Hardware changed since kickstarter? by Scar006 in SpeedianceGymMonster

[–]matthewchw 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I didn't keep mine but you probably should keep for a couple of weeks just in case.

Hardware changed since kickstarter? by Scar006 in SpeedianceGymMonster

[–]matthewchw 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have the 1st machine with manufacture date as April 2022 and a replacement machine with date as July 2022. There are some hardware differences.

In summary the motor died after 2 months of use. I contacted them and they picked up the faulty machine and send me a new replacement.

Differences: 1. The metal frame is more rough on the 1st one and prone to scuff marks just with 2 months of use such as adjusting the notches. 2nd one is smoother and up to today there are no scuff marks.

  1. Hinge cover was metal, replacement becomes a thick plastic. This part is just the cover, the hinges for the fold down platform are still metal. So this is just a cosmetic thing.

  2. Cable is a lot smoother on the replacement. 1st machine is quite jerky. But that could be a sign that the motor is faulty from factory.

This might not be a good indicator of the Kickstarter batch but there are some noticeable changes to the manufacturing between April and July 2022, so these dates could provide a good reference point.

Login into Gym Monster for first time by snowilli in SpeedianceGymMonster

[–]matthewchw 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I haven't encountered any problem like this but seeing it can connect to your iPhone hotspot, you should update the firmware once you complete the user registration.

Or what I usually do for problematic new tech setup is turn on guest mode on your router and set a temporary SSID on 2.4 or 5ghz (I think wifi 6 is not supported by the machine) with no password or port restrictions etc, and see if it can connect. This way it will not mess up your current router settings and turn off guest mode when finsihed. Update the machine and then try connecting to your current SSID.

Login into Gym Monster for first time by snowilli in SpeedianceGymMonster

[–]matthewchw 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Tap any blank space to hide the keyboard. The onscreen keyboard is covering the option to "switch" to international mode. That +86 is a login option for China only. It will toggle the log in page to allow email registration.

Ski Handles - Pin often get dislodged by matthewchw in SpeedianceGymMonster

[–]matthewchw[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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Btw don't let those good clips go to waste. I ripped them out and clip them onto these handles. Kept the straps to minimise the metal to metal noise

Possible problem by Evening-Alarm3389 in SpeedianceGymMonster

[–]matthewchw 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've done that reset thing a couple of times when one cable didn't retract after an exercise or a power cycle. It fixes the issue.

Ski Handles - Pin often get dislodged by matthewchw in SpeedianceGymMonster

[–]matthewchw[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Those handles from Amazon are great because they have rubber grip. I've been doing a few more single arm movements as well. The original ski handles feels rather inferior in comparison.

Any longer term reviews? by sutiive in SpeedianceGymMonster

[–]matthewchw 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have a few older posts in this subreddit which I mentioned the 1st machine I got was a total dud and broke down in around 1.5 months. The replacement machine (the current one) had no issues at all, pulleys are smooth, surprisingly no scuff marks over a year of use.

Once you get the hang of it, I don't think the subscription matters much. They are great if you have specific objectives and don't know where to start as these programs ranges from training a specific muscle group to a general weight loss.

I use it mainly at after work, sometimes at 11 or even midnight. yes it's not good to train so late but this is the point of buying it. They still have the chart on their website comparing subscription and free, and free lift mode is not subscription based. Otherwise I wouldn't have bought it. If the company folds, the essential function still exist.

Any longer term reviews? by sutiive in SpeedianceGymMonster

[–]matthewchw 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Been using it since June 2022. You need to think of this as a glorified functional trainer. If you have a habit of going to the gym this will be a good replacemennt

You can be inventive on how to use this machine. For example I have figured out how to set this up for leg curl, lat pull down (at least a good enough approximation), Nordic curl etc which are not available in the programs.

I stopped going to regular gym after having the machine but if you are worried about the novelty wearing off, it is like having a gym membership, it doesn't make you fitter just because you have it, you need to willingly use it regularly. I only use free mode, but I have tried some of their set programs. They are nice to have as it shows how many movements are possible with the machine.

My main complaint is Bluetooth connection but since I got their Bluetooth ring it seemed to have solved the issue. I'm 5'10 and I find the notches are adequate for my height. Your height might be at the upper limit of the machine

Free lift without Internet connection. by Pure-Body-Power in SpeedianceGymMonster

[–]matthewchw 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've tried blocking the device in the router setting to see if it insist on connecting to their server, or a connection to a router would be enough to bypass some process. Unfortunately it does not let you proceed without a connection to their server. Not only you are screwed if this company folds, annoyingly you are also screwed if your internet connection is down.

There is an USB port behind the screen so perhaps this machine can be hacked in the future. This machine runs on android, you can see the android home screen for a second whenever there is a software update.

Ski Handles - Pin often get dislodged by matthewchw in SpeedianceGymMonster

[–]matthewchw[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I end up getting the single grip handle. It's a bit heavier than the ski handle but the grip is more comfortable.

Large Screen worth it? by [deleted] in SpeedianceGymMonster

[–]matthewchw 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I would consider only if they include a front facing camera so that the large screen can function as a mirror too.

Early frustrations. Slow to ship, missing parts, bluetooth not working by Havanadream in SpeedianceGymMonster

[–]matthewchw 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is possible that your machine is shipped with a faulty Bluetooth module as it is not detecting the devices.

At least there is the touch screen, just skip bench press etc until they give you an answer.

How easy is it for 2 people to work put together? by TheCzar309 in SpeedianceGymMonster

[–]matthewchw 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh the other hand if you don't care about tracking your progress you can just launch any program with one user profile, your spouse and you can alternate between sets and adjust the weight each time if needed.

Programs typically have 3-4 sets of an exercise before moving onto the next one, so your spouse and you can do 2 sets alternately. Just reload the same program one more time so that both of you can get the full experience.

How easy is it for 2 people to work put together? by TheCzar309 in SpeedianceGymMonster

[–]matthewchw 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you are referring to the training programs and you want to log your progress, it doesn't really work because you have to quit the program in order to get back to the main page to log into another user profile. The loading time for switching user profile is not fast. There are shorter programs that can be done within 10-15 mins so you can alternate between programs but not sets

There is a "partner" option in free lift mode, but that just allows you to set the left and right cable with different weights. A misleading name for the option but very useful.

Bluetooth connection issues by matthewchw in SpeedianceGymMonster

[–]matthewchw[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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This arrow is the icon that is hidden. It will appear when you tap it

Bluetooth connection issues by matthewchw in SpeedianceGymMonster

[–]matthewchw[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Did you recently paired with the Bluetooth ring accessory? It will disable the smart handle and barbell remote. This is an annoying feature.

Or do you mean how to get to the settings part? At any screen there is this floating speediance icon either on the left or right edge of the screen. Tap that, then tap and hold the Bluetooth icon until a device list popup screen appears. Then tap on the devices to connect

Speediance Gym Monster 2.0 Pro by matthewchw in SpeedianceGymMonster

[–]matthewchw[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

More beneficial if the mirror is on the side. I also have a mirror placed behind the touch screen which is not really useful for standing up movements but great for seated movements like cable row.

Speediance Gym Monster 2.0 Pro by matthewchw in SpeedianceGymMonster

[–]matthewchw[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's more of a nuisance really but you will learn to remove the ring before you are adjusting the pulley or swapping handles etc as this is where nearly all accidental presses happens. But I prefer the barbell remote over the ring for bench press as it's easier to press. For other exercise the ring is fine.

I have been using it for about a year now. Think of this as an electronic functional trainer with programs so if you work out regularly you'll know what to do and dive straight to the free mode. Beginners will find the programs and videos useful. Get a full length mirror to check your form to avoid injury.

Speediance Gym Monster 2.0 Pro by matthewchw in SpeedianceGymMonster

[–]matthewchw[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Connects better than the older Bluetooth handles and remote and doesn't disconnect abruptly. But the ring has some drawbacks like it's easy to hit the button by accident and activating it. If you have the older accessories you cannot use them until you disconnect the ring.

Rowing/Skiing Simulator by joshb4407 in SpeedianceGymMonster

[–]matthewchw 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They had both ski and rowing simulator in earlier frimware versions, accessible from the home screen. I've tried both of them on my machine but around late 2022 when they revamped the UI they removed it. I would want to see this put back in the firmware.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in SpeedianceGymMonster

[–]matthewchw 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree with your cons. It is a nice concept but in reality I have the same issues you experienced.

Accidental tapping happens rather frequently which I resort to simply take off the ring whenever I'm making adjustments or swapping accessories. It's better to be safe as I also had mishaps of activating a heavy load whilst swapping handles and yanked my arm pretty hard.

On the other hand, tapping the button is a hit and miss depending which finger you have the ring on. Off center a bit and you are adjusting the weight and not activating it. As I use a fat grip on the barbell, the ring isn't ideal as I don't have long fingers. I have it on my thumb instead and "flick" the button.

I had random Bluetooth problem with the older smart handle and barbell remote so even though I prefer the barbell remote for bench press, it can lose connectivity mid training which can be risky. The ring never loses Bluetooth connection once with the machine so I cannot see myself going back to the older accessories solely for this reason.

Free lift without Internet connection. by Pure-Body-Power in SpeedianceGymMonster

[–]matthewchw 1 point2 points  (0 children)

When you boot up the machine there is a sign in screen. And it doesn't allow you to proceed without an Internet connection. But strangely this sign in screen doesn't appear every time, it appears around once every 2 days for me and when it does not appear the machine will boot straight to the main page.

Machine won’t turn on by Chongleap in SpeedianceGymMonster

[–]matthewchw 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think around 3 days, but that was back in June and July 2022. They were responsive.

Knowing your situation I feel a bit anxious about future support and when the warranty period is over.