The best exercise bikes for 2024, tried and tested

The huge variety of exercise bikes is enough to put even the most experienced cyclist in a spin. While the chunky, clunky indoor bikes of the 90s and noughties have been replaced by sleek spinning machines, finding the best exercise bike for you can still be tricky – as I discovered while testing the best for this piece. 

The right stationary bike can be a great investment. They’re smaller and more compact than a treadmill or rowing machine and offer a lot of bang for your buck. “Indoor cycling is low impact, but high intensity,” says Alana Murrin, Head of Ride at London’s Psycle studios. “It’s a huge mind booster and mood shifter. You get dopamine, serotonin, endorphins. Even when I just have small bursts of time, I can put on a 20 minute express workout and get that same feeling and sensation that I get from an in-person class.” 

You don’t need to commit to cycling for an hour or more to feel and see results. Studies have shown that cyclists who use stationary bikes for short, high intensity interval training can significantly improve performance on the road without having to put in hours of work. 

“20-30 minutes is the sweet spot for those working out at home,” Murrin says. “If you commit to doing that every other day, you’ll find that consistency is far more valuable than intensity.”

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:

Which are the best exercise bikes in 2024? At a glance

• Best spin bike – Apex Smart Bike
• Best exercise bike for classes – Peloton Bike+
• Best premium exercise bike – Technogym Bike
• Best smart exercise bike – Wattbike Atom
• Best recumbent exercise bike – NordicTrack Commercial VR25 Recumbent Exercise Bike
• Best budget exercise bike - Roger Black Fitness Gold Exercise Bike

How to choose the right exercise bike for you

There are three main types of exercise bike. Upright exercise bikes (sometimes called static bikes) have an upright seat position and higher handlebars. They also tend to have a larger and more padded seat. Spin bikes have lower handlebars and geometry similar to a road bike – they are what you would find in an indoor cycling or spin class. On recumbent exercise bikes you sit slightly reclined, with your feet in front of your body. These are useful for those with reduced mobility. 

Once you’ve chosen your style of bike, the next thing to consider is its resistance. Most exercise bikes use a flywheel – a metal disc that provides the resistance to your pedalling. Alana Murrin recommends magnetic or electromagnetic resistance, which is quieter and smoother to adjust than direct contact or ‘friction’ resistance. “I’m looking for a fluid sense of resistance,” she says. “If it feels clunky, you’re not going to be able to work up to higher speeds.” 

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. 

How I tested the best exercise bikes

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.

If you were hoping for a £200 solution to your exercise bike woes, I’m afraid I haven’t found one. You really do get what you pay for and the difference in build quality as you go up the price spectrum is marked. Read on for my verdict on the best exercise bikes for 2024. 

Best exercise bikes

1. Apex Smart Bike

£699 plus £29.99 per month subscription, Apex 

Best spin bike

We liked: the motivational trainers and quality of classes 

• Weight: 45kg
• Flywheel weight: 4kg
• Resistance levels: 30
• Screen: No, but a tablet holder

It’s been dubbed as the UK’s answer to Peloton, but the Apex Smart Bike is in a category of its own. It’s a (slightly) less expensive connected exercise bike, but the build quality is similar to that of Peloton. 

The cost is kept down by the lack of a touchscreen – instead you use your own tablet (or phone, at a push) to stream classes via an app. The classes are of excellent quality, with experienced instructors and high-spec production. 

I particularly enjoyed the themed music rides, but there are plenty of others to choose from ranging from 15 minutes to an hour. There are also strength, mobility and beginner-friendly classes available. You don’t quite get the range of Peloton, which has a bank of thousands to choose from, but as Apex is new to the market, this will improve with time. 

It’s also worth noting that the trainers are British spin instructors, which may be more palatable to those who find Peloton’s earnest instructors and affirmations a bit cheesy. However, Apex would be more suited to class cyclists and spin fanatics than to those looking for indoor performance training. There are no options for simulated outdoor rides (yet), nor is there much scope for free-riding.

Onto design: this is one exercise bike I wouldn’t mind having on display in my living room. It’s sleek, stylish, has a compact 4ft by 2ft footprint, comes in four colours and dual sided Shimano pedals. It has a wireless phone charger, tablet holder for streaming classes, plus a water bottle holder and rack for weights (which don’t come included, but are reasonably priced at £25). Most importantly, it feels incredibly sturdy and doesn’t budge as you pedal.

Despite the fact that it’s comparatively light and has a very light flywheel there’s a great range of magnetic resistance. It’s smooth and quiet so is unlikely to cause any neighbourly disputes. I do have one minor gripe, which is that the resistance knob isn’t the best; it feels nice but is overly sensitive and goes up four or five levels with one turn. It’s a bit fiddly when you’re trying to change gears quickly in time with an instructor on-screen. 

This would still be the bike I would wholeheartedly recommend for at-home spinning, if you need a slightly cheaper Peloton alternative.

2. Peloton Bike+ 

Currently £1,695, plus £39 per month subscription, Peloton

Best for classes and community

We liked: the wide range of classes which keeps you coming back for more

• Weight: 63kg
• Flywheel weight: 10kg
• Resistance levels: 100, plus an auto-adjusting resistance mode
• Screen: 23.8” HD touchscreen

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

It runs on personality – even the most reluctant of cyclists would struggle to stay demotivated when faced with Peloton’s peppy instructors who encourage you to push and pedal from an immersive touchscreen. “With Peloton, what you’re paying for is the convenience and motivation – you can squeeze in a session any time without having to go to the gym,” says Lucie Cowan, Master Trainer at boutique gym Third Space. 

But why buy the Bike+ for £650 more than the original? The key difference is that the Bike+ is geared up to offer more than just cycling. The screen can be rotated for strength, yoga and mobility workouts and it has a bigger screen and better sound quality. You can save money on packages that include cycling shoes, weights and a yoga mat. 

It also has auto-adjusting resistance, so you don’t even need to lift a finger to go up a gear in time with the instructor on-screen. The Bike+ can also sync with your Apple Watch or fitness tracker. However, these are doubtless luxuries on top of an already-luxurious bike.

There are thousands of live and on-demand classes to choose from. You can filter rides by music genre, focus, duration and instructor. On Peloton, everyone has a personal favourite; mine is New York-based Hannah Corbin, because she tells me I’m a rockstar. I almost believe her. An optional leaderboard taps you into a community of other riders. You can even video chat with friends while you ride, if you like. 

The equipment itself is of a very high quality. The bike has a welded, coated steel frame, a comfortable saddle, and the flywheel is powered by magnetic resistance with an especially quiet belt drive. There’s a huge range of resistance for every type of rider and, as previously mentioned, it can auto adjust. Responsive and accurate feedback is shown on screen as you pedal. 

It’s undoubtedly expensive, but for an ever-expanding library of workouts and a top-of-the-range bike, I’d argue that it’s worth it if you can afford to splash out. You can get a 30 day home free trial if you change your mind.

3. Technogym Bike

£3,250, plus optional subscription from £9.99 per month, Technogym

Best premium exercise bike

We liked: the HD screen and quality build, but expect to pay a premium

• Weight: 67kg
• Flywheel weight: 17.4kg
• Resistance levels: 20
• Screen: 22” HD touchscreen

Technogym’s live exercise bike is the piece of kit you need if you want boutique gym-standard quality at home. It’s probably too big an outlay for most casual riders, but over the years it may work out slightly cheaper than Peloton when monthly costs are taken into account. The Technogym is no different to the high-end tech you find in gyms and health clubs and you can tell it’s built to commercial standards. It pedals smoothly and silently, feels very sturdy, and has a 22” HD touchscreen. 

It also stands out for its endless ride and entertainment options. You can stream cycling and strength classes from Technogym’s own studio as well as spin classes from top studios (1Rebel and Virgin Active’s Revolution) live and on-demand. There are a wide range of immersive ‘outdoor’ rides and you can also stream from apps including Netflix, Youtube and many more. I tried a handful of classes but only scratched the surface. This means it’s one of the rare indoor exercise bikes that’s suited to every type of rider, whether your priority is spinning, simulating outdoor training, or just pedalling while you watch TV. I enjoyed that you have much more freedom than with comparable bikes. 

Another point of differentiation between this and other high-end models is that you aren’t tied into a subscription – even paying nothing monthly you can access a selection of on-demand classes and use Chromecast or a Fire TV stick to stream from your phone. Frustratingly, though, it doesn’t link to the app Zwift, which could be a dealbreaker for some. 

As for the tech specs – as I mentioned, you can tell that this is a top-of-the-range bike simply from how it feels. The bike itself is very heavy, which is indicative of its sturdiness, although do note that it’s not easy to move or store. 

Overall, a hugely impressive bike with the best entertainment package out there. Just expect to pay a premium for it. 

4. Wattbike Atom

Currently £2,189, Wattbike 

Best smart exercise bike

We liked: A true-to-life cycling experience for serious riders

• Weight: 40kg
• Flywheel weight: 9.28kg
• Resistance levels: 22
• Screen: No, but a tablet holder

“Wattbike is the best choice for serious performance cyclists, as the information it gives you is a cut above the rest,” says Cowan. It gives you more detailed and accurate data than any other exercise bike at this price point (accurate to ±1%).

All the basics are ticked off (speed, power, heart rate and cadence) and you get custom metrics including a “Pedalling Effectiveness Score (PES)” and “Maximum Minute Power (MMP)” to work out individualised training zones. It doesn’t have a built-in screen, so you’ll need an iPad, tablet, smartphone or smart TV to use the Wattbike Hub or another training app of your choice. One small downside is that, unlike the Apex smart bike, it doesn’t have a USB charger to keep your device topped up while you cycle.

It’s also worth pointing out that as someone who prefers spin to outdoor cycling, I’m not exactly Wattbike’s target market. And if you’re like me, you may find Wattbike a little heavy-handed on the performance data. But there are enough training programmes to suit every type of rider, from simulated hills to HIIT sessions. 

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.

The Wattbike is very much like outdoor cycling, but without the wind and bad weather, and with much more data. If that’s what you’re looking for, you won’t be disappointed.

5. NordicTrack Commercial VR25 Recumbent Exercise Bike

£1,199, plus option £11 per month iFit subscription, Fitness Superstore

Best recumbent exercise bike

We liked: the comfortable chair design

• Weight: 75kg
• Flywheel weight: 11kg
• Resistance levels: 26
• Screen: 7” touchscreen and tablet holder

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. 

6. Echelon EX-5s Smart Connect Bike

Currently £1,152, plus £29.99 per month subscription, Echelon

Best padded exercise bike

We like: it’s comfortable to sit on for longer workouts

• Weight: 56kg
• Flywheel weight: 13kg
• Resistance levels: 26
• Screen: 21.5” HD touchscreen

You’d be forgiven for mistaking the Echelon EX-5s for a Peloton exercise bike. It has the same red and black branding, a similar logo, and a similar 21.5” HD screen for following classes. 

There are hundreds of workouts to choose from, including group spin classes, scenic rides, strength sessions, and more. But the user interface isn’t quite as slick as Peloton, and the graphics and sound aren’t as good quality. The seat is more comfortably padded than most bikes I tested, but the frame isn’t as sturdy, nor is the resistance as responsive. For £150 more, you’re better off buying a Peloton. 

Budget exercise bikes

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.

7. Roger Black Fitness Gold Exercise Bike

£299, Roger Black Fitness

Best budget exercise bike

• Weight: 27kg
• Flywheel weight: 6kg
• Resistance levels: 16
• Screen: LCD display plus tablet holder

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 cash is saved by a lack of touchscreen. Instead, a simple LCD display offers 13 user programmes and feedback on body fat, heart rate, speed, calories and rotations per minute. Some users have noted this makes the screen difficult to use.

The pedals are adjustable but plastic – though users largely praise their quality – and the seat and handlebars are also adjustable. The handlebars also have a built-in heart rate monitor, though it won’t be as accurate as a wireless heart-rate monitor. All in all, this Roger Black exercise back does the basics well, and a bit more, resulting in a good value, budget-friendly exercise bike.

8. Reebok Z-Power Exercise Bike

£329, John Lewis

Best portable exercise bike

• Weight: 31.5kg
• Flywheel weight: 9kg
• Resistance levels: 32
• Screen: 5.5” LCD display

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.

FAQ

How to lose weight on an exercise bike?

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. 

For example, cycle as hard as you can on a higher resistance for two minutes, then cycle at a more relaxed pace for five minutes. Alternate for however long you’ve allocated to that workout. If your cardio fitness is already high, try equal two minute intervals of high and low intensity.

What muscles do an exercise bike work?

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.

How many calories do you burn on an exercise bike?

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. 

Should you use cleats on an exercise bike?

Most of the models I tested came with dual-sided pedals that had cleats (for “clipping in”) on one side and an adjustable toe cage for running shoes on the other. Trainer Alana Murrin says cleats are “much safer and more effective” than wearing trainers. 

How much do I have to spend on an exercise bike?

Prices for exercise bikes start from around £100, but the cheapest bikes are best avoided. For a premium bike with all the bells and whistles, you’d need to pay £800 plus. The market-leading Peloton exercise bike, which has a screen to stream cycling classes and other workouts, will set you back a minimum of £1,345. Is it worth the money?  

For me, yes – the main incentive to purchase an exercise bike is that it might give me the motivation to actually ride it. I’ve always found stationary cycling fairly monotonous, but this new crop of ‘connected’ smart bikes that offer studio-standard spin classes from home could change that. 

Cycling at home can be hot work, given that most of us in this country don’t have air conditioning. I find a strategically angled fan helps a lot.