Ergo Handles

I'm posting this same review for three closely related products: the MagneTrainer-ER Mini Exercise Bike, the Quick-Connect kit for the MagneTrainer, and the Ergonomic Hand Pedals for the MagneTrainer. I bought all three and together they effectively become a single product. Background: I'm a 62 y.o. COPD patient going through a pulmonary rehab course. One of the machines used in the course is an "arm bike" which you use by cranking some handles with your hands/arms using the same motion your feet would make on a bicycle. This makes you push and pull with your arms, shoulders, upper back, etc. I noticed that this felt like an efficient way to work a lot of muscles that I usually don't work in a short period of time, and it can be as tough or as easy as I choose since the resistance is adjustable. How to get that experience at home without spending big bucks on a gym-quality machine the size of a small car? I read lots of reviews and decided to try out the MagneTrainer and I am sold. It has the feel and performance of the pricey equipment you find in hospitals, rehab centers, gyms, etc. The action is silky smooth and consistent throughout the range of motion, regardless of the resistance. It's nearly silent. You don't need to plug it in (it runs off of one AA battery). The machine is heavy and well-balanced enough that I've experienced no wobbling...it feels like it's nailed to the table or floor when used as they tell you to use it. The standard foot pedals are substantial and comfortable and have Velcro straps to keep your feet from slipping off, and they can be used as hand grips. I bought the optional hand grips ("Ergonomic Hand Pedals") because I liked the similar feel of the handles on the equipment in rehab. The hand grips are substantial, durable and so heavy you could fling them at a burglar and knock him cold. Likewise the optional Quick Connects that allow you to swap the foot pedals for the hand pedals are very solid, well machined, industrial quality stuff. Assembly: the process is easy to understand but you need to put some muscle behind the wrenches when putting this together. All the tools needed are included. You can buy the hand pedals and the quick connects later if you're not sure about the machine, just be prepared to go through something of a second installation when you add them. You don't need the hand pedals but if you buy them, you absolutely need the quick-connects as well. Otherwise if you wanted to switch between hand and foot pedals, you'd have to break out a wrench and risk stripping threads and by the time you were done, you'd be so aggravated you wouldn't want to use the thing! I plan to use it mostly for upper body exercise, but decided to just bite the bullet and outfit the thing completely as I expect I'll have this for some time. With the quick connect adapters installed I find it easy to swap the handlebars for the foot pedals and vice versa. I also find it easy to move the MagneTrainer between the table and the floor if I'm switching from hands to feet (it has a handle). My take is that if you'd find those tasks difficult, you most likely have a helper available who could do it for you. I have two nitpicks. Resistance is adjustable from nothing to plenty with the turn of a dial, but when you find a setting you like there's nothing to let you remember that setting. If you and I were sharing the same machine it would be neat to know that I'm working at, e.g., Level 6 and you're working at Level 9. That way if you used it last, I could dial back to my comfort zone of Level 6. No such luck. Resistance is easy to adjust but it's like a garden hose. "Hey, how far did you have it turned on?" "I dunno, about half way or something." Not precise, but not a huge deal to work around. The other nitpick is the electronics module. It does exactly what it needs to do but given the overall quality of the rest of the machine and attachments, it feels a little cheap. No backlight, tiny display, no memory. On the other hand, this device has NO POWER CORD and those fancy items take power. This thing runs off of a single AA battery inside the electronics module. This isn't cheap, but for something that feels this sturdy and durable it's worth it to me.

These work really well and make a significant difference that the hands are in a more comfortable position: the thumb is on top rather than palms down which makes for less torque and more effective muscle engagement.

Great addition to the Magnetrainer for arm/shoulder. Hands/forearms are used in a more normal position than with a bar or pedal attached to the crank arms. Love the Magnetrainer with the addition of these hand pedals. Highly recommend.

A worthwhile purchase for the MagneTrainer exercise machine. They allow us to quickly change over to the hand grips for exercising our arms and chests. Without them, we would have to unscrew the foot pedals... and screw on the hand grips... That's not a good thing for the threads. With these, we just pull a pin, slide in the had grips or foot pedals and replace the pin. 10 seconds only. Price is a little steep but very useful. All the Magnetrainer equipment is of high quality and so too are these

Must have if you want to use this as an Upper Body Exerciser. More comfortable and better exercise than using pedals.

The quick release for the MagneTrainer are a must have if you plan to workout both the upper and lower body. I had major trauma to my back at the T9 level that impacts T7-T11. We use the quick disconnects a few times a day to switch between the arm pedels and the foot pedals. Rather than screw and unscrew the attachements with the wrench, we simply attach the quick connects once by replacing a small pin. To use, for the right side, simply line up the r with r on the piece you want to change, pull a small pin out, align the new piece, again matching r with r, and replace the pin. The process is repeated for the left side, matching l with l So in essence this quick connect lets you use a pin to replace a wrench. Matching up parts is way and hassle free. The process to change pedals with arm pulls takes about two minutes. We find it easy to use, but if you are not steady enough to keep track of the small pin, this might not be the product you need. If I had a complaint, it would be that the product is sold in units if two. For most people, this is great because the change is from pedals to hand grips. We bought the medical fit pedals so that my feet can be attached to the pedals. So we needed three quick connects for all of the parts in case someone wanted to use the regular foot pedals As an added bonus, the quick connects can be used to attach any standard size bicycle pedal to the MagneTrainer. In summary, if you want to do upper and lower body exercises, buy these.

Added more dimension to my attempt to build strength and repair damage to small muscle tissue in my shoulders. Perfect choice.

If you feel like you're going to be swapping out items often, and really don't want to take the time to unscrew accessories, AND the price is OK for you, then I suppose this will work. But be warned of two aspects: 1. The rotation won't feel as smooth as without. You may feel a 'click' or 'clunk' every rotation. Had them on a new DeskPro to try them out. Ended up taking them off to ensure it wasn't the DeskPro itself, and that was verified. 2. The overall width of your accessories will about about 3" wider. See my attached photo for the approx 1.5" added to one side. For the arm extensions, I can definitely notice the difference. I'd rather my arms be a little more angled inward. I'll probably keep them on the MagneTrainer as I like to mix it up with foot and hands, and this will encourage that. I didn't like the angle that my the foot pedals force my hands to be at, so I really like using the hand-specific pedals. I think they're a little expensive for the convenience, but oh well. They do feel otherwise solid as they are quite heavy.