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Looking to get fit? The best exercise bikes are a great way to get a heart-pumping cardiovascular workout that helps you burn calories. Compared to other types of cardio, exercise bikes offer a low-impact option which is gentler on the joints, a great choice if you’re new to exercise or recovering from an injury. Even better, you get to work out from the comfort and privacy of your home without the fuss of a trip to the gym.
While you’ll need to pay for the cost of a bike upfront, you may find that an exercise bike is cheaper than a typical gym membership in the long run, particularly if you don’t go as often as you planned. What’s more, if you’re concerned about cycling on the road, this is a much safer alternative to get similar benefits. Most people find it easy to get the hang of as they’re used to the movement on a road bike. If you already have a regular bicycle, you may want to check out our guide to the best bike trainers to transform yours into a make-shift exercise bike.
When it comes to figuring out the best exercise bike for you, you’ll want to consider your fitness level. An upright bike makes a sound choice for the majority of people. If you’re looking for more of a challenge, a spin bike allows you to crank up the resistance and enjoy a more intense workout. Alternatively, recumbent bikes come with back support which can promote good spinal alignment and reduce pressure on the lower back. It’s thanks to this feature that they’re a good choice for people recovering from an injury (though, as always, you’ll want to speak to your doctor before starting a new exercise regime).
Whatever your budget, you can find an exercise bike for you. Prices range from a few hundred dollars to a couple of thousand. Some include features like a screen display for tracking information like your calorie burn and heart rate. At the upper-end, brands like Peloton have on-screen video workouts — these feature in our best online fitness programs guide.
The best exercise bikes are a solid option if you want to get fit from the comfort of your home. Even better, compared to other home-gym equipment such as the best elliptical machine, they are relatively compact. If space is at a premium, you may want to consider a fold-up option.
Ready to hit the pedals? Let’s take a closer look at our top picks of the best exercise bikes to help you get and stay in shape from home.
THE BEST EXERCISE BIKES FOR HOME WORKOUTS
1. Echelon Smart Connect Bike EX3: Best exercise bike overall
Echelon Smart Connect Bike EX3
A superb smart exercise bike to help you get fit at home
SPECIFICATIONS
Weight : 105lbs
Style: Upright
Warranty: One year
Workouts : Thousands (via a subscription)
Footprint: 950 (L) x 505 (W) mm
Rider weight limit: 300lbs
REASONS TO BUY
Live and on-demand classes
Clip-in and toe cage pedals
Superb build quality
REASONS TO AVOID
Fiddly to assemble
The new Echelon Smart Connect Bike EX3 is a fun way to get in regular fat-burning workouts at home, and to enhance your riding stamina. The smart fitness bike uses Bluetooth to connect to your tablet, via which you can take part in a variety of live and on-demand (3,500+) classes.
These include spin class workouts designed to help you burn fat, as well as classes geared up to boost your stamina on the bike. On the subject of spin, the Smart Connect Bike EX3 comes with an attachment for you to store dumbbells behind the saddle. To ape cycling outdoors, you can join ‘scenic rides’, which have been pre-filmed, enabling you to virtually explore attractive cycle routes across the globe.
The bike itself is incredibly well-built, with ergonomic handlebars that feel durable, and a quiet 13kg flywheel, though we did find the bike fiddly to assemble. We’d also recommend choosing your home gym space for this one carefully, as it isn’t the lightest thing to move once built.
Echelon, makers of the Echelon Stride running machine, has designed the Smart Connect Bike EX3 with a competition style-seat, and adjusting it to suit your height (there are 17 different height levels) is a cinch. The supplied pedals give you the option of toe cages if you’re wearing regular fitness sneakers, or SPD-style clips if you’re used to riding a bike clipped in.
When you take part in a class, your username and fitness metrics appear on screen. These show you how hard you’re working, where you appear in the ranking compared to other riders, and how many calories you’ve burned, and so on. For proper tracking, we’d still recommend using one of the best fitness trackers too.
The cost of subscribing to the Echelon Fit Pass costs $39.99 a month, $399.99 for 12 months upfront, or $599.99 for 24 months. That monthly cost is the same as Peloton All-Access and iFit, but the yearly cost for Echelon is $3.99 higher than iFit. We’ve used all three and prefer the Peloton and Echelon offerings (though Peloton charges extra for its NYC studio classes, which stings).
The warranty isn’t as long as other bikes we’ve tested, but the Echelon Smart Connect Bike EX3 is a superb way to keep fit at home. We’d recommend it if you want a well made piece of home gym equipment that you’ll never tire of, and that will help you have a lot of fun when exercising.
2. Nautilus U618: Best upright exercise bike
Nautilus U618 Upright Bike
The best exercise bike for a variety of built-in cardio workouts
SPECIFICATIONS
Style: Upright
Warranty: Up to 15 years
Supported weight: 325 lbs
Workouts: 29
REASONS TO BUY
29 workout presets
Adjustable seat and handlebars
Wireless HR chest strap included
REASONS TO AVOID
One-year labor warranty
The Nautilus U618 Upright Exercise Bike continues to fly the flag for the brand’s stunning home workout equipment. We’ve chosen it as one of the best exercise bikes you can buy right now not because it has the best video platform or the most modern setup, but because it’s a solid bike that would make a perfect addition to any home fitness space.
By that we mean it’s well made, with a generous 15-year frame warranty, and it runs well. We like the quiet and smooth resistance system that uses a heavyweight flywheel to do the job right.
There are 29 built-in workouts, plus and heart rate strap support so that you can take advantage of zone training to help you melt fat and achieve your wellness goals more easily. Want to add in fancy virtual rides or binge watch your favorite show? Ridesocial is built-in for the former, while a dedicated media stand is waiting to house your preferred device for watching classes and workouts, or for watching movies and shows are you exercise.
You also get dual drinks holders, a comfy seat, and multi-grip handlebars so that you can find your ideal riding position for your arms. Considering everything you get here, the Nautilus U618 Upright Bike is a well-priced machine from a big name in the home fitness industry – Nautilus also makes some of the world’s best treadmills – so you can expect reliable performance for the long-term too.
3. Schwinn IC4: Best exercise bike for Peloton fans on a budget
Schwinn IC4 Exercise Bike
This top-rated exercise bike boasts 100 resistance levels
SPECIFICATIONS
Design: Upright
Modes: App limited only
Supported weight: 330lbs
Warranty: Up to 10 years
REASONS TO BUY
Peloton and Zwift supported
Quiet when in use
REASONS TO AVOID
No cooling fan
No preset workouts
The Schwinn IC4 is one of the best exercise bikes bar none, and it’s also a super-fun option for Peloton and Zwift training. This Schwinn exercise bike features a large display and 100 levels of smooth and quiet magnetic resistance that makes it ideal for exercising along with live fitness classes, taking virtual rides, or doing a zone training program.
The spin-style Schwinn IC4 is solid, so you can go all-out without worry of the bike giving in – you are the only limit here. In fact, the bike comes with a 10-year frame warranty and supports riders of up to 330lbs.
Heart rate monitoring is an option, making this another good exercise bike for zone training. Not that getting out of your saddle will be so appealing, as the seat is very comfortable for an upright bike of this style.
There are even weights included, along with holders that attach to the exercise bike, so you can get an upper body workout too. For a proper weights workout though, we’d advise checking out the best home gyms instead.
4. NordicTrack S22i Studio Cycle: Best exercise bike for guided workouts
NordicTrack S22i Studio Cycle Stationary Bike
If you enjoy online cycling workouts, hop on this
SPECIFICATIONS
Design: Upright
Modes: 1,500
Supported weight: 350lbs
Warranty: Up to 10 years
REASONS TO BUY
Clip-in pedals
HR monitoring
REASONS TO AVOID
Installation costs extra
The NordicTrack S22i Studio Cycle is a premium home exercise bike experience with an absolute wealth of features and a dazzling 22-inch HD touchscreen. This means you can take live classes, via the iFit system, or take part in virtual rides, all with proper immersion.
Of course you can connect your heart rate chest strap via Bluetooth to get more data and see it all via the app, also available on your phone.
But there are plenty of workout options: 1,500 to be exact, all ready to go if you just want to hop on and get riding. Take a virtual ride with a former Olympian, or get your head down on a virtual slope of up to 22% to really push your stamina and cardio prowess.
Either way, the smooth resistance of the NordicTrack S22i Studio Cycle makes it feel real. The price is steep too, but it’s more than justified by everything this brilliant exercise bike has to offer.
5. Assault AirBike Classic: Best air bike
Assault AirBike Classic
The best exercise bike for a seriously intense cardio workout
SPECIFICATIONS
Design: Upright
Modes: Seven
Supported weight: 300lbs
Warranty: Up to five years
REASONS TO BUY
Powerful cooling fans
Infinite resistance
Works your upper body too
REASONS TO AVOID
Shipping costs extra
The Assault AirBike Classic, as the name suggests, is an exercise bike that uses a large 25-inch, six blade fan to create air resistance for your ride. As such it has no upper limit, making it the go-to choice for the military. The Assault AirBike Classic is built to last and you get a decent five-year warranty to back that up.
This is for those that want to push their machine, and their bodies, to the limit. That said, the seat is comfortable and you can choose to use the handlebars or just your legs as you work. The display is basic and a Polar heart rate strap is the only brand compatible. But for the price the Assault AirBike Classic really is an impressive exercise bike.