Quick Summary
The ProForm TDF Pro 5.0 is the official indoor training bike for Le Tour de France.
It has an impressive status, but can it do the job?
With its high price and rich list of features, it easily comes across as top-notch… and it is.
Read our detailed review of the ProForm TDF Pro 5.0 below.
It includes pros, cons and all the details you’ll want to know if you’re considering this bike.
Our Rating
Rating: 93.5/100. The TDF Pro 5.0 is billed as ProForm’s top indoor cycle trainer. ProForm developed the bike in a partnership with Le Tour de France organizers. The pro input is evident in the bike’s unique training programs and performance features that especially appeal to competitive cyclists. Our review begins with the pros and then lists some problems.
Pros:
- Power incline/decline (-20 percent to +20 percent)
- 48.5-pound flywheel
- 30 customizable gears
- 10″ touch screen console
- High-def video workouts featuring Tour de France segments
- 24 built-in tour apps
- iFit®-enabled with Google Maps™ workouts
- Watts meter
- Smartphone-compatible
- Wireless heart rate receiver
- Quiet magnetic resistance
- Pedals with toe cages and clips
- Two bottle holders
- Seat and handlebars are adjustable
- Assembly is easy
Cons:
- High price for an indoor cycle trainer ($2,999)
- Shorter warranty on parts for the price (Three years)
- Software upgrades are frequent and can be time-consuming
- There have been reports the workout data can be inaccurate
- Customers have reported that replacement parts aren’t readily available
- ProForm’s customer service has been criticized
Introduction
It looks and sounds like a dream bike. The ProForm TDF Pro 5.0 bears the sunny Le Tour de France logo and is the official training bike for the race. It has a serious 48.5-pound (22 kg.) flywheel and lets you customize its gear ratios. Its resistance system creates a good approximation of road biking and includes shifters on the handlebars. It can even simulate uphill and downhill rides with help from a -20/+20 power incline.
The specs list has something for every sort of trainee. To suit a wide range of riders the seat and handlebars are adjustable, the gears can be customized and the pedals give two options with toe cages and clips. To keep you on track the console has wireless telemetry and a prominent watts meter, and detailed fitness stats can automatically be charted for long-term progress monitoring. Programming available through the 10″ console includes 24 tour workouts, a variety of Tour de France video workouts and unlimited immersive iFit workouts with Google Maps™ (iFit membership required). The TDF Pro 5.0 is also smartphone-compatible.
Its three-year parts warranty is short for a $1,999 exercise bike.
Tour De France Workout Programs
Preloaded workouts on the TDF Pro 5.0 include 24 tour apps and a variety of video workouts that show past Tour de France race segments such as Champs Elysees, Albertville and Alpe d’Huez.
This ProForm is iFit-enabled too. With an iFit membership you can stream Google Street View footage of any route you set in Google Maps. The bike can automatically adjust its incline to simulate the actual landscape.
Other benefits of iFit include unlimited personalized workout downloads, virtual races against Facebook friends, and advanced data management.
Unfortunately a complaint about Pro TDF bikes is that the iFit needs improvement.
TDF 5.0 Features
Designed with competitive cyclists in mind, the TDF Pro 5.0 stands out from other ProForm exercise bikes. It has a wide incline range of -20 percent to +20 percent. The console has a power meter and wireless pulse receiver to help you maintain the right output, and the pedals give extra support with toe cages and clips. This fitness machine feels remarkably like a road bike too thanks to its handlebar-based shifters and 30 customizable gears.
The handlebars and seat are adjustable to help a wide range of trainees find a comfortable fit. Its maximum user weight capacity is 350 pounds.
High tech electronic features include a 10″ full-color touch screen, an Android browser and an iPod-compatible port and speaker set.
Warranty & Guarantee
The ProForm TDF Pro 5.0 indoor cycle trainer warranty includes:
– Frame: Lifetime
– Parts: 3 Years
– Labor: 1 year
ProForm also provides a 30-day money back guarantee.
Conclusion
The second generation ProForm TDF Pro 5.0 looks great on paper and customers seems to like it. It has it’s share of criticisms, but at the same time is feature-packed and has a lot of supporters. One downside is the price, but if you get it on sale it makes it a bit more fathomable.
Keiser M3