BowFlex SelectTech Stand with Media Rack

I received this item very quickly, maybe 3 days. It assembled in about 45 minutes and it works extremely well with the 560 series dumbbells. The dumbbell bases screw right into the stand platforms so there is no chintzy strap to deal with (just threw it in the trash). All hardware and instructions are provided and thorough. My only gripe is that my phone is hard to see during my workout because the 560 plates are so large that they can block the view of the media shelf. Not a big deal. I could probably just place something under my phone like a deck of cards or something or just bust out the iPad. The phone is visible while I'm standing just hard to see between the dumbbells if I'm doing crunches or pushups or something on the ground. Its a very small gripe, just something to be aware of. Other than that I love not having to bend over and pick my weights off the ground. It's definitely a back saver. Looks good too.

I bought this because I got tired of reaching all the way down to the floor to adjust/pickup the dumbbells. The stand seems pretty pricey but it is well worth the price. The quality is top notch and the stand looks great! Assembly took some time since the pieces are heavy and the tools given are subpar. If you have the Bowflex adjustable weights, this is almost a must. I can’t believe I went 5 years without this stand!!

Assembly was easy when leaving the bolts a little loose until all were in place. No real Directions , just illustrations of parts and how they go together. Straightforward enough except one needed order.. The bumpers that fit into the barbell rack that came with the adjustable barbells should be installed FIRST on the platforms before securing the platforms to the frame. If you don’t do this, it can still be secured if you have access to a right angle Philips as I had to use… :-). The stand is sturdy and fits the Bowflex 552 adjustable dumbbells perfectly. I replaced the adjustable stationary “feet” with 3: heavy duty locking wheels ( Amazon. ASIN : B09D4R4BGS ) to raise the stand a bit and to make it mobile. BowFlex does not give this option and may not approve of wheels. It works beautifully for me .These are M!0 threaded stems.

Plus; seems sturdy, makes everything look cohesive as a set, came on time (within one week) Cons; stand is only about 2.5- 3 FT tall, so you still have to bend over to get your weights. Assembly is overly complicated for such a simple apparatus. THE WORST thing about this stand is it comes with holes to screw in the bow flex weights but they don’t line up and don’t seem compatible, so bowflex itself, similar to a third party retailer has opted to leave this defect and give you a strap to tie down the weights instead lol. Guess that’ll get fixed when someone drops a weight on their toe. Final words; If you’re able to build your own, you probably can do better, but if you can’t, you really have no choice but to settle for this add on. It gets the job done, looks nice and is part of a set. Just do it there is no alternative.

I like the concept, the ease of assembly, and the overall measurements. As others listed, you can't bolt the 552/1090 dumbbell platforms to the stand. I removed the rubber feet from my 552s and slathered toothpaste (it's water soluble) on the mounting holes, then pressed them onto the platforms, leaving a mark to drill. I then used a center punch to mark each hole, then drilled them out - I started with a 1/16 bit, then progressed until I could see all 4 holes. After finishing the drilling work, I did a quick assembly. I realized that with the mounts facing inwards, there wasn't much space to step INTO the stand, for a vertical liftoff. I already have back issues, so that was a hard pass. My fix? I flipped the mounts, so that the dumbbells are spaced slightly further apart. I can't use the media stand this way, however that wasn't a dealbreaker for me. It sits closer to the wall, anyways, so that's fine. This DOES ever do slightly throw off the center of gravity, shifting it rearwards. To compensate, I lowered the front adjustable feet to the minimum position, then raised the rear feet slightly. After modification, I'd give this a score of 9/10. The powder coat/paint is great, the color matches my dumbbells perfectly, and I'm happy to use both products. If they fixed the mounting issue, I'd give it 5* immediately. If you're worried that it sits too low, don't be. I'm 5'10 with long legs and it's PERFECT - when I'm spent after a workout, a slight shrug of my shoulders elevates the dumbbells enough to rack them. The short appearance irked me, until I actually used the stand - remember, you have to lift the dumbbells OVER the plates you aren't using, so that extra height would be a problem for anyone below 6'4 or so.

Ok. Here's the deal. Is this Stand sturdy-yes. Does it look great with my pair of SelectTech 552 dumdells-absolutely. Am I glad I purchased it-yes, but I planned on modifying it before I even placed the order. Why? Because Bowflex didn't think it was important enough to have holes in the steel base plates to accommodate the 552's. The holes are for the 1090's. They threw in nylon straps to hold the 552 plastic bases down. Will this work-yes, but it's a little hard to gets your fingers around the grips, and it looks a bit "chinsy". So, here's what you need to do if you have the 552's. And yes, it sucks that you would even have to do this, but I'm glad I did. 1) Remove both dumbbells from their bases. 2) Unscrew the rubber feet from the bottom and separate the plastic bases (pull top off of bottom). 3) Get the steel base plates that come with the stand. Look at the diagram that came with the instructions and make sure the steel bases are oriented properly (there are three holes at the top edge of the bases where the media stand connects-that's the top. 4) Place the plastic base on top of the steel base. Make sure it's seated properly. 5) Mark the four holes with a pencil or marker and drill them out with a 5/32 or 11/64 drill bit. 6) PUT THE ENTIRE STAND TOGETHER. You will notice one of the holes you drilled is now covered by the bottom of the media stand base. No biggie-drill it out. 7) Grab some screws that are the same diameter as the ones you removed, but about twice as long. 8) Put the two plastic base halves together again - do not screw rubber feet in yet. 9) Place the rubber feet and washers back in the holes on the bottom of the plastic base. 10) Tilt the stand down and place the base (bottom facing up) onto the metal base plates. 11) Install longer screws through the metal plate and secure both plastic bases. That's it. You're done. Trust me, it sounds so much harder than it is. It takes about 45 minutes longer to do the entire build. Once you're done, you'll be glad you did. No nylon straps and it looks so much better. Also, don't spend $269 from 3rd party vendors. Wait, like I did, and get it new directly from Amazon for $149.

Bowflex Dumbell SelectTech Stand with Media Rack Modification Directions for Bowflex SelectTech 552 Adjustable Dumbbells https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072QF9L9F?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details Mount dumbbell plastic bases to media rack stand 1) Carefully remove both dumbbells from their bases. Set the weights at 52.5 for the 525 weights. 2) Unscrew the rubber feet from the bottom of the plastic bases (and separate the plastic bases if you have the two part bases - pull the top off of bottom for the two part base). 3) Build the media rack stand following the Bowflex directions. Keep bolts/screws loose until the stand is fully assembled and then tighten as a last step. 4) Some assembly hints: a. Cross bar (says Bowflex on it) to connect the two legs shaped like 2 “U”s. Make sure the word Bowflex is face up b. Foot stabilizers, make sure the hole for the foot is face down. c. Install the feet (if not going to add wheels later to the stand), take the nut off to get the washer off from the foot, and then spin the nut back on and install the feet so the washer is between the nut and the actual foot stabilizer ( d. Connect the media rack to the two plates that will hold the weights (it will be loose since they are tightened with nylon insert jam lock nuts. e. Install the 552 bumpers onto the plates (not the 1090 bumpers). Screw them in using the small screws they give you. f. Connect the steel plates that hold the weights to the actual unit (the 2 U bars). Be sure to tighten them using (a socket wrench and Allen wrench) or the provided tools so they don't wobble. g. Lastly, install the plastic base plate and the straps. The straps can be lengthened to hold down the dumbells seated in their respective base on the stand, since the plastic base plates are attached to the steel plates. h. Tighten all screws/bolts. I used Loctite Blue on the screws/bolts. 5) If you have the two part base - The dumbbell base comes apart with 4 screws at the corners holding in the feet. Take those screws out and line up the lower base with the rack plate and mark the 4 holes when time to drill in the rack plate. 6) If you have the one part base – This does not come apart. Remove the 4 screws and the feet. I used the two part base (if you have one) to be a template for the one part base. Mark the 4 holes when time to drill in the rack plate. Otherwise you will have to draw up a template for the bottom of the one piece plastic base to identify the 4 (four) holes that need to be drilled out. I did look on the internet to see if someone posted a for scale drawing online. I could not find one. You could also mark the 4 foot holes on the underside with some paint/substance that will adhere to the steel plate to identify the drill marks that need to be drilled out. 7) Place the lower half of the plastic base (or your template) on top of the steel base platform. Make sure it’s seated properly on the rubber bumpers. Clamp down the lower half of the plastic base (tape down your template if using a drawing) to hold it secure on the steel base platform. Use wooden blocks above and below the plastic base to provide a smooth flat surface for the C-clamp to hold onto. 8) Mark the four holes with a pencil or marker. I just drilled them out with a 9/64 drill bit right through the holes where the rubber feet were attached. For the corner above the media rack, drill through the media rack and the lower steel base at the same time. 9) Put the two plastic base halves together again (for the two part base). Place the rubber feet and washers back in the holes on the bottom of the plastic base. Tape the rubber feet and washer to the bottom of the plastic base (I used duck tape) to hold the feet in the correct spot so when you turn the base over the feet do not fall out. 10) Place the plastic base on top of the steel base platform. 11) I used longer screws than came with the Bowflex plastic stand. I used Size #4 Wood screws that were 1 inch long (perhaps could go longer but I didn’t). I also used washers underneath the steel base platform. I used 8 size #6 finishing washers on top of 8 size #8 washers. 12) Screw the wood screws with washers through the underside of the steel base platform into the underside of the plastic base. I hope these direction modifications help. David B from P’Burg NJ To Install Wheels 1) Obtain four (4) 3” thermoplasticized rubber swivel casters (with or without the wheel locks) with a threaded stem – Size M10-1.5X25mm. I used the nuts inside the stabilizer legs. 2) I used these wheels: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08PNYLBVG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1 3) Replace the original feet. Unscrew the feet and replace with a wheel. I went with locking wheels.

Good product. I read a lot of the reviews and I'm sorry to hear so many folks got crappy hardware. Fortunately, I didn't have that problem. I just finished putting it together and here is my suggested build order for no hassle. (this is for the 552's, which are the weights that adjust up to 52.5lbs, but I know this product works for the ones that go up to 90lbs as well) 1. Cross bar (says Bowflex on it) to connect the two legs shaped like 2 U's. Make sure the word Bowflex is face up 2. Foot stabilizers, make sure the hole for the foot is face down 3. Install the feet, take the nut off to get the washer off from the foot, and then spin the nut back on and install the feet so the washer is between the nut and the actual foot stabilizer (this was suggested by another reviewer, thank you!) 4. Connect the media rack to the two plates that will hold the weights (it will be loose since they are tightened with nylon insert jam lock nuts, which i hate, so i plan to replace those nuts with regular ones of the same size so I can tighten it securely) 5. Next. install the bumpers onto the plates that will hold the weights. Screw them in using the small screws they give you 6. Connect the plates that hold the weights to the actual unit (the 2 U bars). Be sure to tighten them using the provided tools so they don't wobble. 7. Lastly, install the base plate using the straps. Tighten away and you're good to go! I hope these install instructions help someone down the line. Great product! Nice to not have to bend over now to get my weights for every exercise!