By Paul Kendrick, Cardio & Endurance Editor · Updated 1 November 2026
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The 2026 Toputure Smart Exercise Bike is a good buy at £199.99 if you want an upright bike for steady cardio and like the idea of an app changing the resistance for you. That last part is the reason to choose it. Electromagnetic resistance with 32 levels is unusual at this price, and it gives the bike something most £200 rivals can't do. Just ignore the "under 20dB" line and take the wattage on the console with a large pinch of salt.
This is not the same bike as the one in our existing Toputure exercise bike review. That was the TEB4, a folding 5-in-1 X-frame with a 6kg flywheel, 16 manual levels turned by a knob and no plug. This newer model is a fixed upright bike that needs electricity, trades the folding frame for a steel one rated to 150kg, and moves resistance control from your hand to a motor. If you're choosing between the two, the short version is: TEB4 for small spaces and a recumbent option, the Smart for a sturdier upright ride with app-controlled resistance.
How we review
We haven't ridden this bike. This review draws on Toputure's Amazon listing and published specifications, recurring themes in verified owner feedback, and what we know about how electromagnetic resistance, estimated power and flywheel-based bikes behave in general. Where a manufacturer claim looks doubtful, we say so.
It suits someone who wants to ride a few times a week at home, has a spare corner near a plug socket, and would like more structure than "turn the knob a bit". The NHS recommends adults get 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week, and 30 minutes on a bike like this, five days a week, covers the moderate target on its own. A 2019 systematic review of indoor cycling found it may improve aerobic capacity by itself, and that combined with diet it helped with weight, blood pressure and lipid profile, though the authors flagged a shortage of randomised trials (Chavarrias et al., Medicina, PubMed).
Who should skip it? Anyone who needs the bike to fold away, and anyone who wants accurate watts for structured training. If you plan to race on Zwift, a turbo trainer on your own road bike is the better route.
Check the Toputure Smart Exercise Bike price on AmazonMost bikes at this price use a manual magnetic system. You turn a knob, a magnet moves closer to the flywheel, and the pedalling gets harder. It works, but an app can't turn the knob for you. Toputure's Smart bike uses an electromagnet instead, so resistance is set electronically, either from the console, from the app, or automatically when you follow a FitShow route in landscape mode.
That's a real upgrade for interval sessions. Instead of reaching down to twist the knob mid-sprint, the change happens on its own, and 32 levels give you smaller jumps than the 8 or 16 found on cheaper bikes. It's the same idea used on many pricier smart bikes, which we compare in our best smart exercise bike UK guide.
The cost is the plug. With no power, there's no resistance at all. Toputure says a power bank works too, which helps if the nearest socket is across the room, but check the output requirement in the manual before buying one specifically for the bike.
A note on Zwift. Toputure lists Zwift and Kinomap compatibility, yet the only app the listing explicitly says will drive resistance is FitShow. Read that as "Zwift will see your cadence and estimated power over Bluetooth" and you won't be disappointed. If Zwift gradient control matters, our best turbo trainer UK guide is a more reliable starting point.
| Resistance | Electromagnetic, 32 levels, app adjustable |
|---|---|
| Power | Mains (1.9m cable) or power bank |
| Drive | Belt |
| Console | Touchscreen LCD: time, speed, distance, calories, pulse, RPM, resistance, power |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth: FitShow, Zwift, Kinomap |
| Max user weight | 150 kg |
| Rider height | 150 to 190 cm |
| Adjustment | 4-way seat, 2-way handlebars |
| Bike weight | Approx 21 kg |
| Dimensions | Approx 98 x 48 x 112 cm |
| Extras | Tablet holder, 2 bottle holders, dumbbell rack (up to 8 kg) |
| Warranty | 24 months |
The touchscreen shows the usual figures, plus RPM, resistance level and power. Cadence and resistance are straightforward; they're measured directly and should be dependable. Speed, distance and calories are calculated, as on every exercise bike, and the calorie figure in particular can be well off because the bike doesn't know your weight, age or fitness unless an app tells it.
Power deserves the most suspicion. A £200 bike doesn't have strain gauges in its cranks. It works out watts from your cadence and the resistance level using a lookup table, so the reading is an estimate whose accuracy depends on how carefully Toputure calibrated it, which we can't verify. Use it to compare today's ride with last Tuesday's on the same bike. Don't use it to set an FTP.
If the pulse reading comes from handlebar grip sensors, as it does on most bikes at this price, expect it to be unreliable while you're pedalling hard. A chest strap paired to the app will give you better heart rate data.
Belt drive plus magnetic resistance is the quietest setup you can buy, because nothing rubs. What you'll hear is the belt, the flywheel spinning and any creaks from the frame or seat. That's why this type of bike features heavily in our quiet exercise bike guide.
But "under 20dB" is fantasy. That's quieter than most bedrooms at night, and well below the background hum of a fridge. We'd expect a bike like this to sit roughly where other belt-driven magnetic bikes do: quiet enough for a flat, a sleeping baby next door, or the TV at normal volume. The electromagnet itself adds no meaningful noise.
A steel frame rated to 150kg is a good sign at this price, and at about 21kg the bike has enough mass to stay planted. The four-way seat (up, down, forward, back) and two-way bars give a decent range of fit for riders between 150cm and 190cm. Front wheels let one person tip it and roll it.
The extras are more useful than usual. A tablet holder matters here because the best feature, app-controlled resistance, needs a phone or tablet running FitShow. Two bottle holders are welcome, and the dumbbell rack takes weights up to 8kg if you like doing arm work between intervals. Assembly should be quick since it ships about 70% built.
The flywheel weight isn't on the listing, and that's an omission we'd want filled. A heavier flywheel smooths the dead spots in each pedal stroke; the TEB4's light 6kg wheel was its biggest weakness. Owner feedback is the best guide until Toputure publishes the figure.
For an upright bike at £200, the electromagnetic resistance is the standout and the reason we'd choose it over most manual-knob rivals. Our best exercise bike under £200 round-up and the broader best exercise bike UK guide cover cheaper and pricier options. If you want a large built-in screen with classes rather than a tablet holder, our exercise bike with screen guide is the place to look, and if you're torn between this style and a heavier flywheel spin bike, read spin bike vs exercise bike first.
See the Toputure Smart Exercise Bike on AmazonThe Toputure TEB4 we reviewed earlier is a folding 5-in-1 X-frame bike with 16 manual magnetic levels, a 6kg flywheel and no need for power. This 2026 Smart model is a fixed upright bike with 32 electromagnetic levels that an app can adjust, a touchscreen console, a 150kg user limit and a dumbbell rack. It needs mains power or a power bank to work, and it doesn't fold.
Yes. The resistance is electrically generated, so the bike runs from the mains via a 1.9m cable, or from a suitable power bank. Without power there is no resistance and no console. Check where your nearest socket is before deciding where the bike lives, because 1.9m isn't much slack.
Toputure lists Bluetooth compatibility with Zwift, Kinomap and FitShow. The only app the listing specifically says will change resistance automatically is FitShow, in its landscape mode. Expect Zwift to read your cadence and an estimated power figure; don't buy it expecting the hill-by-hill resistance control you'd get from a proper smart trainer.
Treat it as an estimate. Budget bikes calculate watts from cadence and the resistance level rather than measuring force at the cranks, so the number is useful for comparing one of your own sessions with another but not for setting training zones or comparing yourself with other riders.
No. 20dB is roughly rustling leaves, quieter than a typical bedroom at night, and no bike with a spinning flywheel and a person on it gets there. Belt drive and magnetic resistance do make it very quiet, though, and it should be fine in a flat or late in the evening.
Toputure quotes 150cm to 190cm, with a four-way adjustable seat and two-way handlebars. Riders near either end of that range may find the fit a little compromised; if you're over 190cm, look at a bike with a longer frame.
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