The Best Exercise Bikes in 2022 – SI Showcase

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Biking is a popular exercise that’s loved by seasoned pros and beginners alike. Not only does cycling provide a great total body workout, it can help to potentially keep your heart healthy, build muscle and increase endurance. Plus, it’s low-impact, so it doesn’t take a toll on your knees or hips. Exercise bikes have long been a common addition to home gyms, and rightfully so, thanks to their many health (and space-saving) benefits. Yet when it comes to finding the best exercise bike for your needs and your home, it’s important to consider features, technology, cost and accessories, among other factors.

Luckily, we’ve done all of the research for you. Read on for a comprehensive guide to the best exercise bikes on the market in 2022, what types are available, how to use them and what to consider before making a purchase.

Our Picks for the Best Exercise Bikes

We’ve ranked Rogue Echo Bike as our best overall exercise bike because of its affordable price point and smooth riding experience. Since this exercise bike uses wind for resistance, riders can easily control the level of their full-body workout by pedaling harder for more resistance and pedaling lighter for less resistance. This exercise bike is portable thanks to front wheels, and it’s designed with a 6.375″ x 6.375″ LCD display that can track intervals, distance, calories burned, heart rate and more. Rogue Echo Bike’s reinforced steel construction also increases stability, helping to eliminate any sways or bumps you may encounter on your ride. While accessories like wind guards, phone holders and bottle cages aren’t included, you can add these items to your order for a small additional fee.

Specs:

• Resistance Levels: Infinite air resistance
• Weight Capacity: 350 pounds
• Membership Details: None
• Price: $845.00

Best For:

• High intensity interval training (HIIT)
• Full-body workouts
• Building muscle and endurance

Purchase Rogue Echo Bike

If you’re in the market for a smart exercise bike, The Myx II is an affordable option for workout classes on demand — making it our runner up for best overall exercise bike. This stationary bike includes thousands of workouts with new sessions added weekly, accessible through the 21.5-inch interactive swivel touchscreen tablet. In addition to cycling classes, The Myx II has floor workouts, weight lifting and recovery practices that you can complete simply by swiveling the tablet away from the bike. The only downside, however, is that you’ll need a membership for unlimited access ($39/month), but a membership comes with up to five profiles for five users (meaning the entire household can get a workout). Sensors built into the handlebars track cadence, speed and distance, allowing you to monitor your progress. The bike pedals are also compatible with both running shoes and SPD cleats (cycling shoes), just another added bonus that The Myx II offers.

Specs:

• Resistance Levels: Infinite friction resistance
• Weight Capacity: 350 pounds
• Membership Details: $39 per month for unlimited access to workout content. Membership includes up to five profiles for five users.
• Price: $1,399.00

Best For:

• Large households
• Heart rate-based training
• Stacking workouts

Purchase The Myx II Bike

This indoor exercise bike is hailed in Amazon reviews for a seamless riding experience that mimics that of a road bike. Thanks to an ultra-heavy 49-pound flywheel, Sunny Health & Fitness Indoor Cycle Bike offers a hefty amount of resistance for a fast and furious ride. Or, if you want to take things easy, you can do that as well with a micro-adjustable resistance knob that makes your ride more or less challenging. As a belt driven indoor exercise bike, this product runs on the quiet side compared to bikes that are chain-driven, which tend to be more noisy. A four-way adjustable seat also helps riders finesse their form, which is important for avoiding injury and keeping your body stable while working out. With a more affordable price point ($399.98), this bike is a great option for beginners who want to learn how to cycle. Sunny Health & Fitness also offers on-demand fitness classes through their free SunnyFit app (for those who own Sunny exercise equipment).

Specs:

• Resistance Levels: 10 levels of magnetic resistance
• Weight Capacity: 275 pounds
• Membership Details: None
• Price: $399.98

Best For:

• Beginners
• High-speed rides
• Free on-demand workout classes

Purchase Sunny Health & Fitness Indoor Cycle Bike

Whether you’re new to the sport or an experienced rider, cyclers on a budget can simulate real road riding with the highly affordable Yosuda Indoor Cycling Bike YB001 ($363.00). Weighing in at just 73 pounds, this exercise bike with adjustable resistance is easy to move around your home. It’s designed with a high-grade steel frame and strong, cast-metal components that help maintain its durability. This means you can pump up the speed and break a sweat while keeping your ride steady. A four-way adjustable seat and two-way adjustable handlebars will keep you comfortable and in the right form, while real-time workout data helps track your distance, speed, calories and more.

Specs:

• Resistance Levels: Infinite friction resistance
• Weight Capacity: 270 pounds
• Membership Details: None
• Price: $363.00

Best For:

• Infinite resistance
• No-frills rides
• Portability

Purchase Yosuda Indoor Cycling Bike

Air bikes will offer you some of the most challenging rides out of all indoor exercise bike types. Schwinn, a staple in the cycling world, has the ideal machine for those interested in HIIT workouts or total body cardio: the Schwinn Airdyne AD7 Bike. Multiple-position hand grips give riders a variety of workout options, meaning you can adjust your position to better target your leg, glute or core muscles. If you want to cycle hard, an optimized fan is designed to accommodate high resistance while reducing noise (since air bikes can sometimes get noisy, depending on the type). And as a fan-powered bike, Schwinn includes an air diverter to block the rush of air that the bike wheel generates. Pre-programmed interval workouts will also guarantee that you’re never stuck taking the same ride.

Specs:

• Resistance Levels: Infinite air resistance
• Weight Capacity: 350 pounds
• Membership Details: None
• Price: $1,099.00

Best For:

• Challenging workouts
• Targeting different muscle groups
• Total body cardio

Purchase Schwinn Airdyne AD7 Bike

If weight loss is your goal, look no further than Bowflex VeloCore. This high-tech exercise bike includes a one-year JRNY membership that nets you access to adaptive workouts with real-time coaching, over 200 virtual courses to explore. While a membership isn’t entirely necessary to use this exercise bike (you can still cycle without it), it does elevate the experience. You can also enjoy additional connected features that allow you to stream Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video and more during your workout on the 16- or 22-inch built-in console (though separate streaming subscriptions are required). You can also access Peloton or Zwift subscriptions on this bike. Multiple riding styles, 100 resistance levels and included accessories such as a bluetooth heart rate armband means tracking your metrics and getting yourself into a fat-burning heart rate zone is a breeze on this bike.

Specs:

• Resistance Levels: 100 levels of magnetic resistance
• Weight Capacity: 325 pounds
• Membership Details: One-year complimentary JRNY membership included with purchase of bike; $149 per year after automatic renewal.
• Price: $1,799.00-$2,199.00

Best For:

• Weight loss
• Streaming services
• Virtual scenic rides

Purchase Bowflex VeloCore Bike

NordicTrack Commercial S22i Studio Cycle Bike comes with a high price tag ($1,899), but for the cost you can get a unique riding experience that isn’t limited to flat roads — something not currently offered by its Peloton competitor. That’s because this high-quality, stationary bike offers an incline and decline option, meaning you can realistically cycle uphill or downhill. Its iFIT (30-day free trial included) feature will automatically adjust your resistance, incline and decline, saving you the effort of making manual adjustments and generating a custom workout that moves at your pace. The bike is also designed with a premium 30W sound system for clearer audio and more immersive rides. NordicTrack S22i Studio Bike goes beyond only cycling and offers interactive strength training, yoga and mindfulness, cross-training, bootcamp and more, all of which can be accessed via a 22-inch touch screen that tilts and rotates 360 degrees.

Specs:

• Resistance Levels: 24 digital resistance levels
• Weight Capacity: 350 pounds
• Membership Details: 30-day complimentary iFIT Family Membership included with purchase of bike; $39 per month after automatic renewal.
• Price: $1,899.00

Best For:

• Riding on an incline
• Peloton alternative
• Immersive sound

Purchase NordicTrack S22i Studio Bike

The Wahoo KICKR Bike is best for serious cyclists — especially competitive bikers. This smart exercise bike comes with a whopping amount of features that simulate real-time competitive riding, such as optimized flywheel technology that improves the bike’s accuracy and responsiveness. It also has automatic resistance, real-time physical grade changes that raise and lower the bike to match your ascents, programmable virtual shifting and virtual braking. Plus, you can use the Wahoo Fitness app to enter your body or outdoor bike measurements to replicate the fit of your KICKR bike to your personal preferences. Though the training bike requires an investment of nearly $4,000, it may be worth it for those looking for enhanced bluetooth connectivity and a totally-customizable ride.

Specs:

• Resistance Levels: 2,200 watts of resistance
• Weight Capacity: 250 pounds
• Membership Details: None
• Price: $3,799.00

Best For:

• Competitive biking
• Fully-custom rides
• Automatic resistance

Purchase Wahoo KICKR Bike

A small space doesn’t mean that having workout equipment at home isn’t feasible. Instead, a foldable machine like Lanos Folding Exercise Bike can help you meet your fitness needs without sacrificing any precious room. We’ve ranked this foldable bike as our top pick in this category because of its fair price point ($269.99), fitness tracking capabilities, easy assembly and a quiet ride. It also offers the best of both worlds, allowing riders to navigate between recumbent exercise bike and upright indoor cycling bike positions. With 10 levels of magnetic resistance, you can easily choose how relaxing or challenging your ride is.

Specs:

• Resistance Levels: 10 levels of magnetic resistance
• Weight Capacity: 300 pounds
• Membership Details: None
• Price: $269.99

Best For:

• Small spaces
• Multiple riding positions
• Easy assembly

Purchase Lanos Folding Exercise Bike

Bike reviews praise this recumbent exercise bike for its comfortable riding experience that’s suitable for people with illness or injury. Whether you use it as a form of physical therapy, or to simply get a good workout, Schwinn 270 Recumbent Bike offers a sturdy ride complete with a ventilated and contoured seat that provides lumbar support. It also creates a cool workout, which a three-speed fan assists with. 29 programs (including two fitness tests and one recovery test) paired with 25 levels of eddy current resistance means you can get a fully-custom workout while also gauging your personal fitness needs.

Specs:

• Resistance Levels: 25 levels of eddy current resistance
• Weight Capacity: 300 pounds
• Membership Details: None
• Price: $649.00

Best For:

• People with injuries
• Fitness testing
• Ventilated rides

Purchase Schwinn 270 Recumbent Bike

The Peloton Bike is often hailed as the holy grail of all indoor exercise bikes and that’s because it offers thousands of on-demand and live classes filmed at their New York and London based studios, with fitness instructors who double as cult favorites. An immersive 22-inch HD touchscreen helps you feel like you’re taking a class in-person, whether you’re spinning, doing boot camp or kickboxing. An optional leadership board also shows how you rank in each class and your total output. Yet metrics don’t stop there: Peloton keeps track of everything from cadence, to speed, to distance, to even heart rate. You can also sync your workouts to your Apple Watch.

And despite its capabilities, Peloton bikes are actually smaller than your average yoga mat, so they fit well in most home gyms. In addition to the bike, you can purchase one of three upgraded packages that include a wide range of accessories such as cycling shoes and light weights. But don’t feel thrown off by the monthly subscription: a Peloton bike is still usable without one, you’ll just have limited access to select pre-recorded classes and a Just Ride feature.

Specs:

• Resistance Levels: 100 levels of magnetic resistance
• Weight Capacity: 297 pounds
• Membership Details: All-access membership is $44 per month, while an app-only membership is $12.99 per month.
• Price: $1,445.00

Best For:

• Paid on-demand workout classes
• Working out with a friend
• High-end accessories

Purchase Peloton Bike

What Are the Different Kinds of Indoor Exercise Bikes?

Each type of indoor exercise bike comes with a different set of benefits. Depending on the type of indoor exercise bike you choose, you can modify everything from the kind of workout you get, to impact level, to even the range of muscles that you use. These are the most popular.

Upright bike

An upright bike requires you to hold yourself up and uses a wider range of muscles. Those looking for a more challenging cardio workout may want to opt for this type of indoor exercise bike, since it targets leg, glute, abdominal and arm muscles simultaneously. Despite the total body workout, an upright bike is considered to be low-impact cardio, therefore it’s gentle on your joints. Upright bikes tend to take up less space and are good options for smaller home gyms.

Recumbent bike

A recumbent bike is one of the best options for beginners looking to dip their toes into cycling. It offers a reclined adjustable seat that mimics the position of riding a bicycle, so you don’t have to use your upper body to pedal. These types of indoor exercise bikes tend to be more comfortable and provide an ergonomic workout that’s easier on your joints, making them great picks for people with injuries or illness. They can be bulky, though, so recumbent exercise bikes are best for larger spaces.

Air bike

An air bike serves as a combination of a traditional exercise bike and an elliptical, allowing you to work out your upper and lower body at the same time. Air bikes are excellent options for high intensity interval training, or HIIT workouts, since users can easily control the resistance level by pedaling faster or slower. These types of indoor exercise bikes use wind resistance and tend to be on the noisy side, but in return they provide a much more challenging workout.

Foldable bike

A foldable or folding bike is an indoor exercise bike that can save you several feet of space when it’s not in use. These portable bikes offer convenience for those who live in smaller homes and aren’t able to make room for a more permanent workout option. Most foldable bikes come in an upright or recumbent form and offer everything from multiple resistance levels to heart-rate sensors. They also tend to cost less than upright, recumbent or air bikes.

Is a Recumbent Bike or An Upright Exercise Bike Better?

A recumbent bike isn’t necessarily better than an upright exercise bike or vice-versa — it simply depends on your needs. If you’re new to cycling or have joint pain, a recumbent bike may be a smarter choice since it offers a beginner-friendly workout that’s gentle on your joints. An upright exercise bike, on the other hand, may be better suited to advanced riders looking for a more challenging workout. It’s also best for those looking for a total body workout, since it involves stabilizing muscles like your core and may include handles that work your arms and back.

What’s the Difference Between a Spin Bike and An Exercise Bike?

A spin bike closely resembles a standard road bike and allows for acceleration and coasting. It also offers higher calorie burn and is often used in group spin classes or by those who cycle for sport. An exercise bike is better suited for endurance and resistance, making it a great option for all fitness levels.

How Often Do I Need to Ride to See Results?

Many people see noticeable results after one month of cycling at least three times a week on an indoor exercise bike. It’s important to take a rest day or two in-between each ride to allow your muscles time to recover.

What Muscles Do Exercise Bikes Work?

Exercise bikes can work a wide range of muscles depending on the type of exercise bike you purchase. An upright or air bike can work your leg, glute, abdominal and arm muscles, while a recumbent bike will be more focused on just your leg and glute muscles.

What to Look for When Choosing An Home Exercise Bike

While any home exercise bike will ultimately provide you with exercise, there are a number of features that can help elevate your workout. Other features will help protect you in the event that your exercise bike malfunctions or breaks. Here’s what to look for when choosing a bike.

Levels of resistance

For a more intensive or challenging workout, look for an exercise bike that offers a higher range of levels of resistance. Pedaling at higher resistance levels will increase muscular strength. Alternatively, if you’re looking for an exercise bike that offers an easier workout, a bike with fewer levels of resistance (such as 8-10) will probably suit your needs — and cost less.

Pedals

It’s likely that your exercise bike will come with built-in pedals. Nonetheless, look for a bike with pedals that have straps or clips, since these will help secure your feet and allow you to pedal at a smoother, faster pace. Pedals that are compatible with both running shoes and SPD cleats (cycling shoes) will also give you more flexibility as to what you can wear on your feet when you ride. If you’re truly unhappy with your bike’s pedals or they don’t suit your needs, many can be swapped out for a different set of bike pedals; you’ll just have to purchase them separately.

Connectivity

Exercise bikes with connectivity features or accessories are a major bonus for anyone looking to track their workout performance. It can measure intervals, distance, calories burned and more. Plus, an exercise bike with smart technology allows you to take live or on-demand classes, work out with a friend over video or connect to other fitness or smartphone apps. If you’re looking for a workout that goes beyond simply riding, or you want to monitor your performance, consider a bike that offers bluetooth, live-streaming, heart rate monitors or similar built-in technology.

Other bike accessories

To elevate your ride, look for exercise bikes that come with accessories such as bottle holders, phone holders, headphones, dumbbells, resistance bands, seat cushions and/or non-slip bike mats. A pair of lightweight dumbbells, for example, can help you achieve more of an upper body workout while you ride, while a non-slip mat helps stabilize your bike and prevents it from sliding across the floor. While accessories like these aren’t always essential for exercising, they can help make your ride more enjoyable, keep you hydrated and even give you a better workout.

Cost

Cost is arguably one of the top factors to consider when it comes to buying a stationary bike. Think about your budget before making a purchase, along with what features or accessories you’re looking for in the perfect bike (since these will play a role in overall cost). You’ll also want to factor in any membership fees. If there are no membership fees, be sure you’re happy with free offerings (like select content on-demand). Depending on the brand, many exercise bikes can be paid for in installments if making a purchase outright doesn’t work for you. You can also buy an exercise bike on credit and pay it off at your own pace. Keep in mind that a lower-end bike will cost anywhere from $200-$300 while a higher-end bike can cost $1,500 or more.

Warranty

At the end of the day, exercise bikes are machines that are prone to breaking, especially if they’re loaded with technology or smart features (one of the tradeoffs of buying a higher-end bike). Finding an exercise bike that offers a warranty, especially an extended warranty, can save you money in the long run if your bike breaks or malfunctions. While it can be tempting to skip purchasing a warranty, they often pay themselves off (and then some) after just one claim. For example, if your warranty costs $39 a year and your bike requires a repair that costs $600 without a warranty, you’ve already saved yourself more than $500 by making the purchase.

Most brands include standard warranties with the purchase of an exercise bike. Several also offer the option to buy extended warranties that add extra years to your coverage. The bikes in this roundup come with a range of coverage periods. Wahoo and Myx Fitness offer only a one-year limited warranty, whereas NordicTrack and Schwinn cover the bike frame for 10 years, parts for two years, and repairs labor for 90 days (Schwinn) or one year (NordicTrack). Peloton bikes have one year of labor and limited parts coverage, plus five years on the frame. Rogue and Bowflex bikes have two years of warranty coverage, though only Bowflex offers labor coverage.

Final Thoughts

Biking is a universal exercise that suits all ages and fitness levels. It’s also low-impact compared to other popular workouts such as running or cross-training. As a longtime staple of home gym equipment, exercise bikes tend to be more affordable than their counterparts like treadmills or elliptical machines, plus they take up less space. Whether you buy a simple exercise bike or make a higher-end purchase complete with a membership and fitness classes, an exercise bike is a great investment for any home gym and can help you stay physically and mentally healthy.

Prices are accurate and items in stock as of publish time.