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Sure, we all have enough screens in our lives, but firing up a virtual workout or the latest episode of Love is Blind on one of the best exercise bikes with screens can help you zone out — or zone in — while breaking a sweat. As more and more brands are releasing app-connected fitness equipment, finding the...
The post The 8 Best Exercise Bikes with Screens for 2024, Expert-Tested, Expert-Approved appeared first on BarBend.
Sure, we all have enough screens in our lives, but firing up a virtual workout or the latest episode of Love is Blind on one of the best exercise bikes with screens can help you zone out — or zone in — while breaking a sweat. As more and more brands are releasing app-connected fitness equipment, finding the display, apps, and programming — don’t forget about the actual bike — that are right for you can be a bit of a challenge.
That’s where the fitness pros at BarBend come in. We’ve been spinning the pedals on exercise bikes for years and we rounded up all the best options for streaming workouts and entertainment on quality machines. Whether you’re after a studio-like experience at home or think The Office might help distract you from that next hill, the immersive displays on these bikes should satisfy. Here are our picks for the best exercise bikes with screens — personally tried and tested by our experts.
The 8 Best Exercise Bikes with Screens for 2024
About Our Expert:
This article has been reviewed by Amanda Capritto, CPT, CF-L1, CES, CSNC a certified personal trainer, certified nutrition coach, and CrossFit Level-1 Trainer. She reviewed the research we cite to help ensure we’re providing helpful, accurate descriptions and recommendations.
How We Tested and Chose the Best Exercise Bikes with Screens
After thousands of rides on more than 20 exercise bikes, the BarBend team of cyclists, certified personal trainers, and CrossFit professionals knows how to separate the studs from the duds. As more at-home fitness equipment becomes app-connected, the prevalence of screens large and small is on the rise. We laced up our clip-ins and fired up the touchscreens to bring you the experience of fitness professionals to help you find the exercise bike to fit your needs.
As we pedaled along to immersive workouts, streamed our favorite shows, and tracked our metrics, we paid attention to the sizes and types of screens, adjustability options, and price tags. Across 13 different categories, we assigned ratings of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest) to factors like tech capabilities, durability, and value, among others. Beyond the physical specs and details, we worked hard to convey what it felt like to take a ride on the best exercise bikes with screens. Check out a few of the factors that helped us make our picks.
Display Type and Size
Much like when you’re weighing the iPhone Jumbo against the iPhone Baby, the size of the screen on an exercise bike can make a big difference. We tested bikes with screens from 11 inches to 24 inches — and even a few options with tablet holders — to see how they stacked up in terms of picture quality and overall immersion. But we also considered how those displays impacted a bike’s footprint and stability. The bigger the screen, the more unwieldy a bike can become.
App Integration
As more brands bring app-connected bikes to the market, more fitness apps are joining them. Often, a company will develop their own native fitness app as a companion to their equipment, but some can be used across multiple machines.
BarBend expert product tester Jake Herod selecting an iFIT class on the NordicTrack S22i.
Some of the best fitness apps — like Peloton or iFIT — can provide immersive studio-quality experiences with trainer-led classes and even automatic adjustments to incline and resistance. Others may recommend classes using AI or by tracking your metrics. One factor we made sure to note is the additional costs that access to fitness or entertainment apps can incur. Most are monthly or annual subscriptions, so we took note of the apps we think are the best value.
Adjustability
Across most upright exercise bikes, you’ll see resistance levels ranging from roughly 16 to 32, with adjustable seats and handlebars more or less standard. The resistance on the bikes we picked for our list range from 16 all the way up to 100, with one even leveraging artificial intelligence to optimize your ride. Many options here include four-way adjustments — forward, backward, horizontal, and vertical — on their seat or handlebars, as well as interchangeable pedals to accommodate clip-in cleats or running shoes.
Best Overall Exercise Bike with a Screen: NordicTrack S22i
NordicTrack Commercial S22i
NordicTrack Commercial S22i
The NordicTrack Commercial S22i is high-tech and high quality, featuring both advancements like a 22” touchscreen display, and solid specs like 24 levels of quiet magnetic resistance.
Shop NordicTrack
Specs
Pros
Cons
Our pick for the best overall exercise bike with a screen is the NordicTrack S22i, as it pairs a 22-inch HD touchscreen — one of the largest we’ve seen on an exercise bike — with iFIT app integration. Not only does this bike provide 24 levels of magnetic resistance and a wide -10- to 20-percent incline range, but it can work in tandem with iFIT to automatically adjust them to the specifications of a class or scenic ride.
Our BarBend tester riding the NordicTrack S22i.
Nine of the 13 categories we rated earned at least a 4.5 out of 5, with its tech capabilities, customizations, and dynamic programming earning scores of 5 out of 5 from certified personal trainer and BarBend editorial member Kate Meier. “It is super rare for a bike to offer both incline and decline,” she pointed out. “And the 22-inch HD screen made it feel like I was actually in Hawaii.”
BarBend expert tester and certified nutrition coach Jake Herod highlighted how the screen allows for even more off-bike workouts in his video review below. “The touchscreen monitors tilts, but also rotates 360 degrees so you can hop off and do some strength training or join a yoga class.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6JbKMsCmG4Video can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: NordicTrack S22i Exercise Bike Review (2022) — Most INTERACTIVE BIKE? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6JbKMsCmG4)
Access to all this iFIT goodness does cost an additional $39.99 per month, but Meier thinks it’s worth it to help the bike reach its full potential. “Without iFIT, you can access a couple free bike workouts, but otherwise, you basically just have a manual exercise bike.”
If you need to move it, though, we’d suggest having a buddy around to help manage that extra-large screen. “It has wheels on the front which definitely help moving it, but since the screen is so big, it kind of throws off its balance,” Meier said.
For footprint and portability, she rated the S22i 3.5 out of 5, as the 9.32 square feet it takes up is almost a whole square foot larger than the average range for stationary bikes.
Read our full NordicTrack S22i Exercise Bike Review.
Best Budget Exercise Bike with a Screen Holder: ProForm Carbon CX
ProForm Carbon CX Exercise Bike
ProForm Carbon CX Exercise Bike
The ProForm Carbon CX is a sturdy steel 125-pound build with 16 levels of silent magnetic resistance. In addition to being one of the quietest options on the market, this bike also comes with a free year of iFit and a swiveling tablet holder, so you can stream classes on and off the bike.
Shop ProForm
Specs
Pros
Cons
While the ProForm Carbon CX doesn’t include its own screen, we made it our pick for best budget bike because, as long as you have a tablet or smartphone — like the one you’re probably reading this on — you can still access all the benefits of cycling and iFIT at a fraction of the cost. Its $399 price tag is one-third of the cost of its big brother model, the Studio Bike Pro 22, which has a 10-inch screen. That price even falls below the average range for upright bikes with or without screens — $600 to $2,000.
BarBend reviews writer Matt Cummings on the ProForm Carbon CX.
Simply slide your device in the tablet holder, connect via Bluetooth, and fire up one of iFIT’s 17,000+ live and on-demand classes. So long as your device is connected to the bike, iFIT can make automatic adjustments to your resistance during classes — just like it would on a bike with a built-in screen — so you can focus on your sweat. That tablet holder also swivels 180 degrees, so you can hop off for one of iFIT’s strength training, yoga, or Pilates classes.
[Related: The 9 Best Portable Exercise Bikes]
When I had the chance to try out the Carbon CX, I rated seven categories a 4 out of 5 or higher and was impressed by the compact design when I was moving it around our rubber gym floor. As there was no bulky screen to throw off its balance, I rated its portability 4.5 out of 5. Also, its footprint of 7.98 square feet is right in the middle of the average range for bikes with screens — 7 to 9 square feet.
BarBend reviews writer Matt Cummings adjusting the resistance knob on the ProForm Carbon CX.
With the four-way adjustable seat and 16 levels of resistance, I rated its adjustability and customizations a 4 out of 5. Another of our testers, a certified personal trainer who happens to be 6 foot 3 inches tall, raved about the bike’s adjustability. “For a tall person like me, I appreciated that the handlebars and seats were easy to adjust to find my fit,” they said. “I also gave it some bonus points for the auto-adjusting resistance. That’s crazy for such an affordable bike to have.”
Read our full ProForm Carbon CX Exercise Bike Review.
Best Exercise Bike with a Large Screen: Echelon Connect EX-8s Exercise Bike
Echelon Connect EX-8s Exercise Bike
Echelon Connect EX-8s Exercise Bike
The Echelon EX-8s can glam up your home gym with a dual-flywheel design outfitted with LEDs you can customize by color, tempo, and brightness. The 24-inch touchscreen is curved to offer a deeper sense of immersion during classes on the Echelon Fit app.
Shop Echelon
Specs
Pros
Cons
If you’re looking for NASA-level technology on your exercise bike, the Echelon Connect EX-8s may be your best bet. Our pick for the best exercise bike with a large screen has a curved 24-inch HD touchscreen that brings an immersive feel to the 15,000 workouts you’ll find on the Echelon Fit app. A few studies have shown that the right amount of curve in a screen may actually produce a more pleasurable viewing experience — something seemingly not lost on the fold at Echelon. (1)(2)
Another advanced feature that we had to feel to believe was the built-in shock absorption system. When you rise out of the saddle, the bike will bounce a little bit with you, sort of like the hydraulics in your car. This can help anyone needing to work around knee discomfort or injury by reducing the impact on your joints during the tough, high-resistance portions of your ride.
Our BarBend tester riding the Echelon Connect EX-8s.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, its tech capabilities earned a 5 out of 5 score from our tester, a CrossFit Level 1 trainer. The screen — the largest we’ve seen on a bike — can also flip 180 degrees for off-machine workouts like HIIT or kickboxing, which may make the monthly subscription of $29.16 to $39.99 (depending on the plan you choose) a bit easier to swallow.
Our tester rated the app’s programming 4 out of 5, but thought it wasn’t quite ready to compete with more established options like Peloton or iFIT. “I thought the app was pretty built out with over 60 instructors, 40 daily live classes and a travel-the-world series,” they explained. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good app, but not quite a true Peloton alternative yet”
Our tester adjusting the seat height on the Echelon Connect EX-8s.
While we appreciated some of the tech, like the dual speakers and Bluetooth resistance controller on the handlebars, other aspects seemed a bit superfluous. “The dual-wheel design has LED rings that light up in sync with your heart rate or the beat of your music,” they said, “but I don’t know if stuff like that can justify the price.”
The technology on the EX-8s may make it feel like a spaceship, but in terms of value, our tester gave it a 3 out of 5. At $3,079, it’s over $1,600 more than the comparable Peloton Bike.
Read our full Echelon Connect EX-8s Exercise Bike Review.
Best Compact Exercise Bike with a Screen: CAROL Bike
CAROL Bike
CAROL Bike
The CAROL bike's AI capabilities provide you with tailored training, designed to give you the best workout in the least amount of time. Customers have a 100-day trial period to decide whether or not this bike is right for them.
Shop CAROL
...
Click here to view the article.
The post The 8 Best Exercise Bikes with Screens for 2024, Expert-Tested, Expert-Approved appeared first on BarBend.
Sure, we all have enough screens in our lives, but firing up a virtual workout or the latest episode of Love is Blind on one of the best exercise bikes with screens can help you zone out — or zone in — while breaking a sweat. As more and more brands are releasing app-connected fitness equipment, finding the display, apps, and programming — don’t forget about the actual bike — that are right for you can be a bit of a challenge.
That’s where the fitness pros at BarBend come in. We’ve been spinning the pedals on exercise bikes for years and we rounded up all the best options for streaming workouts and entertainment on quality machines. Whether you’re after a studio-like experience at home or think The Office might help distract you from that next hill, the immersive displays on these bikes should satisfy. Here are our picks for the best exercise bikes with screens — personally tried and tested by our experts.
The 8 Best Exercise Bikes with Screens for 2024
- Best Overall Exercise Bike with a Screen: NordicTrack S22i
- Best Budget Exercise Bike with a Screen Holder: ProForm Carbon CX
- Best Exercise Bike with a Large Screen: Echelon Connect EX-8s Exercise Bike
- Best Compact Exercise Bike with a Screen: CAROL Bike
- Best Exercise Bike with a Screen with No Subscription: Stryde Bike
- Best Exercise Bike with a Screen for Streaming: BowFlex VeloCore Bike
- Best Recumbent Exercise Bike with a Screen Holder: Schwinn 230 Recumbent Bike
- Best Exercise Bike with a Screen for Studio Classes: Peloton Bike
About Our Expert:
This article has been reviewed by Amanda Capritto, CPT, CF-L1, CES, CSNC a certified personal trainer, certified nutrition coach, and CrossFit Level-1 Trainer. She reviewed the research we cite to help ensure we’re providing helpful, accurate descriptions and recommendations.
How We Tested and Chose the Best Exercise Bikes with Screens
After thousands of rides on more than 20 exercise bikes, the BarBend team of cyclists, certified personal trainers, and CrossFit professionals knows how to separate the studs from the duds. As more at-home fitness equipment becomes app-connected, the prevalence of screens large and small is on the rise. We laced up our clip-ins and fired up the touchscreens to bring you the experience of fitness professionals to help you find the exercise bike to fit your needs.
As we pedaled along to immersive workouts, streamed our favorite shows, and tracked our metrics, we paid attention to the sizes and types of screens, adjustability options, and price tags. Across 13 different categories, we assigned ratings of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest) to factors like tech capabilities, durability, and value, among others. Beyond the physical specs and details, we worked hard to convey what it felt like to take a ride on the best exercise bikes with screens. Check out a few of the factors that helped us make our picks.
Display Type and Size
Much like when you’re weighing the iPhone Jumbo against the iPhone Baby, the size of the screen on an exercise bike can make a big difference. We tested bikes with screens from 11 inches to 24 inches — and even a few options with tablet holders — to see how they stacked up in terms of picture quality and overall immersion. But we also considered how those displays impacted a bike’s footprint and stability. The bigger the screen, the more unwieldy a bike can become.
App Integration
As more brands bring app-connected bikes to the market, more fitness apps are joining them. Often, a company will develop their own native fitness app as a companion to their equipment, but some can be used across multiple machines.
Some of the best fitness apps — like Peloton or iFIT — can provide immersive studio-quality experiences with trainer-led classes and even automatic adjustments to incline and resistance. Others may recommend classes using AI or by tracking your metrics. One factor we made sure to note is the additional costs that access to fitness or entertainment apps can incur. Most are monthly or annual subscriptions, so we took note of the apps we think are the best value.
Adjustability
Across most upright exercise bikes, you’ll see resistance levels ranging from roughly 16 to 32, with adjustable seats and handlebars more or less standard. The resistance on the bikes we picked for our list range from 16 all the way up to 100, with one even leveraging artificial intelligence to optimize your ride. Many options here include four-way adjustments — forward, backward, horizontal, and vertical — on their seat or handlebars, as well as interchangeable pedals to accommodate clip-in cleats or running shoes.
Best Overall Exercise Bike with a Screen: NordicTrack S22i
NordicTrack Commercial S22i
NordicTrack Commercial S22i
The NordicTrack Commercial S22i is high-tech and high quality, featuring both advancements like a 22” touchscreen display, and solid specs like 24 levels of quiet magnetic resistance.
Shop NordicTrack
Specs
- Price: $1,999
- Dimensions: 58? H x 61? L x 22? W
- Display: 22” HD touchscreen
- Weight: 205lbs (in box)
- Resistance type: 24 levels of magnetic resistance
- Weight Capacity: 350lbs
Pros
- You can access more than 17,000 live and on-demand iFIT workouts via the 22-inch HD touchscreen.
- The -10- to 20-percent incline and decline range can be manually or automatically adjusted during select iFIT classes.
- There are 24 levels of quiet magnetic resistance.
Cons
- To unlock the bike’s full potential, a monthly iFIT subscription — $39.99 per month — is a must.
- Its 205-pound weight and 22-inch display can make transport difficult.
Our pick for the best overall exercise bike with a screen is the NordicTrack S22i, as it pairs a 22-inch HD touchscreen — one of the largest we’ve seen on an exercise bike — with iFIT app integration. Not only does this bike provide 24 levels of magnetic resistance and a wide -10- to 20-percent incline range, but it can work in tandem with iFIT to automatically adjust them to the specifications of a class or scenic ride.
Nine of the 13 categories we rated earned at least a 4.5 out of 5, with its tech capabilities, customizations, and dynamic programming earning scores of 5 out of 5 from certified personal trainer and BarBend editorial member Kate Meier. “It is super rare for a bike to offer both incline and decline,” she pointed out. “And the 22-inch HD screen made it feel like I was actually in Hawaii.”
BarBend expert tester and certified nutrition coach Jake Herod highlighted how the screen allows for even more off-bike workouts in his video review below. “The touchscreen monitors tilts, but also rotates 360 degrees so you can hop off and do some strength training or join a yoga class.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6JbKMsCmG4Video can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: NordicTrack S22i Exercise Bike Review (2022) — Most INTERACTIVE BIKE? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6JbKMsCmG4)
Access to all this iFIT goodness does cost an additional $39.99 per month, but Meier thinks it’s worth it to help the bike reach its full potential. “Without iFIT, you can access a couple free bike workouts, but otherwise, you basically just have a manual exercise bike.”
If you need to move it, though, we’d suggest having a buddy around to help manage that extra-large screen. “It has wheels on the front which definitely help moving it, but since the screen is so big, it kind of throws off its balance,” Meier said.
For footprint and portability, she rated the S22i 3.5 out of 5, as the 9.32 square feet it takes up is almost a whole square foot larger than the average range for stationary bikes.
Read our full NordicTrack S22i Exercise Bike Review.
Best Budget Exercise Bike with a Screen Holder: ProForm Carbon CX
ProForm Carbon CX Exercise Bike
ProForm Carbon CX Exercise Bike
The ProForm Carbon CX is a sturdy steel 125-pound build with 16 levels of silent magnetic resistance. In addition to being one of the quietest options on the market, this bike also comes with a free year of iFit and a swiveling tablet holder, so you can stream classes on and off the bike.
Shop ProForm
Specs
- Price: $399
- Dimensions: 51? H x 52.5? L x 21.9? W
- Display: 180-degree swiveling tablet holder
- Weight: 125lbs
- Resistance: 16 levels of magnetic resistance
- Weight Capacity: 250lbs
Pros
- By swapping out a screen for a swiveling tablet holder, it costs up to $450 less than the average bike with iFIT integration.
- Connect your own device to take advantage of iFIT’s automatic resistance control.
- Its compact design and overall weight of 125 pounds make it easy to move around.
Cons
- Without a built-in screen, you’ll need to use your own device.
- While the included dumbbells may allow for an upper body workout, it lacks other conveniences like heart rate sensors, speakers, or fans.
While the ProForm Carbon CX doesn’t include its own screen, we made it our pick for best budget bike because, as long as you have a tablet or smartphone — like the one you’re probably reading this on — you can still access all the benefits of cycling and iFIT at a fraction of the cost. Its $399 price tag is one-third of the cost of its big brother model, the Studio Bike Pro 22, which has a 10-inch screen. That price even falls below the average range for upright bikes with or without screens — $600 to $2,000.
Simply slide your device in the tablet holder, connect via Bluetooth, and fire up one of iFIT’s 17,000+ live and on-demand classes. So long as your device is connected to the bike, iFIT can make automatic adjustments to your resistance during classes — just like it would on a bike with a built-in screen — so you can focus on your sweat. That tablet holder also swivels 180 degrees, so you can hop off for one of iFIT’s strength training, yoga, or Pilates classes.
[Related: The 9 Best Portable Exercise Bikes]
When I had the chance to try out the Carbon CX, I rated seven categories a 4 out of 5 or higher and was impressed by the compact design when I was moving it around our rubber gym floor. As there was no bulky screen to throw off its balance, I rated its portability 4.5 out of 5. Also, its footprint of 7.98 square feet is right in the middle of the average range for bikes with screens — 7 to 9 square feet.
With the four-way adjustable seat and 16 levels of resistance, I rated its adjustability and customizations a 4 out of 5. Another of our testers, a certified personal trainer who happens to be 6 foot 3 inches tall, raved about the bike’s adjustability. “For a tall person like me, I appreciated that the handlebars and seats were easy to adjust to find my fit,” they said. “I also gave it some bonus points for the auto-adjusting resistance. That’s crazy for such an affordable bike to have.”
Read our full ProForm Carbon CX Exercise Bike Review.
Best Exercise Bike with a Large Screen: Echelon Connect EX-8s Exercise Bike
Echelon Connect EX-8s Exercise Bike
Echelon Connect EX-8s Exercise Bike
The Echelon EX-8s can glam up your home gym with a dual-flywheel design outfitted with LEDs you can customize by color, tempo, and brightness. The 24-inch touchscreen is curved to offer a deeper sense of immersion during classes on the Echelon Fit app.
Shop Echelon
Specs
- Price: $3,079
- Dimensions: 65’’ H x 59’’ L x 23’’ W
- Display: 24” curved HD touchscreen
- Weight: 124lbs
- Resistance: 32 levels of quiet magnetic resistance
- Weight Capacity: 300lbs
Pros
- This tech-forward bike has a large 24-inch curved HD touchscreen that can stream 15,000 live and on-demand Echelon Fit workouts.
- Its shock absorption system can help reduce the impact on your knees and ankles.
- Adjust the 32 levels of magnetic resistance via the Bluetooth resistance controller on the handlebars or the knob on the frame.
Cons
- At $3,079, it’s roughly $1,600 more expensive than the comparable Peloton Bike.
- During intense rides, the large screen can become a bit wobbly.
- Its dual-wheel design with pulsating LED lights may be more flash than function.
If you’re looking for NASA-level technology on your exercise bike, the Echelon Connect EX-8s may be your best bet. Our pick for the best exercise bike with a large screen has a curved 24-inch HD touchscreen that brings an immersive feel to the 15,000 workouts you’ll find on the Echelon Fit app. A few studies have shown that the right amount of curve in a screen may actually produce a more pleasurable viewing experience — something seemingly not lost on the fold at Echelon. (1)(2)
Another advanced feature that we had to feel to believe was the built-in shock absorption system. When you rise out of the saddle, the bike will bounce a little bit with you, sort of like the hydraulics in your car. This can help anyone needing to work around knee discomfort or injury by reducing the impact on your joints during the tough, high-resistance portions of your ride.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, its tech capabilities earned a 5 out of 5 score from our tester, a CrossFit Level 1 trainer. The screen — the largest we’ve seen on a bike — can also flip 180 degrees for off-machine workouts like HIIT or kickboxing, which may make the monthly subscription of $29.16 to $39.99 (depending on the plan you choose) a bit easier to swallow.
Our tester rated the app’s programming 4 out of 5, but thought it wasn’t quite ready to compete with more established options like Peloton or iFIT. “I thought the app was pretty built out with over 60 instructors, 40 daily live classes and a travel-the-world series,” they explained. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good app, but not quite a true Peloton alternative yet”
While we appreciated some of the tech, like the dual speakers and Bluetooth resistance controller on the handlebars, other aspects seemed a bit superfluous. “The dual-wheel design has LED rings that light up in sync with your heart rate or the beat of your music,” they said, “but I don’t know if stuff like that can justify the price.”
The technology on the EX-8s may make it feel like a spaceship, but in terms of value, our tester gave it a 3 out of 5. At $3,079, it’s over $1,600 more than the comparable Peloton Bike.
Read our full Echelon Connect EX-8s Exercise Bike Review.
Best Compact Exercise Bike with a Screen: CAROL Bike
CAROL Bike
CAROL Bike
The CAROL bike's AI capabilities provide you with tailored training, designed to give you the best workout in the least amount of time. Customers have a 100-day trial period to decide whether or not this bike is right for them.
Shop CAROL
...
Click here to view the article.
