What do you get with the JTX Cyclo-Go Home Exercise Bike? Sure, it’s a reasonably priced upright cycle but how does it stack up in reality – our JTC Cyclo Go review aims to deliver an honest verdict as to whether it is worth your time and money investing in this home exercise bike.
Budget upright cycles should be a go-to for anybody looking to kit out their home gym with a bit of cardiovascular equipment. Cycling brings about a great many health and fitness benefits – you will, obviously, be able to improve your cardiovascular fitness and aerobic capacity, whilst also being able to elicit some lower body hypertrophy, all without putting too much stress into the joints.
It is perfect for anybody looking to ease the pressure on their joints and soft tissue whilst getting all the benefits of a good aerobic workout.
The JTX Cyclo-Go fits the bill. It looks pretty decent – well designed, well made and actually quite good looking for such a reasonably priced machine. It looks sturdy; the frame looks like it could take quite a lot of hard use, even from larger or stronger athletes.
On first appearances, at least, all looks good. But how does it stand up to closer scrutiny – we took it on a 3 week test to find out.
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JTX Cyclo-Go Specs
Those looking to keep the pressure off their joints whilst still looking for a good aerobic exercise often include larger athletes. If you are carrying significant amounts of body fat, you really don’t want to be doing anything that impacts the ankles, knees or hips. You will simply be putting more pressure into them than they can safely handle. Really, low-impact exercises like swimming and static cycling will be perfect.
With this in mind, the JTX Cyclo-Go Home Exercise Bike has a maximum user weight capacity of 140 kg (around 22 stone). This makes it ideal for those looking to shed bodyfat safely and risk free and this really is quite an impressive upper weight limit for an upright cycle at this price point.
It’s also quite unobtrusive. At 101cm x 59cm x 149 cm, with transport casters at the front for ease of use in transporting it in to an ideal workout location, it can be easily stored out of sight (though hopefully not too much out of mind) when you’re not using it.
It also boasts a decent electro-magnetic resistance system with a 16-point range, brought about by an 11kg flywheel. This is weighty and strong – further testament to the bike’s ability to take on heavy loads and flourish with it. The magnetic brake system is smooth to change, so that there should be no jankiness, and everything should be pretty quiet even as the JTX Cyclo-Go delivers a more intense workout.
The touchscreen is far better than you might expect for the price. It is full colour and comes with 21 programs, meaning that you should be able to find something to suit every requirement, and you shouldn’t get bored. Options include standard workouts such as hill, interval, fat burning and heart rate programs. The usual metrics are all trackable, meaning that you should receive all the useful data you need in real time: time, distance, speed and calories, alongside body fat measurement and heart rate monitoring.
There is a quick start button so that you can come into it as and when you want to, going hard straight off the bat if needs be.
The heart rate tracker serves a larger purpose than simply providing you with interesting data. The heart rate programs mentioned above are invaluable weight loss and aerobic training tools. The computer monitors your heart rate and adjusts resistance accordingly to keep you where you need it to be. Pulse sensors on the handles do a decent enough job of tracking your heart rate; alternatively, the inbuilt Polar receiver can connect the bike to any compatible Polar technology.
You can also select watt training programs, which tie your performance to target levels of power generation. This is great for those with a competitive edge, or for those who need a hard goal to keep them motivated.
There are also options to create your own training programs, giving you the kind of variety needed from a long-term investment in any piece of cardio equipment.
All in all, the JTX Cyclo-Go gives everything you want from a model of its type. Five stars for the specs.
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Using the JTX Cyclo-Go
First off, this is a great looking machine. This isn’t the be all and end all and should never make or break a purchasing decision. It’s just a nice perk when your at-home cardio equipment looks nice.
The JTX Cyclo Go is also pretty comfortable. The cushioned seats are on the large size and are well-padded. They adjust horizontally and vertically for proper customisation, as you would usually expect from this kind of equipment. The handlebars are also adjustable to a point – you can tilt them to find the right riding position. They cannot be adjusted horizontally or vertically, however. It’s no big deal, but it’s always nice when handlebars can be.
The JTX Cyclo Go also has a low step-through access point. This makes it perfect for more overweight users, or those with mobility issues. I would thoroughly recommend the JTX Cyclo-Go for physio and rehab purposes based on this alone.
The build quality is also very good. Whilst it doesn’t hit as hard as market leaders like Peloton, the Cyclo-Go is incredibly well designed and well made for its price point. Everything feels sturdy, as mentioned above, and there is a distinct lack of rock and motion, and noise, during even the hardest of rides. This is all down to the electro-magnetic resistance and 11kg flywheel, also mentioned above.
You will therefore be able to train with a good degree of confidence and comfort, no matter your size or mobility. You won’t be in danger of falling off, or of bothering your housemates, which is key for any at-home training equipment. The control, low impact, low stress approach makes the Cyclo Go a very reassuring ride for newcomers to fitness.
The 21 programmes are all easily found and used via the touchscreen console. It’s navigable and intuitive, even for the less tech-adept among us (amongst whom I squarely count myself).
I personally find the seat to be too much of a ‘bucket’ style affair, all comfort without any deference to performance. I like a slim, bike style saddle that really allows me to put some serious power down. The flywheel, for all that it is heavy gauge, well-built and quiet, doesn’t go far enough for me. The upper ranges of resistance are not quite tough enough – I like to really be able to tear a bike apart during a sprint, which this doesn’t allow for.
Because of this, I can’t recommend the JTX Cyclo-Go for experienced athletes or cyclists, or those looking for a really hardcore workout with HIIT and sprint periods. It simply doesn’t give you the resistance or ability to bring power to bear that is needed for advanced training. For that, you might be better suited to the JTX Cyclo 6 or JLL IC400 Pro.
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Who should Buy The Cyclo Go?
So, who is the JTX Cyclo-Go good for?
Well, its comfortable seat, smooth operation and mid-range resistance, coupled with its sturdy build and secure frame, make it perfect for larger athletes looking to lose weight. Its ease of access, alongside these features, also makes it great for those with mobility issues. If you cannot (or don’t want to) put down some serious power, and value accessibility, security and comfort more than hardcore training, this is the one for you. You will find it incredibly relevant to your training needs.
I’m not saying any of this pejoratively. There is a real need for people with mobility issues and/or high bodyfat levels to get access to aerobic training. Higher impact forms – and even lower impact forms on less forgiving machines – simply won’t be appropriate to them. The JTX Cyclo-Go absolutely will be.
I’m not saying that this is the only relevant market for the JTX Cyclo-Go. If you’re a mid-tier athlete looking to build your fitness to a decent standard without wanting to sprint, or if you’re simply looking to maintain healthy body composition, you will get a lot of utility from it. It is cheap for what it does and it does what it does very, very well.
I can’t think of too many people who would be disappointed by the JTX Cyclo-Go.
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Verdict
That pretty much sums up my view on the JTX Cyclo-Go. It’s good. It’s a well-designed machine, executed well. You’ll never get a first-class workout from it, but few people are looking for a first-class workout, so this is usually fine – especially for a home cardio machine.
What you will get is comfort, accessibility, stability and safety, and, importantly, affordability. At just a few hundred quid, it punches above its weight. Everyone will get something from it. Even I got a decent ride from it, despite lamenting its lack of upper-range resistance. The programmes are great and the seat, whilst sub-optimal for athleticism, is very comfortable.
If you’re carrying a little extra weight or are struggling with any kind of mobility issues, you will get a lot from it. The JTX Cyclo-Go really could do you well.