- EXERCISE WHILE SITTING: The FitDesk Under Desk Elliptical is a versatile way to do some light exercise while you’re sitting at your desk or chilling out at home. It can also be used as an exercise peddler, even while watching TV, playing video games, or talking on the phone. This under desk elliptical machine is ideal for anyone who sits for long periods and wants to add exercise to their daily routine.
- FEATURES QUIET AND SMOOTH ELLIPTICAL MOTION: The Under Desk Elliptical creates fluid and smooth movement for your legs while keeping your knees from hitting underneath your desk. Its non-impact elliptical flywheel with whisper-quiet motion makes it a wonderful option to help you be active while sitting, working, or even in meetings.
- HANDS-FREE ADJUSTMENT: The 8-position magnetic resistance with foot-shifter of this portable desk elliptical exercise equipment allows for hands-free tension adjustments, so you can stay focused on your work without having to reach down and fiddle with settings. It has eight levels of magnetic resistance, so you can modify the intensity to fit your needs and goals.
- PORTABLE & CONVENIENT: Our FitDesk Under Desk Elliptical equipment is compact, quiet, and convenient. The pedal measurement is under 8 inches in height, and it can work under desks as low as 25 inches. The portable elliptical exercise machine features a digital meter with 6 function display to easily view and track your exercise. The digital display meter can mount on the cycle or be used by itself with the included stand.
- ABOUT FITDESK: FitDesk products are designed to help you get fit while you sit at the office, school, or home. FitDesk has created a line of products that make it easy to incorporate light exercise into your daily routine, so you don’t have to change your daily schedule and still stay fit.
7 reviews for FitDesk Under Desk Bike Pedal Machine with Magnetic Resistance for Quiet, Fluid Motion – Adjustable Tension with Digital Performance Meter
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Rachelle Ray –
Highly recommended this for people at their desks all day.
Really easy to assemble, very quiet. Fits really well under my desk (28″). I have a chair with wheels so have hooked one leg over which keeps both in place.
Only had this for a few days but it helps me concentrate and stay productive. Mostly use on lower setting and have it it for a few hours a day. I crank it up for shorter harder sessions and can work up a sweat using it.
BeccaM –
Very well-made and effective under-desk elliptical trainer and I had no trouble assembling it in about 15 minutes. I’ll admit that getting it to its location under my desk and fiddling with it to get the device just right took rather longer, but it’s been worth the effort. Like many exercise machines, you’ll get the most out of this one if you take the time to adjust the various nuts and bolts and get everything just right. And even then, after using it for a few days, you might need to tighten and adjust a little more. (There’s not an exercise machine in the world that doesn’t need and benefit from being tuned up properly and regularly.)
Pros:
– Being right under my desk, I’m tempted simply by it being there to use it more than I do the treadmill on the other side of my home office. Much more. (I am literally pedaling right now as I type this.)
– It is meant to be used sitting down, in your own office chair, so there’s no ‘saddle soreness’ which I’d be prone to if using a standard bicycle seat type elliptical. Yes, it is entirely possible to use this from other kinds of chairs, such as when watching TV, but a recliner (especially if it rocks) would be somewhat challenging.
– The range of motion is plenty to give your legs a good workout and the adjustable difficulty setting ranges from “noticeable” to “challenging.” (I would not say there’s an ‘effortless’ setting however, although it is possible the trainer might loosen up over time.) As noted in the description, the lever for this is positioned so you can use your foot and there are solid clicks to denote the different setting numbers.
– The FitDesk elliptical feels solidly-built and not cheap, and when I’m not actively pedaling, the pedals can be positioned rather comfortably as a footrest. Alternatively, the pedals can be pivoted up and out of the way, but I’m trying to resist doing that so as to develop the habit of using it as much as possible.
– For ergonomic reasons, my slab-and-trestle style desk has only 25 inches of clearance under it and pile carpeting below. It’s close, but I have no problems with room for my legs. (Fair disclosure: I’m only 5′ 4″ and a little overweight but not obese.) It’s possible with a lower chair I might be able to eke out another inch or two, but that’s pushing the limit of what’s possible. One of the top reasons I went with the FitDesk versus other any other compact elliptical is it’s specifically designed not to have a large up-down motion, going instead more forward and back. Your toe may be tracing a circle up to 6-8 inches in diameter (going from the length of the crank-arms), but the back of your foot isn’t doing more than flexing and your knees may be going up perhaps 2-3 inches total, if that. If you have a more standard 28-30 inch clearance desk, chance of it fitting go up considerably. (My desk is crazy-low precisely because I’m as short as I am, plus I had a major bout of RSIs a decade ago and really need to pay attention to proper arm positioning. I built this one custom for myself.)
– There is a kind of foot-massager bar towards the rear which I’m given to understand you can hook your chair wheel around for added stability while pedaling, but I haven’t needed it. My wheeled Aeron chair stays in place pretty well without, even atop a pressboard carpet protector.
– I did need to adjust the pedal crank-arm nuts and the nuts holding the rear pedal wheels just a touch to make them looser because they were too tight to start with. However, after using the trainer for a while, I’d imagine they may loosen through use enough to need to be re-tightened. I did hit all the rotating joints with some WD-40 and also sprayed the wheel deck (the black metal part) with some silicone. (Other folks have said furniture polish such as Pledge also works for the plate and rubber wheels, but I’d still use WD-40 or 3-in-1 oil on the metal joints and bearings.) The thing is pretty near silent at this point, with just a very gentle and almost inaudible whoosh noise when I’m pedaling. As with any exercise device, I do expect to have to do a little preventive maintenance now and then, mostly lube but also occasionally to retighten the nuts and fasteners.
– There’s a 30-day no questions asked return policy (provided the unit is sent back in refurbishable condition) and a really remarkable 3 year parts replacement guarantee. (The guarantee doesn’t include the pedals themselves, but replacements if needed are available and probably wouldn’t cost too much.)
Cons:
– To be honest, the device is a little long. My desk is 36″ deep and the front end of the trainer still sticks out about 2 inches on the other side. I’d say if you have a desk up against a wall or do not have at least about 6-8 inches vertical clearance under the back-panel of your desk, the FitDesk Elliptical may not fit. (My desk uses a trestle, so the rear height isn’t an issue, and I’m in the middle of my room with lots of space out the back so the sticking out is also not a problem for me. However, my spouse in another home office room here is up against a wall and has a short 30″ prefab desk, so there’s no way this device will fit there.)
– Same thing if you are really big and/or the tops of your thighs are already brushing the underside of your desk or center drawer in the desk. Trouble is, it may be difficult to really know for sure until you actually get the trainer whether it will fit or not. I’d say as a general guideline, if you can’t get at least 30″ forward clearance at ground level from where your hands are right now (i.e., just above your knees, atop your desk), you may not be able to get the FitDesk elliptical to fit far enough under your desk to use it comfortably. As for space between your legs and the underside of your desk, only a few inches are needed.
– If you want to have the monitor on your desk (which is a nice feature, really), the cord provided for between it and the trainer is about 2 feet shorter than it ought to be. However, it is a standard 2-wire 1/8″ male/female (mono) extension cable and so can be easily modified and/or replaced with something longer.
– I found the instructions about the monitor in the manual to be a little confusing, particularly in that they did not mention what the ‘Set’ button does nor what the unit of measures are. Some are obvious, like Time (minutes:seconds) and CAL (Calories). Speed appears to be an estimate of Meters/second, while Distance (DIST) is kilometers (2 decimal accuracy) and Odometer (ODO) is also in kilometers (but no decimals). I believe someone did the math and it turns out the FitDesk is calculating cranks as if you are riding a 26″ wheeled bicycle.
More about the monitor:
– As the manual says, the display shuts off after about 10 minutes of no detected activity, but as long as the battery is still good, it does keep remembering your current progress.
– When in Scan mode (default), the monitor advances to each category of measure (time, speed, distance, odometer, calories, then back to time) about every four to five seconds.
– The Mode button, if pressed once, stops the scanning at the currently displayed measure. This is the only time the Reset button will reset the displayed value to zero. If you press Mode again, it goes back to scanning, starting at the next displayed measure. Using the Mode button you can advance to whatever number you want to see, although it takes two presses each time (Scan, stop, scan, stop, etc.)
– There is no reset everything function, and the Reset button only works (1) on the value currently displayed and (2) only if the monitor is not currently in Scan mode. (See the note below about the odometer, as it works differently.)
– The Set button isn’t documented. As far as I can tell, the Set button only works when the display is showing Time or Distance (DIST), and what it does is let you set a target time or distance value that instead of the default counting up, counts down. This could be useful if, for example, you want to be sure you get in at least 90 minutes or 10km worth of exercise in a day. The monitor, as you pedal, will gradually count down your set value, then when you reach zero will go back to counting time or distance upward. If distance or time are already greater than 0 and you press Set, the value goes up to the next whole-number value. For example, say you were pedaling up from 0:00 time and it showed 3:45 (3 minutes, 45 seconds). If using Set, when you press the button once, it will go up to 4:00, but thereafter count backwards (down) from four minutes until reaching zero. After reaching zero, it counts forward again.
– The Set button in Time mode increments upward in one minute intervals. In Distance mode, it increments by 0.1km. It only goes up, not down. To reduce a set value, press Reset to put it back to zero and then use Set to increment back up again. (The monitor just counts down the set value; it doesn’t flash or sound an alarm or anything when it hits 0. There is also no back-light on the monitor’s LED screen, so you may want to position it somewhere well lit.)
– The odometer (ODO) cannot be reset using the buttons. However, if you want to zero that out, you can remove the battery (AA size, just one), wait a few seconds, then put it back in. After that, everything will be back to zero again, including the odometer. If there’s one feature the monitor does not have that I think it should, it would be a ‘Reset Everything’ button, without having to fiddle with the battery and/or multiple button presses to clear the numbers. Or just be able to hold down the existing Reset button for several seconds to achieve the same thing. But it doesn’t.
Just Is:
– No, this trainer is not meant to be used while standing. I’m not saying it’d be impossible, but I’d have concerns about stability as well as the side-to-side strength of the plastic pedals. I could easily see one snapping off at the bolts if subjected to a sufficiently hard sideways twist.
Other:
– I did have one small problem with the FitDesk Elliptical, in that it arrived lacking one not-essential but highly desirable part, and that was the little black metal spider-shaped desk stand for the monitor. Monitor yes; stand no. I scoured the box and packing and it just wasn’t there. Well, one email to FitDesk customer service and I was corresponding with the guy who invented the device. He’s a small business owner who is highly motivated to keep his customers happy if at all possible and less than a couple days later I received the the replacement stand via Priority Mail. Contacted Thursday, the stand arrived Monday. Major kudos for that. I even mentioned in our back and forth correspondence my thoughts about a possible future variant model which would be shorter in length, to fit under less-deep desks, and he told me he’d already been thinking along those lines as he refines his product.
On edit: A reviewer from May of last year (Pantzilla) referred to a retaining clip popping off the pedal. I see that the FitDesk folks did reach out to try to resolve the problem at the time, but I wanted to mention there appears to have been some redesign in the interim. The pedals are actually held on to the crank arm extensions by two strong bolts each now, and the extensions to the crank arm axles with more bolts. No retaining clips. They’re not going to just pop off.
Would I buy this again? Absolutely. Like I said, we’d have two here if it was just shorter depth-wise, but I’m very happy with mine. I can feel the sore-muscle burn in my legs from ankle to hip — sore in a good way. We’re snowed in just now and I have a fair amount of desk work to do, but it’s really nice for a change for that not to equal “unavoidably sedentary for weeks.”
charleen –
I bought this under the desk exerciser mainly due to the positive comments that I read. Let’s start with assembly: Usually, I would just move on and not purchase anything that I would have to assemble but, again, due to the positive feedback of those who purchase a FitDesk, I decided to purchase one myself. It took me about 40 minutes to assemble. I found the directions very helpful. I would suggest heeding the instruction that indicates to tighten everything tightly. Doing this will keep your FitDesk from making clunking noises.
As for squeaking, I tried the suggested spraying with “Pledge” but found it helped for a day or two but the squeaks returned. I then, bought a can of Dupont Silicone Lubricant (with Teflon) spray and it works like a charm. There are no squeaks, and the pedaling is smooth and very quiet.
In the beginning, it was difficult for me to figure out what caused the “clunking” and what caused the squeak. It’s pretty simple: clunky sounds mean that you need to tighten the bolts under the pedals. Squeaks mean that you need to spray some silicone on the track where the wheels hit, and on the wheels and outer bolts where the pedal is attached.
I would suggest measuring the depth of your desk and then see if it’s long enough to accommodate the length of the FitDesk. I was surprised that those that gave a less than favorable review didn’t measure first since the correct measurements are given in the product’s description.
I have used the FItDesk for over a month and am so pleased with it. I spend a lot of time each day at the computer and was beginning to worry that sitting for numerous hours could be detrimental to y overall health and fitness. Using the FitDesk as I sit is really the answer to stay healthy.
There is very little up-and-down motion so I can’t see it ever hitting the desk top.
I would like to see the company package this FitDesk fully assembled. I would have even paid a few dollars more for it arrive ready-to-go.
Rachelle Ray –
Yo he disfrutado mucho de mi compra, sobretodo en cuarentena, me ha ayudado a mantenerme activa durante mis horas de trabajo.
Recomiendo poner un tapete debajo para evitar que se mueva (le falta grip).
AMC –
I’m unable to exercise my upper area for medical reasons. This is great for working the waist and legs. Love it
Paulina Pacheco –
Buen artículo, me ha servido para activar la circulación en mis piernas mientras trabajo.
Tuve algunos problemas al armarla. Necesité bastante fuerza para asegurar los pedales.
Pongo tres estrellas ya que en el paquete me hicieron falta las piezas de soporte para la pantalla (la que va atornillada al aparato y el stand) y tampoco llegó el cable de extensión.
exercise freak –
I spent a lot of time reading reviews on products such as this, my final decision on which one to purchase was based on the fact that this machine would actually fit under my desk and allow me to use it, unfortunately, it was also the most expensive machine!
I work 9 -5 in an office and suffer with varicose veins and osteoarthritis in one knee. I had previously joined a gym, opposite to my workplace, but I absolutely hated going there and wasted 9 months gym subscription on ‘not going’. However what I did learn from my initial visits to the gym was that excercise helped my knee massively, hence why I purchased this item. Since it has been in place, I randomly use it either a lot during a day, for just a few minutes a day, and if I’m working a half day I dont use it at all, but when I do use it I can see, and feel a huge difference in how my knee looks and feels. My enlarged and swollen right knee is now the same size as my left knee, (much smaller) I can walk without limping or feeling like I am about to crash into something, I have control over my knee again!
The machine is big and heavy, I had to have a section cut out from the back of my desk to accommodate it, a bit like a mouse entrance from ‘Tom & Jerry’ tv cartoons…
After I first used it there were black marks on the floor, it was the powder coating from the pedals, ( I was mortified, I thought it was oil! )
Place a towel down if the floor beneath it is likely to be spoilt by this.
It does squeak…. Although the operation is pretty much silent, my machine has got a squeak. I have tried WD40/Silicone spray/general purpose oil, and none have worked. Sometimes I pedal in reverse and this removes the squeak for a while. My next trick is white grease.
I didnt think I would be able to concentrate on typing, taking calls and general office admin at the same time as using this machine, but I can, you get into a rhythm and dont think about it, and sometimes it all goes a bit haywire, but any excercise is good!
I’m not entirely sure of the accuracy when it comes to distance, calories burned, time on the machine etc, but I do feel that any excercise can only be a good thing. Altering the resistance requires you to get on your hands and knees and use brute force, I’m now on notch 3, I cant feel much difference in the usage, but I spent 13 minutes really going for it on that notch today and my knee definitely feels better for it.
I’m not sure that anyone could lose weight using it, but I do know that my mobility has improved 100%. I’ve not taken any pain killers for my knees since I have owned this machine. I had no idea that something like this could offer me a painkiller free life. Yes it is a lot of money, but I would quite happily purchase another if I needed to. Its not a cure to my knee problems, but it has made such a huge difference to how I move about with my current condition. I only wish I had been educated enough about this 3 or 4 years ago as I feel I have wasted so much time not being able to get out and about.