12 best at-home exercise bikes for indoor cycling in 2022
Treadmills were all the rage. Rowers took the fitness space by storm. Now, indoor exercise bikes are owning center stage.
But indoor cycling isn’t just exercise — it’s an experience, and many indoor cyclists would agree.
With music-driven choreography, large screens, and often many flashing lights, it’s easy to see why fitness fans are falling more in love with the practice.
Best of all, cycling provides users with tangible results that are fun and achievable.
To help you grasp a better understanding of the practice, The Post spoke with international fitness expert and creator of The SLR Life Fitness Program Sarah Louise Rector.
Keep reading for her indoor cycling expertise as well as her top recommended indoor exercise bikes.
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What are the benefits of indoor cycling?
Rector explained that indoor cycling provides users with “a low impact cardio workout” while allowing you to boost your stamina, build strength, tone the lower body and burn fat. But the benefits of indoor cycling don’t end with training.
“At home exercise bikes provide you with easier access to getting your workout on straight out of bed whilst a baby is napping or in between zoom meetings,” Rector said.
Therefore, indoor cycling allows you to take fitness into your own hands and mold it to your lifestyle. After all, it’s all done from the comfort of your own home.
But best of all, having an indoor bike can actually save you financially in the long run.
“It’s cheaper having a bike at home than paying for trainers and gym memberships,” Rector explained. “It’s a one time purchase that you have for life.”
How does an indoor bike compare to an outdoor bicycle?
Indoor bikes and outdoor bikes are often compared. While they have similar features, they greatly vary.
First off, Rector told the New York Post that indoor cycling bikes provide various levels of resistance training all while staying stationary and calling it a “no excuses workout.” Consequently, outdoor bikes require you to travel to various terrains to achieve that same workout.
On that same note, you can always count on getting a good workout with an indoor bike no matter the weather, as it’s a “great compact piece of equipment that doesn’t need much space.”
Rector continued by saying those with small spaces shouldn’t shy away from adding an indoor bike to their home, as they can be “moved around by one person, are slender in width and don’t have any additional attachments.”
What should I look for in a good indoor exercise bike?
If an indoor cycling bike sparks your fitness interest, your next question may be, “What makes a good cycling bike, well, good?”
Rector breaks it down into seven categories: resistance, time, distance, heart monitoring, handle bar positioning, seat adjustment and screen.
First, you want to ensure the bike provides a wide array of resistance training “so you can perform intervals, more challenges, uphill effort and build stamina,” Rector said.
Next, you should make sure the bike of your choice allows you to track your time, which helps keep you focused, and depicts your distance, which helps you stay engaged and involved.
If all of this talk has piqued your interest in an at-home exercise bike, check out our expert recommended picks below.
Best indoor exercise bikes per experts
1. Sunny Health & Fitness Belt Drive Indoor Bike, $270, original price: $400
Why experts like it:
- Low price
- Simple to use
- Ideal for beginners
This indoor bicycle features a sturdy frame an a heavy 49lb weighted flywheel. Therefore, you’re guaranteed a sturdy ride. You can also look forward to varying resistance levels, a silent ride, an adjustable seat and handlebars and a bottle holder.
Shop all Sunny Health & Fitness indoor bikes here.
2. Bowflex C6 Bike, $799, original price: $999
Why experts like it:
- Smooth ride
- Storage compartment
- Bluetooth enabled heart rate monitor
- Sleek design
- Adjustable handlebars
With the Bowflex bike, you can look forward to a smooth and quiet ride, a backlit LCD console, 100 varying resistance levels, dual-sided pedals, a pair of dumbbells and a bluetooth enabled heart rate armband. Best of all, you can gain access to the JRNY membership at no additional cost ($149 value).
Shop all Bowflex indoor bikes here.
3. NordicTrack S22i Studio Cycle, $1,499, original price: $2,199
Why experts like it:
- Top quality
- Large touch screen
- Silent magnetic resistance
The NordicTrack studio cycle bike gives you access to 30 days of the iFIT Family Membership, a 22” rotating HD touchscreen, a quiete incline motor, auto-adjusting resistance and so much more.
Shop all NordicTrack indoor bikes here.
4. JOROTO Indoor Cycling Bike, $400, original price: $499
Why experts like it:
- Quiet ride
- Low price
- iPad holder
- Fully adjustable
With the JOROTO indoor bike, you can enjoy a quiet ride, a top-tier solid build, a fully-adjustable set up, an emergency stop brake and one year of free replacement parts.
Shop all JOROTO indoor bikes here.
Our top exercise bikes
1. Echelon EX-8S Connect Bike, $2,300
With the Echelon bike, you can look forward to world-class instructors, live and on-demand classes, performance tracking, a global community and trending music to cycle to.
Shop all Echelon indoor bikes here.
2. MYX II Bike, $1,399
The MYX II Bike features a complete fitness system perfect for your body and mind. Features include a swivel touchscreen tablet, motivating trainers, thousands of workouts, in-workout data and a heart rate monitor. Better yet, you can pair your bike to your Apple Watch.
Shop all MYX Fitness indoor bikes here.
3. Schwinn IC4 Indoor Cycling Exercise Bike, $800, original price: $1,000
Look forward to one free year of the JRNY membership, a quiet ride, magnetic resistance, bluetooth connectivity, an adjustable seat, a large LCD display, a heart rate monitor and more.
Shop all Schwinn indoor bikes here.
4. SoulCycle At-Home Bike, $1,950
Enjoy unlimited bike rides, access to the Equinox+ mobile app, on-demand classes and a wide array of music genres. Best of all, you’ll get to take classes from top-industry fitness instructors.
5. XTERRA Fitness Folding Bike, $130, original price: $$180
When not in use, this folding bike instantly becomes slim and compact. You can also enjoy multi-position padded handlebars, clear metrics and up to eight various levels of resistance.
Shop all XTERRA bikes here.
6. Yosuda Indoor Cycling Bike, $310
With 35lb flywheels and a heavy-duty steel frame, you are in for one smooth ride. This bike also successfully tracks your time, speed, distance and calories burned.
Shop all Yosuda bikes here.
7. Exerpeutic Folding Exercise Bike, $149, original price: $200
With over 20,000 positive reviews, this folding bike is perfect for testing your limits. Ideal for all fitness levels, you’ll unlock a quiet ride, 300 pound weight capacity, easy-to-read LCD screen and an adjustable seat.
Shop all Exerpeutic bikes here.
8. Carol Bike Exercise Bike, $2,395
Looking for the shortest yet most effective cardio? If so, this is it. Not only does the Carol bike give you max results in just eight minutes and 40 seconds, but it AI-power personalization adapts to your fitness ride after ride.
Shop all Carol bikes here.
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