I’ve been spinning since the small gym I went to got its first Schwinn Johnny G spin bike in the mid-’90s. I’ve ridden bikes to nowhere an average of twice a week ever since, from rusty old ones in church basements to the bikes in $40 SoulCycle classes. Pre-pandemic, I was doing most of my spinning on a free communal Peloton bike in my building’s workout room. When that was no longer an option, I tried a handful of apps and streamed classes in things like strength training and yoga.
Here’s another bike that falls around $500 and is great for beginner cyclists. The Echelon Connect Sport bike is ergonomically built, with aero handlebars and toe cage pedals to keep you in top spin form. “I recommend the Echelon Connect Sport because it is very affordable, sturdy, and has 32 levels of resistance,” says huffy beach cruiser Nicole Murray, a cycling instructor for Moxie based in Miami. Murray is also a fan of the Echelon app itself, which she says helps you conveniently monitor your metrics . Emily Collins, a Los Angeles–based indoor cycling instructor at Verve Studios, also notes that you should ask yourself how much support you’ll need.
All Schwinn AC™ indoor bikes come standard with Double Link pedals with SPD and toe-clip combinations to accommodate both cycling cleats and regular athletic shoes. The bikes are also compatible with the Schwinn Triple Link™ pedal upgrade. Triple Link Pedals accommodate Look Delta and SPD style cleats to simulate an outdoor riding experience. They also easily convert to accept traditional athletic shoes with the snap-in locking toe clips. Low impact — Schwinn exercise bikes provide a low-impact way of controlling your body weight. Since they are stationary, the spin bikes are gentle on the knees.
As with most fitness machines, if the price seems too good to be true, it probably is,” says Quayed. Do you want the feel of an indoor spin class or need the lower back support of a recumbent bike? As Schwinn offers several types of home exercise bikes, you’ll want to consider the pros and cons of each before making your selection. For the price, the Schwinn IC8 is a solid indoor exercise bike that’s built extremely well and feels like it will last many years of sweaty abuse. As a connected fitness tool, it falls some way behind the Peloton Bike, which is not only more technologically advanced , but is also an ergonomically superior piece of design.
If I’m short on time , I’ll hop on the bike for a quick 15- or 20-minute ride. My 14-year-old sticks with the hip-hop rides, and my 12-year-old follows along with a football pregame ride. They’re dual-sided, allowing you to clip in with bike shoes or slip regular shoes into cages, which is convenient, if a little clunky and inelegant. But some users complain about the pedals falling off or loosening (which the company insists is a user-assembly problem).
The resistance is adjustable via a knob regardless of pedaling speed. It also has an emergency brake that stops the flywheel immediately, if necessary. According to Yosuda, the seat height adjusts to fit riders with inseams from 25 to 35 inches, and allows riders to adjust the handlebar height as well as the fore-aft alignment of the padded saddle. Using the single-button mongoose bicycles monitor, you can scroll through your time, speed, distance, and calories burned as you exercise. The heavy-duty steel frame is designed to provide stability and durability, but it’s easy to move if you tip it up onto the small wheels on the front edge. A stronger drive train and chain make for easy maintenance while delivering an authentic riding experience indoors.