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The Blitz Bike has a metal construction that competes with pricier air bikes. Continue reading this review of the Bells of Steel Blitz 2.0 Air Bike to learn more about its unlimited air resistance and solid construction.
Updated: December 4, 2023
Air bikes have garnered many unfavorable nicknames. Bells of Steel leans into this by admitting just how hard using an air bike can be. The Blitz 2.0 Air Bike has a similar construction to many popular air bikes, but it improves a bit upon the price. This air bike is priced below a thousand dollars. Its fan blades generate unlimited resistance, because you create resistance with how hard and fast you pedal. This review of the Bells of Steel Blitz 2.0 Air Bike uncovers the reasons it is great for activities like a primary cardio routine, warming up for strength training, or recovering from injury. I’ll also discuss the ways this bike could be improved.
The Bells of Steel Blitz 2.0 Air Bike, henceforth to be referred to as the Blitz or Blitz Bike, has a metal construction. It’s kind of expected from a brand called Bells of Steel, right? The frame has a black coating to help protect the bike from corrosion. The Blitz branding is yellow and the fan is yellow for a nice little pop of color against the dark frame. I’m also just relieved not to see another black and red bike.
It’s a sturdy bike that can support a user up to 350 lbs. The bike itself weighs 118 lbs. The Blitz Bike has two large stabilizers with four adjustable feet. The front stabilizer also has two transport wheels which engage when the bike is lifted. Unfortunately, if you lift the bike too far, the fan will hit the ground and prevent the bike from rolling. It can make transport a little awkward, but otherwise it’s not too hard to move the Blitz Bike around.
The Blitz Air Bike has a very comfortable saddle. It’s ventilated for increased bloodflow and airflow. The saddle is adjustable vertical (11 levels) and horizontally. The horizontal adjustment is done along a sliding rail and uses a clamp to fix it in place so you can get a really precise placement. At 5’4”, I was comfortable with the saddle at level 3 vertically. I needed the saddle as close to the front as possible to comfortably move my arms the whole range of motion, but I could have moved it back and still felt comfortable where my feet and legs were aligned over the pedals.
The Blitz Bike’s handles are rubberized. The handle size should be pretty comfortable for most users. I can keep a comfortable closed grip, but I might not be able to if the handles were much bigger. The handles are the typical moving handles you find on most air bikes. The range of motion is pretty comfortable for me, even as a smaller user.
The pedals are flat pedals. The surface is large enough that I can comfortably stand on them and feel supported. The pedals are textured, so I had no problem keeping my feet in place. If you want an upper-body arm workout, you can rest your feet on the knurled footrests. These are attached at a comfortable height on the bike’s frame. I could feel a little motion underfoot while my feet rested here. The pedals and handle rotate around the base of these rests which causes the slight movement. I wouldn’t consider it a con, because it didn’t impact my training.
The resistance is created by the user. The Blitz Bike has a metal 7-bladed fan. It’s yellow, which is pretty cool. The harder you pedal and move those arms, the more resistance is created by the fan blades. The Blitz comes with a removable fan guard, so you don’t have to be blasted with cold air with every turn of the fan. However, when the summer months roll around and you are burning up, you can take the fan guard off to cool down.
A lot of air bike brands force you to buy accessories separate from the bike. Bells of Steel includes many popular accessories with your purchase. So while the price difference compared to other bikes may at first seem like only a couple hundred dollars, you have to factor in what the Blitz provides at no extra cost.
The Blitz Bike uses the same console as the Fringe Raptor bike, an eerily similar bike. The console is simple and easy to use. The console starts tracking your activity as soon as you pedal. The buttons along the side represent workout programs. With one press of the button, you can start one of these programs. There are also buttons for starting, stopping, and setting the programs.
The screen is an LCD screen. It has an animation of a woman on an air bike, which is an interesting and distinct touch. The rest of the screen is dominated by your metrics: time, distance, calories, watts, speed, rpm, and heart rate. It’s a small screen that is not lit. I had no problem seeing the onscreen information, but users with vision impairments or using the air bike in low lighting may have difficulty.
The Blitz Bike has one water bottle holder. It is metal and could hold a standard cycling water bottle.
The console has a phone holder attached. Your phone should be secure in this holder. A larger device will not fit securely.
The console does not have Bluetooth or ANT+ connectivity. It has 5kHz connectivity, so only a limited range of heart rate monitors are compatible.
The fan guard is super convenient. It’s removable, so you can use it or remove it depending on the weather and ambient temperature. This fan guard/wind screen is included with your purchase.
The Blitz Air Bike 2.0 is a versatile air bike. Even for an air bike-hater like me, the Blitz Air Bike 2.0 isn’t difficult enough to completely discourage me from training. There’s a reason air bikes in general elicit dislike even from their most ardent supporters. It’s because they are so challenging! The Blitz Bike is great for powerful HIIT workouts or slow and steady efforts. If you are going for an endurance ride, just remember to keep a sustainable pace.
I had a great ride on the Blitz when I was using the pedals and the moving arms. When I isolated legs or arms, I still enjoyed my ride and felt stable. The saddle is large and padded, but it is not too big that it interferes with your leg range of motion. I could stand and pedal while using the moving arms very comfortably. It’s a great way to engage your core and get out of the seated position.
Training on the Blitz 2.0 was everything I needed it to be. The fan is large, so it’s truly as difficult as you make it. This bike is perfect for new users, because it’s not to hard to get started. And, it’s great for experienced users, because the fan is large enough to be challenging.
The console includes seven onboard training options. There’s interval workouts which include Tabata, reverse Tabata, and custom intervals. The buttons at the bottom of the console can be used to set the custom programs. Target programs include time, distance, calories, and heart rate. Again, these programs can be customized with the arrow and enter buttons at the bottom of the console. These training programs are included with your purchase, simple, and easy to set up.
The Bells of Steel Blitz 2.0 Air Bike is an effective bike. The large fan is challenging for experienced users, but it is not too hard that beginners will be put off. The seat is very comfortable and is unlikely to cause saddle soreness. Bells of Steel includes accessories like a water bottle holder, phone holder, and fan guard. We like how reasonably priced the Blitz Bike is for its sturdy build. If we get nitpicky, the few areas this bike could be improved are in the lack of Bluetooth and ANT+ connectivity and the unimpressive transport wheels. Overall, the Bells of Steel Blitz 2.0 Air Bike is one of the best value options when it comes to air bikes.
