meter
The BodyCraft SPR indoor cycling bike is equipped with an advanced exercise meter. It has a 5-section LCD display with LED backlight which considerably enhances its readability. The top section covers the level of resistance, the 2nd section indicates time, the 3rd covers 
Speed/Distance, the 4th shows RPM/Watts, and the 5th section covers Pulse/Calories. To change the shared values on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th sections of the display you will have to use the Up/Down arrow buttons.
The meter unit is telemetric. It’s compatible with 5 kHz Polar heart rate chest straps; however, an HR strap is not included with the bike. For the speed and distance readings, you can select either metric or imperial units.
An important aspect to mention with regards to this meter unit is that it can be correlated to the bike’s resistance system. If for example, you exercise by using the 10th resistance setting, you should also select level 10 on the meter. This way, the unit will be able to calculate your Watts output and calories burned with a higher accuracy.
The meter unit also has goal settings for distance and time. By doing this, the time and distance goal selected will be your starting point, and the readings will countdown to zero. This feature offers a better management of each workout session.
The exercise meter is battery powered. It uses 2 C-size (LR14) batteries. However, the housing of the batteries is situated at the bottom front section of the bike, and not within the meter itself. The unit also has a sleep function to which will enter after 1 minute of inactivity on the bike to save battery life. To power it up you can press any of the three buttons.
Assembly and Maintenance
The main frame of the bike comes ready-assembled. Its crankset, belt, flywheel and magnetic brake are already attached to the frame. The belt guards are also in their place. Therefore, you only need to attach the bike’s rear and front base, the pedals, the seat post, the saddle, the handlebar, the console, and the bottle holder. The assembly task is quite a straightforward process, and the manual provides excellent step-by-step instructions. A basic toolset for the assembly is also included. Thus, the assembly shouldn’t take more than 30 min.
Since it’s a magnetic exercise bike, its brake pads don’t require replacement, and you don’t have to lubricate the belt. So, the maintenance for this bike is minimal. Basically, all you have to do is check for loose parts and bolts from time to time, and keep liquids away from the console.
The Pros
- Commercial-grade, sturdy construction – can support users up to 350 lbs;
- Bases with adjustable, rubberized levelers;
- Transport wheels on the front base;
- 4-way adjustable, elastomer-cushioned seat;
- 4-way adjustable handlebar, with a multi-grip design;
- Step-up pad above the crank, for various spin workouts;
- Balanced flywheel for a smooth pedaling motion and solid momentum;
- Heavy-duty crank made for spin workouts;
- Durable alloy pedals with toe cages and standard threads;
- Narrow (175 mm) Q-Factor, minimizing the lateral stress on the joints;
- Frictionless, wear-free, magnetic resistance with 16 level settings;
- Smooth and quiet belt drive, great for apartment use;
- Fitness meter that tracks time, speed, distance, Watts, RPM, calories, and pulse;
- Meter unit can be correlated with the bike’s resistance level, for an accurate reading of the calories burned and watts;
- Meter unit is telemetric, compatible with 5 kHz Polar HR chest straps;
- Goal settings for time and distance;
- Bottle holder included;
- Really easy to assemble;
- Little maintenance required;
- Excellent warranty.
The Cons
- Polar chest strap is not included;
- Pedals don’t have SPD elements.
Summary
The BodyCraft SPR is a commercial-grade, indoor cycling trainer offering 16 levels of manual-magnetic resistance, exceptional micro-adjustability, and an advanced fitness meter. It’s designed to support any spin workout; it’s equipped with a highly-durable crankset which can hold users up to 350 lbs. Its handlebar supports all types of grips, including aero, cross, bull-horn, cross, racing, and drop. It’s an excellent bike for intense cardio training, interval training, stamina and leg strength development, and weight loss. It’s not one of the most affordable bikes but comes with a consistent warranty for home and gym use, and overall, it offers an outstanding value for the price.