Rogue Echo Air Bike: Is it all that it’s hyped up to be?

Jules Silvera Cardio Equipment, Exercise & Fitness 0

Rogue’s latest foray into the air bike market may well be their most successful yet, and with a stream of positive reviews, the Rogue Echo Air Bike has already got plenty ditching their running shoes and jumping on this formidable machine. However, with many people balking at the steep price tag, is the Rogue Echo Air Bike all that is hyped up to be?

As a fitness enthusiast and sports coach, I am often dubious about gym equipment that supposedly builds all-round fitness. For me, gym machinery either does one thing brilliantly or many things adequately. However, with a solid and well-built frame, the Rogue Echo Air Bike certainly looks the part, feels fantastic, and initial impressions are that it does many things brilliantly.

I found it great for building cardiovascular endurance and doing HIIT workouts, but also with the moving handles and unlimited resistance you can build muscular endurance, and the slightly stiff handles will ensure your upper body does its fair share of work as well.

There are drawbacks to Rogues flagship air bike though. The monitor is rather basic, the handles are a bit too fat and to be honest, there are more glamorous designs on the market. So is the Rogue Echo Air Bike worth its price tag, or do we need to find another air bike to get excited about?

Daunting, formidable, challenging, and versatile, Rogue’s first venture into the fan bike market is surrounded by hype. Click to Tweet

A Quick Guide to the Rogue Echo Air Bike

A glance at Rogue’s latest advert tells you everything you need to know about their intentions for this bike. Built for all body types ranging from X-shaped bodybuilders to I-shaped endurance athletes, the Rogue Echo Air Bike is a versatile conditioning machine that will give you the ultimate workout.

With many features, the Echo can benefit users in several ways including weight loss, muscle toning, muscular endurance, and cardio exercise. For HIIT exercises and CrossFit, you will struggle to find equipment that can perform better.

Hunting for the right equipment to burn calories, build muscle, and increase endurance? Look no further than the Rogue Echo Air Bike. Click to Tweet

Size

It’s a monster of a machine, weighing in at a massive 127lbs. It has specs of 29.75″W x 58.75″L x 52.75″H, so not useful if in a small apartment or cramped home gym. Its solid frame is made entirely of metal, adding to the weight of the bike. Rogue is pretty notorious for making heavy-duty equipment, and it does rather feel like they took one of their power racks, painted it black, and turned it into a bike.

Not that this is a bad thing. Its hefty nature means that the Rogue Echo is extremely stable even when sprinting. There’s none of the fear of toppling over during your sprint finish and ending up on YouTube as there is with some modern Air Bikes.

Unfortunately, heftiness means the Echo takes up a lot of space. It’s the biggest bike on the market at the minute, and brings with it intimidating but somewhat unattractive looks. Personally, I prefer the sleeker, fancier-looking Air Bikes, though this does come at a cost of stability.

It does come equipped with transport wheels which makes moving the bike around a lot easier. Its size and shape make picking it up difficult, so the wheels are needed.

They do work although I still found it rather awkward to lift as there is no obvious “handle” to lift with other than a somewhat ambiguous triangular section. This aside, the wheels do work and it’s only a minor grievance.

Rogue Echo Bike Blades for Resistant Fan

Rogue have unleashed their latest foray into the fan bike market, and it’s making some serious waves. Click to Tweet

Fan & Belt-Drive

Rogue has definitely gone with a “bigger is better” mentality when designing this bike, epitomized by the enormous 27″ diameter fan the bike is equipped with. It’s the largest fan out there at the moment, and it’s armed with 10 steel blades. This inevitably creates more resistance (more blades – more air to move around) helping you to get more out of the workout.

The size of the fan means the Echo has a tendency to chuck a lot of air back into your face, so buying the wind guard, a specialized add-on for the Echo Bike, is advised. A few users say they find the air in the face quite refreshing, particularly on a hot day, so this may just be down to personal preference.

With such a large fan, the Echo inevitably makes a bit of a racket. However, compared to a lot of bikes it is relatively quiet. This is in no small part thanks to the quieter belt-driven system.

The belt-driven system used is more durable, smoother, and quieter than chain-driven systems found in most other bikes. Even if you start sprinting, there are no creaks or groans. This allows you to keep working away without the worry bits are going to fall off or break.

The Rogue Echo Air Bike is one of the hottest fan bikes on the market right now. But is the hype justified? Click to Tweet

Comfort & Equipment

Considering the machine is designed to cause ‘pain’, judging it on its comfort is maybe a bit harsh. I found the extra padding helped with the seat, making it more comfortable, although as with most air bikes it does get rather uncomfortable on longer rides. If you do hate it there are alternatives you can switch it out for.

The same goes for the pedals. They can be swapped out for more advanced ones if you take your air-biking seriously. Rogue offers the Shimano clip-in pedals (cleats). However, in my opinion, the standard pedals do the job though.

Like most air bikes, the Echo comes with foot pegs too for those days you want to beast your upper body. It’s the addition of knurled, spinning foot pegs that sets them apart from other brands, allowing extra grip for your feet as you push your arms and torso to the limit. This is a nice, and subtle, addition from Rogue.

I do take issue with the comfort of the handles. At 1.5″ in diameter, they are far too fat, so difficult to grip. Most barbells and pull-up bars have a thickness of between 1.12″ and 1.25″ as this is easier to grip onto, so it doesn’t really make sense why Rogue went so over-the-top with the handles. A small thing, but rather annoying if you have little hands like me.

The monitor is a big disappointment. Not only does it lack a backlight, which makes it incredibly difficult to see in poor lighting, but it is also extremely basic. There is no ability to save workouts to track progress over time or Bluetooth connectivity. It does nothing more than the bare minimum, and whilst it doesn’t need to be fancy, it feels like no effort was made to make the console as good as it could be.

This is common with air bikes, but with the quality of everything else on the Rogue Echo, it is rather a let-down. Best rely on your smartwatch or fitness tracker, switch to the right settings and track your workout that way.

Looking to keep fit without the hassle of a gym? Then look no further than the formidable Rogue Echo Air Bike. Click to Tweet

What Is It Like For Full Body Workout

There is no question that air bike can really push your body’s physical ability as a workout equipment. A quick scan of customer reviews will have you both terrified and excited to take on the bike, and my own experiences can concur.

Stiffer handles ensure that the brutality is not just limited to your legs. Your whole body gets a workout ensuring more calories are burnt and more muscles are conditioned. This combined with added steel blades on the fan creating more resistance ensures a tough workout session.

Moving your whole body increases the chances of burning fat at twice the normal rate. And if building muscular endurance is your goal then the Rogue can help with that too. Your body is always fighting against resistance during the workout, making those muscles work that extra bit harder.

I feel like this is more evident on the Echo compared to other air bikes. The stiffer handles really work your upper body, and you do feel like the faster you go the easier they are to move, which makes you work even harder.

Pros

Hefty, beefy, and sturdy making it great for all sizes.
Metal bodywork and steel fan make this a durable and high-quality machine.
A belt-driven system is smoother and quieter than a chain-driven system and requires less maintenance.
Delivers excellent full-body workout.

Cons

Handles are too fat.
Lacks the sleek, modern looks of some air bikes on the market.
Basic monitor with no backlight.

Final Thoughts

There is no getting around that the Rogue Echo Air Bike is an impressive machine. Rogue have clearly done their research in the development of this bike, and the result is a well-built and durable machine. This is definitely a machine that will offer exercise and keet fit fanatics a great workout whatever the level. It is genuinely difficult to find problems with the Echo, and as with most Rogue equipment, you really do get what you pay for.