The Best Home Exercise Bikes for 2025

PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.

If you're thinking about hopping on the smart exercise bike bandwagon and need some help with your decision, you have come to the right place. We've been reviewing interactive indoor cycles since 2018, and test these machines in our actual homes, evaluating the assembly process, build quality, feature set, price, and overall workout experience to determine which models are worth your money. With top-tier interactivity and effective workout classes, the Peloton Bike+ is our top pick in the category, but Bowflex, Echelon, SoulCycle, and several other companies offer compelling alternatives that might better fit your needs and budget. Keep reading for our top picks followed by additional tips to help you narrow your options.

Is the Peloton Worth It?

Now that you've seen our recommendations, you might be wondering: Why invest in pricey smart gym equipment when you can go the traditional, non-connected route for a lot less money? It all comes down to interactivity. Most smart indoor bikes feature a built-in touch screen on which you can stream workouts, or connect with a companion app to let you view classes on your phone, tablet, or TV.

With a monthly membership, smart bikes typically give you access to a library of classes, including floor-based workouts off the bike to supplement your cycling sessions. Knowledgeable instructors lead these virtual classes; they guide your workout, motivate you to give it your all, and entertain you so you're not watching the clock the whole time. They essentially bring the experience of a boutique cycling class to the comfort, safety, and privacy of your home.

Some machines feature live classes with competitive leaderboards, giving you an extra jolt of motivation to cross the virtual finish line. This fosters a sense of community and makes it feel as if you're not working out alone. Smart stationary bikes also generally keep track of your progress, as well as congratulate you when you meet your goals and make gains.

If you need direction and motivation on your wellness journey, a smart stationary bike is an excellent investment. Despite their high cost and ongoing class membership fees, smart bikes can potentially save you money in the long run by allowing you to ditch your gym membership. The convenience of working out at home also adds to their appeal.

How Much Should You Spend on an Exercise Bike?

As you can see from our top picks, smart exercise bikes are quite pricey. Class membership fees and accessories further drive up the price.

Generally speaking, you can expect to pay north of $1,000 for a connected model with a built-in touch screen.

For more affordable alternatives, Bowflex, Echelon, and many other brands sell models that work with your own smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth. These options are good if you're on a budget, but they don't offer as immersive an audiovisual experience as models with built-in screens and speaker systems.

When budgeting for a smart exercise bike, be sure to factor a monthly membership fee into your calculations. They all require a subscription, typically priced from $29 to $44 per month, to access a library of classes. Subscriptions also usually include performance tracking features and the ability to set up multiple user profiles per household so everyone's stats stay separate.

Without a membership, you can typically still use a smart exercise bike in manual mode, but it doesn't make sense to pay extra for a machine with smart functionality if you don't plan to use it.

And don't forget to factor in the price of accessories, like the special cycling shoes you need with Peloton and SoulCycle machines, which can set you back around $100 to $200. You also probably want to purchase an exercise mat and a couple of sets of dumbbells if you don't already have them, so you can participate in floor-based workout classes. Finally, some companies charge as much as $200 for delivery, assembly, and installation.

Fortunately, most companies offer financing options to make the cost more manageable. In each of our reviews, we break down the costs, as well as the delivery and assembly process, so you know what to expect.

What Is the Best Exercise Bike for Home Use?

You might assume Peloton is the best home exercise bike because it's the most popular. But, in reality, the best option is the one that motivates you to hop back on day after day. Fortunately, our top picks offer plenty of variety in terms of class styles.

During Peloton cycling classes, the screen is full of stats to look at, including your cadence (how fast you're pedaling, measured in rotations per minute, or RPM), resistance (your level of difficulty, on a scale of 0% to 100%), and output (how much power you're exerting, measured in watts).

The leaderboard, which ranks class participants by their total output, is a key part of the experience. Peloton also offers other social features, including the ability to congratulate people with virtual high fives for milestones like their first or hundredth ride.

Echelon offers a similar experience, but its classes don't have quite the same production values as Peloton's do. On Peloton, it can feel like you're watching a TV show, complete with costume changes and a live DJ.

Your goal on SoulCycle isn't to work your way up a leaderboard, it's to move your feet in time with the music. When you finish a SoulCycle workout, a summary screen shows your Beat Match score from zero to 100%, which indicates how much of the time your cadence matched the rhythm of the music.

The iFit app, available on NordicTrack, ProForm, Freemotion, and Matrix machines, stands out for its outdoor content. It gives you access to thousands of trainer-led workouts filmed in 40 countries spanning all seven continents.

Although guided workouts have their perks, sometimes you just want to zone out and ride. Bikes from Bowflex and SoulCycle let you watch Netflix and other video streaming services while you ride, a feature not available on Peloton.

The Carol Bike doesn't try to replicate a group fitness experience or entertain you, but instead promises to deliver the benefits of a 45-minute run in less than a minute. Its primary workout protocol consists of three weekly rides, each of which lasts less than nine minutes and requires just 40 seconds of hard effort. These reduced exertion high-intensity training (REHIT) workouts aim to trigger your body's "fight or flight response," causing it to burn the sugar stored in your muscles as fuel.

Manual vs. Automatic Bike Resistance

Most smart stationary bikes feature a knob you manually turn to increase or decrease the resistance, which makes it harder or easier to pedal. Resistance systems vary from bike to bike, but all are typically smooth and silent. The Echelon EX5S has 32 levels of magnetic resistance, while the Peloton Bike lets you more finely tune the resistance from zero to 100.

One main advantage of the Peloton Bike+ compared with the original Peloton Bike is its Auto Follow feature, which automatically adjusts your resistance to match the instructor's cues. The Bike+ also features a resistance knob, but with Auto Follow enabled, you don't have to manually turn it if you don't want to. If the instructor says to tune your resistance between 45 and 55, for instance, the Bike+ automatically adjusts it to 50, the middle of the target range.

With a manual resistance system, you must listen for the instructor's cues and adjust your resistance to keep up.

iFit-connected stationary bikes can also automatically control your resistance. The NordicTrack S22i goes a step further with the ability to automatically incline and decline to match the trainer's cues or terrain during outdoor workouts.

Do Clip-In Cycling Shoes Make a Difference?

One of the things to consider when mulling your smart stationary bike options is whether or not you want to wear clip-in cycling shoes. There are pros and cons to both choices.

Clip-in cycling shoes help you ride faster and more efficiently, making it easier to pull, not just push, on the pedals. But cycling shoes are expensive, and learning to clip in and out takes some practice.

The stock pedals that come with Peloton and SoulCycle bikes require clip-in cycling shoes. The pedals on the Peloton Bike and Bike+ are the most limiting, as they only work with Delta cleats. SoulCycle's At-Home Bike features dual-sided pedals that support either Delta or SPD cleats.

Other bikes, such as the NordicTrack S22i, feature pedals with adjustable toe cages that allow for secure footing while wearing regular workout sneakers. These types of pedals are less intimidating for newbies, don't require you to purchase expensive clip-in shoes, and allow anyone with a pair of workout sneakers to use the bike.

As a third option, bikes like the Bowflex VeloCore, Echelon EX5S, and BODi Bike feature dual-sided pedals that work with regular athletic shoes or SPD cleats. These pedals are the most convenient, as they offer the best of both worlds.

The good news is that if you want to swap out your bike's pedals for a different pair, you usually can. The S22i is compatible with all standard road bike pedals, so you can eventually replace its stock pedals for a pair you can clip into. It's also possible to attach toe cages to your Peloton Bike pedals.

Does Bike Seat Pain Go Away?

Smart or not, all stationary bikes can be a literal pain in the butt, especially for beginners. Regardless of the model, seat discomfort is the most common complaint I hear about stationary bikes.

One reader I was corresponding with who owns the S22i said they find the seat so uncomfortable they can only ride for 10 to 15 minutes at a time, and plan to swap it out for a different one. I too found stationary bike seats uncomfortable at first, but over time I got used to them. If you're experiencing a lot of discomfort, padded cycling shorts and bike seat covers, which are widely available in bike stores and online from around $20, can help. If that doesn't do the trick, you can always swap out the seat with a more comfortable one.

How to Have a Peloton-Like Experience for Less Money

If you don't have the money for a pricey smart stationary bike with a built-in screen, you can get a similar experience for a lot less money with workout streaming services such as the Peloton app, which you can use without buying one of the company's machines, and Apple Fitness +.

Peloton App+, which includes bike, treadmill, and rower workouts, costs $24 per month, or you can opt for the $12.99 monthly Peloton App One Tier if you just want the floor-based workouts like strength training and yoga. Apple Fitness+ costs $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year, and offers a range of floor- and machine-based classes, including core, cycling, dance, HIIT, mindful cooldown, rowing, strength, treadmill, and yoga.

Lots of people use Peloton's digital membership in combination with basic, non-connected stationary bikes as a more affordable alternative to buying a Peloton Bike. If you own the necessary Apple gear, you can do the same thing with Fitness+ for even less money. Both are solid options, especially if you can mount a TV on the wall in front of your equipment to stream classes.

For more connected fitness options, check out our roundups of the best rowing machines, the best strength training equipment, and all the best smart home gym equipment. And for more ways to use technology to improve your body and mind, check out our ultimate guide to health and fitness tech.