Exercise Bike Reviews & Buying Guides

How we test and pick exercise bikes

Our exercise bike reviews span the full range, from a sub-£100 folding bike you can tuck behind the sofa to a studio-grade Keiser that costs more than a weekend away. This hub gathers them in one place so you can filter by type, brand and rating, or search by name, then read the full write-up before you buy.

We judge each bike on how it rides once the novelty wears off, not on its marketing. Is it quiet at 6am? Do the saddle and bars move enough for two people who aren't the same height? Does the frame stay planted when you stand up and push hard? Smooth, consistent resistance beats a big flywheel number on the box, so that's what we weigh first.

Specs that actually change the ride

Resistance type is the big one. Magnetic resistance is near-silent and needs almost no upkeep, which suits flats and shared walls; friction pads are cheaper and give a road-like grind, but they wear out and get noisy; air resistance rises with how hard you pedal, which is exactly why assault bikes feel so punishing in intervals.

Flywheel weight gets quoted a lot. A heavier flywheel (very roughly 8kg and up on a spin bike) carries momentum and feels smoother through the pedal stroke, though on magnetic bikes the figure means less because resistance is applied differently. Pay as much attention to adjustability: four-way saddle and handlebar movement is what lets a 1.6m and a 1.9m rider share the same bike comfortably.

Check the max user weight too, since budget frames often top out around 100kg to 120kg and anything pushed near its limit tends to flex and creak. Then there's the screen. A built-in touchscreen and a class subscription (Peloton, Echelon) look great, but a plain bike with a tablet holder and a free app covers most of the same ground for a lot less.

The main types, and who each one is for

Upright and indoor cycling (spin) bikes pack a hard cardio session into a small footprint, and spin bikes let you ride out of the saddle like a road bike. Recumbent bikes sit you back in a supported seat with the pedals out front, which is kinder on the lower back and far easier to get on and off if your knees or hips complain. Air and assault bikes add arm handles and scale resistance with effort, so they're the pick for short, savage intervals.

At the gentler end, folding and under-desk mini bikes suit tiny flats or light movement while you work. Smart, connected bikes (Peloton, Echelon) are built around live and on-demand classes; turbo trainers make sense only if you already own a road bike you want to ride indoors; and the Concept2 BikeErg is an air bike with a damper and no electronics to break, which is why it tends to last for years.

Matching a bike to your space and budget

Budget sorts the field quickly. Under £100 gets you a basic upright or a mini pedal unit that's fine for easy spinning in front of the telly. Push to under £200 and magnetic resistance, a steadier frame and a usable saddle come into reach. The under £1000 bracket is where serious spin bikes and app-connected machines live, and it's the sweet spot if you'll ride several times a week for years.

Space decides as much as money. Measure before you buy: a fixed spin bike wants a permanent spot and enough floor and ceiling clearance to stand on the pedals, while a folding upright collapses down to lean in a cupboard. Hard floors plus a flat below you mean a rubber mat and magnetic resistance are worth the extra, both for noise and for keeping the bike from shifting about.