Flexispot Cycle Desk Bike V9 Pro review

When it comes to keeping fit, every little helps, but working exercise into your daily routine can be tricky, especially if your job involves you spending a lot of time sitting down. One solution is a bike desk, that allows you to cycle your legs as you respond to emails, or sit in meetings. Unlike a lot of the best exercise bikes on the market, this won’t get you serious cycling gains, but it can help you add some movement to your day-to-day routine. 

But how easy is it to cycle and type? To find out more, I tested the Flexispot Cycle Desk Bike V9 Pro — a relatively cheap desk bike, with an adjustable seat and desk, making it suitable for anyone from 5”1 to 6”2. Find out how it compares to some of the other bikes in our roundup in the Flexispot Cycle Desk Bike V9 Pro review below. 

Flexispot Cycle Desk Bike V9 Pro review: Price and availability

At the time of writing, the Flexispot Cycle Desk Bike V9 Pro costs $399/£339. This includes the bike and the adjustable desktop. You can purchase the bike alone and slot it underneath your desk, especially if you have one of the best standing desks already. The bike is available in black and white. 

The bike comes with free shipping, and has a 30-day risk-free return policy, allowing you to try cycling while working, and getting your money back if it’s not for you. 

Flexispot Cycle Desk Bike V9 Pro review: Design and set-up 

Design-wise, the Flexispot Cycle Desk Bike V9 Pro is pretty simple. The bottom part of the desk is a bike, with an adjustable seat, a small digital display that displays time (how long you’ve been cycling), speed of pedaling, distance, calorie burn, total distance, and overall speed. You can cycle through these displays, have them constantly rotate, or pause on one while using the bike. You will need to insert two AA batteries to make this screen work. 

Underneath the small screen, there’s a knob that goes from one to eight and allows you to increase or decrease the resistance. A higher resistance makes the medals harder to turn and works your muscles harder.

There’s also a desktop, which is big enough for most laptops and a notebook. I found that the desktop was easy to raise and lower, and move forward and back to get a comfortable position on the bike. I was able to use the bike as a standing desk when I didn’t want to pedal. At 5'1", I had more than enough room to raise the desk when I wanted to stand up, however much taller users might want to double-check the height restrictions if they plan on using the bike as a standing desk. Alternatively, if you plan on slotting the bike underneath an existing desk, you can purchase it without this table.

The entire bike is on wheels, which makes it easy to move out from underneath a desk, or wheel out of the way if, like me, your work space doubles as a bedroom or living room when you’re not using it. It would also be handy in an office, if more than one of you is planning on sharing the bike.

The construction of the bike was extremely easy. The bike arrived in two parts — the ‘bike’ bit was already assembled, and only required me to snap the legs out, move the pedals into position (they are folded into the bike when it arrives), insert the desktop onto the base, and insert some bolts to keep the bike together. The entire assembly took around 10 minutes.

Flexispot Cycle Desk Bike V9 Pro review: Performance

A bit like tapping your head and rubbing your belly at the same time, I thought it would be complicated to concentrate on work while cycling my legs. Normally when I use an exercise bike, I’m going full tilt, working up a sweat; this is an entirely different experience, and, much to my boss’s relief, it was far easier to do both than I had anticipated. 

The bike itself feels sturdy and comfortable. I was able to sit and pedal for an hour, while still getting work done. It’s easy to bend down and increase the resistance if you want a challenge, and glance at the screen to see how you’re getting on. 

I fixed the screen on distance, as I was intrigued to see how far I could cycle during a normal work day. I soon noticed that the screen pauses on your current ride until you reset it by holding down on the button, so I was able to stand up for parts of the day, or go and refill my water bottle without losing my current distance.

As someone who has been testing fitness equipment for years, I never believe it when a brand says a piece of kit is quiet, but this bike really is. I was able to answer calls and sit in meetings without my colleagues knowing I was on a bike, as the gentle whirring wasn’t loud enough for anyone to ask questions. Compared to a lot of the best under desk treadmills, this is far more suitable to a shared office, or a home office you plan on using when others are sleeping.

The bike was easy to wheel around on both hard flooring and carpet (although I wouldn’t recommend wheeling it with your laptop and a full water bottle on the desk like I did, as it felt a little sketchy), although the bike itself isn’t the smallest to store if you’re short on space. If you have a standing desk, you can slot it neatly underneath to keep it out the way, but if not, it’ll have to stay out in the living room, office, or bedroom.

While this is undoubtedly a brilliant idea for anyone sitting down all day, as it was nice to keep my legs moving and feel like I was doing more than just sitting, as an exercise bike, this won’t help you make serious gains. In fact, it probably won’t do much for your road cycling technique, aside from working on your leg strength, but I’d argue this isn’t really the point of the bike — it’s more of a desk than a piece of exercise equipment.

Flexispot Cycle Desk Bike V9 Pro review: Verdict 

The Flexispot Cycle Desk Bike V9 Pro was easy to assemble, easy to use, and easy to wheel around the office. It’s a great way to keep your legs moving and add some exercise to your time spent stuck behind your laptop, but if you’re a serious cyclist, you’re better off buying an actual exercise bike that’ll help you train indoors. 

The best exercise bike in our guide is the Sunny Health and Fitness Bike, which is an affordable, no-frills, sturdy exercise bike that’ll allow you to spin at home. It’s quiet enough to use with other people in the house, and has a smooth ride. 

If, on the other hand, you’re looking for a desk, you can’t go wrong with the Flexispot Cycle Desk Bike V9 Pro — it’s affordable, easy to use, and does exactly what it says on the tin. Just don’t expect to be Tour de France fit after your next team meeting.