True Fitness PS/50 User manual

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Recumbent Bike Owner’s Guide

Thank You For Selecting True
“Our original
goal was to build
the world’s best
fitness equipment,
and today we
believe we’re
doing it!”
-Frank Trulaske
In 1981, Frank Trulaske launched
TRUE Fitness®, and began
manufacturing hand-
crafted treadmills.
His team’s obsession with
quality has propelled
TRUE to the top of
the fitness industry
and has created one of
America’s oldest, largest
and most respected
fitness equipment
manufacturers.
Over the years, TRUE
has designed, developed,
patented and fabricated
many new cutting-edge
innovations for their products. Such
advancements include ground-
breaking new features, state-of-the-
art manufacturing components, and
technological breakthroughs.
While TRUE has expanded
its line of products,
intensive quality control
standards guarantee
excellence in every
phase of production.
This results in the finest
products available in the
marketplace.
TRUE is the choice
for workouts among
beginners, rehab patients
and top athletes world-
wide.
Today TRUE Fitness
offers a full line of
premium elliptical
trainers, treadmills, upright and
recumbent bikes, and flexibility
equipment.

PS50 Recumbent Bike Owner’s Guide 3
Review for Your Safety
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When using this exercise machine, basic precautions should
always be followed, which includes the following:
Read and understand all instructions and warnings prior to use.
Obtain a medical exam before beginning any exercise program.
If at any time during exercise you feel faint, dizzy, or experience
pain, stop and consult your physician.
Obtain proper instruction prior to use.
Inspect the bike for incorrect, worn, or loose components and do
not use until corrected, replaced, or tightened prior to use.
Do not wear loose or dangling clothing while using the bike.
Care should be used when getting on or off the bike.
Read, understand, and test the emergency stop procedures before
use.
Disconnect all power before servicing the bike.
Do not exceed maximum user weight of 350 lbs.
Keep children and animals away.
All exercise equipment is potentially hazardous. If attention is not
paid to the conditions of equipment usage, death or serious injury
could occur.

PS50 Recumbent Bike Owner’s Guide 4
Starting Up
Quick Start
Pausing
Your
Workout
Changing
the Data
Display
• Beginpedaling.
• Thedisplaywilllightupandpromptyouforyourweight,
workout selection, and workout time.
• Enteryourworkoutparametersandpress , or
immediately press for a quick start into a manual
workout.
The PS50 will pause indefinitely.
Press the key to change the workout data display.

PS50 Recumbent Bike Owner’s Guide 5
Table of Contents
Quick Start.....................................................................................................................4
1.RidingYourBike.......................................................................................................6
 Basicoperation(exceptconsole)
2. The Display...............................................................................................................13
Describes each key and data display feature
3.Pre-SetWorkouts.....................................................................................................17
Details on basic exercise modes
4. Heart Rate Control..................................................................................................20
Foolproof heart rate feedback workouts
5. Creating an Exercise Program...............................................................................25
6.CareandMaintenance...........................................................................................33
Keeping your bike in the best possible shape
AppendixA.MaximumHeartRateandTargetHeartRate...............................35
AppendixB.BikeSpecifications..............................................................................37
Operational and Physical attributes of your bike
Specifications/Features/Software are subject to change

Chapter One
Riding Your Bike
In This Chapter:
Getting Comfortable
Riding Efficiently & Comfortably
Using the Chest Strap
Using Contact Heart Rate
Getting the Best Results Possible
Chapter 1: Riding Your Bike
Chapter 2: The Display
Chapter 3: Pre-Set Workouts
Chapter 4: Heart Rate Control
Chapter 5: Creating an Exercise Program
Chapter 6: Care and Maintenance

PS50 Recumbent Bike Owner’s Guide 7
Getting Comfortable
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Setting Your
Weight
Seat
Adjustment
The body weight setting does not affect the calorie expenditure
calculation. Unlike treadmills or other weight-bearing exercises,
calories burned during exercise biking does not change with
different body weights.
Adjust the seat so that when
your leg is fully extended with
your feet in the pedals, your
knee is slightly bent.
Riders are most efficient if they
place the ball of their foot in the
center of the pedal.
Other riders are more comfortable
if the arch of their foot is against
the pedal. Riders are encouraged to
be as efficient as possible, but use
your own
judgment in the comfort/efficiency
tradeoff.
Foot
Position

PS50 Recumbent Bike Owner’s Guide 8
Mostriderswillfindacomfort/efficiencysweetspotata
pedalcadencearound80rpm.Moreseriousridersdesiring
maximum performance typically pedal at around 100 rpm. For
electromechanical and safety reasons, the bike will not provide
the fully requested workload when your pedal cadence falls
below 55 rpm.
Breatheinaregularandrelaxedmanner.Manyexercisersdo
not breathe enough, which reduces their exercise capacity and
comfort. You might want to try breathing deeper and more
frequently to see if it helps your exercise regime.
Pedal
Cadence
Breathing
Riding Efficiently & Comfortably
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PS50 Recumbent Bike Owner’s Guide 9
Using the Chest Strap
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Monitoring
Your Heart
Rate
The PS50 bike has two ways of monitoring your heart rate:
1.Byusingacheststrapthattransmitsyourheartratetothe
bike via radio.
2.Byusingthemetalcontactheartratepadsonthehandlebars.
Although your bike functions fine without using the heart rate
monitoring feature, this kind of monitoring gives you valuable
feedback on your effort level. Chest strap monitoring also
allowsyoutouseHRC(HeartRateControl)®, which is the
most advanced exercise control system available.
Recumbent HRC Pads
Upright HRC Pads

PS50 Recumbent Bike Owner’s Guide 10
Using the Chest Strap
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When you wear a Polar®or compatible transmitter strap, the
bike will display your heart rate as a digital beats-per-minute
(bpm)readout.
The transmitter strap should be worn
directly against your skin, about one
inch below the pectoral muscles/
breastline(seepicturebelow).
Women should be careful to place the
transmitter
below their bra line.
Some moisture is necessary
between the strap and your
skin. Sweat from your
exercise works best, but
ordinary tap water may be
used prior to your workout
if desired.
MoreInformationAbout
Heart Rate
An average 30-year-old might have
a resting heart rate, when sitting
totally still for several minutes, of
65.Duringhardexercisethatcan
be sustained for 10 to 15 minutes it
might be around 140 continuously.
A maximum heart rate that requires
maximal exercise for several minutes
to attain is 185.
A 30-year-old in good shape might
have a resting heart rate near 55, and
might exercise for 20 minutes at a
heartrateof160.
A world-class distance runner or
professional cyclist might have a
resting heart rate near 45.
Chest Strap
Heart Rate
Monitoring

PS50 Recumbent Bike Owner’s Guide 11
Using Contact Heart Rate
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The CHR system lets you monitor your heart rate without
wearing a strap.
Gently grasp the contact heart rate pads as shown below.
When the system detects your hands, a red heart will appear
in the Heart Rate field of the data display and will flash in time
with your heart beat. During this time, the system is analyzing
and locking in your heart rate. Within about 15 seconds, your
digitalheartrateinbeatsperminute(bpm)shouldbedisplayed.
A Note on CHR Accuracy
CHR monitoring may be a bit less
accurate than a chest strap, since
the heart rate signals are much
stronger at the chest.
About 5% of the population cannot
be picked up by any CHR system.
This is because their heart is
positioned in a more up-and-down
manner in their chest, as opposed
to leaning over to one side.

PS50 Recumbent Bike Owner’s Guide 12
Getting the Best Results Possible
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For Best
Results
1. Exercise with smooth body motions. Avoid excessive
body motion, especially in your arms and upper body.
2. Breathesmoothlyandregularly,andavoidtalking.(Talk-
ing will cause unrepresentative heart rate spikes of 5 to
10bpm.)
3. Grip the pads lightly, not tightly.
4. Makesureyourhandsareclean,freeofbothdirtand
hand lotions.
When using a HRC workout, it is best to use chest strap
monitoring. These workouts work best with the extra accuracy
gained from a chest-contact heart rate monitoring system.

Chapter Two
The Display
In This Chapter:
The Display
The Upper Panel
The Lower Panel
Chapter 1: Riding Your Bike
Chapter 2: The Display
Chapter 3: Pre-Set Workouts
Chapter 4: Heart Rate Control
Chapter 5: Creating an Exercise Program
Chapter 6: Care and Maintenance

PS50 Recumbent Bike Owner’s Guide 14
Your Display
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The bike display has two jobs: to let you control the bike
operation, and to give you feedback about your workout. The
controls are simple and designed to be foolproof; it’s hard to
press a “wrong” key. You can monitor eight different kinds
of physiological data, and your workout progress is tracked
graphically with the center matrix display

PS50 Recumbent Bike Owner’s Guide 15
The Upper Panel
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Time: The amount of
time remaining in your
workout. If you press
, this becomes
elapsed time: how long
you’ve been working out
so far.*
Work Level:
The selected
workout level.
Distance: An
estimate of how
far you would have
traveled on an out-
door road bike.*
Watts: The amount of mechanical
power the bike is receiving from
your exercise. This is not the same
as the amount of power your body
is using, since the average person is
only about 20% efficient at generat-
ing mechanical power. *
RPM: Your pedal
cadence. *
METs: Your
METsrate.*
Heart Rate:
In beats
per minute
(bpm).*
Calories: An esti-
mate of your calories
burned. This doesn’t
include your basal
metabolic rate, which
is about 72 calo-
ries per hour for a
150-pound person.*
*Pressing the “Change Display” key switches the readout from
the top values to the bottom values and will light up the LEDs of
the values now being displayed. If you press and hold the “Change
Display”keyforonesecond,thedisplaywillenter“ScanMode”and
switch between the two sets of values.

PS50 Recumbent Bike Owner’s Guide 16
The Lower Panel
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Start: Starts
a workout
Workload: Adjusts work-
load up and down. Keys
repeat if held down.
Enter: Accepts
the current
data entry.
Pre-set Workouts: Selects
desired workout profile.
Random: Generates
a different workout
profile each time
Clear: Zeros-
out current
data entry.
Numeric: Used for data
entry in workout setup.
During a workout, used
to change workload by
entering a numeric value
and pressing .

Chapter Three
Pre-Set Workouts
In This Chapter:
How These Modes Work
Workout Profiles
Chapter 1: Riding Your Bike
Chapter 2: The Display
Chapter 3: Pre-Set Workouts
Chapter 4: Heart Rate Control
Chapter 5: Creating an Exercise Program
Chapter 6: Care and Maintenance

PS50 Recumbent Bike Owner’s Guide 18
How These Modes Work
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Fivedifferentpre-setworkoutsarediscussedbelow(HRC
CruiseControliscoveredinChapter4):
• Manual: this mode changes workload in 10-watt
increments. The workload stays the same at any pedal
cadence(calledconstantpowercontrol)unlessyoudrop
below55rpm.Below55rpm,workloadisreducedalong
with pedal cadence, to prevent the sensation of the pedals
“locking up.”
•Random: creates a different program profile each time
you press the key.

•CardioChallenge: with the workload gradually rising
until you reach the middle of your workout time, then
gradually decreasing to the end.
• FatBurn: with a warm-up stage increasing to a
steady-state workload for the majority of the workout,
then a cool-down at the end.
• Hills: four work intervals separated by four
rest intervals.
Sixteen different levels are available to change the difficulty of a
pre-set workout. The workload intensities expand and contract
depending on the level.

PS50 Recumbent Bike Owner’s Guide 19
Workout Profiles
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Workout
Profiles
Cardio Challenge
Fat Burn
Hills

Chapter Four
Heart Rate Control
In This Chapter:
HRC Introduction
How These Modes Work
HRC Programs
Important Points About HRC
Chapter 1: Riding Your Bike
Chapter 2: The Display
Chapter 3: Pre-Set Workouts
Chapter 4: Heart Rate Control
Chapter 5: Creating an Exercise Program
Chapter 6: Care and Maintenance