ProForm Pro C10R - A Great Choice For The Home Gym

The latest offering from ProForm, the Pro C10R recumbent bike is an affordable, mid-level bike with plenty of options that lets you get a great workout in the comfort of your own home.

The Pro C10R has recently come on the market, replacing the 440 ES model, so we were excited to see what this model brings and how it stacks up to the competition.

First off, let’s take a look at exactly what the Pro C10R has to offer.

The Bike

There is plenty to like about the Pro C10R, starting with its $799 price tag, which makes it as affordable as it is attractive and effective. The emphasis here is on getting a full training experience, which you can achieve with an iFit membership.

What’s included...

•  25 Resistance Levels with SMR Silent Magnet Resistance
•  Free 30 day iFit Family Membership included in purchase price
•  10” Smart HD Touchscreen
• Recumbent Frame with High-Quality Construction
•  Inertia-Enhanced Flywheel
• Ergonomic Pedals with Adjustable Straps
•  CoolAire Fan, Dual 2” Bluetooth Speakers, Bluetooth Headphone Compatible, Front-Mounted Transport Wheels, Water Bottle Holder, Oversized Leveling Feet
• 300 lb User Weight Capacity
• 10 Years on Frame, 1 Year on Parts, and 1 Year on Labor
•   25.4” W x 56.8” D x 49.8” H footprint

The Buzz

As mentioned above, the Pro C10R replaces the previous mid-line recumbent model 440 ES. However, there are some notable differences between the two, the most prominent being the upgrade to a 10” Smart HD Touchscreen, a step up from the 5” backlit iFit display on the 440 ES.

The larger display makes it easier to engage in the workouts provided with the iFit membership and the touchscreen controls put everything literally at your fingertips.  The 440 ES had a built-in device shelf to hold your tablet or phone, but the Pro C10R does away with that with the touchscreen.

The Pro C10R, as well as its upright counterpart Pro C10U, has a slightly smaller footprint and 300 lb. user weight capacity, compared to the 440 ES and its 350 lb. capacity, but otherwise the two bikes offer many of the same features you’d expect from ProForm, including an easily accessible step-through design, wide cushioned seat and vented back for maximum comfort, built-in water bottle holder and front mounted wheels for easy movement.

One thing we did miss from the 440 ES was the EKG Pulse Sensors, which are not included in the Pro C10R, but there are enough other features provided to make up for this one small difference.

Like most recumbent bikes, the Pro C10R features an accessible step-through design, which makes it easy for users of all fitness levels to safely get on and off the bike.

Once you’re on, the first thing that catches your eye is that beautiful 10” Smart HD Touchscreen, which brings all your programs and stats to vivid life.  You can easily control everything from the fan to your audio and of course your workout programs with the touch of a finger so you don’t break your stride.

ProForm often includes a 30 day free family iFit membership with the purchase of the bike and this gives you access to a wide range of workouts, from strength training to studio classes led by pro level trainers and even interactive training. You can also opt for scenic rides in real world locations around the globe, to help keep your workouts engaging.

One of the things we particularly liked was the ability to engage in either on or off-bike workouts. There were many workouts available that can be done on the floor, which enables you to engage your whole body, which made us feel like we were getting the most out of that iFit membership.

With the Interactive workouts, the trainers can automatically adjust your resistance as you go, ensuring that you’ll be getting a great workout from start to finish. If you’d prefer to control resistance manually, the large, easy to press buttons make it simple to do so without interrupting your workout.

The iFit membership also lets you track your stats, so you can easily keep an eye on your speed, time, calories burned, cadence and resistance level and gauge your progress.

While the built-in 2” speakers may seem small they deliver great sound quality and the bike is fully Bluetooth Headphone compatible so you don’t have to disturb the rest of your family.

Of course, the display is only the beginning. There are plenty of comfort features built in to the Pro C10R, starting with the vented back rest and oversized cushioned seat, which can be easily adjusted to fit most user heights. 

There’s a convenient built-in water bottle holder which is easily accessible in the front of the frame and the CoolAire fan helps to keep you comfortable throughout your workout, with two speed settings that can be adjusted from the console.

We found that the Pro C10R has a slightly smaller footprint, which allows it to fit in to most home gyms nicely and the adjustable oversized leveling feet keep it stable on any type of surface while the front mounted transport wheels allow the bike to be moved easily from one location to another.

How Does the Pro C10R Stand Up to the Competition?

There are a wide range of recumbent bikes available today and it’s worth taking a look to see how the ProForm Pro C10R stands up to the competition.

At its price level you’ll find models from respected names like Schwinn and Nautilus, which offer similar recumbent workouts with different combinations of features.

The Schwinn 270 also offers a vented seat back and a padded seat cushion with contoured leg area, 25 resistance levels, front mounted transport wheels and an oversized side mounted water bottle holder. It has a unique DualTrack display with two blue backlit LCD windows that allow you to monitor all of your stats.

There is also a built-in device shelf that comfortably holds any tablet or smartphone and you can transfer all of your stats directly to the Schwinn Connect website.  It also has 29 built-in programs, including four user defined programs and two fitness tests that let you track your progress. The integrated heart rate sensors in the grips next to the seat let you monitor your rate throughout your workout.  All of this comes with a similar price tag.

The Nautilus R618 Recumbent Bike comes with an adjustable sight line console with dual blue backlit screens and 29 customizable workout programs. It has enhanced Bluetooth connectivity and a built-in device shelf that allows users to access many different app-based tracking tools like MyFitnessPal and Explore the World on a tablet or smartphone.  

Explore the World lets you enjoy real world rides across the globe while automatically adjusting to your speed. There are free routes available and you can unlock even more with an Explore the World subscription, which is not included in the purchase price of the bike. Comfort features include multi-position handlebars with integrated incline and resistance controls and a Dynamic Recline Nautilus Gel seat. There are 25 different resistance levels that allow you to challenge yourself and can be easily adjusted from the console. It has contact hand grips that allow you to monitor heart rate or you can use the wireless chest strap, which is included with the bike.

Xterra offers the SB4500 Recumbent Bike, which has a few less bells and whistles than the other options. It has a step-through frame design and 24 levels of magnetic resistance with a 22 lb. heavy duty flywheel and 11 available workout programs. The 7” touchscreen display has built-in Bluetooth FTMS that lets you connect to third-party apps and it includes an integrated accessory tray that accommodates any tablet or smartphone and a USB charging port. It has a large cushioned seat and padded seat back, instead of the vented seat back that most models provide. It does contain hand pulse sensors on the handlebars so you can track your heart rate but it has a smaller user weight limit of just 265 lb.

So the ProForm Pro C10R has a lot more features overall than the competition, but there are some benefits to these other models as well so they're worth a look.

Bottom Line on the ProForm Pro C10R Recumbent Bike

Our experience with the ProForm Pro C10R was positive overall. It’s not in the top tier as far as price is concerned, which makes it affordable for the average home user, doesn’t take up a lot of floor space and is easy to move, making it a great choice for home gyms.

We found the console easy to use and enjoyed the flexibility provided by the iFit program. It was easy to track all of your stats at a glance and offered plenty of variety, which should help to keep boredom at bay. Having the ability to access off-bike programs that allow you to work the whole body is a big plus.

About the only drawback was the lack of any built-in method for monitoring heart rate, but otherwise it is still a nice upgrade from the previous model, the 440 ES.

For a comfortable recumbent exercise experience at a decent price level, the ProForm Pro C10R is well worth a look.