REP STRIVE VPR Review: The Most Versatile Air Bike?

The REP STRIVE VPR Air Bike does something most air bikes don't.

It lets you change the actual resistance.

Most traditional air bikes get harder for one reason: you pedal harder. The faster that fan spins, the more resistance it creates.

The STRIVE adds another variable with REP's VPR, or Variable Pitch Resistance, system.

You get eight resistance levels that physically change the angle of the fan blades, allowing the bike to go from an easy steady-state ride all the way to an absolutely miserable max-effort interval.

And after using the STRIVE for my own training and putting a bunch of my personal training clients on it, that versatility is what makes this bike different.

I've done 45-minute Zone 2 rides on it.

I've used it for traditional air-bike intervals.

I've cranked it to Level 8 for short, brutal efforts.

And I've had clients ranging from older adults to teenage athletes use the same bike.

[[BTN:Check Current REP STRIVE Price →|https://repfitness.com/products/strive-air-bike-featuring-vpr?variant=53245409788270#a_aid=629751b2a2489&a_cid=11111111]]

[[NOTE:This is an affiliate link. If you purchase through it, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. It helps support Lift Lab Reviews and allows me to keep testing equipment like this.]]

Quick Verdict: Is the REP STRIVE VPR Air Bike Worth It?

[[VERDICT:9.5|Extremely versatile air bike|If you only want an air bike for hard intervals, you can spend less. But if you want one cardio machine that can handle Zone 2, moderate conditioning, traditional air-bike intervals, and extremely high-intensity work, the STRIVE's 8-level VPR system gives it a much wider range of uses than a traditional air bike.]]

The STRIVE isn't cheap.

At around $1,300, you're paying a premium over a lot of traditional air bikes.

But you're also getting something I didn't really use my old Rogue Echo Bike for: longer steady-state cardio.

With the STRIVE, I can lower the VPR setting, roll the bike in front of my TV and comfortably ride for 45 minutes.

Then the next day I can crank it to Level 8 and question every decision that led me there.

That's the value of the STRIVE.

It can be easier than a traditional air bike.

It can also be harder.

REP STRIVE VPR Air Bike Specs

[[SPECS:Price=Around $1,300;Bike weight=146 lbs;Resistance levels=8;Resistance system=Variable Pitch Resistance (VPR);Drive system=Dual-stage belt drive;Handle positions=3;Heart rate connectivity=Compatible heart rate monitor support;Apple Watch direct connection=No;Built-in workouts=Intervals, targets and REP 5280 Challenge]]

REP STRIVE Pros and Cons

[[PROS:8 levels of adjustable air resistance;Excellent for both Zone 2 and intervals;Extremely smooth ride;Refined premium build quality;Very easy seat-height adjustment;Multiple handle positions;Large easy-to-read console;Useful built-in interval programming;Surprisingly easy to move despite weighing 146 lbs;Included magnetic fan guard;Low-maintenance belt-drive system]]

[[CONS:Around $1,300;No direct Apple Watch connection;Combined phone and cup holder is awkward if you want to use both;Overkill if you only want an air bike for hard intervals]]

Build Quality Feels a Step Above a Traditional Air Bike

My first impression of the STRIVE was pretty simple.

This thing looks good.

It feels like REP started with the basic air-bike design and then tried to improve every little detail.

You have knurled pegs.

Knurled handles.

A nicely finished VPR adjustment lever.

A large illuminated console.

An included magnetic fan guard.

Even the handle used to pick the bike up has a premium feel to it.

My Rogue Echo Bike always felt like a military tank.

That's not necessarily a criticism. The Echo is incredibly solid.

But the STRIVE feels more like something you'd expect to see inside a high-end training facility.

It's a more refined-looking machine.

If you're already invested in REP equipment, I've also reviewed the [[LINK:REP Smith Machine Attachment →|https://liftlabreviews.com/post/repsmithmachine]] and the [[LINK:REP AB-3000 2.0 Adjustable Bench →|https://liftlabreviews.com/post/repab3000fidbench]].

A 146-Pound Bike That's Surprisingly Easy to Move

The STRIVE weighs 146 pounds.

That sounds pretty substantial.

But when you actually pick the rear of the bike up, it feels surprisingly light in your hands.

The large transport wheels on the front make it extremely easy to roll around.

I move mine regularly.

If I'm doing a longer Zone 2 ride, I'll pull it out of the corner of my gym, roll it directly in front of my TV, do my ride and put it back when I'm finished.

That's more useful than it sounds in a home gym.

Cardio machines eat up a lot of floor space, and not everybody wants an air bike permanently sitting in the middle of the room.

The STRIVE is heavy enough to feel completely planted while you're training but easy enough to move that I don't mind repositioning it.

The Seat Adjustment Is One of My Favorite Small Features

Seat adjustment isn't exactly the sexiest feature of a $1,300 air bike.

But if multiple people use the bike, it matters.

A lot.

On other air bikes I've used, changing seat height means loosening a knob, pulling a pop pin, finding the correct position and tightening everything back down.

The STRIVE is dramatically easier.

To raise the seat, you simply pull it upward.

It ratchets through the different numbered positions and locks into place.

To lower it, press the lever and slide it down.

That's it.

Because I train clients throughout the day, I'm constantly adjusting cardio equipment between people.

This system makes that process almost instant.

[[TRAINER:This is one of those features I appreciate much more as a personal trainer than I probably would if I were the only person using the bike. I may have an older client on it during one session and a teenage athlete using it later that day. Being able to change the seat height in seconds is genuinely useful.]]

The seat also adjusts forward and backward using a more traditional knob and pop-pin design.

That adjustment is still smooth, and it helps you dial in your distance from the moving handles.

Is the REP STRIVE Seat Comfortable?

For an air bike, I think the seat is very comfortable.

It's relatively wide, moderately firm and well padded.

I've done 45-minute rides on it without the seat becoming a major problem.

Now, I'm also not a cyclist.

I'm not wearing padded cycling shorts.

I'm basically doing these rides in normal training shorts and underwear like a civilized garage-gym caveman.

Eventually, sitting on any bike seat for an hour is still sitting on a bike seat.

But I have no complaints about the STRIVE saddle itself.

Three Different Handle Positions

The STRIVE gives you three basic hand positions.

There are two pronated positions, one higher and one lower, along with an outside neutral grip.

I naturally gravitate toward the higher pronated handle.

A lot of my clients seem to prefer the lower one.

The lower position lets you sit slightly more upright, which can feel nice as you start getting tired.

When I'm really trying to drive through a hard interval, I prefer the upper position because I can lean forward and aggressively push and pull the handles.

The neutral grip?

I occasionally reach for it when I'm exhausted and hoping a new hand position will somehow make the workout easier.

Spoiler: it does not.

But having multiple options is useful, especially because everyone's build and preferred riding position are different.

How REP's VPR System Works

This is the feature that separates the STRIVE from most traditional air bikes.

VPR stands for Variable Pitch Resistance.

A lever beside the bike controls the angle of the fan blades.

As you move through the eight resistance levels, the blades change position and interact with more or less air.

At the lower settings, the bike feels relatively easy.

Move the lever toward Level 8 and the resistance increases dramatically.

That means your workout intensity is no longer controlled exclusively by how fast you're pedaling.

You now have two variables:

Your cadence.

And your resistance level.

That's what opens up so many different training options.

The STRIVE Is Extremely Smooth

The dual-stage belt-drive system is one of the first things you'll notice once you start riding.

It's smooth.

Really smooth.

And that wasn't just my reaction.

When I first put the bike into my personal training studio, client after client got on it and said basically the same thing:

"Wow, this thing is smooth."

There's very little mechanical harshness.

It's also relatively quiet for an air bike.

You're still spinning a giant fan, so we're not talking about silent cardio here.

But compared with my experience on the Rogue Echo Bike, the STRIVE feels slightly quieter and considerably more refined.

Zone 2 Is Where the STRIVE Really Separates Itself

This may actually be my favorite use for the bike.

I've done multiple 45-minute Zone 2 rides on the STRIVE.

I'll usually set the VPR around Level 2 or 3 and maintain a comfortable pace.

At those resistance levels, I can keep my heart rate where I want it without feeling like I'm constantly fighting the machine.

And because resistance is adjustable, I have more control as fatigue builds.

If my heart rate starts creeping higher later in the workout, I can lower my cadence or drop the VPR resistance.

That makes managing a steady aerobic effort much easier.

I never really used my Echo Bike this way.

Could you sit on an Echo for 45 or 60 minutes?

Sure.

You can also mow your lawn with scissors.

The question is whether you actually want to.

With the STRIVE, long rides make sense.

It Still Works Like a Traditional Air Bike

Drop into the middle resistance levels and you can use the STRIVE exactly how you'd expect to use an air bike.

Intervals.

Tabatas.

Minute-on, minute-off work.

Mixed conditioning circuits.

Short calorie efforts.

The bike works very well for all of them.

In the video, I originally described Levels 6 to 7 as feeling closest to my old Rogue Echo Bike based on my own riding experience.

After I finished the review, REP shared that its testing found Level 5 to be the closest match to the Echo Bike.

That's worth clarifying because feel is subjective, while REP was able to compare the machines more directly.

Either way, the bigger point remains the same.

The STRIVE gives you resistance below that traditional air-bike feel and significantly more resistance above it.

Level 8 Gets Brutal

At the opposite end from those Zone 2 rides is Level 8.

Level 8 is hard.

Really hard.

This is where the bike starts feeling less like a traditional fan bike and more like you're trying to pedal uphill against a ridiculous amount of resistance.

For short max-effort bouts, it gives you another intensity option above what you'd normally get from a traditional air bike.

That's why I look at the STRIVE as having almost three distinct training ranges.

Easy aerobic work.

Traditional air-bike conditioning.

Very high-resistance max-effort work.

One machine can cover all three.

This Versatility Is Excellent for Personal Training

This is probably where the STRIVE makes the most sense in my studio.

I train a huge range of people.

I might have a woman in her 60s using the bike during one session and a 17-year-old athlete using it later.

Those two people obviously shouldn't be doing the exact same conditioning workout.

The eight resistance levels let me scale the bike dramatically without changing equipment.

I can use a low VPR setting for an easy warm-up or aerobic session.

I can move into the middle settings for normal conditioning.

Or I can push an athletic client into a very hard interval at the upper levels.

[[TRAINER:Because I train people across a wide range of ages and fitness levels, the STRIVE's adjustability has been much more useful than I initially expected. Instead of one resistance curve that I have to manipulate entirely through cadence, I can change the machine itself to fit the person and the goal of that day's workout.]]

The Console Is Excellent

The monitor is another area where REP did a nice job.

It's large, bright and easy to understand.

During a normal ride, you can monitor metrics including:

Time, calories, wattage, RPM, speed and distance.

There are also multiple built-in workout options.

You can select preset intervals, create custom intervals and set targets based around things like time, calories or distance.

That gives the monitor much more functionality than simply displaying your workout numbers.

The Interval Programming Has One Great Little Feature

One of my favorite details is how the bike handles transitions during interval training.

Let's say I program 30 seconds of work followed by 30 seconds of rest.

During the rest period, I have a client hop off the bike and perform 20 push-ups.

Maybe those push-ups take longer than 30 seconds.

On a lot of machines, the next work interval has already started whether you're back on the bike or not.

Now the entire workout is offset.

The STRIVE pauses until you start pedaling again.

Once you're moving, the next interval begins.

That's such a small feature.

But it's the kind of small feature that makes me think the people designing the bike actually trained on it.

The REP 5280 Challenge

REP also includes a built-in 5280 Challenge.

The name references Denver's elevation of 5,280 feet above sea level.

The console takes you through a preset mountain-style workout with a countdown and changing demands.

It's not the reason I'd buy the bike.

But it's a fun extra workout to have built directly into the monitor.

And if you're the kind of person who needs a little competition to stop a cardio session from becoming mind-numbingly boring, I can appreciate it.

Heart Rate and Connectivity

The STRIVE can connect to compatible heart-rate monitors and display your heart-rate information directly on the screen.

I've also connected the bike to apps on my phone and had no issues pulling workout data like cadence and watts.

What it doesn't do is connect directly to my Apple Watch.

I wish it did.

I already wear an Apple Watch during training, so having that heart-rate data appear directly on the bike would be convenient.

It's not a deal breaker, but it's something I'd like to see.

My Biggest Complaint Is the Price

Let's get to the obvious negative.

This is around a $1,300 air bike.

That's expensive.

A lot of very good air bikes live closer to the $900 to $1,000 range.

You're paying a premium for VPR, the refinement and the additional versatility.

If your only goal is to get on an air bike three times per week and absolutely annihilate yourself with intervals, you don't necessarily need the STRIVE.

A traditional air bike will happily make you miserable for less money.

The value of the STRIVE comes from everything else it can do.

[[BTN:Check Current REP STRIVE Price →|https://repfitness.com/products/strive-air-bike-featuring-vpr?variant=53245409788270#a_aid=629751b2a2489&a_cid=11111111]]

The Phone Holder Needs Some Work

My other complaint is incredibly minor.

REP has a combined phone and cup holder.

In theory, you can put your bottle in there and balance your phone around it.

In reality?

If you're ripping a hard interval, I'm not trusting my phone there.

I've ended up putting my drink in the holder and finding another spot on the bike for my phone.

I'd love to see REP add a dedicated phone mount near the top of the console.

For a bike at this price, having separate places for a phone and water bottle would make more sense.

That's nitpicky.

But when most of the bike is this well thought out, the little things stand out.

REP STRIVE vs Rogue Echo Bike

The Echo Bike is the obvious comparison because it's the traditional air bike I have the most experience using.

And I don't think this comes down to one bike simply being better than the other.

They serve slightly different buyers.

The Rogue Echo Bike is incredibly solid and excellent for traditional air-bike conditioning.

If that's all you need, you can save money and get a phenomenal workout.

The STRIVE's advantage is range.

At the lower VPR settings, I can do steady-state cardio that I wouldn't personally want to do on an Echo.

Around the middle, I can get the traditional air-bike experience.

At the top, I can create an extremely high-resistance interval.

So the STRIVE can be easier.

It can be similar.

And it can be harder.

That adjustability is what you're paying for.

Who Should Buy the REP STRIVE?

[[WHO:Home gym owners who want one versatile cardio machine;People who want to combine Zone 2 and interval training;Personal trainers working with multiple fitness levels;Anyone who likes air bikes but wants more resistance control;Home gym owners who value premium build quality and refinement;People who want both steady-state and high-intensity cardio from one bike]]

If you only want to buy one cardio machine and you enjoy cycling, I think the STRIVE makes a lot of sense.

It covers an enormous range of training without requiring multiple pieces of equipment.

Who Should Skip It?

[[SKIP:Anyone who only wants an air bike for hard intervals;Budget-focused home gym owners;People who don't care about adjustable resistance;Anyone already happy using a traditional air bike exclusively for conditioning;People who need direct Apple Watch integration]]

There's no reason to spend $1,300 just because this bike exists.

The VPR system needs to solve a problem for you.

For me, it does.

I now use an air bike for workouts I simply wasn't doing on my old Echo Bike.

Final Verdict: Is the REP STRIVE Worth $1,300?

The REP STRIVE VPR Air Bike is one of the most versatile cardio machines I've put in my gym.

It's exceptionally smooth.

The construction feels premium.

The seat adjustment is fantastic.

The console is genuinely useful.

It's easy to move.

And the VPR system isn't just a gimmick.

It changes how I use the bike.

I've gone from thinking of an air bike primarily as an interval machine to regularly pulling this thing in front of the TV for a 45-minute Zone 2 ride.

Then I can turn around and use that exact same machine for a max-effort interval.

That's the STRIVE's biggest selling point.

If all you want is a brutal air bike, spend less.

If you want one bike that can handle almost every type of conditioning you throw at it, the STRIVE makes a much stronger argument for its $1,300 price.

[[VERDICT:9.|Excellent premium air bike|The STRIVE combines an extremely smooth ride with eight levels of VPR resistance that make it useful for everything from easy aerobic work to max-effort intervals. It's expensive, but unlike a traditional air bike, I actually use it for long steady-state rides as well as conditioning.]]

[[BTN:Check Current REP STRIVE Price →|https://repfitness.com/products/strive-air-bike-featuring-vpr?variant=53245409788270#a_aid=629751b2a2489&a_cid=11111111]]

[[BTN2:See All My Partner Discounts →|https://liftlabreviews.com/affiliates]]

[[NOTE:Using my affiliate links helps support Lift Lab Reviews at no additional cost to you. I appreciate everyone who uses them because it helps me continue bringing equipment into the gym for real-world testing.]]

REP STRIVE VPR Air Bike FAQ

What is VPR on the REP STRIVE?

VPR stands for Variable Pitch Resistance. The adjustment lever changes the angle of the fan blades, giving the STRIVE eight different resistance levels instead of relying exclusively on cadence to control difficulty.

Can you use the REP STRIVE for Zone 2 cardio?

Yes. This is actually one of my favorite things about the bike. I regularly use Levels 2 and 3 for 45-minute Zone 2 rides and can adjust the resistance as needed to help manage intensity.

How many resistance levels does the REP STRIVE have?

The STRIVE has eight VPR resistance levels.

Which REP STRIVE level is closest to a Rogue Echo Bike?

Based on REP's own testing, Level 5 is the closest match to the Rogue Echo Bike. My first thoughts were somewhere between level 4-6 as feeling closest based on my subjective experience riding both bikes.

Is Level 8 harder than a Rogue Echo Bike?

In my experience, yes. Level 8 creates substantially more resistance than the traditional air-bike feel I was accustomed to on my Echo and works extremely well for short, high-intensity efforts.

Does the REP STRIVE connect to an Apple Watch?

Not directly. I've connected the bike to compatible phone apps and heart-rate equipment, but I haven't been able to pair my Apple Watch directly with the console.

Is the REP STRIVE easy to move?

Yes. Despite weighing 146 pounds, it feels surprisingly light when you pick up the rear, and the large front transport wheels make it easy to roll around a home gym.

Is the REP STRIVE good for a personal training gym?

I think it's excellent for personal training because the resistance and seat height can be adjusted very quickly. I've used it with clients ranging from older adults to teenage athletes, and the VPR system makes it easy to scale workouts for different fitness levels.

Is the REP STRIVE worth $1,300?

If you're only looking for a traditional air bike for hard intervals, I'd probably save the money. If you want one bike that can handle Zone 2, moderate conditioning and very high-intensity intervals, the additional versatility makes the price much easier to justify.