Nautilus R616 Recumbent Bike Review

The recumbent bike provides you with a great cardio exercise option for people who are looking for extra back protection when they are cycling. The ergonomic positioning of the hamstrings, glutes and thighs works your lower body in a different way to upright cycling. The Nautilus R616 provides you with a very good recumbent cycle option that delivers all of the features of the U616 upright and more.

The R616 delivers 29 workout programs and 25 levels of eddy current resistance. This provides you with an extremely smooth, fluid and natural riding experience. You have full Bluetooth connectivity that provides you with a whole world of training opportunities. You can match it with MyFitnessPal to provide you with even more options. The seat and lower back support is very impressive. You also get a three speed fan, a media shelf and some quality speakers. We believe that this is on of the best recumbent bike on the market that you will find for under $1000.

Customer Reviews

Smart Reviews customers have given the Nautilus R616 recumbent bike an average of 4.5 stars off 84 reviews.

Walmart customers have given a 4.5 average review from 12 reviews.

Dick’s Sporting Goods delivered a 3.5 average from 2 reviews.

Nautilus R616 Recumbent Bike Benefits

Plenty of Workout Options

The Nautilus R616 provides you with a huge array of workout programs. You get 29 different workouts that are programmed into the console. Each one has been designed by a team of fitness professionals to deliver max results in minimum time. They include four user profiles, heart rate programs, mountain simulation rides and a range of fun workout challenges. These options cover all fitness levels, making them ideal for use by the entire family.

The R616 also delivers 25 levels of eddy current resistance to provide you with an extremely smooth, fluid and natural pedaling motion. The perimeter weighted flywheel prevents any jerkiness and stuttering as you pedal. With all of that resistance capability you are able to consistently add the progressive incremental increases in intensity that you need to keep getting better.

If you are looking to get a full body workout, including upper body, you could consider the Stamina Elite Total Body recumbent bike, which is featured on our Best Recumbent Bike list.

Quiet Operation

The Nautilus R616 is powered by a perimeter weighted flywheel and belt system. This provides you with a smooth, quite operation. You may notice some minor pulsing at the top resistance level as pedals slow down. Both the flywheel and the drive are fully enclosed to keep them durable and to keep the user completely safe. This will keep your kids and pets safe while you exercise as well.

Acoustic Chambered Speakers

The speakers that come with this unit are of top quality and able to produce that great sound that you rely on to keep you motivated while you’re training. You’re also able to plug your iPod into the console to allow yo to enjoy your favorite customized sounds.

Heart Rate Monitoring

The Nautilus R616 provides you with grip heart rate sensors on the ergonomically designed handle bars to monitor your training heart rate. While these are not overly reliable, the R616 is also set up to provide you with a telemetry heart rate chest strap, though the strap must be purchased separately to the bike. If you do make that purchase of about $70, however, you will have one of the best heart rate monitor systems on the market.

Comfortable Seating

The seat on a recumbent bike is probably the most critical component. That on the R616 delivers big time. It provides you with a whole lot of back ventilation to keep your spine aerated and cool. The ventilation also protects the seat material from sweat and bacteria. There is plenty of height and rigidity in the back of the seat to protect the spine.

The base of the seat provides you with a good level of padded comfort so that you won’t get a sore butt when you’re training for more than 30 minutes.

This recumbent bike has been ergonomically designed to conform to the shape of your body. This allows you to get proper spinal alignment when you are getting in and out of, as well as sitting within, the unit. The comfort step through design makes this process even more user friendly. You also get multi point seat adjustment to allow you to find just the right position for you. I addition, there is a fully adjustable lumbar support.

Easy Assembly

The R616 Recumbent is very easy to put together, with most people being able to do the job in well under an hour. It comes with some components partly assembled. All the drilled holes and bolts are true and fit very well. The unit also comes with a set of wheels attached to the base. This makes it very easy to move the unit around.

User Friendly Console

The console on the R616 provides you with a dual display. This allows you to watch your favorite entertainment while also being able to monitor your training data. Both screens feature blue backlighting which makes it very easy to see the screen from any angle and in any light.

A key console feature is Bluetooth connectivity. This allows you to download your training data to the Nautilus ConnecTM app. You are then able to fully analyze and store your data to help you to better manage your training.

Nautilus R616 Drawbacks

Limited Console Data

The biggest drawback with this recumbent bike, as with the U616 Upright, is that you don’t get very much feedback on your training coming through the console. It provides you with your time, speed and heart rate. This is a lot less than you get with other similarly priced units, such as the Schwinn 270 recumbent bike. There is no monitoring of RPM, Interval Times or watts.  This has become  common theme among Nautilus cardio equipment.

The Competition

The closest competitor to the Nautilus R616 is the Schwinn 270 recumbent cycle. It comes in at a similar price point and features that match up exactly point for point. However, the Schwinn 270 provides you with  more in depth workout feedback data. The Nautilus R616 does provide you with a better sound thanks to it’s two way acoustic speakers.

The dual display console on the Schwinn 270 allows you to access a lot of information about the progression of your workout. One one display screen you have a readout of your training diagnostics, while on the other you can see your progression through the training session.

The display provides you a readout of your elapsed time, heart rate, resistance, ROM, Speed, calories, distance and time.

The Schwinn 270 syncs directly to the Schwinn Connect app. This provides you with detailed analysis of your training data. It also connects you to MyFitnessPal, which allows you to also track your nutrition.

Bottom Line

The Nautilus R616 is a top quality recumbent bike that comes in at a very good price point. It delivers a huge array of training programs, workout resistance levels and customizable features. You also get a very good speaker system that is iPod compatible, a 3 way fan, and very comfortable, safe and secure seating. The comfort step through design makes it easy to get on and off the machine.

The one negative is that the training data provided on the console is limited. If that is an important factor to you, consider going with the Schwinn 270 Recumbent.

 

 

 

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