XMARK CAT 5 Hurricane Air Bike Review: Affordable FEATURES with Heavy Duty Performance!

Introduction

The XMARK CAT 5 Hurricane Air Bike is part of XMARKs brand new cardio line. This CAT 5 is their highest trim offering for the air bikes and this is version you want one if you’re looking for one that is fully loaded and well thought out both functionally and ergonomically. XMARK really did their homework here on the CAT 5 to truly create the ultimate get on and go air bike solution for all home gym enthusiasts or even commercial gym owners. This bike features quick changing forward, backward, and even tilt angle seat adjustments, textured multi grip rubber coated handles, a super comfortable contoured thick padded seat, built in fan wind guards with directional vents, an included water bottle holder unlike some other companies), roller wheels, and a beefy, extremely solid 130LB frame. This bike has everything you need to get your legs and lungs burning in absolutely no time and for any amount of time, however you choose to use it. Let’s check it out!

Hey guys this is Michael with the Jungle Gym Reviews, today we are reviewing the XMARK CAT 5 Hurricane Commercial Air Bike. As many of you probably know, air bikes are one of the most popular choices for home gym cardio and interval training options and in today’s market there are just so many similar offerings, it can be hard sometimes just to compare them online based on photos, price, and pure specs alone because you miss out on some of the real world feel and feedback which is what makes them so unique and some of them much better than the rest. Sure, at the end of the day almost all of them work, but not all of them are created equal so I am here to share my experience with the CAT 5 bike specifically and compare it to others and other cardio options I have owned in the past.

Features

Ok so this XMARK CAT 5 Hurricane air bike is not your average air bike. It does take a lot of the same core components and functionality but really just improves on a handful of areas to create what I consider a premium, but practical, fan bike experience. Don’t get me wrong, at the end of the day it’s a fan attached to a chassis, with a belt drive, pedals, handles, and a simple but effective monitor, but this one has a few additional features that really make it stand out and will tell you why I would seriously consider this one over some others.

Multi Grip Handles

First off, what really intrigued me about this bike is the multi-grip handles. I have previously owned the original Rogue Echo bike, and while that thing was great, I was actively looking for ways to improve both the handle positioning and width. For me the Echo bike always felt a bit too wide for my body frame and as someone who has had a few nagging elbow and wrist injuries over the years, I really was looking for a way to change the grip location relative to my torse while also incorporating a neutral or some other grip than horizontal and palms to or parallel with the floor. Seriously, I tired using the top of my fists, I tried to attach some D handles to it, and few other jerry rigged ideas with nothing really working how I wanted.

 These handles here on the CAT 5 Hurricane bike are perfectly spaced and contoured. Because of the exact curvature of the top handles into joining the bottom, you end up with 3 options for grips, high horizontal, low horizontal, and wide neutral at all 36mm diameter. I really enjoy bike that do enjoy this multi grip option and while the XMARK bike here isn’t the only air bike with this option, I do appreciate that manufacturers are offering bikes with versatile multi grip handle option.

Fan Vents

The built-in directional fan vents are probably my second favorite feature of this bike because within 2 seconds you can eliminate any blowing of the air onto your face just with the same ease you open and close your car air vents. If you have ever used an air bike before or for any period of time, you know the air in your face gets kind of annoying unless you live and use it all the time in a super-hot environment because in that case it’s nice to cool yourself off. The ability to open and close these vents at your own desire is really nice. I do assume there is also a slight difference in the resistance of the air bike due to the fan guard but I am not an aerodynamics expert and from a practical standpoint its just cool to be able to modulate the direction and amount of air, if at all, that is blowing towards the rider.

Fully Adjustable Seat

Moving on to some of the other features, the seat on the CAT 5 bike is also very comfortable, and you will notice it’s not a competition style narrow true cycling seat. Again, this is typical of air bikes because users are not usually doing really long extensive rides and additionally, the the type of pedaling and whole body movement and engagement is different than a traditional cycling bike where your tose is stationary and legs are only doing most of the moving. That being said, the wide padded seat it is extremely comfortable from a padding and range of motion side too. 

The other cool thing about the seat is that is slides front to back seamlessly, in fact more easily than that Rogue Echo bike I used to own, because there is no threaded pop pin, this seat simply has a lever that you press and allows you to freely slide the seat front to back until you press the level again.

In addition to the front to back adjustments, you also can adjust the tilt or angle of the seat to adjust the user position meaning you can choose to sit normally or even pitched forward to have your center of gravity over the pedals and handles a bit more or for added leverage. I think this is a really simple yet effective design that just allows for more user customization and preference and doesn’t really cost a whole lot or changing the main functionality of the bike or seat to accommodate that feature.

LCD Display and Programs

So if you’re looking for some type of follow along programs, interactive display, this isn’t the one for you, but I don’t know of any fan bikes currently that have anything more than a simple LCD display. To my knowledge almost every single fan bike on the market is made to just get on, press a simple button, have clear and easy to read numbers, with a few simple customizable preset options for amount of rounds, rest time, distance, speed, calories, etc. and that it. Comparing it to the monitors on the C2 rower, Assault Runner, and Echo Bike I used to own, it is very much just on par with those.

Resistance and Functionality

I once saw the phrase that air bikes feel like you are pedaling through dry sand and I can agree that that is the case here. This CAT 5 here is very smooth with it’s the belt driven fan. It offers instantaneous response and very even resistance, as one would expect. There are no gears so the speed and increase in resistance is just directly proportional to how hard you pedal. The cool thing about these bikes in my opinion too, is that they actually also feel great when you are going slow speeds as well so don’t have to be used exclusively for high speeds. Using these slower speeds for an extended period of time feels very comfortable and maintainable from a resistance standpoint.

Water Bottle Holder

As I mentioned before I really like that the fact they include a water bottle holder, and a phone holder, and a windguard automatically looking at you Rogue, but I get when you are competing in the Crossfit games you don’t need a place to put your phone and water. But anyways it’s nice they included a bottle holder here, however it doesn’t fit any of my larger than 16oz water bottles and barely fits a standard size shaker or blender bottle. So, it works if you have a bottle size that is compatible, and with everyone I know these days carrying around bigger water jugs, just know it will likely have to go on the floor, which isn’t a problem, just kind of defeats the point.

Dimensions and Specs

Some of the general specs for this bike are the weight coming in on par with many others in the category at 130 LBS which coupled with the wide floor feet/pads under the frame make it rock solid. The bike itself is 54 inches tall to the top of the handles, 53 inches long including the fan cage, 24 inches wide at the base of the frame and 30.5 inches wide at the outside of the handles. In general, I think air bikes have the best cardio option footprint for home gyms because they aren’t that wide or long, and because of their maneuverability they can be wheeled or scooted out of the way easily if needed.

Price

So the price of the bike is $989 with free shipping and while at first glance may seem steep, you quickly realize that A.) it is right on par with the rest of the market and B.) in some cases even cheaper than its competitors the include the same or similar features. XMARK also typically runs sales or coupons throughout the year and may even have some Christmas discounts coming soon. They also typically offer a 10% discount with email signup on their site so you can generally get this bike for $900 or less.

Overall

Functionality: 8.5

Features/Design: 9

Fit/Finish: 8.5

Value: 8

Overall: 8.5

So overall the XMARK CAT 5 Hurricane Fan bike is a premium air bike any really for what I consider a very fair price considering the of quality and quality of life features. Since it is belt driven, it isn’t as loud as some chain drive alternatives, but the noise of the fans will always be heard and by nature of the design louder the faster you go. My bike actually has a slightly rotational ticking sound at low speeds which I haven’t quite nailed down where it exactly coming from, but with all the other fan noise and/or music blasting on my speakers or headphones isn’t something that bothers me once I get going. Other than that I have been really surprised by how much I like all the handle grip options, as I like to alternate from interval to interval because it works slightly different muscle groups. I also like 36MM handle diameter and the semi grippy handle texture since it’s not super grippy but not smooth either so definitely a good balance of those two. With all the different adjustment options for the seat and the handles I can always find comfortable positions no matter if I am doing intervals or just doing for a longer slower ride or warmup.

Alternate Options

As far as alternate options go there so so many, and rather than list individually a comprehensive list, I know Garage Gym Reviews has done one in the last year or two. But I will go over the categories and general price range make the comparison a little more clear because there are really many size and shapes and a handful of different pricing tiers when it comes to air bikes.

The basic style with just an open fan cage, horizontal handles, and adjustable seat is typically around $600-700, with the most popular being the Assault Bike Classic at $700.

Then there are some of the beefy ones like the tried and true Rogue Echo bike or Fringe Raptor air bike which are heavy duty and heavy in this $130 price range which are made to withstand some serious use which cost about $850-950.

Then there are others in a similar category to the CAT 5 here, are heavy duty like the previous tier but then also have unique or improved upon features and design, the Bells of Steel Blitz Max is very similar to this bike but listed at $1200 and the Schwinn Airdyne AD7 has a built in heart rate sensor among a more detailed monitor for $1100. 

In the end I think the XMARK has the features of a high end model with the pricing of the middle tier, so definitely a good price per value especially if you can find a 10% or similar discount.

Improvements

The only improvement I would love to see is if XMARK or any company really started purposely integrating fans bikes into more steady state cardio options. I would love to see some smart/connected integration, like an upgraded screen option with some sort of simple smart screen or even interactive games like the C2 rower. I know that’s what a traditional cycling stationary bike is is the more up-to-date screen and technology but I think there are plenty of opportunities to turn these bikes into a 2 in 1 full body few minute interval and longer steady state or just longer sessions in general so I think it’s untapped possibility.

Also I would personally love to see yet even a 4th another handle option as I would have really liked to see closer grip neutral option to go with the wide one currently offered and make these handles for boxy and square like the Bolt Nitrous Commercial Fir bike version for example, but I assume it was chosen not to do so because then it would sacrifice some of the normal hand or ability to move your hand inside placement, which I am ok with that tradeoff in the end.

Signoff and Q&A 

So guys that’s it for this review on the XMARK CAT 5 Hurricane Commcercial Air Bike review. If you are interested in joining our Discord channel check out the link in the description below. As always, if you have any questions, please comment down below and I will be happy to answer or at least try. Thank you for tuning into The Jungle Gym Reviews, we will see you next time, take it easy, peace.