Best Buy Stationary Bike

Outside of work, Priyankaa can usually be found trying out a new gym class, seeking out London's best eats or watching a Spanish TV show in a bid to keep up her language skills. You can follow Priyankaa on Twitter @_priyankaajoshi and on Instagram @priyankaajoshi

best buy stationary bike

Scroll down to read our in-depth reviews of the most popular exercise bikes on the market and the best budget alternatives, followed by answers to frequently-asked questions such ase how many calories a spin workout can burn, and which muscles you're using. If you're in a hurry, here's a quick look at our top six bikes:

Size is also a key consideration: you need to be able to fit the bike in your home and store it. Then there's technology. Top-of-the-range models come with monitors to give you real-time feedback, show online cycling classes and simulate outdoor rides, or a tablet holder for using training apps such as Strava and Zwift.

I put each bike through its paces and tried a variety of indoor cycling classes and simulated outdoor rides as well as strength workouts (where relevant). I rode at a range of speeds to test sturdiness and took into account the user interface, noise levels, and how easy each bike was to adjust.

This would still be the bike I would wholeheartedly recommend for at-home spinning, if you need a slightly cheaper Peloton alternative. And, best of all, Apex bikes are delivered fully assembled and ready to go.

It's three times the price of the Apex but roughly on a par with the other smart bikes and, if that's your budget, this souped-up version of the original Peloton bike (which goes for 1,345) is, quite simply, the most impressive exercise bike on the market

That being said, I found it very impressive. The bike itself is of excellent quality with a racing saddle, padded handlebars and sturdy-feeling road bike frame. You adjust the gears via buttons on the handlebars, as on a real-life road bike. It has 22 gears of electromagnetic resistance, more than enough for riders of every level of fitness and experience.

John Lewis's fitness buyer Sophie Ebejer recommended this bike as, for a commercial-standard piece of equipment, it's "great value. It provides interactive entertainment features, as well as providing great comfort for the user which is typically a high consideration when purchasing a recumbent bike."

The NordicTrack Commercial VR25 is much more comfortable than the spin bikes above, as it has a padded chair-style seat, wider foot pedals, handles and even an integrated fan. It has an easy-to-use 7" touchscreen for checking the progress of your workout or watching TV, and a tablet holder for your personal device. You also get access to iFit: "an integrated app that helps keep you motivated... It features over 12,000 real cycle routes, allows you to race against friends, and much more," says Ebejer.

Since trying and testing the above exercise bikes, we've been keen to track down more budget exercise bikes and a couple have caught our attention. We've not tried the below but until we do, we are recommending them based on their specs and reputations.

Pitched as 'budget friendly equipment', Roger Black Fitness has a few exercise bikes to choose from but this premium option sticks to a decent budget. It has 16 magnetic resistance levels, compared to Peloton's 100. That might not be enough for a serious spinner but is plenty for most people.

The Reebok Z-Power isn't too dissimilar from the Roger Black Fitness bike. It's a fraction heavier, with a similar LCD screen, but with double the resistance levels. The saddle and pedals are adjustable and the handlebars also have an in-built heart rate monitor, though they are fixed.

The LCD screen brightly displays 12 programmes and measures speed, time-elapsed, distance covered, calories burned, pulse, watts and RPM. The best feature is the transport wheels, which means it can be easily stored away after use.

For an extra 100 compared to the Roger Black, you don't get a whole lot more - double the amount of resistance levels, wheels and a slightly more aesthetic look. It's only worth splashing out if you want that versatility in resistance and the ability to single-handedly put the bike away. That said, it's still far cheaper than the exercise bikes higher up this list.

Interval training is the best way to burn maximum calories in a small amount of time. To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. Interval training involves short bursts of intense exercise spaced between longer intervals of less intense exercise.

Primarily calves, hamstrings and quadriceps, but also your core, back and glutes. Cycling is a bottom heavy exercise, so consider lifting weights while cycling for a full body workout. Lots of exercise bikes have weight racks built-in for this reason.

You can burn more than 600 calories an hour with a stationary bike workout depending on the intensity of your workout and body weight, according to Healthline. That makes indoor cycling and spin classes one of the most efficient ways to burn calories.

Even though the bike is 106 lbs, it has a 40 lb flywheel which makes it feel really stable to use. This paired with the 330 max weight capacity and a 10-year warranty for the frame from Schwinn, the IC4 is a quality exercise bike. The two-way adjustable seat and handlebars, make it comfortable to use, too.

Most users will find a perfect bike fit on the Sole SB700 because of its 4 adjustment points. It weighs 141 lbs and has front wheels so it can be moved around pretty easily. There are also adjustable leveling feet to prevent the SB700 from rocking while in use.

The console also has Bluetooth connectivity to connect to apps like Zwift. Plus, with the device holder, you can stream content from your phone or tablet while you ride. The Diamondback Fitness 1260sc uses magnetic resistance and offers 16 levels of resistance. This range is small but the tension offered is great and will provide plenty of challenge to riders of all levels. Users of a wide range of heights and up to 300 lbs of weight should get a lot of use out of this bike.

The Yosuda Indoor Cycling Bike is the most affordable bike on this list. We like that even though it is very affordable, it still has a 35 lb flywheel, steel frame, and can handle up to 270 lbs. This heavy flywheel adds stability to the bike and makes the pedal stroke feel fluid rather than uneven and jerky.

The console is centered in between the handlebars to show a small screen that you can switch between which workout metrics are displayed. Below the console is a conveniently placed device holder so you can stream a cycling class or watch a show. You can have your choice of resistance on this bike between friction resistance and magnetic resistance. You just have to pay slightly more for magnetic resistance.

Stationary bikes can be expensive depending on their construction, technology, and brand. More expensive bikes usually include fitness content and an attached touch screen. These features cause the bike to cost more. A bike from a certain manufacturer might cost more than comparable bikes just because of the name of the brand, too.

If you want to ensure a smooth ride every time, regardless of the weather, you'll want the best stationary bike 2023 has to offer. A great indoor exercise bike not only works the same muscle groups as outdoor cycling, but it allows you to transition seamlessly back to outdoor riding without missing a beat. When it's too hot, too cold, too hazardous or just plain unpleasant outside, having a solid, reliable alternative can be the difference between meeting your health goals and falling short or falling behind. So if you want to get your hands on the best exercise bike for keeping you on track, you're in the right place.

As much as I love my road bike, I wouldn't be the cyclist I am today without a stationary bike. Whether I'm training during the week for a century ride or it's just too dark for me to get out there in the morning, indoor cycling on my stationary bike helps keep me active. And because I'm able to take a ride on my own schedule, I can easily get a smooth and quiet ride for an hour or two every day and feel great about it. This also means I've spent a lot of time testing different indoor exercise bikes to figure out the right one for me.

You might also want to consider which bike seat and bike frame is the best for you and how comfortable you'll be for your cardio workout. This article will help you choose the best overall exercise bike that can fit into your life and which is optimal for you. I've tried each of these bikes, either anecdotally or as part of a full review, or (in one case) used a similar model.

Looking for a list dedicated exclusively to Peloton-style bikes? Check out our list for best Peloton alternatives, which has some overlap with the choices here. Otherwise, keep reading to find the best exercise bike for you.

Of all the things you control when choosing the right exercise bike for you, the content on the screen in front of you might be the one people think about the least. Many exercise bikes lock you into a platform, so you can train only with the videos provided by them.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as there are a lot of fantastic spin classes, cycling classes and endurance building sessions across the various exercise bikes, but it's also not hard for some of these videos to feel a little stale after a while.

You get a lot with the Bowflex Velocore bike. It's surprisingly modular, you can bring whatever shoes and seat and even weights and tablets along for the ride and the design supports it. In fact, on more than one occasion I've even taken Zoom meetings from the saddle of this Bowflex indoor cycling exercise bike, and the handlebars supported the design just fine.

Bowflex has its own platform with instructors to help you train yourself in a number of ways like most exercise bikes, but there's a lot more here than just indoor exercise. Netflix, Disney Plus and HBO Max are a couple of the apps onboard, so you can enjoy a show while getting in a long distance ride. 041b061a72