Best exercise bikes for using at home
An exercise bike is a convenient, compact, and fun way to get a great workout. Our experts pick the six best models we've tested
The best exercise bikes offer an alternative way to get your cardio fix away from the treadmill.
Unlike running, cycling is a low-impact form of exercise that will save your knees, hips and ankles from the stress of repeated strides. Exercise bikes tend to be cheaper and much more compact than the best treadmills, but they offer similar health benefits such as boosting your metabolism, burning calories, and improving your aerobic capacity, among others.
These advantages make them a fantastic option for exercising at home, but which one should you add to your fitness kit collection? We’ve tried and tested some of the best models on the market to help you decide, sussing out their strengths and weaknesses and reporting back so you can find the best exercise bike for you.
Best exercise bike overall
The Peloton Bike+ is a fantastic release from the brand’s bike collection, and it’s a real beauty. This exercise bike scored five stars in our tests and provided a smooth and comfortable ride—but it’s expensive. For what you pay, you’ll benefit from a large, 24-inch display screen (bigger than its predecessor, the original Peloton Bike). The screen can be swiveled around so that you can do workouts off the bike with a range of instructors—something we appreciated for mixing up our workouts.
Made with carbon steel, the Peloton Bike+ is luxurious, and a heavy flywheel makes riding the bike extremely smooth. Even when you’ve worked up a sweat, the handlebars remain easy to grip, and the resistance is automatically adjusted when you’re doing a workout class.
During our tests, we found the sound quality from the Bike+’s screen was great and plenty loud enough, but there is the option to plug in headphones if you prefer. To access a huge range of classes and live workouts, however, you will need to factor in an additional monthly membership fee.
If you’re serious about bagging the best exercise bike around, the Peloton Bike+ really delivers. Its only real downsides are the initial outlay and ongoing costs.
Read our full Peloton Bike+ review.
Best budget exercise bike
The Yosuda Indoor Cycling Bike exceeded our expectations as a budget exercise bike. It’s sturdy, near-silent to use and offers an impressively smooth ride thanks to its heavy flywheel. There are plenty of resistance settings thanks to the dial-controlled brake pad, and a simple LCD monitor provides basic real-time metrics on your distance covered, estimated calorie burn and speed.
It’s comfortable too, with a plush saddle that can be moved up, down, forwards and backwards, as well as tilted, to put you in a powerful cycling position. The handlebar can also be moved up and down to suit your body shape, and our writers found this customizable design element meant they were able to complete lengthy cycling sessions without suffering from an aching back.
It does have its limitations—there’s no associated workout app or cinematic touchscreen like you’ll find on pricier bikes. There are also no preset programs, so if you want to follow a structured session you’ll have to source it yourself. However, there is a phone or tablet holder on the handlebar, so you can find a class on YouTube or an exercise app like iFit to follow.
Read our full Yosuda Indoor Cycling Bike review.
Best alternative to the Peloton exercise bike
We think the Echelon EX3 Smart Connect Max is a fantastic, affordable alternative to a pricier Peloton. This might seem like an odd claim given its lack of an in-built touchscreen, but this exercise bike still provides immersive workouts courtesy of the expansive Echelon Fit app, which you can stream via your phone or tablet. There’s also a handy holster above the handlebars to hold your smart device.
The app has enjoyable, instructor-led classes to suit all fitness levels, from beginners to spin-class aficionados, though you do have to pay a monthly membership fee to access it. However, when the machine itself is under $1,000 (less than half the price of a Peloton Bike+) this seems more reasonable. The machine looks slimline and smart, it’s small enough that it doesn’t dominate your living room, and the flywheel moves smoothly at all 32 resistance levels.
Read our full Echelon EX3 Smart Connect Max review.
Best exercise bike for a realistic feel
If you’re looking for an exercise bike that is less like a spin class and more like riding a real bike up a Tour de France mountain course, the best option, dollar for dollar, is the Wattbike Atom. There’s a reason why this brand is trusted by gyms and super-keen cyclists around the world.
The Wattbike boasts exceptional build quality and an array of smart features, all of which we took advantage of during testing.
Chief amongst these is seamless connectivity to virtual training apps like Zwift and TrainerRoad, which automatically adjusts the resistance (using the bike's ANT+ sensor) as you race through real-life cycling stages. The Atom also connected instantly to Bluetooth accessories (heart rate monitor and Garmin watch).
Another clever tool is the Pedal Effectiveness Score, which tells you how well your pedaling efforts are balanced between your left and right legs.
Obviously, for many people, this is way over the top, but those looking to really push themselves to the limit and hone their technique with deep dives into the stats provided will love the Wattbike Atom. It's a serious bit of cycling kit.
Read our full Wattbike Atom review.
Best robust exercise bike
If you’ve ever sweated through a gym spin class, there’s a high probability you were pedaling a Schwinn. That professional heritage means the 800IC (formerly the IC8) is remarkably user-friendly; it requires very little technical know-how to get it ride-ready, and it includes a pair of SPD clipless pedals right out of the box for those who already own dedicated cycling shoes.
This is a bombproof indoor trainer built around a weighty flywheel that provides a smooth, challenging ride for almost any fitness level. With 100 levels of direct-contact resistance, you have full control over every climb and sprint, ensuring you have full control over of the intensity.
Connectivity is also a key feature—the Schwinn has a Bluetooth 4.0 connection, USB port, and dedicated tablet holder. This gives compatibility with a wide range of third-party apps, such as Zwift, TrainerRoad and JRNY, so you can join your favorite virtual sessions.
While the Schwinn 800IC includes mini roller wheels to help you nudge it into position, its significant 105lb / 48kg heft means you probably won't want to move it regularly.
For more, see the full review of the Schwinn 800IC Indoor Cycling Exercise Bike from our colleagues on Cycling Weekly.
Best exercise bike for short workouts
If it’s time-efficient training you’re after, the Carol Bike 2.0 is hard to beat. This future-facing exercise machine uses the little-known REHIT (reduced exertion high-intensity interval training) principle to provide the cardio-boosting, calorie burning benefits of a much longer exercise session in under 10 minutes.
Rather than offering adjustable resistance settings, the bike uses an AI-based system to control your resistance and ensure you’re getting the most out of your (short) workout. This is something we found worked well, as our legs definitely felt thoroughly worked by the end of the sprint intervals.
The bike is sleek and sturdy, staying stable when we pushed the pace, and the flywheel offers smooth, near-silent performance. There are plenty of useful metrics to sink your teeth into, too.
Carol Bike's paid monthly subscription only gives you 20 workouts without any perky Peloton-style workout videos. You can connect to the Google Play Store, though, and use third-party apps such as Peloton Digital, or stream via workouts via YouTube.
It definitely has a serious price tag, but the Carol Bike 2.0 forges its own approach, which we think is well-suited to those who struggle to find time to work out.
Read our full Carol Bike 2.0 review.
How we test the best exercise bikes
We tested the bikes on this list by putting them through a series of fitness based challenges; we complete a high-intensity, spin style session on each bike along with a longer endurance ride. During testing, we make sure to examine each feature offered by the bike, then summarize our findings by concentrating on four key areas: design, features, performance and value for money.
How to choose the best exercise bike for you
Before you hit “buy” on one of the best exercise bikes, there are a few factors you should consider to make sure you’re getting a machine that can revolutionize your fitness routine.
Resistance level
The right exercise bike for you should be able to provide a challenging workout. One of the best ways to check whether it’s capable of this is to see what resistance levels it has to offer. If you’re a fairly experienced exerciser, you’ll want a greater range of resistance settings so you can increase the difficulty and intensity of your workout at the push of a button or twist of a dial.
Resistance type
To offer a range of resistance settings, exercise bikes tend to use two methods: friction-based and magnetic resistance. Friction-based machines have a brake pad that pushes against the flywheel. If you increase the resistance, the brake pad will push harder against the wheel, increasing how difficult it is for you to pedal.
This is usually adjusted using a dial or knob. Magnetic resistance exercise bikes, on the other hand, add resistance to the flywheel through magnetism. They tend to be quieter than friction-based bikes, but their highest resistance settings aren’t usually as challenging.
Price
Exercise bikes can vary wildly in price depending on the features on offer. Our best budget option, the Yosuda Indoor Cycling Bike, retails on Amazon for $439.99 but can often be found discounted to less than $300.
This is a fantastic option for anyone looking to buy a dependable, comfortable exercise machine, but it doesn’t have preset programs, a partner exercise app or a cinematic touchscreen.
If you want these features, you should expect to pay more, with the Peloton Bike+ costing $2,495 in its most basic form.
Frequently asked questions
What are the benefits of exercise bikes?
We’re huge advocates of the idea that fitness should be fun, and an exercise bike workout can be immensely enjoyable, with Harvard Health reporting the mood-boosting benefits of exercise. Of course, a session in the saddle has plenty of physical benefits too.
A systematic review into the health benefits of indoor cycling, published in the Medicina journal, concluded that the activity, twinned with an appropriate diet, can lower body fat, reduce blood pressure, and improve aerobic capacity.
How much does the best exercise bike cost?
The price difference for exercise bikes ranges from $150/£100 for budget models to nearly $3,000/£2,500 for high-end options. At the upper end, you'll also need to factor in a monthly subscription to get all the benefits of the exercise bike, such as live-streamed classes and workout libraries.
A mid-price model, such as the Schwinn 800IC, can be a great compromise, as it allows you to connect to cheaper third-party apps or free streaming sites, such as YouTube, to get your workouts. These bikes will likely have ANT+ and Bluetooth connections so you can use apps such as Zwift, TrainerRoad, or Rouvy.
The cheapest bikes are unlikely to have any connectivity, but of course you can stream workouts on your phone or tablet.
Are exercise bike monthly subscription services worth it?
When buying a high-end exercise bike, like the Peloton Bike+, you'll also need to factor in a monthly subscription to get the full benefits, such as live-streamed classes and workout libraries. If you have the budget, the classes are usually fantastic and can be a real motivator to keep your training on track.
A mid-price model, such as the Schwinn 800IC, can be a great compromise, as it allows you to connect to cheaper third-party apps or free streaming sites, such as YouTube, to get your workouts. Such bikes will likely have ANT+ and Bluetooth connections so you can use cycling simulation apps such as Zwift, TrainerRoad, or Rouvy.
The cheapest bikes are unlikely to have any connectivity, but of course your can stream workouts on your phone or tablet.
What is a good alternative to buying a Peloton?
While Echelon and higher end NordicTrack machines are Peloton’s closest rivals, both in terms of the bikes on offer and subscription services, for those seeking flexibility, Bowflex is a great choice. It provides its own workout library while also allowing riders to stream content from external platforms like Zwift.
What's the difference between an exercise bike and a smart bike?
An exercise bike is usually the kind of machine you'll find in a gym or spin class. It will have manually adjustable resistance that's easy to reach from the saddle, some basic performance data, and often a more upright sitting position.
Smart bikes are more interactive and have the ability to use technology to automatically control resistance for you. This tech will also allow you to join virtual rides online (using services such as Zwift, TrainerRoad and Rouvy). They will also provide detailed stats so you can dive deep into your performance data, and the riding position will be much more akin to that of an actual road bike.
With technology becoming cheaper and more prevalent, we're seeing growing numbers of machines that sit between exercise and smart bikes. These models combine the more basic mechanical setups of exercise bikes with the connectivity features of smart bikes.
