So far so good.
I have had this exercise pedal machine for a little over two weeks now.  I use it for a hour and a half each day (two 45min sessions).  And so far I am really enjoying it.<br /><br />Within the first week one of my pedals was making a thumping noise/feeling on each cycle (it was definitely the pedal and not the internals of the machine) and was quite annoying, but this was due to improper positioning.  Since then I have got it in the perfect position and it no longer does this.<br /><br />Overall the operation is quite smooth, but on occasion you can feel a bit of 'grittiness' on the cycling, but nothing that severely impacts the performance of the machine.  It is most definitely quite too, and this a HUGE plus for me.  It makes virtually no noise whatsoever.  The construction of this machine is top notch, the main internals of the machine are rock solid and don't move/vibrate at all.<br /><br />As far as a good exercise is concerned, it does very well for it's small package.  Granted it doesn't have the strength of a full-sized pedal machine, but for its size it goes above and beyond what I expected.  It has just enough resistance to get a great sweat worked up and burns calories quite well.  And I am not even sure if I have mine turned up all the way (it's at least pretty close to full).  If I keep it between 15-17 MPH for 45 mins, according to the machine I burn between 420-460 calories.  Obviously this calorie count isn't 100% accurate and is probably a low-ball estimation, but even if it wasn't that is a decent amount of calories for 45mins IMO.  For my weight and age I estimate the calorie count from the machine plus 20%.  For my two 45min sessions on this machine, I estimate I burn over 1,000 calories a day on it.  And just so we are clear I am a 24 year old male and have very strong legs.  And this machine has the perfect resistance level for me.  Not too easy, and not too hard.<br /><br />As far as ease of use is concerned, it doesn't get any better than this.  It is small, portable, quite and can be used with practically any chair.  I currently use my computer chair and it works out magnificently.  I do the machine while watching some Netflix instant watch TV shows (which are 44 minuet long shows).  And the time just FLY'S by when you do it this way.  In a way it's almost fun.  The on-board meter that comes with the machine does its job pretty well.  It has the most simplest features, but these features to me are crucial.  Calorie count, time, speed, and distance.  The machine cycles through these every few seconds.  And for me has worked out very well. It has a auto-stop feature that stops the clock if you stop cycling (and starts back up when you start cycling again), which is nice to have.  It is also easily reset by holding down the main red button for a few seconds.  The only complaint I would have about the meter is sometimes it's hard to read, It would be nice to have a back-light of some kind or perhaps colored LED letters/numbers (like a digital clock).<br /><br />Now finding the right position for the machine in relation to your chair/legs can be quite tricky.  I suggest you mark the floor with the spots you are comfortable with (I use tape to mark the end points).  That way when you use it again you will have it in the same exact spot as before.  And trust me, this makes a bigger difference than you might imagine.  As this is one of the biggest drawbacks of the portable machine like this, is the inconstancy with placement.  Cause the full sized machines are always fixed.  So if you mark the floor and keep it in the same spot each time, this will make it much better.  The other part about this machine is that it does move, especially when you start to speed up.  I have tried a few different things to keep it from moving, putting weights on the end, but this didn't help much and it slowly creeps forward as you use it.  I now have a bar that hits the end of the machine legs and is placed against a non-moving platform.  So far this is working great for me.  But make sure you do something like this, because if the machine slowly moves forward, it can get quite annoying and changes the dynamics of the exercise more than you might think.<br /><br />Another thing to note about this machine is that the outer plastic casing does warm up (not hot, just warm).  I am not sure why it would warm up, cause if it was 100% magnetic based, there shouldn't be any touching/rubbing parts on the inside.  But perhaps the heat comes from some kind of magnetic energy field that gets generated when using this.  But either way the warmth isn't a problem at all, just thought I would mention it.<br /><br />Overall it is working out great for me.  I am not sure how long it will last, but so far with almost 25 hours of constant use, it is holding up nicely.<br /><br />P.S. Oh and I use this machine with my bear feet.  Never tried using it with shoes yet.<br /><br />UPDATE: Well, it's been just about 3 months now since I received this product.  I am proud to say I have been using it for at least 45 minuets a day since I got the machine... I have not missed ONE day of exercise since I got it, no kidding.  Mixed with a calorie reduced diet and 45 minuet pedal exercise each day, I am steadily losing weight, feeling better and looking thinner.<br /><br />There is only a few things I want to point out.  First isn't so much about the machine, but about technique.  After using this machine daily, you really start to work your way up in speed.  I can now hold steady at 24-25 MPH for 45 mins straight.  This ends up burning roughly 670 calories according to the bike.  And believe me, even after all this time of me using the machine, I still get one heck of a burn.  I have never sweat so much in my life (seriously).  This may sound gross, but after I am done with my 45 mins on the machine, my t-shirt is literally dripping with sweat.  My entire shirt from head to waste is absolutely soaked (especially my backside).  And I have to make sure I have a heavy duty sweat rag to wipe my face and neck every minuet or so.  So yeah, the machine does work just as well as a stand-alone machine IMO.<br /><br />Secondly is the downsides I have found so far.  For the most part, the machine still works flawlessly.  It is still very smooth and the resistance stays the same day in and day out.  However, it does make a lot of creaking and cracking noises when I use it.  At one point it was making a very loud horrible screeching sound every time I rotation around.  So I took the outer-shell off as best I could (without unscrewing the pedals) and once I put it back together the sound went away.  But is still creaks, cracks and pops with every turn, and can get very annoying if you let it get to you (it's the sound of the outer-shell plastic moving against itself).  If tedious popping and creaking sounds annoy you (they do for me, I also hate constant barking dogs), one thing you can do is put on a movie or TV show and crank the volume up while you use the machine.  Another solution would be to completely remove the outer plastic shell around the machine.  I would do this, but my pedals seems to be permanently stuck in place now, so I cannot remove them and therefore cannot remove the shell.  But aside from looking a bit odd (neat inner workings though) this should get rid of the creaking noises.  And far as I can tell from when I unscrewed the shell, it does nothing except add cosmetic features to the machine and make creaking noises.<br /><br />But the overall operation of the machine is still is in good working condition.  Aside from the annoying popping/cracking noises that make it anything but quiet, it works great and provides a excellent exercise.<br /><br />UPDATE 2/19/2011:  Well, this is just a minor update to comment on the bikes long-term use.  As mentioned previously in my last update, I had commented that the machine makes constant creaking and cracking noises as you use it, and can drive somebody absolutely insane if your a person who gets overly irritated at random noises that are completely out of your control.  Well, after repeatedly performing some make-shift surgury to the bike to finally pin-point the problem, I have completely eliminated the creaking noises by lining the entire inside of the machines shell (where the plastic meets itself) with thick tape and screwed it down nice and tight.  The creaking noises are now completely GONE!<br /><br />However while I always manage to fix something, another problem rolls right around the corner.  So after fixing the plastic creaking FINALLY, now I am having trouble with my pedals.  Aside from the horrible squeaking as I rotated the pedals (they just needed some oil) they are now getting more and more loose(side to side and up/down looseness).  So this in turn often creates a strange 'lumpy' feeling on each rotation when I am using it, and can often make thumping noises too.  The good thing is that this bike seems to have the same pedal threading and size as a regular bicycle pedal (and every other exercise bike pedal as well) so I think I can easily replace the pedals with different ones for less than $15.  And once I do that, it should be smooth sailing!<br /><br />Overall though, the internals are still working absolutely perfectly with no flaws that I can see yet, even after 45 mins a day for just about 4 months now (I still haven't missed one day yet).  I am simply amazed at the quality of the construction for the moving internal parts.  The pedals may suck, and the case may need fixing to avoid creaking and is cheap plastic... but the insides are built like a tank!<br /><br />UPDATE 5/26/11 - Well, still not ONE day has passed where I did not exercise at least 45 minuets on this pedal exerciser.  Since my last update there hasn't been any major problems that have arose.  There have been some minor technical problems with the pedals, but after completely dissembling my pedals and re-oiling them, it has been fairly smooth sailing.  Sure the pedals still click and 'thump' under certain circumstances, but they are holding up quite well.<br /><br />Recently I tried switching the stock pedals with some non-stock pedals I got from here on Amazon, but the new pedals I got were worse then the stock ones.  Only a few minuets into my exercise and my new pedals started thumping horribly, which was unbelievably annoying. I have since replaced the new pedals with the stock ones after a full disassembly and re-oiling.<br /><br />In case anybody is wondering, the stock pedals for this machine are 9/16", and they have no bearings whatsoever.
Rating: 5 stars