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Fitness

Guides and shortlists for home exercise kit that fits a flat: footprint folded and unfolded, user weight limits, resistance and noise, from the makers' own pages.

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A home gym in a flat: footprint, floor loading, weight limits and noise, with the figures that matter

Exercise kit for a flat is chosen by three constraints that never appear on the box: the floor space it takes in use and folded, the weight it puts through a floor shared with a neighbour, and the noise it makes at seven in the morning. This guide works through each with the makers' figures for a folding bike and adjustable dumbbells, and says what to buy first.

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Shortlist · Fitness

Best adjustable dumbbells: six sets from a 12 kg beginner pair to the Bowflex 552i, on range, steps and length

An adjustable dumbbell replaces a rack you have no room for. The figures that matter are the weight range, how many settings sit inside it and how far apart they are, how the weight is changed, how long the dumbbell is at its lightest setting, and whether the listing is one dumbbell or two. Six sets from Bowflex and five smaller makers, from a 12 kg beginner pair to a 24 kg dial dumbbell.

Updated 23 October 2026

Comparison · Fitness

Bowflex SelectTech 552i vs Hakeno 2 × 24 kg: the brand dial dumbbell against the budget pair

The same idea at two prices: a dumbbell that picks up plates from a tray by a dial or a twist, 15 settings to 24 kilograms. Bowflex sells one dumbbell with a manual and every figure published; Hakeno sells two with a listing and a three-year warranty claim. The decision is one or a pair, how much a checkable maker is worth, and what happens when something breaks.

Updated 23 October 2026

Shortlist · Fitness

Best folding exercise bikes for a flat: six X-frame bikes compared on levels, weight limit, footprint and weight

A folding exercise bike is the gym kit that fits a British flat: it stands behind a door when folded and is quiet enough for a neighbour below. The figures that matter are the resistance levels, the maximum rider weight, the footprint in use and folded, the bike's own weight, and whether there is a backrest. Six X-frame bikes, from a 14 kg budget fold-up to the 23.5 kg Sunny with an app.

Updated 23 October 2026

Review · Fitness

Sunny Health & Fitness Smart Folding X-Bike review: the 23.5 kg folding bike with a backrest, bands and an app

The one folding X-bike on our shortlist with a maker's page behind it: 14 magnetic levels, a padded seat with a mesh backrest, resistance bands clipped to the frame, Bluetooth to Sunny's app and a 135 kg rider limit, in a frame that weighs 23.5 kg. This review is about what the backrest and bands add, what 23.5 kg means for folding it every day, and what Sunny states and the listing supplies.

Updated 23 October 2026