Rogue echo bike set up & review

2-Year Update

So, I’ve had the Echo Bike for just over two years now. In that time, this is how it’s been used:

• It started in my garage gym being used by both me and some buddies on Saturday workouts. These workouts consist of long duration, HIIT type work that is mixed modal with squats, yoke carries, sled push, the like. The people that used the bike range from 135 LB up to 270 LB. Their power output ranges in the same way.
• In addition to being used for Saturday workouts, I also used it for my warm-up, cool down, and some EMOM work. It should also be understood that until recently, my garage has not been climate controlled. So, it’s been in both the extreme heat and extreme cold (this is just part of living in the Midwest.)
• After about a year, I opened a personal training studio and moved the bike there so it could be used more often. In that time, it’s been used by both CrossFit Games Athletes and old ladies who are simply trying to prolong their life and enjoy their later years.
• The Echo Bike has also been used in various competition type events at the gym where care for the equipment is very much secondary to the time on the clock.

With all that said, this is how it looks as of this writing:

As you can see, despite all of the abuse, it looks pretty much like new.

However, even more important and telling of quality equipment than it’s looks is the question, «how does it perform and how much maintenance is required?»

Well, neither I or my partner at the gym has performed a single amount of maintenance on the machine other than spraying it with some disinfectant and wiping it down. We tightened the bike saddle, but it wasn’t loose, we just didn’t want it to be. I’m not kidding, after two years, we’ve yet to perform any maintenance on the drive train, pedals, handles, fan, or anything else.

If you’ve ever had an air bike with a chain drive like an Airdyne or Assault Air Bike, then I would be extremely surprised if you could say the same, even with half the use that we have on our Echo Bike.

If you want a bomb-proof air bike, the Echo Bike is currently, about as close as you can get.

Rogue Echo Bike vs Assault Air Bike

The Assault AirBike is the reigning champ in the air bike space. Although it’s never been our favorite option (the Schwinn AD Pro is superior, and the Xebex Air Bike is similar at a lower price), it’s been the most adopted option among the general public, especially CrossFit athletes & Affiliates.

The big difference, which I will detail further, later in the review is the drive systems. The Assault AirBike uses the drive system that has been used since the creation of the satan’s tricycle (Schwinn Airdyne), and that is a chain-driven system. The Rogue Echo Bike utilizes the same drive system as our previous top pick, the Schwinn Airdyne Pro, which is a belt-drive system.

Although we prefer the weight of the Echo Bike, it does take up a bit more space than the Assault AirBike. That said, the extra space is minimal and would only matter to those who are using the machine in VERY tight quarters, which if that were the case, I’d probably suggest a different form of conditioning equipment.

In typical Rogue Fashion, everything on the Echo Bike is coated in their signature black powder-coat. This will allow the bike to fit in with most people’s equipment and last a long time. However, the powder-coat also shows marks pretty easily, so be aware.

The Assault Bike was the best option, but as you’ll read in this review, it’s been blown away by the Echo Bike. The main reason we’d suggest to buy the Assault Bike is if you’re planning on competing in the CrossFit Games, but even then, we don’t foresee it being used in the games much longer considering Rogue is the Official Equipment Sponsor.