If you think that you can’t exercise and stay healthy just because you have to sit in front of a desk eight hours a day, think again. DeskCycle vs Cubii Jr are under-desk bike trainers that are specifically designed to help you. These machines can easily fit under office desks. With either of them, you can exercise while working.
So, which under-desk bike trainer is the best? Continue reading to find out about:
– Which model that is lighter and more portable
– The build quality of each model
– The comparison of their ergonomics
– The features of DeskCycle and Cubii Jr
– The performance of DeskCycle vs Cubii Jr
– Whether you should go for DeskCycle or Cubii Jr
Size and Weight
In terms of design, DeskCycle and Cubii Jr are somewhat similar. Unlike the full-size bike trainers Schwinn 130 vs 170, these under-desk bike trainers are much simpler. They each only have a main body with a pair of foot pedals. This way, you can easily fit either of them under your office desk so that you don’t have to forego your fitness in favor of work.
Then again, there are some small differences in the dimensions of DeskCycle and Cubii Jr. While it is a little bit bigger, the whole weight of DeskCycle is still lower than Cubii Jr.
DeskCycle measures 10 inches x 24 inches x 20 inches. It has a weight of approximately 23 lbs. According to the manufacturer, DeskCycle can fit under a desk that is 27 inches tall. However, you also need to consider your height. If you are quite a tall person and the desk is rather low, you may end up bumping your knees to the desk when training with the unit. You can also easily fit the unit in your backpack or your car’s trunk.
| DeskCycle | Cubii Jr | |
|---|---|---|
  |   |
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| Product Dimensions | 24 x 20 x 10 inches | 23.2 x 17.6 x 10 inches |
| Shipping Weight | 24.3 pounds | 29.9 pounds |
| Best offer | Check price | Check price |
While the unit is rather small, DeskCycle is not totally discreet. The white housing and the metallic feet may catch someone’s attention. It is pretty good-looking, though, so you probably won’t need to worry if your co-worker sees it.
Cubii Jr measures 9.8 inches x 23.1 inches x 17.6 inches. Despite the smaller physical size, this model is actually heavier at 28 lbs. The smaller physical size means that you will be able to fit the unit under your desk or in your car’s trunk more easily. Meanwhile, the extra weight is beneficial that it can help to make the unit more stable during use. Cubii Jr is also said to be able to fit under most desks just fine.
Besides having a small, portable body, Cubii Jr is also very good-looking. The all-black finish suits the unit perfectly. It is quite discreet because the all-black finish can blend nicely with the shadow under your desk. But the beautiful design of the unit may make you want to show it off to your co-workers instead of hiding it.
Build Quality
Generally speaking, both DeskCycle vs Cubii Jr do have good build quality. Their frames feel sturdy and robust. They also have decent weight limits.
DeskCycle comes with a tough frame that is constructed of steel and chrome. It has a user weight limit of 300 lbs, so most people should be able to use this unit safely. In addition, it is equipped with wide legs that have rubber pads, so it is very stable. It won’t move around when you are pedaling.
Unfortunately, DeskCycle still has plenty of very obvious plastic parts. The main housing and foot pedals are plastic. They seem to be pretty robust, but they still lack that premium feel. The thin stick that attaches the small display to the main housing also doesn’t seem to be really sturdy.
Cubii Jr, on the other hand, doesn’t show any metallic part from the outside. However, you can feel from the weighty body that it has a strong, durable metallic frame inside. Also, it doesn’t specifically mention a user weight limit, but there hasn’t been any report about the unit breaking from being used by a heavy person. The casing is a thick, tough plastic, but it doesn’t feel cheap. On the contrary, it actually feels premium.
The foot pedals of Cubii Jr are quite wide, hence giving your feet plenty of comfort. Just like the rest of the housing, the foot pedals are thick and sturdy. A small display is integrated on the top of the unit, so you won’t need to worry about accidentally breaking it apart. There are also solid rubberized feet to prevent movement during use.
Ergonomics
The next notable difference between DeskCycle vs Cubii Jr is the ergonomics. Since you are going to use the bike trainer while you are working in your office room or simply reading in your living room, comfort is vital. You need something that will allow you to exercise without thinking much about it. And, more importantly, you don’t want something that causes you to develop a bad body posture due to a bad design.
DeskCycle has a pretty good design, but it is not flawless. Let’s start from the good things. First, the resistance control knob is located on the bottom, so you will be able to make adjustments easily. Second, the display has been angled in such a way that will allow you to read the shown information easily from your seat. Third, the foot pedals have velcro straps that will help to keep your feet in place.
Unfortunately, the foot pedals are not very ergonomic. They are small, and they are not angled enough to allow a natural gait motion. In addition, while the velcro straps are useful at times, having to put them on and off all the time is quite annoying.
Cubii Jr is better in terms of ergonomics. To begin with, it comes with wide foot pedals that have been angled enough to allow you to push them comfortably from a natural sitting position. You won’t need to deal with annoying velcro straps. The wide foot pedals provide plenty of footing areas, and they have textured lines to prevent your feet from slipping.
In fact, Cubii Jr has received the 2016 Good Design Award – that should be sufficient to showcase the excellent design of the product. The resistance control knob is also easy to access on the lower part of the unit, and the display screen is easy to read.
Features
There are several similarities as well as differences in the features of DeskCycle vs Cubii Jr. They both have adjustable resistance levels, and they can do more than just allowing your feet to exercise. They can also track your fitness metrics. So, fitness enthusiasts will be able to sync the exercise data with other apps.
DeskCycle has 8 selectable resistance levels, ranging from the lightest to the heaviest. The ability to adjust the resistance is very useful because different people have different physical conditions and needs. This under-desk bike trainer is also equipped with a small display that will tell you some information related to your fitness and performance, such as the speed, distance, time, and burned calories. Optionally, there is a table-top display that will allow you to monitor those metrics without having to glance down.
The unit can keep your data for 1,000 minutes. Once the threshold is reached, the oldest data will get overwritten for new data. The company also has a free web application for logging your fitness data. Unfortunately, DeskCycle doesn’t have any sort of connectivity, so you will need to input the data manually.
Cubii Jr also has 8 selectable resistance levels. It is similar that it also has a small display that will show you information like RPM, distance travelled, steps taken, and calories burned. However, Cubii Jr doesn’t have any connectivity feature. If you want a machine that can sync your fitness data automatically over Bluetooth, you will need to upgrade to a more expensive model, Cubii Pro.
That model can work with the Cubii mobile app and sync to third-party fitness apps like Fitbit and Apple HealthKit. Meanwhile, with Cubii Jr, you will have to input the data manually.
Performance
DeskCycle is generally good and quite effective for cardio training. At the higher settings, it can really make you sweat. It can help to burn some calories. But it is more for firming your lower muscles. When you are in the office, you may want to use one of the lighter settings so that you won’t be all sweaty.
The only issue with DeskCycle is that it is not very ergonomic. You need to pay attention to your body posture in order to avoid getting into a bad body posture habit. Not to mention that dealing with the velcro straps can be annoying at times.
Cubii Jr is great in terms of performance. The resistance feels smooth and natural across all the available settings. The lighter ones are fairly easy, so they won’t make you excessively panting and sweaty. The heavier ones are more challenging, useful for more intense training at home.
It is effective for cardio training and strengthening muscles. The ergonomic design of Cubii Jr is very nice. You can exercise comfortably from a natural sitting position. Plus, the unit is very silent during use.
DeskCycle vs Cubii Jr
Conclusion
In general, Cubii Jr is better and more recommended. It is more ergonomic and more comfortable to use. You can exercise easily from a natural sitting position. It also has a better build quality.
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