HandCycle - Mini Exerciser - Upper Body Ergometer

After breaking my ankle, I wanted to find an arm ergomoter trainer that would allow me to maintain some degree of aerobic conditioning, as the club I belong to has no such device. I wanted to find something that had some substance to it, could challenge me, wouldn't take up a ton of space in my home, and would cost under $500. I thought the TherapyTrainer HandCycle looked a bit odd, with its baseball handgrips, but based upon the very detailed review provided by the first reviewer of this product, I decided to purchase it. I am very happy!First of all, the product was shipped and received quickly, and assembly of the unit is easy, thanks to the well-written and easily-understood manual. The unit is substantial and it isn't going to be easily pulled or tipped over, like inexpensive hand-operated cycles. The cups on the stabilization bars are grippy and they too help add to the substantial feel of the unit. The baseball handgrips are remarkably comfortable and the ability to change the angle of your grip is an excellent way to work different muscles and not stress your hands and wrists because of prolonged repetitive motion in the same position.The machine runs very quietly, and I really like it that the tension adjustment is placed directly on the front of the trainer. This allows me to do a bit of circuit training by setting the trainer at a more of an endurance level, but then crank it up to a more difficult tension level for a minute or two, then lower it to the previous setting. After I'm healed, I can see it as being a great addition to a home aerobic-strength circuit workout, which will come in handy when I'm too busy or the weather is so inclement that I can't get out to the gym.Overall I feel that this trainer is an excellent value for the money, and I think it would be a great addition for anyone's home gym.

I am extremely pleased with this purchase. It is very high quality--don't think for a minute that this is cheap junk. The mechanism is rugged and the spinning operation is butter-smooth. The baseball handles are (pardon the pun) a home run--they enable users to vary their hand position to work a variety of muscles and joints. The display is so-so, but I don't really care about that. I simply do 100 revolutions as fast as I can at whatever "tension" I find to be challenging yet doable. My only disappointment is there is no way to annotate the tension setting--its just a simple wheel. That makes it a bit difficult for two users (wife and I), since there's no way to find "your" setting after a change. Still, I can work around thatshortcoming. For now, we've placed ours on the dining room table (which we rarely use), and do 100 revs as we walk by. At my setting, 100 revs provides a dandy muscle burn. If you're in the market for one of these devices, I can't imagine you'd be disappointed in this one.

Useful for table top when using for arm exercising. Unless it is clamped down it walks on the table top when the friction is raised. The friction pads slide off the feet and the adhesive can leave marks on a table. When using on the floor for leg exercising, I push the machine up against the wall to keep it in place. It is good from my wheel chair to get my legs moving a little. The balls are great for holding onto with your hands, but not so good for feet. The factory recommended not to regularly switch between the foot pedals and the hand balls, because it wear out the arm threads. I've thought about making a foot pedal that fits over the ball, but just use heavy soled tennis shoes on the balls.

I ordered the Therapy Trainer and expected a mid to large box. It came in a smaller to mid sized box. It was pretty easy to assemble. Two nuts and a wing screw for the base. The baseball handles also needed to be screwed in but after that the machine is ready for use.Solid build, SOLID! The grips on the base are excellent at keeping the machine in place. I have it placed on my table top. The foward facing base slides out so the base can be extended. In the photo of the machine here on Amazon the base is pushed all the way into the cycle, but it does slide out further for a more solid platform.The baseball grips are life size baseballs. The resistance on this machine is impressive. I was expecting a more flimsy resistance but this handcycle has great resistance. The resistance dial is easy to set from light to heavy resistance.A AA battery display also plugs into the machine or rather the machine plugs into the device. The device has a timer, calorie count and gauges rpms. That is I use it to keep a consistent pace. This device sits atop of the handcycle.I am a C6 quad with paraplegic attributes and this handcycle was to help with cardio. It has definitely helped with the cardio and the baseball grips depending on how you hold them work out different areas of the arms, at least with me they do. I notice the triceps were buring in position and shoulders in another. Overall the entire arm feels to be getting the workout.I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a solid handcycle.

It works well. I use it at least twice per week to build arm strength and get aerobic exercise. I walk daily, but it hurts to walk and to sit (chronic post-surgical pain) making it difficult to find ways to exercise. I use this as a break from walking. Plus it improves my upper body strength which I appreciate. I stand to use it to get a better work out - I put it on top of a dresser to be the right height. It easy to assemble and carry. You can adjust the tension for the amount of difficulty needed. I plan to increase the duration and frequency of use as I get stronger. Thanks for making this. So glad to have it!

Assemble was simple, only a few minutes and it was up and running. Very stable, does not slide around due to weight of machine and rubber feet. . Operation is smooth. Great exercise tool. It may cost more, but well worth the price.