Sunny Health and Fitness Exercise Bike Reviews (2024): A Great Budget-Friendly Cardio Brand

Home gym equipment is kind of like ramen—let me explain. Sometimes you can’t afford the really good stuff, so you have to go for budget-friendly brands like Maruchan. Or, perhaps you just like the ease and convenience of the instant packs and don’t mind that it’s not necessarily “the best.” 

In our Sunny Health and Fitness exercise bike reviews, we’ll go over three models we’ve personally tested and reviewed from a brand that I consider to be the Maruchan of cardio equipment. These bikes are affordable and while they’re not nearly as good as a NordicTrack, Schwinn, Echelon, or Peloton, they’ll be there to serve you when you need them most. 

It’s Always Sunny [Health and Fitness] at Garage Gym Reviews 

“The Gang Reviews The Best Exercise Bikes.” That’d be the title card of our guest appearance on “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” because that’s what we do here. And while our crew, unfortunately, doesn’t include Danny DeVito or Rob McElhenney, we do have certified personal trainers, CrossFit Level 1 Trainers, and competitive weightlifters who have tested hundreds of pieces of cardio equipment. 

So if you’re looking for a budget-friendly exercise bike or an exercise bike with moving arms, you’ve come to the right place. If you’re looking for comedy, well, we sometimes make puns in our reviews. Come for the home gym expertise, stay for the word play. 

Sunny Health and Fitness Exercise Bikes

• Sunny Health and Fitness SF-B1002 Belt Drive Indoor Cycling Trainer
• Sunny Health and Fitness Essential Recumbent Exercise Bike
• Sunny Health and Fitness Recumbent Bike with Arm Exerciser

Which Sunny Health and Fitness Exercise Bike Should You Buy?

It depends on what type of cycling experience you’re looking for. 

• The Sunny Health and Fitness SF-B1002 Belt Drive Indoor Cycling Trainer is similar to most upright bikes and indoor cycling bikes.
• The Essential Recumbent Exercise Bike is great for senior citizens or those rehabbing a lower-body injury. 
• The Recumbent Bike with Arm Exerciser has dozens of great product reviews from people with conditions like Parkinson’s and heavy people. 

Sunny Health and Fitness Exercise Bikes Spec Comparison Chart

Sunny Health and Fitness SF-B1002 Belt Drive Indoor Cycling Trainer

Good for: People looking for an affordable studio cycling experience and don’t mind a no-frills bike

Budget Peloton Alternative

Sunny Health and Fitness SF-B1002 Belt Drive Indoor Cycling Trainer

Check Price

Product Highlights

• 49-lb flywheel
• 275-lb user weight capacity
• Stable
• Feels like road bicycle
• Under $300

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Priced under $400
• 49-pound flywheel provides a smooth ride
• Hundreds of micro levels of resistance adjusted manually
• Four-way adjustable seat and two-way adjustable multi-grip handlebars
• Conveniences like water bottle holder and transportation wheels

Cons

• Leather pad resistance will eventually require maintenance
• No monitor or display at all
• No tech compatibility
• No preset workouts

Bottom Line

A budget-friendly exercise bike that provides a good amount of bang for not too much buck.

The Sunny Health and Fitness SF-B1002 Belt Drive Indoor Cycling Trainer is one of our favorite budget-friendly Peloton alternatives. It doesn’t have much to offer in terms of high-tech capabilities—it doesn’t have Bluetooth or even a device holder—or any fancy extras like so many other exercise bikes on the market, but if you want a solid stationary bike at an unbeatable price, then this is your pick. 

The heavy 49-pound flywheel is well above the industry standard of 40 pounds—the Peloton bike’s is 38 pounds—and will produce resistance tough enough for even the most experienced indoor cyclists. It features micro-adjustable resistance controlled by a tension knob, which is a good thing in that there’s a wide span of resistance settings on this bike but it does make it difficult to keep track of where to put the resistance knob, especially if you have multiple people using the bike. 

I like that the bike uses a belt-drive system to propel the heavy flywheel, which requires less maintenance and produces less noise than a chain-drive system. But unfortunately, this bike does use friction resistance. Friction resistance is when the tension is controlled by a leather pad that makes contact with the flywheel, as opposed to to the more expensive but more durable magnetic resistance that’s controlled by…well, magnets. 

The bike also features a relatively low max user weight of 275 pounds, but it’s actually pretty stable. I hover around 220 pounds and I didn’t experience any wobbling during my rides, even when I turned the resistance level all the way to 11. 

Sunny Health and Fitness Essential Recumbent Exercise Bike

Good for: Senior citizens or anyone rehabbing an injury who are looking for a recumbent exercise bike

Lean Back

Sunny Health And Fitness Essential Recumbent Exercise Bike

GGR Score: 3.8

Check Price

Product Highlights

• Just under $300
• Easily adjust the seat, foot pedals, and resistance levels
• Easy to mount and dismount

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Under $300
• User weight capacity of 300 lbs
• Adjustable seat
• 8 levels of resistance
• Pulse sensors
• Transport wheels

Cons

• Second set of handlebars are short
• Lacks a bottle holder
• No device holder

Bottom Line

For under $300, the Sunny Health and Fitness Essential Recumbent Exercise Bike is an excellent option for beginners on a budget.

The best recumbent exercise bike is one that not only gives the user a good cycling workout but is adjustable so that they can fit in the padded seat comfortably throughout the duration of their ride. The Sunny Health & Fitness Essential Recumbent Exercise Bike meets all those criteria, and then some. 

This bike has a widely adjustable inseam, or “leg room” in layman’s terms, starts at 29 inches and extends to 38 inches so tall people and short people alike can find a position that works for them. This is especially important since recumbent-style bikes are usually used by senior citizens or those recovering from injury due to the fact that the pedals are in front of you, which places less stress on your knees compared to an upright bike. 

It also has a 300-pound user weight capacity, which is impressive for a bike that only weighs around 60 pounds. The ergonomic seat is 11.8 inches wide by 16.9 inches long, making it comfortable to sit on for long periods of time during your at-home workouts. 

If you’re OK with just a bike this one will run you around $200, but you can upgrade to one with Bluetooth capabilities for an additional $50 to sync to workout apps or track metrics. 

Sunny Health and Fitness Recumbent Bike with Arm Exerciser

Good for: Those who want a bike that can work upper- and lower-body muscles 

Hybrid Bike

Sunny Health and Fitness Recumbent Bike with Arm Exerciser

Check Price

Product Highlights

• 8 levels of resistance
• Adjustable arm tension
• Recumbent-style exercise bike
• Costs less than $400

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Upper-body exercisers with adjustable arm tension
• 8 levels of resistance
• Costs less than $400

Cons

• Basic LCD monitor
• Short 180-day warranty
• Taller users may hit their knees often

Bottom Line

A recumbent exercise bike that also helps you work the upper body.

Exercise bikes with moving arms might seem gimmicky, but there are a number of benefits to having multiple moving parts on your exercise bike. When it comes to the Sunny Health and Fitness Recumbent Bike with Arm Exerciser, you get a budget-friendly recumbent-style bike with adjustable arm tension that allows users to tone their upper- and lower-body muscles simultaneously. 

People with Parkinson’s disease, heavy people, and senior citizens have raved on Amazon about how this bike has provided a low-impact and fun way to stay in shape. The handlebars won’t give you the same resistance as a set of dumbbells, but they’re better than nothing and they do have adjustable tension so you can make it easier or more difficult depending on what your training goals are. 

One of the only major callouts with this bike is that users 5 feet, 11 inches and taller may hit their knees on their arms if they pedal and use the arm exercisers at the same time. You might be able to put a stop to that by adjusting the bike seat back a little bit, which is easy thanks to the recumbent design that also puts less stress on the lower-body joints. 

What to Look for in Exercise Bikes

When trying to find the best exercise bike for your home gym, there are a few things you have to keep in mind. 

• Resistance: Bikes with friction resistance, which is created when the brake pad makes contact with the flywheel, is generally more affordable than bikes with magnetic resistance but will require more maintenance over time. 
• Seat: You’ll want to make sure the seat is comfortable for the type of rides you’ll be doing 
• Inseam: The inseam refers to the leg room you have on the bike. Most models will show you what their minimum and maximum inseams are. 
• Pedals: Most budget-friendly models will come with adjustable toe cages, which can be worn with any type of shoe, but more expensive ones might come with SPD clips that require cycling cleats. 
• Warranty: Take a look at the company’s warranty to see how long you’re covered for things like the frame, parts, and labor. 
• Weight capacity: Some budget-friendly bikes might come with a lower maximum user weight capacity, so keep an eye out for that.  
• Monitor: Budget-friendly bikes will usually only come with an LCD display while more expensive options may have a touchscreen. 

RELATED: Best Bike for Exercise

Sunny Health and Fitness Policies

Let’s check out this budget-friendly brand’s policies to see if the good just keeps on coming.

Warranty

All Sunny Health and Fitness exercise bikes come with the same warranty: three years for the frame and 180 days for other parts and components. This isn’t the best coverage but it’s better than nothing, and you can’t expect much more from a budget brand. 

Returns

Sunny Health and Fitness has a 30-day return policy that starts from the date of purchase and it must be sent in its original packaging. 

Financing

Sunny Health and Fitness offers financing options for all of its products at checkout. 

Final Verdict of Our Sunny Health and Fitness Exercise Bike Reviews

Sunny Health and Fitness consistently puts out great-value fitness equipment, and their exercise bikes are consistently featured in many of our roundups because they’re affordable and well-built. 

• The Sunny Health and Fitness SF-B1002 Belt Drive Indoor Cycling Trainer is a great budget-friendly studio cycling bike. 
• The Sunny Health and Fitness Essential Recumbent Exercise Bike is a lightweight and highly adjustable option for those recovering from physical injuries. 

The Sunny Health and Fitness Recumbent Bike with Arm Exerciser provides benefits for those looking for low-impact upper- and lower-body exercises.

RELATED: Best Recumbent Bike

FAQs About Sunny Health and Fitness Exercise Bikes

Anthony O'Reilly, CPT, CNC

Anthony O'Reilly is a NASM-certified nutrition coach and personal trainer whose work has been featured in Muscle & Fitness and BarBend, and previously was an award-winning reporter and photographer for newspapers on Long Island and Queens, NY. After spending most of his life overweight, he dropped 80 pounds and took control of his health and fitness. Outside of work, he still enjoys Little Debbie cakes but offsets them with rigorous hikes and workouts. He's an avid Manchester United supporter, through thick and thin.

Further reading

DIY Weight Plates: Make Your Own Concrete Weights

by Jessica Thomas, MPH

Iron cast plates and bumper plates can get expensive. So why not make your own DIY weight plates? Learn how to do that here! Read more

The 10 Best Functional Trainers for Your Home Gym (2024)

by Anthony O'Reilly CPT, CNC

Home gym equipment is kind of like ramen—let me explain. Sometimes you can’t afford the really good stuff, so you have to go for budget-friendly brands like Maruchan. Or, perhaps you just like the ease and convenience of the instant packs and don’t mind that it’s not necessarily “the best.” In our Sunny Health and Fitness exercise bike reviews, we’ll go over three models we’ve personally tested and reviewed from a brand that I consider to be the Maruchan of cardio equipment.  » Read more about: Sunny Health and Fitness Exercise Bike Reviews (2024): A Great Budget-Friendly Cardio Brand  » Read more

The 10 Best Bent-Over Row Variations: Our Top Picks for a Bigger, Stronger Back

by Christopher Covello

Are you tired of doing the same bent-over rows every back day? Spice up your routine with some of our favorite expert–backed bent-over row variations! Read more

The 6 Best Air Bike Workouts to Target Your Entire Body

by Ricky Goodrich

We’ve got the best air bike workouts to get those legs and those lungs burning during your next ride. Read more