Best Spin Bike Brands That You Should Know About

Indoor cycling has made its way to the top of many people’s exercise routines. And why not? It allows you to keep getting that cardio action without having to go through the pains of leaving home. It also allows for working out at just about any time of day so long as you don’t have noise-sensitive family members or neighbors. However, one of the challenges that many people face with these spin bikes nowadays is the variety of options they have to pick from.

How do they know whether a bike from Keiser or Sunny Health & Fitness is better? The brands that make these spin bikes can heavily influence what sort of features come with it, what the price is, how long it is covered with warranties and other crucial factors on just how enjoyable one of these bikes can be. That’s why we’ve decided to look over the best brands that make indoor cycling bikes, so you don’t have to.

We’re going to take various aspects that make up one of these spin bikes and compare them from brand to brand, making sure that you can tell which one is at the top, which one falls solidly into mid-table and which one is OK, but not fantastic. With all of that out of the way, let’s get into our list of the best brands that make spin bikes!

Top 8 Spin Bike Brands in 2021

Keiser

Up first on our list of the best brands that make indoor bikes is the American brand that is used by the world’s top athletes and some of the best gyms available. Manufactured in California, the Keiser M3 indoor bikes focus on their magnetic resistance and light flywheel weights in order to give them their smooth yet challenging feel. All Keiser products (in the modern case, the M3 and M3i) come with a standard and effective warranty to back up the longevity of their products. It has a 10 year warranty on the frame, 3 year all-inclusive (excluding wearable parts and labour) warranty and a 90 day wearable parts warranty. Certainly a good package for those who want to make sure their products last. Keiser indoor cycling bikes can be acquired either on their website or through third party sellers like Amazon.

While Keiser does make some extremely good spin bikes, they aren’t perfect. They only have 4 models of spin bikes, all belonging to the M series. The M3, M3+, M3i and M3iX are all of them. As you might notice, if you aren’t a fan of the M series’ bikes, you’re out of luck. Because these bikes also happen to be made of and designed with some high-quality materials, they also tend to be quite expensive. The various iterations of the M3 (with the M3i and M3 being regarded as the best and second-best, respectively) all cost around $2000, give or take a couple of hundred dollars. The M3+ can only be found on retro bike shops these days, as it is so out of date. The Keiser M3i stand on the top of our list for the best spin bikes in 2021.

Life Fitness

In second place are the spin bikes from the folks over at Life Fitness. Specifically, their IC series. They have done well throughout the ages making sure that these bikes evolve with the times, now with their 8th edition on the market. Made in China, the prices of these spin bikes range from $1700 (IC4) to $3300 (IC8), giving a decent range of prices for owners of all financial circumstances. These bikes come with a fine warranty of 5 years on the frame, 3 years on the electronic parts, and 1 year on the electronics. The IC1, IC2, IC3, IC4, IC5, IC6, IC7, and IC8 Indoor Cycles can all be acquired on their website, or on third-party sellers.

Admittedly, these bikes aren’t perfect. Their latest edition in the IC8 particularly seems to be receiving some rough reviews thanks to handlebars that don’t work properly and inconsistent Bluetooth connections. Despite the magnetic resistance, it is also apparently rather noisy, all of which should not be happening with a bike that is worth over $3000. That’s why it might be better to look at some of their past models in an attempt to find the ideal Life Fitness indoor cycle.

Stages

Coming up in third place are the bikes from Stages. These Stages spin bikes can be primarily found on the Stages website, allowing you to see their full lineup of bikes. They have the main series of SC bikes, the SB20 and the Stages Solo bike to round out their catalog. These indoor bikes are all manufactured in China and come with warranties that reflect how much the company values each of them. The SC2 and SC3 bikes come with 15 year warranties on the frame, 10 year warranty on the carbon belt drive, 3 years on the mechanical systems and 1 year on the electronics. The SC1, Solo, and SB20 indoor bikes, all come with a nearly identical set, though with only 10 years on the frame.

These are all high-quality indoor cycling bikes, with their prices reflecting that. Their prices range from $1700 (with the SC1) and $4000 (Stages Solo). They will certainly cost you quite a pretty sum. One of their main features, the Stages SprintShift, also doesn’t work quite as well as advertised. It’s supposed to make switching resistances easier than turning a knob, but the effectiveness of that system is highly questionable. The SC series also has the major disadvantage of having no monitors/consoles whatsoever (often sold separately).

Mad Dogg

Now we reach those who termed indoor cycling as “spinning”. The various Spinner series of bikes are those that can be found in cycling classes and gyms across the country, having been made and shipped from China. If variety is what you are looking for, this is where you want to look. Whether it’s the L series, P series, A series or one of the independent bikes (like the recently released Chrono Power) there are so many different options to pick from. The prices reflect this variety, ranging from $400 to $2900, which can all be seen on the Spinning website.

While this variety might be great for the wallet, it does mean that the quality of the bikes are also all over the place. Some have advanced screens and Bluetooth connections, while others are a bike that sits indoors with nothing else on it. What does not vary is their warranty, which is poor. They have a 1 year warranty across all bikes, which would be reasonable for the cheaper bikes. Not quite the same for those that cost thousands. Choosing between the 15 different models can also be a bit of a chore, as you need to look at and compare all of them in your price range.

NordicTrack

NordicTrack enters the ring with their commercial series of S studio cycles. The more premium and high-profile of these two is the S22i cycle, with both it and the S15i cycle being made in China. They come with a fancy touchscreen and subscription to the iFit training program In fact, the technology of these bikes are what sets them apart. Accessing Google maps for new views, daily fitness challenges, stat tracking and other perks from the screens Both have a 10 year warranty on the frame, 2 year parts warranty and a 1 year labour warranty. They can be found on NordicTrack’s website and Amazon.

There aren’t a whole lot of downsides to the NordicTrack commercial spin bikes. The lack of choice might be a concern for some, but considering how good these bikes are, you really won’t have a hard time finding the good in each. The S15i and S22i do cost $1600 and $2000 respectively, which means they aren’t exactly for those who are looking for budget bikes. The fact that you have to continue subscribing to get the benefits of iFit is also a downside for those who like money (and who doesn’t?).

Peloton

Perhaps the most renowned brand on this list, (and any other best quality indoor bike manufacturers’ list) Peloton is known throughout the world of indoor cycling. The cultish following that the Chinese-made bike seems to have truly taken off over the past decade, thanks to it’s subscription to different classes and quality build. The service offers a variety of themes, workouts, instructors and all sorts of other bits and pieces in order to allow you to have whatever workout you want. While Peloton does only have a single model of their bike, this service has done so well to keep that model relevant thanks to it’s subscription model.

However, that does lead us to the negatives. First, no matter what package you buy from Peloton, you get a 1 year limited warranty. That’s pretty darn sad for a company and brand of such repute. The other issue that some might have is their method of purchase. They offer 4 different packages, with each increasing the amount of accessories that comes with the bike. The fact that you also have to continue paying to get access to the various workout programs and instructors is also a negative, because the cheapest level of the Peloton already costs $2245. That cost will only go up with their subscription model.

Schwinn Fitness

As we near the end of our comparison of the best brands that make indoor cycling bikes, we reach Schwinn Fitness spin bikes. Their main line is currently the IC series, consisting of the IC2, IC3 and IC4 indoor cycles. Then there’s the AC Sport, AC Sport with Carbon Blue, AC Performance Plus and AC Performance Plus with Carbon Blue, with all of these bikes being made in China. All of these bikes perform well while riding them, but have different levels of technological advancements. They can have computers, Bluetooth connections and heart rate monitors, though these are not present in the IC3 and IC2. AC Performances and IC3 come with a 10 year warranty on the frame, 3 year warranty on the mechanical and electronic parts and 1 year warranty on the labor. The IC3 and IC2 come with a 5 year warranty on the frame, 2/1 year warranty on the parts and a 1 year/90 day warranty on the labour. All except for the Performance bikes are also relatively cheap, ranging from $300 to $900.

The downside to Schwinn is that there is a pretty wide gap between the budget options and the top-tiers. The IC3 and IC2 aren’t even magnetic resistance, much less having Bluetooth connections. However, the IC4 and Performance bikes do offer better deals and warranties. The fact that there is this divide in one brand rather than having a nice middle ground is disappointing.

Sunny Health and Fitness

Finally, we have the various bikes from Sunny Health & Fitness. Specifically, we’re going to be looking at the ASUNA series, the Evolution Pro, and the SF-B1913 and SF-B1709. Sunny Health & Fitness has their bikes made in China like just about everyone else, with prices and warranties that often offer better deals to those who are looking for a bargain. The standard warranty on a SH&F bike is 15 years on the frame with 180 days on the parts. These specific bikes that we’ve chosen to look at are some of the higher-tier bikes that’ll keep sturdy underneath just about anyone.

The downside of Sunny Health & Fitness bikes are that they don’t tend to look at innovating or adding anything new to the spin bike catalogue. Even with their relatively advanced ASUNA Minotaur, it doesn’t do much else that can’t be found on other spin bikes in a “better” manner. The standardized warranty on these bikes are also a pro and a con. It means the cheaper models get a better warranty than their competitors, while the more expensive bikes get a worse one.

Bowflex Fitness

Compare Bowflex Indoor Cycling Bikes With us

Name	Image	Price	Display	Statestics	Leaning	Lock	Connectivity	Applications	Notes
Bowflex Velocore 22		$2200	22" HD touchscreen	Time, distance, calories, burn rate, heart rate, RPM, resistance, lean, and watts	Yes	With Flywheel Lock	Bluetooth and WiFi	Netflix, Youtube, Zwift, Peloton, and More	Third-part apps work on the screen if you are subscribed to JRNY ($20 monthly)
Bowflex Velocore 16		$1900	16" HD touchscreen	Time, distance, calories, burn rate, heart rate, RPM, resistance, lean, and watts	Yes	With Flywheel Lock	Bluetooth and WiFi	Netflix, Youtube, Zwift, Peloton, and More	Third-part apps work on the screen if you are subscribed to JRNY ($20 monthly)
Bowflex C7		$999	7" HD touchscreen	Time, distance, calories, heart rate, RPM, intervals, and resistance,	No	No	Bluetooth and WiFi	Netflix, Youtube, Zwift, Peloton, and More	Third-part apps work on the screen if you are subscribed to JRNY ($20 monthly)
Bowflex C6		$699	LED Console	Time, distance, calories, heart rate, RPM, and resistance,	No	No	Bluetooth	Peloton and Zwift	LED console, apps can't be installed on the bike's console

Bowflex has been around the indoor cycling field for a while now. However, it’s only recently that we have seen some next level of innovation that they are bringing to that field. Their Velocore 22 and Velocore 16 bikes in particular have set an impressive precedent for future bikes to follow on account of their ability to lean back and forth.

Today, we’re going to compare the two versions of the Velocore bikes and the two other mainline Bowflex indoor cycling bikes: the Bowflex C6 and the Bowflex C7. Obviously, the two Velocore bikes will be rather similar to one another, but we think that it would be beneficial for all four of these bikes to be compared in order to see which one truly comes out on top.

After all, everyone is looking for which Bowflex exercise bike provides the best experience for the money. That’s what we’re here to figure out. So without further delay, let’s hop into our comparison of the Bowflex indoor cycling bikes!

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