The 7 Best Exercise Bikes for Getting Your Cardio at Home

The world is a busy, bustling place where time is scarce, so exercising during the weekdays can be an ongoing struggle. One of the best cardio workouts is biking, but after a long, grueling day at work, getting everything prepared for a bike ride might not always be best for your time management. And driving to the gym poses the same issue, especially if it’s out of the way. Well, to get your legs moving and your heart pumping, an indoor spin bike is the answer. Chances are you haven’t really been keen on quality spin bikes out there, but we’re here to fill you in on the premier options. We’ve done the heavy lifting to create a list of the best spin bikes for your home.

Why Use an Indoor Spin Bike?

There’s no real substitute for riding your bike to break a sweat and enjoy nature’s artwork, but an indoor spin bike makes more sense when you need quick, efficient workout sessions. Working out at home is infinitely more convenient than heading to the gym to share the equipment and space with strangers. Hop on your indoor spin bike, stream a movie that pumps you up, and play some tunes that will get you in the zone to hit your calorie-burning goal for the night.

How to Prep for Indoor Biking

Although indoor spin bikes are a fantastic way to burn calories, you still want to consult your doctor before investing in one. Come up with a proposed weekly workout routine and present it to your physician just to make sure you’re on the right path to optimal fitness and recovery. You don’t want to end up overworking yourself on a spin bike, especially if you’ve never used one on a regular basis.

What To Look for in an Exercise Bike

Fitness Apps/Classes: Not everyone wants or needs accompanying fitness apps to go with their exercise bikes (and not to mention, they’ll cost you a monthly fee). If you’ve experienced the benefits of online classes and stat tracking then you may want to opt for the higher-end models. However, if you just want to pedal a bit before hitting the sack, you’ll likely want something a bit more cost-efficient.

Touchscreen: If you’re opting for classes and apps, you’ll want to make sure the touchscreen that comes with your spin bike is favorable. The wider the better, but also make sure that it’s positioned in a place that won’t catch glare mid-day.

Metrics Tracking: Perhaps the most important feature of an exercise bike is what it tells you about yourself. At the very least, you’ll want to know how “far” you’ve traveled and how many calories you’ve burned, but it’s also important to keep track of your heart rate.

Comfort: If you’re going to be sitting on an exercise bike for an extended period of time every day, you’ll want to make sure the seat and handlebar grip options suit your particularities.

YOSUDA PRO Magnetic Exercise Bike

Best Budget Exercise Bike: If you find yourself paying for a monthly gym membership only to spend an hour on the stationary bike each day, perhaps your money will be better spent on a basic spin bike for your home. YOSUDA’s PRO Magnetic Exercise Bike isn’t the best option on the market, but it will give you exactly what you need and then some. The basic LCD display reads your calories, speed, time, and distance, and the handlebars adjust four ways. You can also perform up to 100 micro resistance adjustments via the twist knob on top. There are a lot of cheap exercise bikes out there, but none are as good as this one.

Peloton Bike

Best Overall: If you’re looking into an indoor spin bike for your home, chances are you’re well aware of Peloton, a brand that is largely responsible for revolutionizing home fitness over the past decade. And let us tell you, the Peloton Bike is not just hype. Providing you with your very own private cycling studio in your living room, the smart stationary bike gives you real-time metric feedback that you can check and log on your smart device as well. And with the subscription program, you’ll have access to thousands of classes 24 hours a day, not just for cycling. Built with a welded steel frame for longevity, you’ll be able to tackle high-intensity workouts to really burn some major calories without having to hit the gym. It’s built with a Neodymium rare Earth magnet system for challenging resistance levels and features a multi-touch screen.

Bowflex Velocore Bike 16″

Best for Realistic Biking: Similar to the Peloton, Bowflex’s VeloCore is a smart indoor cycling bike, but it also has some different things going for it as well. Able to tap into Peloton’s subscription service, as well as Zwift and JRNY apps, the VeloCore may be the best option for those who want a more realistic biking experience. Able to virtually travel to locales all over the globe, the bike boasts a Leaning Mode, which enables to you pedal while leaning to the right or left as you would on a real bicycle. It also has all the standard features you’d want in a stationary bike, such as 100 resistance levels, dumbbell holders, and a comfy racing-style seat. The touchscreen may only be 16″ (there’s a more expensive 22-inch option as well), but you can integrate your streaming apps to watch TV to keep your mind off your burn while you ride as well.

NordicTrack Commercial S22i

Best Upgrade: Few names in this space know at-home fitness like NordicTrack. Unless you feel the need to have a 27-inch screen, its S22i will do just fine and save you about $500. Despite being a tad bit longer overall, the lower-tiered bike also boasts an extra water bottle holder and a larger fan. Equipped with a 22-inch interactive coaching touchscreen, S22i Studio Cycle will keep you motivated and focused on consistency in your performance. Not to mention, it boasts 24 digital resistance levels with 20% live incline control and 10% live decline control. You’ll be able to stream sessions run by elite trainers who are able to manage your bike’s incline, decline, and resistance in real time. Likewise, you’ll be able to enjoy new daily workouts ranging from intense cardio to strength training sessions.

Wahoo Fitness KICKR Smart Trainer

Best Bike Trainer: As the preeminent bike trainer, Wahoo’s KICKR Smart Trainer is as good as it gets. Boasting +/- 1% power accuracy (which determines how accurate the quoted distance is to real life) and recently updated WiFi, the bike simulator is a great way to get in shape if space is a problem. However, it’s also a great option for hardcore cyclists who can’t always make it out for a session. Controlled almost entirely via your smartphone or GPS bike computer to give you a realistic riding feel, the unit has grade options from -10% to 20% and gives you up to 2,200W of resistance. Updates with the latest model include an odometer that tracks your total mileage and ERG Easy Ramp to gradually get you to your desired resistance instead of changing abruptly.

Schwinn IC3

Best Bare-Bones Bike: These days, it seems like every home exercise bike feels the need to compete with the likes of Peloton and other tech-heavy units. However, some people just want to get in some killer cardio for an hour before bed without having to fiddle around with extra apps and features (also, sometimes it’s nice to just watch TV when pedaling). Once-juggernaut of the cycling world, Schwinn has transitioned quite nicely to the world of stationary bikes. Still giving you the option to really dig into your workout stats, its IC3 spin bike lets you monitor your heart rate and other fitness metrics with its minimal LCD console. You’ll experience a high-energy, low-impact cycling session, allowing you to feel the rolling hills as you keep the 18.1kg flywheel moving with a silent belt drive. The indoor cycling bike also has an infinitely variable resistance so you can continue to challenge yourself throughout your lifetime. There’s also an oversized water bottle holder, a comfortable ventilated racing seat, and horizontal seat adjustment.

MYXfitness MYX II

Honorable Mention: While discussing the best stationary bikes, we would be remiss not to mention the MYX II from MYXfitness. A more affordable option for those considering the Peloton, the MYX II includes a 21.5-inch swivel touchscreen and works with the BODi subscription service for trainers and personalized metrics (although integration with other services is lacking, as are access to live classes and leaderboards like Peloton has). However, there is the inclusion of the Polar OH1 optical heart rate sensor, which you can wear on your wrist while riding to coincide with your performance on the bike. To entice you a bit further, the PLUS version of the MYX II comes with the same bike unit but also includes a bike mat, foam roller, resistance band, kettlebell, and a 6-piece dumbbell set.

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