Tour De France Exercise Bike Review 2019 – A Good Buy For You?

 

 

Curious about a Tour De France Exercise bike?

Wondering if it’s a good choice for you?

The Proform Tour De France bikes are some of the most advanced home training bikes on the market right now.

People love how they give you a more realistic training experience with incline and decline as well as full-color, HD screens showing you parts of the actual Tour De France.

So you can experience a taste of what it’s like to cycle the famous TDF.

However there are a few things you should know about these bikes before you buy.

This post will update you on what you need to know – including 5 key benefits you get with these bikes, the latest TDF models, how they measure up and where to find them.

 

 

 

Tour De France Exercise Bike Review 2019

 

History of the TDF Bike:

Proform Tour De France indoor bikes have been around for over 8 years in various forms. There have been a lot of models and many different names – from the 1.0 to the 2.0 and even the 5.0 models.

 

 

It can get confusing since there are lots of reviews on these older models – but they aren’t even being sold anymore.

And to be frank – the early versions of these bikes – while groundbreaking in concept – didn’t really live up to the hype. There were lots of reports of inclines not working, consoles freezing or the bikes generally not working as they should.

Personally I think Proform rushed them out without working out all the kinks – which was part of the problem and resulted in poor user reviews.

However the good news is that Proform/ICON have now had around 8 years to fix these issues.

 

 

And the newer models are actually much improved – without the problems that plagued older models.

They’re bringing in a lot more positive customer reviews and feedback as well.

This isn’t surprising since ICON now also produces several other bikes (like the Nordictrack S22i or Grand Tour Pro) that also have full-color screens and incline/decline.

And they’ll probably be producing even more bikes like this in the future. So they’re getting extremely good at building these more intensive training-style bikes.

But what about the Tour De France bikes themselves?

 

 

Proform Tour De France Bikes – Benefits

 

#1 Ride Sections or the Tour De France – Or Cycle Anywhere in the World!

Depending on the model, you can ride different sections of the Tour De France and watch the actual scenery pass you by in the console or your tablet window.

These bikes now come iFit compatible.

With iFit Coach you can choose from literally thousands of different famous trails to ride. The bike will actually incline or decline to match the actual terrain that you’re riding – for a more virtual-reality style of training.

 

 

Another thing you can do with iFit Coach?

Take a high-energy cycling class from your console. Various instructors will lead you through the workout – it’s the next best thing to taking a cycling class at your gym.

 

 

#2 Get More Realistic Training with Incline/Decline

Depending on the model, you can get up to 20 degrees of incline and 20 degrees of decline. You change this from the console or from the handlebars on the bike.

This lends a more realistic feel to your training and can add a lot more challenge to your workouts!

 

#3 Work Your Upper Body

With the new 2019 Tour De France bike models you will also get a Free pair of 3 pound handweights that fit in the wire holder on the bike. So you can easily build in some upper body training as you workout.

 

#4 Experience Trails in Full HD Color

The Proform TDF Pro model even has a large, full-color, HD, touch-screen console. So you can watch the iFit trails you’re riding in full, living color. Or just view your workout stats in full color with a swipe of your finger to see how far you’ve come.

 

#5 Fully Customizable To You

You can also swap out the seats and the pedals on these bikes for your own. So you can customize the bike to be the most comfortable fit for you.

You can also easily adjust the seat forward/back and up/down. The handlebars are also adjustable both vertically and horizontally. So you get a lot of customization options on these bikes that you don’t normally find on indoor training bikes.

 

 

 

Tour De France Bike Models:

 

There are currently 2 models for sale:

 

Proform TDF Bike

This is the most affordable, simplest option. It comes with up to 15 degrees of incline and decline along with a bright, backlit, single-color console (not multi-color).

While the console is simpler on this model, you can attach your tablet using the tablet holder above the console.

 

 

So you can connect to iFit Coach that way and watch trails as you run through your tablet screen. You can also use any other streaming service that you may have – or just watch Netflix or YouTube videos as you ride.

One Caveat However: As of this writing this model was slowly being phased out. So it might not be available too much longer.

 

Click Here for More on the Proform TDF Bike

 

 

Proform TDF PRO Bike

This is the premium Tour De France model with all the bells and whistles. This includes the large, full-color, HD console complete with a 1-year of iFit Coach streaming workouts included.

 

 

So you can try iFit out to see if you like it (the bike also works fine without iFit if you decide you don’t want iFit).

Plus you get up to 20 degrees of incline and 20 degrees of decline on this bike for more of a challenge.

And the handlebars are a bit more finished and comfortable overall. You also get 24 built-in Tour De France workouts on this bike that you don’t get with the other model.

 

Click Here for More on the Proform TDF PRO  

 

 

Summary:

So those are some of the things you should know about the Tour De France Exercise bikes.

Are they the right choice for you?

I think they’re most suited to avid cyclists and those who want more from their indoor training bike than just the standard features. And if you want to experience what it’s like to ride the Tour De France, it’s pretty much the next best thing to being there.

Plus these bikes are also quite affordable – so if you want a great training bike without spending $3000+ for a commercial model, they’re a fantastic choice.

Just be aware that if you’re buying one second-hand, you’ll want to be extra-careful since the older models were not made as well as the newer ones and there have been problems reported with older models. (Plus, most people don’t realize that if they buy second hand the warranty is voided and they have no warranty protection on the bike).

Want to Learn More?

 

Click Here to Compare All Current Tour De France Models

 

 

 

 

Proform TDF PRO Bike Review

Proform TDF Bike Review