Exercise bikes improve your aerobic fitness and lower body strength while aiding fat loss.
Exercise bikes are excellent cardiovascular workouts, engaging your lower body muscles. Incorporating exercise bikes into your routine can build lower body strength and burn calories efficiently. Research indicates exercise bikes can enhance aerobic capacity, support weight loss, and lower blood pressure (1). The great advantage is that you can reap these benefits whether you use the bike alone or combined with other training and dietary efforts.
Additionally, they offer versatility in training locations, allowing you to work out at home or the gym. They’re user-friendly and accessible for everyone, regardless of whether you’re a beginner, intermediate, or advanced user.
Are you considering getting one? This article provides essential information to help guide your purchase decision and recommendations for the top exercise bike options available this year. Read on to discover the best exercise bike for your needs!
Our Top Picks for the Best Exercise Bikes
- Best Exercise Bike Overall & for Bodybuilders: NordicTrack S22i Studio Bike
- Best Exercise Bike for Weight Loss & Best Air Bike: Assault Bike ProX
- Best Folding Exercise Bike: Marcy Foldable Upright Exercise Bike
- Best Spin Exercise Bike & Most Affordable: YOSUDA Indoor Cycling Bike
- Best Portable Exercise Bike: Concept 2 BikeErg
- Best Exercise Bike with Classes: Echelon Connect EX-8s
- Best Recumbent Exercise Bike: Schwinn 290 Recumbent Bike
Best Exercise Bike Overall & for Bodybuilders: NordicTrack S22i Studio Bike
Perfect for getting your exercise in in small spaces.
The NordicTrack S22i Studio Bike is a phenomenal choice that offers a complete home fitness experience with interactive features and different training experiences. This bike also comes with a complimentary one-year iFit membership with access to outdoor courses, studio classes, and real-time trainer-led workouts.
The 22-inch touchscreen is high-definition, making interaction more user-friendly and convenient. It also offers 24 automatic smooth adjustable resistance levels for a well-tailored workout experience. This exercise bike can incline up to 20% and decline to -10 %, which is rare for a spin bike.
The NordicTrack S22i Studio Bike also comes with accessories like an inbuilt fan, speakers, a dual water bottle holder, a storage tray, and a media compartment to store your pair of dumbbells and your smartphone. However, this device can be quite cumbersome for mobility. You must also be careful not to knock off the 22-inch screen when moving the device around.
Pros
- High-definition interactive 22-inch touchscreen
- Adjustable resistance levels
- 20% grade incline and -10% decline
- Media compartment and functional storage
Cons
- Cumbersome to move
- Risk of damage to the screen
Best Exercise Bike for Weight Loss & Best Air Bike: Assault Bike ProX
The Assault Bike ProX is a smooth piece of equipment with a rugged design. One feature that stands out is that this bike automatically increases resistance speed while maintaining proper form as your speed increases. This makes it one of the best exercise bikes for weight loss.
This exercise bike has a high-contrast LCD screen that displays metrics like heart rate, RPM, calories, distance, interval training, and more. It also has accessories like a phone and cup holder for added comfort and a Bluetooth system that is easy to connect. However, it can also be cumbersome to move around.
The Assault Bike ProX is also a fan bike, which might not be the best choice for a home gym, especially considering noise levels. However, as a plus, this exercise bike is low maintenance with an easy-to-use console and an impressive seven-year warranty.
Pros
- Automatic speed-to-resistance adjustment
- Easy-to-use console
- High contrast LCD screen
- Low maintenance
- Seven-year warranty
Cons
- Cumbersome to move
- Noisy
Best Folding Exercise Bike: Marcy Foldable Upright Exercise Bike
When you need to fold your bike up and pack it away after you use it, this option from Marcy is the best!
The Marcy Foldable Upright Exercise Bike has an ergonomically designed frame that allows convenient folding and storage. It’s also one of the lightest bikes you can use around your home. Additionally, if you don’t feel like lifting it, you can roll it around the house on its wheels.
Surprisingly, the exercise bike can accommodate up to 250 lbs weight capacity, making it sturdy enough for your exercises. However, the downside of this bike is the unavailable in-built programming and manual magnetic resistance mechanism that comes with different levels. It also lacks Bluetooth technology, meaning you can’t connect your smart device to track your progress.
Pros
- Light but sturdy
- Ergonomic design that is great for storage
- Wheels for convenient transporting
Cons
- No in-built programming
- No Bluetooth technology
Best Spin Exercise Bike & Most Affordable: YOSUDA Indoor Cycling Bike
Spin bikes can be expensive, and when you shop a cheaper option you may sacrifice quality. YOSUDA gives you a cheap, and quality option.
The YOSUDA Indoor Cycling Bike is a heavy-duty steel frame exercise bike that guarantees stability during workouts. It’s one of the market’s most affordable but quality exercise bikes. It offers a smooth riding experience and is convenient with adjustable handlebars and a four-way adjustable seat.
This exercise bike is convenient to move around the home because of its built-in transportation wheels. It also has a phone and bottle holder for added comfort during workouts.
A major drawback of the YOSUDA Indoor Cycling Bike is the absence of a console and Bluetooth technology, which makes it difficult to structure and track your fitness progress.
Pros
- Quality and affordable
- Heavy-duty steel frame for stability
- Smooth riding
- Adjustable handlebars and seat
- Wheels for easy transporting
Cons
- No console
- No Bluetooth
Best Portable Exercise Bike: Concept 2 BikeErg
For those looking for a portable exercise bike that can easily be taken on the go, the Concept2 ERG is the best option.
The Concept 2 BikeErg is one of the best portable exercise bikes with good construction and material build. It’s also a lightweight and sturdy bike, making it an excellent option for athletes.
This bike has an easily adjustable seat and handlebars and is easy to move around on its built-in caster wheels. It’s also easy to assemble and can serve many bike workout variations, making it versatile. Additionally, the Concept 2 bikes come with Bluetooth technology to connect and track your workout progress.
However, the Concept 2 BikeErg can be rather noisy for downsides, but using earplugs or noise-canceling headphones might address this. The interactive console might also be disappointing because of its small screen and lack of speakers.
Pros
- Light but sturdy
- Quality construction and build
- Adjustable seat and handlebars
- Easy to assemble
- Multiple workout variations
Cons
- Noisy
- Small console screen
- No speakers
Best Exercise Bike With Classes: Echelon Connect EX-8s
Having classes to follow while on your exercise bike can be a game changer, and Echelon has just the bike for that.
The Echelon Connect EX-8s is a quality exercise bike with an attractive design. It comes with a large 24-inch screen and dual-facing speakers with quality sound, giving you the illusion you’re in a live class.
This bike also offers a vast library of on-demand workouts, and the Echelon app can easily sync with third-party apps like Spotify, Apple Health, Fitbit, and many others. However, you have to join the Echelon Premier Membership to gain access.
Complaints about the lagging user interface and firmware updates could delay you from starting your exercises on this bike. It’s also on the pricey side. However, aside from these, the Echelon Connect EX-8s is a modern and aesthetically pleasing bike with loads of functions, which might make the price worth it.
Pros
- Large 24-inch screen
- Dual-facing quality speakers
- Massive library of on-demand workouts
- Can sync with 3rd party apps like Apple Health, Spotify, Fitbit, etc.
Cons
- Pricey
- Problematic firmware updates that could affect workout
Best Recumbent Exercise Bike: Schwinn 290 Recumbent Bike
As the name suggests, the Schwinn 290 Recumbent Bike is a recumbent bike that’s 47” in height, 66.4” in length, and 28” in width. It comes with a 7” LCD, a water bottle holder, weighted strapped pedals, and adjustable padded seating that offers comfort by providing plenty of leg room. It also has easy transportable wheels to make moving it to different spaces of your home seamless and a USB charging support station. Moreover, it comes with workout apps and allows you to track fitness parameters, such as most calories burned and workout consistency.
Pros
- Comfortable and easy to move
- 7” LCD screen display
- Has a water bottle holder and media shelf
Cons
- Takes up a lot of space
- Heavy
Requirements When Selecting the Best Option
Exercise bikes come in different forms. They can be dual-action, upright bikes, or recumbent. You can use them to perform different workouts, but mostly cycling. This depends on your training goals and the type of exercise bike. There are many factors to consider when picking the best exercise bike. In general, your bike should offer the features below.
Build Quality
Getting a top-quality exercise bike is necessary to withstand wear and tear. It must also be durable and made with quality materials to handle your body weight.
Comfort
Your exercise bike should have adjustable and comfortable seats with easy-to-use handles for various body types. Are the pedals also wide enough to accommodate all body types? Considering all these factors can give you a pleasant workout experience.
Versatility
A quality exercise bike should be electromagnetic, manual, or wind-resistant. This will help add versatility to your training.
Size
Size is vital when considering an exercise bike. You don’t want one that takes up a lot of space, especially when you want to workout from the comfort of your home. However, your bike should be big enough to carry you and your weight even during vigorous training.
Technical Capabilities
Can your bike seamlessly connect to different devices like your smartwatch, phone, or heart-rate monitor? Does it offer a user-friendly display with metrics like your heart rate or cycle count recorded? These are important features for tracking your progress during training.
Customization
Are the handlebars, pedals, and saddles easily swappable for a more custom and comfortable riding experience?
Wrapping Up
Exercise bikes have evolved significantly over the years, offering various options to meet various fitness needs. Even if your primary goal is simply to cycle, using an exercise bike can greatly benefit your cardiovascular health and overall well-being. Additionally, it serves as an excellent tool for sculpting your lower body muscles.
This article presents a selection of well-researched exercise bikes, each featuring unique attributes designed for effective training. Explore these options to find the one that suits you best, and make your purchase to embark on your fitness journey.
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Reference
- Chavarrias, M., Carlos-Vivas, J., Collado-Mateo, D., & Pérez-Gómez, J. (2019). Health Benefits of Indoor Cycling: A Systematic Review. Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania), 55(8), 452. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina55080452
