BH Fitness Spada Dual Indoor Cycle Review

How Easy is the Indoor Cycle to Build?
The BH Fitness Spada Dual is very simple to build. All of the components fitted together very well with all holes perfectly aligned to accept the fixing bolts. You might need a helper, simply because of the weight of this cycle.

What are the first impressions?
The Spada looks like a great bike - stylish looks, water bottle holder and SPD pedals make for a superb looking bike.

What's it like to ride?
The BH Fitness Spada Dual is very smooth, largely due to the 20kg flywheel and belt drive. The programmes on the standard console keep training interesting and will change the resistance for you depending on the training profile that you choose. You can also just select manual mode and change the resistance when you want to. We'll discuss the SmartPhone/Tablet connectivity elsewhere in this review. When pedalling quickly the Spada Dual remains very stable which is a really good sign of a high quality bike.

Any niggles?
Because of the design of the handlebars you don't get as many hand grip positions as with other bikes. Also, when you're out of your seat and really gripping the handlebars they do move a little more than we'd have liked.

Anything else to add?
A nice feature of this bike is the pedals which can be used with cycling shoes or normal training shoes.

Using Your SmartPhone/Tablet as a Console
The feature on this indoor cycle that really differentiates it from other indoor cycles is that you can use your SmartPhone or Tablet as a console (check the compatabiliy of your device to ensure that it will work with the bike). It's really easy to connect your device (we used an iPhone with Bluetooth V4) and once connected you have the power of whatever apps you've downloaded to training with. At the time of writing this review there are a number of apps already available with the promise of more to come - again check details of the current apps and devices that are supported. We chose one of the simpler apps to test out the bike (called Pedal Monitor) and it worked really well - it's easy to think of this as a bit of a gimmick but it really does help to keep training interesting. Depending on the app that you've chosen the resistance level on the bike will change automatically, as it would with a traditional programmable console.

It's worth noting that a number of the apps that are compatable with this indoor cycle require a monthly subscription - prices do vary but it's still cheaper than monthly gym membership. (Please note that the pricing of apps and any subsequent subscription charges are nothing to do with us!!)

Overall Impression?
Superb indoor cycle. The Spada Dual is packed with great features and the build quality is excellent.