14 best exercise bikes for hitting your fitness goals at home

Formerly known as the IC8, this bike stays ahead of the chasing pack thanks to its connectivity and compatibility with third-party platforms. You can ride with any number of other cycling apps like Peloton, Zwift or Jrny using your own tablet in the bike’s cradle.

Like a classic spin bike, the magnetic resistance is adjusted through an easy-access centralised twisting knob. And although the resistance won’t always match those of alternative apps, like Peloton’s, there are conversions online that will help you sync up so you can ride seamlessly.

I really like the design of the handlebars on the 800IC, particularly the tab at the top of each handlebar that makes it much easier to stay stable when you’re riding out of the saddle. And there’s a comfortable saddle waiting for you when you sit back down.

It has a sturdy in-built console to display the usual metrics (time, calories, speed etc.), excellent adjustability and 100 levels of resistance to choose from, so you’ll have no problem finding a level that works for you.

Not everyone is going to want a connected bike offering infinite workout options. Many will be after a piece of kit for more modest cardio targets, only using the bike for a few hours a week. If that’s the case, this more affordable option has everything you need to nail your fitness goals.

The self-assembly wasn’t particularly straightforward, but it’s worth persevering for a robust and reliable machine. While it can’t match Peloton’s connected classes, I found it more than capable of upping my heart rate and providing a good cardio workout, and it felt fairly sturdy too.

The magnetic flywheel is smooth, although it’s not particularly quiet, so the rest of the house may not thank you for early hours workouts. And the monitor is clear, allowing you to cycle through all the relevant metrics to ensure your workouts are progressing, with the eight levels of tension giving you scope to extend your workouts as you get progressively fitter.

With a 120cm x 60cm footprint, the frame of the Peloton bike plus is no different to its predecessor (from £1,345, Onepeloton.co.uk). What has gone up in size is the HD touchscreen, offering a more immersive class experience. Peloton has also boosted the surround sound with a quality soundbar so you can be screamed at (sorry, motivated by) the instructors with ear-munching volume and clarity.

You still control the resistance of the magnetic flywheel via a sensitive and easily accessible central knob. But the resistance on the new bike can automatically match the instructor’s resistance during an on-demand class, which I really appreciated as it saved me from faffing around mid-workout.

Deciding if this bike is right for you comes down to whether these features warrant the price bump from the basics package. Of course, you also have to factor in the £39 a month that you’ll need to find for the streaming service, which is still the industry standard.

The next iteration of the Atom is comfortable to ride, featuring well-gripped aero handlebars. These include a tablet holster, where you can perch an iPad or equivalent tablet then follow the various third-party apps Wattbike relies on to make its bikes connected.

The Atom’s resistance comes from an electromagnetic drivetrain, which is favoured by hardcore cyclists because it accurately mirrors the feeling of being out there eating up the miles in your Lycra, rather than being in a stationary spin class.

Beyond this perk, the bike is comfortable to ride, unmovable even when I was really going for it, and it works with the free Wattbike Hub app, as well as Zwift and The Sufferfest. These platforms will give you an indication of which gear you’re in on-screen, otherwise you’ll need to rely on an educated guess.

For its gears, the Atom uses electronic shifters to go up and down the drivetrain, and I found the changes were absolutely seamless without a hint of judder.

Given the choice, this is the exercise bike I would most want to own, and that’s largely down to its versatility. It’s low-effort, incredibly robust and highly effective at building a bumper set of lungs.

When I say low-effort, I mean you don’t have to plug it into the mains or switch anything on – just start pedalling and away you go. The monochrome PM5 monitor automatically starts up after a revolution or two, and you can choose between a few preset workouts or design your own session based on time, distance and calories.

The display also shows other key details such as wattage and RPMs so you can keep tabs on your performance, or you can use the ergdata and ergzone app for training plans and more detailed insights.

Peloton, this is not, so don’t expect colourful classes and follow-along workouts (although you can link to the Fiit app for these). The Concept2 BikeErg is a no-nonsense machine which is fantastic for interval training, circuit workouts and generally getting you in very good shape. Whether you want to do a PFT test or rack up the miles in front of the TV mid-Netflix binge, it will serve you well.

If you do want a more engaging experience, you can also use it with third party apps such as Zwift, Openroad and Mywoosh.

If you often spend your weekends covered in Lycra, you might be interested to hear that US manufacturer Bowflex has brought its innovative Velocore bike to the UK.

Clear instructions meant assembly took just 45 minutes, and the bike impressed me from my very first ride, starting with its 100 smooth magnetic resistance levels controlled by a responsive centralised knob.

The velocore’s fully adjustable seat, handlebars and good in-saddle comfort made for excellent on-bike ergonomics. But the stand-out feature is that, with the simple push of a button, you can change the mode of the bike from stationary to leaning mode. This means you can tilt the bike to the left or right to mimic the feeling of a tight turn on the road or in a velodrome, and this feature is utilised in many workouts on the excellent JRNY fitness app, which comes included in the price of the bike.

I initially found it a little disconcerting, but after getting used to the sensation and realising I wasn’t going to keel over, it proved to be a fantastic tool for recruiting more muscles during my rides (particularly my core) and keeping me engaged with my workouts.

If you’re an athlete, or a passionate cyclist in particular, the Wattbike is the way to send your fitness levels soaring. That much has always been clear, as evidenced by the uptake from elite sports teams like the All Blacks. My only issues when testing the brand’s signature Wattbike Atom (above) were the high price, slightly larger footprint and lack of connected workout options.

The Wattbike Proton looks to rectify some of these qualms to make it a more enticing option for beginners. It has a remarkably compact footprint (102cm by 57cm), arriving at my door fully assembled and easily fitting up my slimline staircase. The bike can easily be adjusted to suit riders from 4ft 6in to 6ft 6in, and at 6ft 2in I found I fitted just fine. It’s cheaper than the Wattbike Atom too, although the price drop from £2,395 to £1,795 is still beyond most budgets.

However, unlike Peloton, once you’ve bought the bike there are no additional costs. The Wattbike Hub app is free to use and has a healthy provision of incredibly effective workouts, training plans and more. There’s even a plan specifically designed to improve your running, if you don’t fancy pounding the pavements during the darker, colder months. Putting it to the test, I liked how quickly I could set it up and get started, and few exercise bikes have been quite so efficient at reducing me to a sweaty mess.

The display delivers metrics galore, including your pedal effectiveness score or PES for short, which you can use to track and improve your performance and technique. Although, as I found before, it’s not going to please the Peloton crowd who want an engaging, people-oriented follow-along class. If you want a more visual experience, you can always connect to a wide array of third party platforms like Zwift.

Echelon offers a full fat connected exercise bike experience, and does so for less than Peloton and other rivals. As the brand’s entry level offering, the Echelon sport and its wealth of online content makes for an attractive prospect at an attractive price point.

The more modest pricing of the Eachelon sport, compared to other bikes in the Echelon stable, means you will have to put the bike together yourself and also have access to a tablet, as the bike doesn’t have a built-in screen.

Assembly was problem-free, and the bike boasts good adjustability, comfort and stability, which all add to its appeal. The magnetic flywheel is quiet and smooth too, offering 32 levels of resistance all controlled via an easy access knob, which allows you to change resistance quickly without interrupting your pedalling cadence – essential if you’re taking part in an instructor-led class.

I really enjoyed Echelon’s live fitness classes, complete with engaging UK instructors, which are available through three different plans, starting at £14. On-demand content was plentiful, whether that’s instructor-led classes, a wide variety of scenic rides or off-bike workouts, so your training is in no danger of going stale.

This bike can be connected to the 1Rebel fitness studio in London or Revolution in Milan (£29 per month) to provide live and on-demand classes, streamed directly to the bike. It features an intuitive, easy-to-use 22in HD touchscreen and you can compare your performance to fellow users via a leaderboard of connected cyclists.

I found the handlebars were comfortable and there were lots of options for hand placement to find a comfortable riding position. As well as this, the seat was very easy to adjust mid-workout and the bike didn’t take over the room.

In short, it’s a top option with good adjustability, stability and manoeuvrability, as well as an impressive offering of live and on-demand online classes – everything I asked for from a connected exercise bike. The main problem? It’s incredibly expensive.

The problem with most cheaper bikes is their limited adjustability, which makes it difficult to find a comfortable riding position. That’s not the case with this machine, which allows you to angle the handlebars, choose from several different seat heights and adjust the saddle horizontally too.

The slightly fiddly assembly took my undivided attention, but when finished I really liked the machine’s modest footprint, and the fact it has wheels tucked into its very sturdy steel frame to help me move it around. This makes the bike an excellent option for anyone who wants to get pedal fit but has limited room at home.

The easy-read control is battery powered, so there are no wires restricting where the bike should live, and there’s a drop-down shelf that you can rest a phone or tablet on if you want to employ some third-party apps to dictate the workout.

The magnetic resistance is smooth and the eight resistance levels are easily adjusted via a quick-grab dial located under the handlebars.

Exercise bikes are always on show in your home, and UK brand Apex has clearly made style a priority here. The apex bike comes in customisable colours according to the room it’s headed for, and has a modern, slimline design which I really liked. Plus it has a reasonably small footprint, so it won’t totally take over the room it stands in.

It’s also a “smart” bike, but at a fairly modest price. The reason there’s such a difference in cost from other well-known brands in the indoor cycle space is because the Apex doesn’t have a built-in display, instead providing a stand for your iOS device.

You can connect to content on the Apex app (£29.99/month) via an iPhone or iPad, or for an even more immersive experience you can set up in front of a widescreen and cast the classes to an Apple TV, if you have one.

In use, the on-screen metrics were easy to read and understand. The bike has an ergonomic saddle and “aero” handlebars for a comfortable ride, and provides resistance via a flywheel controlled by an easy-to-use dial. The frame felt nice and stable too, even when I was really going for it.

Price aside, the other major pull factor for indoor riders is that the online and live class instructors are all UK-based and the content comes from London spin studio Boom cycle. Although these classes still cater for high-energy spin class fans, there’s a little less hype than competitiors from over the pond.

The newest offering from Echelon is a very accomplished smart bike that’s an absolute dream to ride. There are multiple comfortable handle positions on the bars, and this twinned with the plush saddle makes it one of the most rideable bikes on test.

The tilting 21.5in HD screen displayed all of my metrics very clearly, whether I was enjoying the well-curated online content or the outdoor scenic rides. The option to display real-world vistas with my ride also provided a welcome distraction as I pedalled my way through some challenging routes.

It’s a shame you can’t see yourself covering more distance the faster you ride the bike, as the speed of the video is set, but that’s a very minor niggle. Whether it’s live-streamed spin classes or on-demand workouts you’re after, the amount of content on offer is impressive.

The magnetic resistance of the flywheel is near-silent, and there are 32 levels to flit between, so you can get your heart pumping or settle into an easy warm down.

The EX-5s was very stable even when throwing my body from side-to-side on higher resistance settings, and there was minimal screen wobble during a workout or class, which can be a little distracting.

If you want to become incredibly fit, buy this bike. If you want a bike for easy zone two rides in front of the telly, give it a miss.

The Assault Bike uses a (admittedly very noisy) fan to generate air resistance as you ride, giving a dynamic experience: the harder you push, the harder it feels, but your effort will be rewarded by the rising metrics on the LCD screen.

The bike also gets your arms involved with its moving handles for more of a full-body workout, and the effect is devastating – after a particularly spicy sprint session, my lungs were heaving and it felt like all power had been sapped from my legs.

If you just want an exercise bike for self-starting workouts, you can save a couple of hundred quid and opt for the Classic version. However, I’ve chosen the Pro X because it has bluetooth capabilities and can twin with the Fiit to deliver enjoyable, interactive and challenging follow-along workouts.

This bike looks too good to confine to the spare bedroom, but you might need your lottery numbers to come up if you want to afford one. This isn’t a case of style over susbstance, however.

It’s supremely comfortable to ride, either upright or in a racing position, with a whisper-quiet flywheel and magnetic resistance that offers infinite options.

Connectivity comes from Bluetooth sensors that connect you to a proprietary app (available for free on iOS and Android) which provides plenty of original training plans. It’s not the most compact of bikes, but if you’re shelling out this amount of money, you’ll probably want to show it off anyway.