The 13 Best Exercise Bikes for Home of 2024, According to Personal Trainers

The NordicTrack S22i is one of the best cycle bikes on the market for people looking for immersive, realistic indoor riding—if they can swallow the $2,000 price tag. It’s rare to find a bike that does incline training, let alone both incline and decline training. The S22i literally simulates riding on hills by moving the front of the bike up or down, and their live iFIT programming is one of the best workout programs on the market.

Our testers loved just about everything about this bike, giving it a perfect 5 out of 5 rating on multiple areas like conveniences and programming. GGR head of content and certified personal trainer Kate Meier noted the incline and decline adjustments felt less smooth when done manually than when automatically adjusted by iFIT.

Kate and other testers’ main complaint was about the seat, which they found to be pretty hard. “If that matters to you, you either might need to wear padded shorts or swap the seat out for a more comfortable option, though the slider-style seat rails might make finding a seat that fits difficult,” Kate says.

While many of us dream about spending $2,000 on an exercise bike without blinking, most of us may not want to. You’ll have to think about your budget or keep an eye out for bargains during holidays like Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Black Friday.

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NordicTrack has an entire line of treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, and rowing machines that come equipped with a free year of iFIT training. This rivals the Peloton experience in that iFIT offers live classes, on-demand classes, and scenic workouts in places all over the country. One of our favorite things about interactive classes is that certain brands, including iFIT, allow the trainer to change the resistance levels and incline for you (though that feature can be disabled if you wish).

The S22i is easy to assemble by yourself, though NordicTrack recommends two people. The process is very involved, as you have to attach everything yourself, including doing the console wiring. Speaking of the console, it’s a massive, 22-inch full-color HD touchscreen. It’s huge and beautiful, but it also makes moving the bike around a bit of a clunky process.

“Also, there is no handle to make it convenient to move,” Kate adds. “It’s moderately heavy and some people will need a partner to help them move it.”

Read our full NordicTrack S22i review.

The YOSUDA Indoor Cycling Bike sells for around $300, and it provides a great cycling workout experience. You can customize your ride each time with the manual micro-adjustment, and it comes with a 35-pound flywheel that simulates road cycling and a belt drive that provides a quiet and smooth ride. 

The caged pedals are also easily adjustable and should fit people of all foot sizes. The entire bike is compact and lightweight, and we found that there was minimal wobbling during more intense rides. You won’t get any built-in dynamic programming, but for an exercise bike that’s under $500, that’s to be expected. 

To be clear, this isn’t a bike for those who are serious about cycling, be that indoors or outdoors. The main reason we say that is this is not a well-built piece of equipment. The seat cover on ours is already tearing, the LCD monitor felt flimsy even though we tried tightening it, and there are multiple online reviews claiming it fell apart during use. 

“I think this exercise bike is for the people who simply want a heart-pumping cardio workout while doing something like watching TV or listening to an online meeting,” says Anthony O’Reilly, GGR performance editor and expert product tester. “There are a lot of people who can get great use out of it, just not anyone who considers themselves a workout enthusiast.”

In other words, if you just need an exercise bike now and want to spend the least amount of money we’d recommend this one. This isn’t a bike that can take intense daily use, but it should be fine if you only use it a few times a week to maintain your cardiovascular fitness.   

For more, read our full YOSUDA bike review. 

Assault Fitness has made some of the best functional fitness bikes for many years—heck, at one point, the Assault AirBike was the official CrossFit air bike before being dethroned by the Rogue Echo Bike. We love the AssaultBike Classic, and think you can’t go wrong with it if you’re looking for a well-built machine that delivers an intense cardio workout during your functional fitness training sessions.

This OG model is the base of the AssaultBike line, and it will cost you about $700. The value is there—one of our expert testers, former GGR senior staff writer and CrossFit enthusiast Amanda Capritto, said that if she was going to buy an air bike for her home gym, it would be this one. The value category gets a 4.5 out of 5 rating. 

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This bike has a chain drive, which makes for a noisy ride and does require more maintenance than a chain drive (the AssaultBike ProX has a belt drive.) However, if taken care of properly, the AssaultBike Classic should last you a very long time. “If an AssaultBike can last years in a CrossFit box, where a majority of them don’t take care of the equipment like they should, it can probably last decades in a home gym with proper maintenance,” Amanda says.

Adding in the steel frame, and majority-metal construction, we rate the durability of the AssaultBike Classic a 4 out of 5. 

While this bike isn’t the easiest to move—it weighs 95 pounds—as far as an air bike goes, it’s actually on the smaller side. That being said, we’re rating footprint and portability a 3 out of 5 since it does take up quite a bit of space overall (51 inches long by 22 inches wide by 50 inches high).

Read our full AssaultBike review for all the info on this classic air bike.

Across the board, equipment from Titan Fitness is typically budget-friendly without sacrificing quality. This rings true of the Titan Fan Bike, which costs around $700, is like a pimped-out version of the AssaultBike Classic, and is one of the best cheap exercise bikes. We say that because the Titan Fan Bike has conveniences the AssaultBike does not, like a red water bottle holder and a cell phone holder on top of the monitor. That’s why this scores an almost-perfect 4.5 out of 5 on value with us.

Another key perk of the Titan Fan Bike is a fan guard, which is usually extra with other bikes, or not even offered at all. Yes, if it’s the dead heat of summer, the breeze from an air bike is a welcome thing. But if you’re like Coop and have very cold winters, a fan guard is nice to keep that air from blowing on you. The bike also has these huge turf wheels on the front so you can easily move it around your garage or home.

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Coop Mitchell, GGR founder and exercise bike baron, still recommends the Titan Fan Bike to anyone who wants something similar to the Rogue Echo Bike but doesn’t want to spend Rogue-level money.

Like the Assault Bike, the Titan Fan Bike uses a chain drive system, which is high maintenance because you have to take care of it, just like you would take care of the chain on a road bike. Also similar to many air bikes, the monitor leaves much to be desired. It’s a simple LCD display with just a few preset workout buttons.

Read more in our Titan Fan Bike review.

Concept2 BikeErg is the bike that, when released, absolutely took the CrossFit world by storm. This is largely because its maker, Concept2, dominates the rowing machine market. The BikeErg and the Concept2 rowers weren’t designed for CrossFitters (although they are both great for those that compete and train CrossFit). The BikeErg was actually designed more with traditional cyclists in mind.

Now if you’re wondering if the BikeErg delivers a killer workout, the answer is a resounding YES. It’s different from a traditional exercise bike in that it uses a flywheel and damper system where the wind generates resistance, as opposed to a brake. And trust us, the BikeErg can absolutely make you cry like a little baby if used properly.

GGR Senior Editor, certified personal trainer, and CrossFit enthusiast Amanda Dvorak tested the BikeErg and noted how much more challenging it felt than other exercise bikes. “I did a quick 10-minute ride, and it really lit up my quads—much more than my Peloton, even when I have it at a high resistance,” she said, rating her overall experience a 4.2 out of 5.

Amanda also appreciated the bike’s stability despite it being lightweight. “The whole bike only weighs 67 pounds, and if you lift up the back to wheel it around, it feels even lighter. But it didn’t shake or wobble when I used it, and I’m a bigger athlete,” she says. She gave the overall construction and the footprint and portability a perfect 5 out of 5.

Concept2 has taken what they do exceedingly well—building very durable and effective equipment like the RowErg (formerly called the Model D Rower, which is one of the best rowing machines out there)—and applied it to an exercise bike equivalent. It’s not the most aesthetically pleasing design, but it is made to take a beating and keep on going.

This bike has earned a 4.5 out of 5 for its durability. Coop Mitchell, GGR’s founder and lover of all things challenging in fitness, has more than 1 million meters on the BikeErg that he’s been testing for a few years. Despite it being absolutely used and abused in his garage gym, as well as in his personal training studio, it’s as good as it was on day one. Now, that’s special.

One of the only drawbacks is that the bike doesn’t have built-in classes like a Peloton. However, the PM5 monitor comes with a few pre-programmed workouts and is compatible with cycling apps like Zwift.

Check out our in-depth Concept 2 BikeErg review.

Looking for a bike that is the most likely to survive the Apocalypse? Rogue definitely outdid themselves when they released the Rogue Echo Air Bike. The Rogue Echo Bike is a well-built machine that is basically a deconstructed version of a Rogue squat rack.

With its combined rock-solid foundation and smooth ride, it’s at the top of the game. It uses a belt drive system that requires virtually no maintenance and a monitor that tracks useful metrics.

Oh, and if you’re looking for the best bike for CrossFit, the Rogue Echo Bike is the official air bike of the CrossFit Games so you can’t do much better than that. This bike can also be found in tons of CrossFit affiliate gyms. 

Although GGR founder Coop Mitchel isn’t a professional CrossFitter, he is a cardio equipment wizard who has used the Echo Bike for many years and hasn’t gotten tired of it. He calls it “bombproof” and notes that while he’s done minimal maintenance on it, the bike still looks and feels new.

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It is relatively heavy at 123 pounds, but it has wheels on the front that make it easier to move. The seat adjusts vertically with eight settings and horizontally with five. It’s an air bike, so there are no manually or digitally adjustable resistance levels. Instead, the steel fan picks up more resistance the faster it moves. In other words: You dictate how hard your workout is.

If you want to be absolutely smoked at the end of a workout without having to learn a lot of technique or put a lot of thought into it, the Rogue Echo Bike is king. In fact, we’ve picked it as our top choice for the best air bike for the past several years.

Read more on our Rogue Echo Air Bike review.

Honestly, how could we not include the Peloton Indoor Exercise Bike, the ultimate smart bike? There are few pieces of gym equipment that have revolutionized the home gym training market quite as much as the Peloton Bike. Yes, we’ve all seen the commercials; it’s not just hype, this bike is revolutionary and has changed the industry.

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The reason I recommend the Peloton Bike isn’t that it’s built extremely well. In fact, the bike itself isn’t all that good, and earned just slightly-above-average marks from our testers on durability and adjustability. Reviews constantly mention it breaking down, warranty replacements taking a while, and just an overall bad experience with the hardware on the bike.

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However, what causes people to continue flocking to the bike like seagulls on a trash-filled beach? The experience. Seriously, there is nothing else like the Peloton Bike experience. We’ve tested and reviewed many Peloton alternatives (and even have some recommended on this list) but few can compare to the feeling of taking a Peloton cycling class.

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For what it’s worth, GGR Head of Content and product tester Nicole Davis actually likes the Peloton Bike and said she found it sturdy and quiet while in use.

An exercise bike is only as good as the workout it produces. If you don’t use it, it’s worthless outside of the clothes you use to hang on it for drying purposes. This is why Peloton is so great. Nearly every rider who owns a Peloton Bike works out more than they would without it because of the live classes. If you struggle to work out at home, Peloton is truly your best option.

Read our Peloton bike review for our full thoughts. We also tested and reviewed the Peloton app.

The best recumbent exercise bikes aren’t found in many home gyms since they’re not as challenging as upright exercise bikes—though that’s for a reason, since most people who use them have limited mobility either because they’re older or are recovering from an injury. If you fall into either two categories, or you just want a recumbent exercise bike, we recommend the NordicTrack R35.

Recumbent bikes are better for seniors or those rehabbing an injury because the pedals are in front of your body, which puts less strain on your back and lower-body muscles compared to being on an upright bike where the pedals are below your posterior chain. The NordicTrack R35 also has the all-important step-through design that allows people to sit in front of the seat and sit down, rather than forcing them to hoist themselves up (which could risk further injury).

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The R35 is standard-sized as far as recumbent bikes go, but we’re rating it a 3.75 out of 5 in the footprint and portability category since it’s not easy to move alone (it weighs 192 pounds). With 26 levels of digital magnetic resistance and a 350-pound user weight capacity, many people will be able to use this bike comfortably for a good workout. Plus, the R35 has an oversized seat with lumbar support and horizontal seat adjustment, leading us to rate the adjustability and ergonomics category as a 4 out of 5.

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This bike also comes equipped with a 14-inch touchscreen on which you can use iFIT, including the smart adjust feature, which automatically adjusts the resistance for you during your workout. We rated the tech capabilities a 4.5 out of 5. 

Read our full NordicTrack Commercial R35 review for all the details about the machine.

If you like the idea of the Peloton bike but not its hefty $1,500 price tag, we like the Echelon Connect EX-5 as a more affordable alternative—it’s often on sale for sub-$1,000.  

This Peloton alternative has a lot going for it beyond its cheaper price as well. 

Similar to Peloton’s live and on-demand programming through their all-access membership—which costs $44 per month—Echelon offers its Echelon Fit Premier membership, which will cost cost you $40 per month for unlimited live classes, full access to off-bike workouts like yoga and pilates, as well as a huge library of on-demand classes, integration with apps like Strava and Apple Health, and up to five members per account. 

Lead reviewer on Garage Gym Reviews Everything and CPT Lindsay Scheele tried out the Echelon EX-5 bike with the Echelon programming and was impressed, rating it a 4 out of 5. “Michael, the instructor, was very engaging and upbeat throughout the 20-minute workout. I also like that when you’re looking for a ride to take you have the ability to filter through your preferences as far as a time duration or a preferred instructor or workout,” Lindsay says. 

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In terms of the bikes themselves, the Peloton and the Echelon Connect EX-5 are fairly similar. They both feature smooth magnetic resistance, but the Peloton has micro-adjustable resistance while the EX-5 has 32 levels. They both adjust via the seat and handlebars and have an approximately 300-pound user weight capacity. 

In terms of footprint, the EX-5 is slightly more compact than the Peloton Bike—notably 4 inches shorter—but Linsday feels it’s very durable in use, rating it a 5 out of 5, and fairly easy to move around on your own via the front wheels. 

The main difference between the Peloton and the Echelon EX-5 is that the EX-5 does not come with a monitor or touchscreen—you’ll have to use your own device, and the bike’s device holder, to take the classes via the Echelon Fit app. Lindsay didn’t have any problems getting the tech set up and easily used her phone to stream the class she took.

Lindsay also says the bike itself is fairly comfortable—the seat feels pretty squishy and better than the Peloton seat, which is not very comfortable in our opinion—and the handlebars feel ergonomic for the right grip. She rates this category as a 3.5 out of 5. 

To read more about this Peloton alternative read our full Echelon Connect EX-5 bike review. 

Across the board, the CAROL bike tested highest with our product reviewers on factors like dynamic programming, technology, and customizations. The reason the CAROL bike is so great for high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is that it uses artificial intelligence (AI) to learn how fit you are and customizes the resistance for you during your ride. So if it senses you’re pedaling too easily, it will kick up the resistance without you having to touch a thing to make the ride more challenging, and vice-versa when it’s time to cool down. 

And it keeps up with your fitness levels, making each ride harder the better you get at it. You can easily get a sweat-inducing, heart-pounding ride in under 10 minutes on this thing. It does all of this while still being quiet and smooth, thanks to the belt-drive system and 30-pound flywheel. 

Our expert product testers took this bike for a spin and highly recommend you only check it out if you’re prepared to sweat. “The Endurance Mode is absolutely grueling,” says Coop Mitchell, GGR founder. “I suspect the draw of the bike is the expediency of the workouts so an intense ride of 8 minutes and 40 seconds with two 20-second max effort sprints will be the most often used ride mode. It’s what I like the best, too.”

A bonus is that it comes with dual pedals, so you can wear regular shoes or bicycle cleats if you decide to attach the SPD clips. But there’s also quite a bit that it doesn’t come with: mainly a water bottle or tablet holder. Strictly speaking, these aren’t necessary on an exercise bike, but it’s a little annoying to have to pay around $2,600 for the bike and not have the convenience of a cold beverage right within arm’s reach. 

It also doesn’t update its programming regularly, so if you’re someone who likes following an instructor, you may have to pay extra for things like Peloton or iFIT classes. 

But if you’re a cycling fanatic or want the best cardio experience on the market, we can’t recommend this bike enough. 

To find out more, read our CAROL bike review. 

Exercise bikes can simulate the cycling experience, in that you’re pedaling and can change the resistance so it feels like you’re going up and down hills, but it still doesn’t feel quite the same. The Bowflex VeloCore changes that with its “leaning feature.” Simply hit the giant red button in front of the seat and the frame begins to lean, forcing you to use your core to steady yourself. 

This does two things: forces you to work your core muscles a little more than a traditional upright or recumbent bike, and makes it feel like you’re pedaling down an open road. Granted, you don’t have to worry about falling over at any time like on a real bike (the base remains steady) but it does add a little bit of spice to your home workouts. 

Our expert product testers found this feature entertaining and challenging.

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The bike also comes with a two-month subscription to JRNY programming, Bowflex’s answer to iFIT and Zwift, which comes with plenty of workout programming options that you can access after taking a 15-minute fitness assessment. In terms of workout experience, our only complaint is that there’s no digital resistance adjustment so you have to change it manually when your instructor tells you to (which can disrupt your flow). 

It’s also a very heavy-duty bike with a 325-pound weight capacity, earning a 5 out of 5 for durability. We found there was virtually no shaking, even during standing climbs. Speaking of standing, you may find yourself doing that more often than not because this seat is rock-hard (luckily, it’s easily replaceable). The assembly also isn’t the easiest, but once it’s all together, we think you’ll enjoy riding on this thing. 

Find out more by reading our full Bowflex VeloCore review. 

People with compact home gyms or those living in studio apartments need something that can be stowed away when not in use. Enter the Marcy Foldable Bike, an upright exercise bike that costs less than $200 and can easily fit behind a couch, under a bed, or anywhere else that’s not in your way. 

On the surface, this is like many other upright bikes you’ll find on the market, but it comes with its own companion app to track your ride history and stats. This is incredibly rare for a folding exercise bike, and while it doesn’t improve its functionality at all, it’s a cool feature and does increase its value just a little bit. 

While it’s no surprise that this bike received high ratings for its footprint and portability, you might be surprised to know that our testers also gave it a perfect score for durability at a 5 out of 5. The workout experience itself is smooth, and the bike doesn’t wobble much at all though we did hear some creaking on it, according to our expert product testers. There are eight different resistance levels that help get the job done, but if you’re someone who’s really into cardio you probably should go for something a little more challenging. 

You should also know this bike only has a max user weight of 250 pounds and only has a 90-day warranty. We wouldn’t recommend treating this thing like a Peloton, but if you want something to keep active while watching TV then this is a good choice. 

Read our full Marcy Foldable Exercise Bike review for our full thoughts.

The Sunny Health and Fitness Belt Drive Indoor Cycle Exercise Bike (SF-B1002) is a budget exercise bike that costs under $400. Don’t let the price fool you, as you get a super-quiet, belt-driven bike that won’t drown out the TV or wake up your roommates if you’re getting an early morning ride in.

“I was afraid to get on it because I thought it was going to feel like a cheap bike, but boy was I wrong,” says Anthony O’Reilly, GGR’s performance editor and an expert product tester. “It felt sturdy at all times and had enough resistance to challenge me. This is the exercise bike I’d recommend to most people who just want a simple indoor bike.”

The durable 49-pound flywheel provides a smooth ride while making each workout challenging. There are also hundreds of manual micro-adjustment levels, so you can go from a calm Sunday ride to a mountain bike-level experience in seconds.

And because it has a four-way adjustable seat, just about anyone will be able to use it. 

That’s a lot for a budget-friendly exercise bike, but you do have to sacrifice some conveniences, which is where this bike took its lowest scores on our rating system. Those sacrifices will mostly come in the form of tech (there’s no screen or built-in workout programs on this one), and the leather pad resistance will need maintenance from time to time.

Some people don’t care about those features, so if you fall into that category and are simply looking for a good workout every time you hop on, we think you’ll be pleased with this bike. 

Don’t just take our word for it, though. This is one of the most-reviewed exercise bikes on Amazon, and despite having more than 6,000 Amazon customer reviews, it has a rating of 4.4/5 stars. For a bike under $400 with free shipping to your door, that’s hard to ignore.

Find the right Sunny Health & Fitness bike for you by reading our Sunny Health and Fitness Exercise Bike reviews.

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