Best exercise bikes 2025: Boost your fitness with these home spin bikes

Header Cell - Column 0	Connectivity	Type	Resistance	Adjustable crank length	Virtual shifting	USB charging port	Flywheel weight
Echelon Connect Sport	Bluetooth	Smart spin-style bike	Manual, magnetic	No	No	No	7kg
Peloton Bike	Bluetooth, ANT+, WiFi	Smart spin-style bike	Manual, magnetic	No	No	Yes	17kg
Echelon Smart Connect EX-5S	WiFi	Smart spin-style bike	Manual, magnetic	No	No	Yes	13kg
Peloton Bike +	Bluetooth, ANT+, WiFi	Smart spin-style bike	Manual & electronic, magnetic	No	No	Yes	17kg
Domyos Basic 100	None	Basic exercise bike (fixed flywheel)	Manual, mechanical	No	No	No	12kg
Pro Fitness FEB2000	None	Basic exercise bike	Manual, mechanical	No	No	No	3kg
Schwinn IC7	None	Basic exercise bike (fixed flywheel)	Manual, mechanical	No	No	No	18kg

What types of exercise bike exist?

Exercise bikes can be divided into two distinct categories, firstly there are 'Smart spin-style bikes' which are connected versions of the more typical exercise bikes. A prime example is the Peloton Bike Plus. These bikes take the classic spin-class bike wi꧟th a fixed, heavy flywheel and manually adjustable resistance and then integrate Blu🌳etooth and WiFi to connect your exercise bike to live group classes with real-life instructors and other cyclists from all over the world, all without leaving home.

Secondly, there is the original. These 'Basic exercise bikes' are pretty much exactly the same as the ones you will find in many gyms. These units rarely offer connectivity to third-party apps but will often have a small LCD screen displaying metrics like speed, distance, and time. They also sometimes have an electrical heart rate sensor that you can hold o♛nto. These exercise bikes come in a variety of shapes and sizes from ones that mimic a regular riding position to recumbent-style bikes where you sit behind the pedals.

There are '澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:Smart bikes', which employ the technology developed for the 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:best smart trainers and integrate into standalone devices. These devices use ANT+, Bluetooth and WiFi technology to connect to your smart device, whether that be a laptop, smartphone or tablet, which you can then use to run 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:indoor cycling apps. These apps have control of the smart bike resistance to provide structured workout sessions which are realistic and engaging. The best s🦄mart bikes have a high level of realism wit൲h some even tilting back and forth to mimic gradient.

Each of the above styles of exercise bikes has its place and can cater to a v🦄ariety of riders' needs and requirements.

What do you want from your exercise bike?

Now you know what types exist, you need to consider what you want to get out of it. Do you want to ride in group classes online? Follow a training plan? Ride on Zwift? Race? Just want to ride?

At first thought, you might think there's only one answer to this question, but once you dig into the details of indoor cycling, you'll start to notice there are a lot of ways to answer. If your idea of indoor cycling is of group spin-style classes with an instructor at the helm shouting instructions with loud music in the background, then a smart spin-style bike will replicate that for you at home. These are mostly reliant on a subscription, and the bike itself is co🅰mmonly locked to a single software platform.

If you don't want the added complexity and cost of connecting to apps or online classes, and you simply want to jump on, stick some music on and ride, then the budget end of the spectrum will have you covered. Basic exercise bikes are just that: basic. They forego connectivity in favour of low cost, and they are therefore often much less expensive than their sm🌳𒈔art counterparts, and there's no ongoing subscription to factor into the price.

If you wish to replicate the real-world experience as closely as possible, then a smart bike is likely the best choice for you. This will enable you to connect to 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:indoor cycling apps like Zwift, Rouvy, or MyWhoosh, which will put an avatar of you on the screen in front of you. The gradients of the road will then be translated to your pedals, and you can ride with - or against - other avatars being controlled by like-minded cyclists around the world. This opens up group rides, races, and even the 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:eSports World Championships (if you're good enough, of course). In addition, if you wish to follow a training plan or a standalone workout, alternative apps (like 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:TrainerRoad and Wahoo X) will allow you to🐬 do this. Most of t♏hese exercise bikes come with their own free app, but a subscription to a third-party app will help you make the most of the gamification available.

How much are you willing to pay?

As with most purchases, your budget - or how much you're willing to spend - will dictate your purchase, because smart spin bikes and simple exercise bikes all come with different pricing models.

Smart spin-style bikes have a slightly smaller initial cost than smart bikeܫs. For example, Peloton's Bike is $1,445/£1,345, but you will also need to pay a $44/£39 monthly subscri🐠ption to the Peloton app if you want to use it. You can technically still use it without that subscription, but it becomes about as feature-rich as the basic exercise bikes below.

Basic exercise bikes start as low as $100/£100 and grow to close to four figures for those with extra features and improved build quality. The𒁃se have no ongoing cost, but the cheapest versions can be poorly made and finding spares can be tough.

Flywheel weight and bike footprint

A heavier flywheel will give a more realistic ride feel, as the greater inertia will more closely mimic riding outdoors. Around 5kg is a minimum for enough inertia, as anyth𝐆ing less will only really allow you to take on the most gentle of spins.

The downside of a heavy flywheel is an exercise bike that's heavy and hard to move around, so if you're going to want to pack your exercise bike away between uses, it's worth looking for a device withဣ a lighter flywheel and lower overall weight, as well as a smaller footprint. Wheels can be a big help too.

A small format has its own 🌌disadvantages, as the bike may be less stable if you're going for all-out efforts. Again, it's likely to be fine for a gentle spin though.

Heart rate, cadence or power?

Some of the best exercise bikes measure cadence (the number of crank revoluti꧙ons per minute), others measure your pulse (heart rate) via electrical sensors on the handlebars, and others again measure power in watts pushed through the pedals.

All of these metrics can be valuable when used correctly, but power is the most useful if measuring your training for improvements over time. If you're considering a device with electrical heart rate sensors, consider the price difference and how it compares to standalone 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:heart rate monitors, which can be bought for around &p🐻ound;25/$30 and paired to your phone (and in some cases the exercise bike itself).

Cadence is a useful meꦏtric to have access to, but unless gearing and resistance are kept consistent at all times, it's not a great single metric with which to measure your training.

What is a recumbent exercise bike?

Most exercise bikes put you into a standard cycling position, with the saddle broadly above the pedals and the handlebars out in front. A recumbent exercise bike, meanwhile, positions the rider in a more laid-back position, with the seat behind the pedals, not too dissimilar to a driving 💙posi🥂tion.

It can be a good option for those with back issues or limited mobility or balance pr🦩oblems, as it's easier to get onto and stay sat on.&nb♚sp;

Thinking of buying a smart spin-style exercise bike?

If you want to🐲 join online spin-style classes su꧃ch as those from Peloton, then a smart spin-style bike will provide the best exercise bike for you.

The next big dec𝓀ision to consider is which of the various software programs most interest you. When you buy one of these, you will be tied into a proprietary platform, so make sure you do your research on what each of the platforms offer𝓀s.

Thinking of buying a basic exercise bike?

If you're looking for a basic exercise bike, the key things to consider are fly𓄧wheel weight, stability and adjustability. A lightweight flywheel will have less inertia, meaning it will be h🏅arder to keep spinning, and can often feel like pedalling through treacle. A heavy flywheel can take a little more effort to get up to speed, but once you're there it provides a more natural ride feel.

Regarding stability, the main issue here is that cheaper exercise bikes are often designed to be compact, and sometimes desig♍ned poorly. This can lead to a small footprint and/or a less stable ride, and it can topple over duri🍬ng intense intervals.

On the adjustability front, this might not be an issue if you're of average hei🌃ght, but for anyone who's on the shorter or taller end of the bell curve, you'll need to make sure it can be adjusted to a suitable fi🍰t for you.

If multiple users will ride the exercise bike, make sure that the saddle height can be ♎changed quickly. You 🌠might also want to adjust bar height and position for multiple users too.

What other features should I look for?

The best exercise bikes will often have a magnetic resistance unit, which allows you to adjust the resistance you're pedalling against, while lower spec units may have a resistance unit which works by friction on the freewheel. This can result in heat buiꦯld-up with use and fade.

Higher-spec exercise bikes may have the resistance adjusted automatically, while cheaper models usually require you to change re𒁃sistance manually. Although it's not a term used so much for exercise bikes as for smart bikes and turbo trainers, automatic resistance adjustment may also be called ERG mode.

If you're going to use a tablet or phone to run an♛ exercise routine, look out for a tablet holder, to avoid needing to prop the tablet up on another surface.

Also look out for one or more bott✱le holders, so you can keep hydrated during a workout.

Is there anything else you should know?

In order to make the most of your newfound indoor cycl๊ing hobby, I would re🃏commend buying two accessories.

The first is a pair of Bluetooth-enabled headphones. These will let you conne🍌ct to your laptop, smartphone or tablet and watch TV, listen to music or simply hear the workout prompts. Wired headph♏ones are workable, but the cable limits how far away from your screen you can be, and might get snagged on the bike in an accident.

The second is a fan. Pedalling without actually moving means there's no airflow across your🍬 body to cool you down, and doing so indoors means there's very little airflow at all. The room in which you ride will quickly become hot and humid, and you will sweat profusely. The secret is to maximise movement of air across your skin to evaporate the sweat as it occurs, so while a blast of air direct to the face might feel effective, a more gentle breeze across your entire body will keep you more comfortable and keep your performance up.

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