Top critical review
1.0 out of 5 starsDoesn't provide promised Bluetooth.
Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2014
2016.11.19 edit: Winter is here, I want to exercise and record efforts, and once again I am reminded that this was worst purchase I ever made on Amazon. $2k for a bike that promised Bluetooth data transfer to apps on phones with "many apps coming soon". Two years later and still the bike doesn't connect to popular phone apps. I really cannot fathom how Keiser can continue to falsely advertise the Bluetooth capability.
2015.10.17 edit: Almost one year after purchasing and still no legitimate solution for ‘more bluetooth apps are coming every day’.
It is good to hear from Mike, but his answers are misleading. Companies generate solutions to provide value to customers. They then advertise how those solutions will meet customer needs to convince customers to purchase their solutions. Kaiser clearly advertised that the M3i would connect to smartphones with the implication that it would work as most customers would expect…customers could use any of the most common apps...in Keiser's advertisements they didn't mention that customers would have to completely shift how they track their health data to obscure apps that folks have not previously heard about (probably because they knew no one would pay the extra $100s for the Bluetooth feature). Searching the Apple app store or Android’s store, will demonstrate that the suggested apps are not anywhere near the top in terms of popularity if they appear at all. So for Mike to imply the issue is merely that I have some obscure app that won't work and so it is my problem is shifting blame rather than working to provide a good solution. I am open to using most of the common apps (Stava, MapMyRide, Wahoo, Cyclometer, Runmeter or Apple's HealthKit directly ... Even if the obscure apps they suggest mapped to Apple HealthKit / Activity that would work ... At the end of the day getting their data [particularly power vs time tracked over years] into a database to use with other health data is goal).
Additionally, claiming the M3i uses the new ‘advanced low power bluetooth chipset and its protocol’ as an excuse for why their system won’t connect to the common iPhone and Android apps is misleading like the original claim that the M3i would connect to ‘many apps’. Many providers of sensors from Wahoo, Topeak, Polar, and others use the new low power advanced bluetooth chip sets and are able to use existing profiles to connect to existing apps. Kaiser could very easily have mapped to the ‘power’ profile and would have had instant connection to most smartphone apps. Instead they wrote their own protocol and then blame the app providers for not coding to their unique protocol…most app providers do not find enough return on investment to code to every spinner manufacturer’s unique protocol. Rather than saying it is an app provider problem, Keiser could develop an update to their software to deliver additional protocols consistent with what app developers are currently using (e.g., power profile). Then most apps would automatically support. They could also work with the popular app providers to ensure their existing unique protocol is supported (Keiser may have to pay the app developers to ensure this happens). Or Keiser could caveat the Bluetooth option in their advertising literature to indicate the unique hoops folks must pursue to use Keiser's Bluetooth feature.
So my review stays as is until Keiser provides a solution to provide the promised connection to smart phones that isn’t caveated by directing customers to apps that don’t make it into the top health apps. The end product Keiser is advertising and charging more for customers to obtain is their product. They need to make it work for existing and future customers or stop advertising it. Ford would receive negative reviews if they advertised 100 mpg for their new Focus and couldn't deliver results. If then when customer's started giving negative reviews they claimed it was that the gas stations weren't providing the 'advanced fuel blend', no one would 'buy' their excuse. Folks would expect Ford to fix the issue or change their advertising.
2015.04.05 edit: I am still waiting for "many more BlueTooth apps coming everyday" that are claimed in comments to my review and in many on-line reviews. Here we are 1/2 year after I purchased and still I have not heard of anything supporting this other than 'GoInd' (again...GoInd doesn't compare to most typical high quality exercise tracking apps). I will gladly change this review to 4-5 stars when someone points me to an app like Cyclometer, Strava, etc. that connects into Apple's HealthKit. This is something I can do right now with my road bike riding on Kreitler rollers.
2015.02.22 edit: Still waiting for apps to pair with the BlueTooth. GoInd is the 'declared' solution. Please check it out. It does not compare to the quality of apps like Strava or Cyclometer and does not integrate into Apple's HealthKit. So data is not able to be integrated into calorie counting apps. Update: I did try Strava and it also does not pair with the Keiser bike. Keiser has a very nice software interface document on their web. I have written software and designed systems for many years. If I had time, I might try tackling...just don't have the time.
Regarding the spinner's performance. It is very smooth when running below 200 watts. I have noticed a pulsating behavior when running between 250 - 400 watts, but have not had enough time on bike to determine if it will become a problem.
2015.01.30 edit: There seems to be a lot of misinformation on this topic...so am adding additional review comments. I am quite frustrated as there is still NO acceptable solution that has been provided to me by Keiser or Brands Cycle through which I bought this bike. I will gladly update my review to 5 star if someone can provide a good iPhone Bluetooth app solution. GoInd was suggested as an app by Keiser. Please check out the app before putting $2k down on this bike. See if you think it is a quality app. It certainly is not what I expect when compared to other health apps. It does not integrate with HealthKit (your data is stuck in the app and does not integrate with other calorie or exercise tracker apps). It does not even allow one to enter their height accurately. Basically it only provides a second screen for the display on the bike. I wouldn't make such a big deal about this, except that the promise of bluetooth connectivity to my phone was THE major reason I purchased this spinner and I still keep reading reviews while I try to find an answer to this problem that say this spinner has awesome connectivity to smart phones through bluetooth. So again, if there is a real solution out there, I will gladly change this review to 5 star. I contacted Keiser and they said many app developers were planning to support. I contacted Cyclometer (my favorite exercise app) and they said they have no current plans to support. When time permits I will also check out Strava and other major iPhone exercise apps. I was hoping I could get Keiser to tell me which app supports, but was not able to get that info (I suspect none do). I keep searching the web to see if there is any info indicating any of the major apps support, but have not seen anything yet.
2014.11.23 edit: It is all about customer value proposition...with $2k one could purchase a very decent Trek bike. One could purchase power meter pedals. I wonder if the Bluetooth was promised since seller knew the spinner would have less customer value without data sync'ing to smart phone. Still no capability provided as of this date. It has turned spinner into a glorified room ornament as the krietler rollers offer a better method to work out and track. Wish I had looked harder into power meters for the $2k. Then I could have had them on rollers in winter months and outside in summer months. Is this clear? Bluetooth data to smart phone was one key feature I expected with this purchase and value it at $800 of the $2k purchase.
2014.11.08 original: $2k is a lot to spend on a spinning bike. I was hoping to use this bike to motivate me to keep going with an exercise regimen into the winter months. Unfortunately they claim the bike has Bluetooth that you can read all the stats on your Bluetooth enabled phone. However, what they don't say is that that capability does not exist. You have to wait and hope it will work someday. I read much of the material when deciding which spinner bike to get. This capability was one of the key requirements. Now I can't record anything from it to iPhone Health (or one of the many existing apps that read Bluetooth) and am finding myself going back to riding my bike on Keitler rollers rather than using this spinner.
