The York Fitness C201 upright exercise bike is sold primarily in England and Australia. There's little point in having a mid-range exercise bike shipped to the United States, particularly because the C201, which must be plugged in, requires a European-standard 220-240V, 50Hz outlet. But if you're traveling in the UK or Australia and want to snag a reasonably-priced exercise bike, the C201 is a good option.
Controls
Instead of the push-button controls that are standard on most U.S. exercise bikes, the York C201 uses a scroll wheel that's reminiscent of MP3 player controls. You move your hand around the scrollwheel clockwise to increase values before the workout or adjust resistance up during your workout. Scrolling counterclockwise adjusts values downward or decreases the resistance.
Resistance
The York C201 has 16 levels of computer-controlled magnetic resistance. When you scroll clockwise, the exercise bike moves a magnet closer to the flywheel for more resistance. When you move the scroll control counterclockwise, the magnet moves farther from the flywheel for less resistance.
Features
Features of note on the York C201 include 21 pre-programmed workouts, plus three heart rate control programs. You must either hold the handgrip heart rate monitors or use a wireless chest strap heart rate monitor in order for the heart rate control programs to accurately gauge your heart rate. The C201 also has a large LCD screen that displays your workout information, a well-padded seat, a towel holder and a reading rack,
Considerations
The more fit you are, the faster your heart rate will return to normal after exercising. The York C201 has a fitness test program that gauges this measure of fitness. Press the Fitness Test button and hold the handgrip heart rate sensors once you're done working out; the bike will monitor your heart rate for one minute. It then displays a reading from F1, very fit, to F6, unfit.
With that being said, handgrip heart rate sensors are notorious for providing only a rough estimate of your heart rate. So treat this feature as useful information, not as a substitute for medical diagnosis or supervision.
Price
As of August 2010, the York Anniversary C201 retails for about 260 British pounds, direct from the manufacturer, and comes with a two-year parts and labor warranty.
Specs
The York C201 measures 97 cm or 38.2 in. long, 55cm or 21.7 in. wide and 151cm or 59.4 in. high. The bike itself weighs 30.4kg, slightly more than 67 lbs., and has a maximum user weight limit of 125kg or 275 lbs.
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