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According to the law of conservation of energy, energy is “neither created nor destroyed” — it just changes forms. The energy you produce by moving (your kinetic energy), therefore, could be passed on to something else — something useful to you — if only you were able to easily harness it.
That’s where the LifeSpan Ampera Bike ($999) comes in. While it looks like an office chair you might find on the set of Star Trek, this under-desk bike uses the power of your pedaling to charge up your devices.
Specs and setup
The Ampera Bike is an upright, stationary bike designed to be used at your desk. Its standout feature is that it can charge your devices wirelessly or using the included USB-C port. But you don’t have to plug it in. In fact, you can’t. Your pedaling provides the energy needed to charge your devices (and also to turn on the ring lights around each pedal, which can be set to 12 different colors).
The bike also features easy, lever-activated height adjustment and several resistance levels to add a bit more challenge (and calorie burn) to your desk workouts.
It looks really sleek too, although at first glance it does border on futuristic-looking to the point of being a little bit silly. I love the glacier white color that I received (although it’s also available in space gray), and I think the leather-look detail on the handle and the fabric and trim on the seat are nice touches that make the bike look much less clinical.
My Ampera Bike was professionally assembled, but looking through the owner’s manual, the setup appears to be a pretty straightforward process. The installer was in and out in under one hour.
Cycling while I work
Using this bike could not be more straightforward. You get on, you start pedaling — just like any old-school workout bike. If you want to use the charger, just plop your phone on the wireless charger or plug it into the USB-C cord and keep on pedaling.
The pedals were a bit stiff and almost sticky (not to the touch, but they felt a bit resistant to pedaling) at first, but this resolved after just a few minutes of pedaling.
I found it very easy to focus on work while slowly pedaling away. Although my extremely pregnant belly kept me from being able to bring the bike as close to my desk as I would like, I was able to reach my keyboard easily and type with a very high level of accuracy.
The lowest resistance levels also provided plenty of resistance while working, in my opinion, although I could see increasing the resistance for an added burn if I were streaming video or mindlessly scrolling social media.
The seat is also comfortable enough that it can double as a permanent office chair for focused work that needs to be done while completely stationary. With no seat back and the firm bike seat below my bum, it kept my posture dialed in even when I wasn’t pedaling — which was a productivity boost in and of itself.
Overall, I still prefer my treadmill setup, but I’ve never really been a “bike” person. I know so many people who would salivate at the very idea of this bike, and it’s also an excellent option for people who need something that’s more low-impact and easy on the joints.
Pedaling to charge my devices
One of the coolest features of this bike by far is the whole "charge your devices using your own energy" thing, and it works flawlessly. The bike comes equipped with a wireless charger as well as a USB-C port, both of which make it really easy to charge a phone. I prefer using the USB-C port since I have to take my phone out of its case to charge it wirelessly, and my phone desperately needs the protection offered by its case.
When I plug in my phone, just a few seconds after I start pedaling I hear the “ding” notifying me that the phone is being charged. I’m able to charge it a full percent after just a few seconds of consistent, fast, focused pedaling — however, it naturally charges more slowly while working because I’m pedaling more slowly. According to the LifeSpan website, it can charge a device from zero to 50 percent in just 30 minutes (but you really gotta be pedaling to accomplish this).
If you wanted to up the stakes and use the bike to charge your work laptop, you’d need to have or buy an appropriate USB-C converter for your laptop cable. A bit of a challenge for us Stone Age folks who still aren’t using a Macbook — but it could definitely be done.
I also appreciate the slight degree of gamification that the charging option adds. It’s motivating to be able to pedal your phone battery up, but not distracting. And you could easily set up some incentives or benchmarks to make it more fun, like taking a coffee break or giving yourself some “reading for fun” time after charging your phone by an additional 25 percent
An OK app that needs improvement
To connect to the LifeSpan app, you’ll need to be pedaling so that the bike is “powered on” and therefore able to appear in the list of available devices.
I was able to connect the bike easily to the app repeatedly, although the app controls are a bit clunky. Still, in order to adjust the resistance and change the color of the lights around the pedals, you’ll need to use the app — so I was glad I didn’t experience any connectivity issues.
The app has very poor reviews, unfortunately, mostly from users who have had repeated issues connecting their LifeSpan devices. However, the entire app experience for the Ampera bike seems like a great improvement over my experience using the app with the other LifeSpan device I tested, the TR1200-GlowUp under-desk treadmill. I was able to view and save workout data and make adjustments as needed to the resistance quite easily.
To be honest, I found the color-changing lights cute but overall not worth fooling with too much. I work alone in a home office and I can’t see the lights myself while I’m pedaling (which is the only time they are on), so I’d really only be doing it for the vibes.
Comfortable enough to sit
This bike is also surprisingly comfortable to use (and this is coming from someone who’s heavily pregnant and has a very low tolerance for any kind of pelvic pressure at the moment). It has a wider seat than the standard bike seat that comes equipped on most exercise bikes, so it’s much more supportive and comfortable for longer periods of sitting.
It’s too tall to be used comfortably with a standard-height desk, however, so you’ll also need either an adjustable desk or a bar-height desk.
Is the LifeSpan Ampera bike worth it?
This is not a rinky-dink set of desk pedals — it’s a legitimate piece of fitness equipment that just happens to be particularly well-suited for your desk. But with a price point just under $1,000, it does require a significant financial investment.
I recommend it most to people who already enjoy biking, people who require something that’s more low-impact and joint-friendly than a treadmill, or people who are looking for something that can double as an office chair for stationary, seated work.
Overall, this is a really well-made, comfortable, easy-to-use bike that can help you stay active during the workday while keeping your phone charged, too. That’s a win-win-win.
