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Need Input on Selecting an Indoor Bike

1,303 Views | 17 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by RangerRick9211
PlanoAg79
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Hello all. This is my first post on this forum. I'm a 63 year old former marathon runner. I'm a former marathoner because I have no more cartilage in my left knee joint. I've decided that to continue to get enough aerobic exercise, I'm going to need to purchase an indoor (spin) cycle. I'm just confused now with all of the different options. The Peloton may be the favorite for a lot of people, but the initial price tag and continuing subscription cost seems pretty high (although it may be worth it). A lot of reviews (top 5 or 10 type reviews) have the Sunny Health & Fitness Belt Drive (about $350) at the top, but it's pretty basic, with no display for RPM, distance, etc. The one I seem to keep circling back to is the Nordic Track Commercial Studio S15i. It seems reasonably priced at about $1600 and has a lot of bells and whistles, but I've read complaints about customer service and some hardware or iFit connection issues.

Any input from indoor cyclists would be greatly appreciated. Tell me what kind of bike you have and why you like or dislike it, especially if you have one of the Nordic Track bikes.

Thanks in advance!
Ragoo
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Don't rule out a used Peloton. Bike is heavy but can be had for $1800 or so.
htxag09
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Someone posted a peloton in the "houston tri marketplace" Facebook group for $1500 today
JoeOlson
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Do you cycle enough that it would make sense to grab an indoor trainer?

If you care about friends/leaderboards/social (+ a big range of classes from Yoga, HIIT, Running, etc) I would recommend the Peloton. With that said, it's a big investment and doesn't make sense if you're just trying to mix up your workout with an indoor ride 1-2x/week. You'll be able to grab some used ones over the next few months since I expect many people grabbed them right as COVID hit and they're getting back into their normal routine.

I'm not sure you can really go wrong, but I'm not sure if I'd rely on the tech/interface for some of the cheaper models. With that said, get a good hr monitor and you can just use your TV to stream some classes from YouTube or any number of sources.

Edit: weird formatting at the end
AggieOO
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Ragoo said:

Don't rule out a used Peloton. Bike is heavy but can be had for $1800 or so.


Brand new is $1900 now, so used should be lower than that.
Ragoo
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AggieOO said:

Ragoo said:

Don't rule out a used Peloton. Bike is heavy but can be had for $1800 or so.


Brand new is $1900 now, so used should be lower than that.
fair enough
CFTXAG10
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PlanoAg79 said:

Hello all. This is my first post on this forum. I'm a 63 year old former marathon runner. I'm a former marathoner because I have no more cartilage in my left knee joint. I've decided that to continue to get enough aerobic exercise, I'm going to need to purchase an indoor (spin) cycle. I'm just confused now with all of the different options. The Peloton may be the favorite for a lot of people, but the initial price tag and continuing subscription cost seems pretty high (although it may be worth it). A lot of reviews (top 5 or 10 type reviews) have the Sunny Health & Fitness Belt Drive (about $350) at the top, but it's pretty basic, with no display for RPM, distance, etc. The one I seem to keep circling back to is the Nordic Track Commercial Studio S15i. It seems reasonably priced at about $1600 and has a lot of bells and whistles, but I've read complaints about customer service and some hardware or iFit connection issues.

Any input from indoor cyclists would be greatly appreciated. Tell me what kind of bike you have and why you like or dislike it, especially if you have one of the Nordic Track bikes.

Thanks in advance!
I have had a Schwinn IC4 since late June/early July and I love it. Picked it up for $799. I use my ipad or tv as the screen and I can do workouts across multiple platforms like Peloton and Zwift, or I can just joy ride. Would definitely recommend it. The script for Peloton is $12.99 if I am remembering right, for non-peloton bike users. The only thing you do not get is some of the advanced stats and leaderboard, but you get all the live classes and extensive library of recorded classes.
gd28
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FWIW, this is always my personal advice when someone asks me about a Peloton. For the same amount of money you can purchase a decent road bike and a smart trainer. Set your bike up on the trainer, get a Zwift subscription, and you can ride indoors to your heart's content. When the sun is shining and it's 70 degrees outside you can pop your bike off the trainer and go enjoy the outdoors. Any cyclist will tell you that riding outdoors is infinitely more enjoyable than indoors, why pigeon hole yourself with a Peloton unless you just really love spin classes? Just my $0.02
htxag09
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I definitely get where you are coming from, but bottom line is everyone is different.

I have the setup you describe and even I can admit the peloton has some advantages over it. First, like you said for cycling type classes. Unless you're getting a direct drive trainer, you will experience slip for some of the higher rpm stuff. And if you go direct drive you're talking more money. Also, my wife complained my bike on the trainer wasn't as sturdy as the stationary bikes in bike classes when doing stuff with weights.

Also, peloton isn't going to require near the upkeep and maintenance of a road bike on a trainer. Tires wear fast, unless you get a turbo tire, but then you'll need to swap out tires or wheels every time you want to ride outside. Chain will require cleaning and maintenance, etc.

And not a big deal but a peloton takes up a slightly smaller footprint.

And fwiw I know several people who went from a bike on a trainer setup to a peloton. None of them regret it and use the peloton a lot more consistently than the trainer.
AggieOO
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we have bikes + trainer and also a peloton. If i'm riding inside, i'd rather be on the peloton than the bike. If I had a direct drive trainer, that might be a little different though. But when you get to that level of trainer, the price starts going up.

Honestly, it really depends on the person and what motivates them. I have a number of friends who have a peloton (or something similar) and have ZERO desire to ride a bike outside. Hell, I saw one of them bragging her husband road a century on the peloton...that sounds miserable. They don't own any bikes and they LOVE the peloton.
one MEEN Ag
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I just bought a spin bike and was in your shoes about a month ago. Whatever you wind up buying, I would definitely recommend getting the peloton app and doing the monthly $12 for the videos. Way easier to stay motivated on the bike when following along to various workouts.

Now about the bike itself. There's a couple different ways I wanted to skin this cat, I'll walk you through all of them and tell you what I learned:

Alibaba $100 new bike: See Amazon $300 bike. Usually have to buy two, wait twelve weeks, and if anything breaks I hope you speak Mandarin. There are some good bikes. All the manufacturing is over in China anyway. Its cheaper because you are doing the heavy lifting of quality control/importing.

Amazon $300 new bike: These are your sunny brand/no brand bikes. 1 star reviews are all over the place. Bad bearings, breaking pedals, loud chains or resistance pads. Usually little or no electronics. These bikes do not stand up to daily abuse. They're meant to be used once a week for a few months before collecting dust. You'll be six month in, something will break and now you'll be out the same money as a nicer bike just to repair a crappy one. You know you want to enjoy this exercise method, so I would avoid this.

Amazon $600 new bike: Still the same brands, but now more features like electronics or upgraded materials/drivetrain/flywheels. Usually you'll see the introduction of magnetic/inductive resistance instead of a friction pad.

$700+ new bikes: Start to see good consumer grade bikes from name brands.

$1500+ consumer bikes: really high quality bikes like Schwinn, Keiser, Peloton. Getting into the range of designer products where you are buying into a lifestyle moreso than buying a 2x better bike. Peleton's value proposition is integrated workouts with the app. Its nice, but for me nothing in this price range was worth my money compared to spending it on other things.

400-600 used commercial bikes: I decided it wasn't worth the money to buy a new consumer grade bike. I'd rather just buy a used commercial grade bike that I know will last for a long, long time. This guy's youtube channel helped me navigate which used bikes to buy/avoid on craigslist/facebook marketplace.

https://www.youtube.com/user/StudioCycles/videos

I bought a Star Trac Spinner and greatly enjoy it. Those videos steered me away from buying a Lemond design that was known (within the industry) to have bearing failures.
Guitarsoup
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I am waiting until the Lockdown panic Peloton buyers realize they aren't going to use it and firesale it on FB marketplace.
one MEEN Ag
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There's a couple reasons I like indoor bikes over outdoor bikes for workouts. For leisure, outside wins all the time.

A) You can exercise while supervising your kids. It would be way bigger of a logistical ordeal for me or my wife to get a 45 minute bike ride outside compared to just hopping on the spin bike while junior bounces away in the jumper.
B) Where we live, there isn't immediate access to a road that is safe, low traffic, and stoplight/sign free for long bursts. So it would take a while to get out to the idealistic empty county road for a long ride.
C) No weather delays, or breaking down 15 miles from home. When I was in college I picked up plenty of roommates that have found a way to be stranded pretty far from the house. Happens rarely, but it happens.

Now for a gorgeous weekend ride, nothing beats outdoors. For those rides though, they're more fun to move at a slower pace anyway to enjoy it. For tuesday morning workouts before the day starts? Spin bike.

one MEEN Ag
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I'm waiting for a dumbbell sell off. Ain't paying $3 a pound for some rusty old garage dumbbells right now.
AggieOO
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one MEEN Ag said:

There's a couple reasons I like indoor bikes over outdoor bikes for workouts. For leisure, outside wins all the time.

A) You can exercise while supervising your kids. It would be way bigger of a logistical ordeal for me or my wife to get a 45 minute bike ride outside compared to just hopping on the spin bike while junior bounces away in the jumper.
B) Where we live, there isn't immediate access to a road that is safe, low traffic, and stoplight/sign free for long bursts. So it would take a while to get out to the idealistic empty county road for a long ride.
C) No weather delays, or breaking down 15 miles from home. When I was in college I picked up plenty of roommates that have found a way to be stranded pretty far from the house. Happens rarely, but it happens.

Now for a gorgeous weekend ride, nothing beats outdoors. For those rides though, they're more fun to move at a slower pace anyway to enjoy it. For tuesday morning workouts before the day starts? Spin bike.


D) No hitting loose dirt on the trail, and falling 15 feet down an embankment with the bike following you down.

No, that's just me? ok. My fun lunch ride today on the mountain bike.
PlanoAg79
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You guys are awesome! I've been ruminating on what each of you posted, viewed a few YouTube reviews, and I'm closing in on a decision. I'll let you know what I pick and why when I decide.

Thanks so much for your help!
dlp3719
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Peloton is costly but I'm a huge fan. I have not worked out this consistently in over 10 years. Been riding 3x per week since May. Peloton has so many ways to keep you motivated (power zone training, different instructor styles, themed music rides, scenic rides, etc etc etc)
MrsHouston98
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Another recommendation for the Schwinn IC4/Bowflex C6, as they are essentially the same but if you are in TX the schwinn is likely easier to find to purchase. Dicks sells them and Amazon which is where I got mine. There's a FB group for schwinn/bowflex and people post when it's available on amazon but I found it in just a few days by checking a few times a day. You can also order directly from Schwinn and it arrives in 6-8 weeks.

I got mine in June and have been very very happy with it! I am not a cyclist by any means but really enjoy it. It's a very very sturdy and well built bike. If you don't have an ipad get one to stream classes, you will still come out cheaper than getting a peloton.
RangerRick9211
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Quote:

And if you go direct drive you're talking more money.
My Direto was $800. PTON is what, $1,800 these days? So $1k left to grab a bike.

Personally, I spent 3 years on a trainer and recently got a set up Inside Ride Rollers with the ERG module. I'll never go back to a fixed trainer again!

However, cycling is my hobby. I train indoors for 5A rides, rides during calls or structured intervals. All of that is to train for my outdoor rides.

But even if not a trainer + bike, why not something like a WattBike over a PTON? It has actual ERG, fully customizable and works with any software you want.
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