OutdoorGearLab

Looking for a simple bike trainer to get you up on your bike in the winter without the hassle and entire paycheck? The Saris Fluid 2 will do exactly that. It's a straightforward trainer that's super easy to set up and get rolling. We tested it with the speed or cadence sensor &#40;it can be purchased with or without&#41; that easily pairs with Zwift, Rouvy, and all the other major training apps, so you're not flying blind. And it's not just any old tire drive trainer. It actually feels like you're out on the road. The former company CycleOps, now owned and rebranded by Saris, has earned its excellent reputation for unmatched road feel in its fluid resistance trainers, and that's on show with the Fluid 2. It follows a basic progressive resistance curve but has the perfect responsiveness, inertia, and rollout/spin-down to mimic the road. It's also one of the lightest bike trainers on the market, making it easy to move around, store, and take out on road trips or warm up before races. 
This trainer suffers from the same limitations as other tire drive trainers. While it's great compared to the models in its class, it still can't match the road feel, smart data, and power measurement accuracy of direct drive trainers. And like most tire drive models, it doesn't have control, so your Zwifting won't be quite as interactive as it could be. But hey, the price is right. If you're after a practical, easy, natural-feeling tire-drive trainer, we think it doesn't get much better than the Saris Fluid 2.
Read more: Saris Fluid 2 review

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amazon.com

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Boutique-cycling fans will find their people and their workout vibe with Peloton. Everyone else will feel the burn mainly in their budget.

Peloton has quickly grown into one of the most recognizable names in home fitness, and after testing the Peloton Bike+, we can tell you that it's more than just hype. While it is structurally nearly identical to the original Bike, the Bike+ has had some minor cosmetic changes, and it now comes with an upgraded 23.8-inch swiveling HD touchscreen, better speakers, improved connectivity, Auto-Follow automatic resistance changes, and more. These changes have also resulted in a significant increase in price, but thankfully that includes free delivery and professional assembly. The bike itself is very sleek and streamlined, with 100 levels of nearly silent magnetic resistance and ample range for riders of all fitness levels. The screen is bright, has excellent resolution, and integrates seamlessly with the Peloton app which is really the highlight of the Bike+. Peloton has done an amazing job of developing their app, with live classes daily, thousands of on-demand studio classes of all types, lengths, music genres, etc, and the best instructors in the business. After using the app during testing, we learned firsthand why Peloton and their instructors have such a devoted following and large user community. The new Auto-Follow resistance option will also change the resistance for you based on the instructor's prompts, or you can still adjust it manually using the resistance knob. They also offer a broad range of off-the-bike workouts, and the swiveling screen makes it easy to follow along from anywhere in the room. 
The biggest drawback to the Peloton Bike+ is the price. Not only is this bike expensive, but the $39/month All-Access app membership &#40;increasing to $44/month starting June 1st, 2022&#41; is an ongoing cost to be considered. The bike is still perfectly functional but relatively limited without the app membership. While there are some scenic rides to choose from, the overwhelming majority of Peloton workouts are of the studio style. This will appeal to many users, it is what Peloton is known for, after all, but some people may want a little more variety than what is offered. That said, if the at-home studio cycling experience is what you're after, it doesn't get any better than the Peloton Bike+.

theverge.com

If you want to ride at home and don't love the studio-style classes of the competition, we feel the NordicTrack Commercial S22i Studio Cycle is a great option. This commercial quality spin bike has 24 levels of smooth, silent magnetic resistance providing a huge range of difficulty, along with the unique ability to adjust incline and decline between 20 and -10% to simulate the feel of real-world riding. The 22-inch swiveling touchscreen has WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, and it seamlessly integrates with the iFit app. While it does include a good selection of studio classes, iFit sets itself from the studio-centric competition with thousands of trainer-led scenic rides in beautiful places all over the world. The engaging trainers provide prompts, commentary, and training tips, helping to keep you motivated and pass the time. Best of all, the bike has an AutoAdjust feature that changes the bike's resistance and incline based on the terrain and trainer you're following, allowing you to get completely immersed in the ride. iFit also includes the full spectrum of off-the-bike workouts and the swiveling screen can be turned for viewing in any direction. The S22i also comes loaded with features like an adjustable fan, speakers, 3-lb dumbbells, bottle holders, a heart rate armband, and a USB port to keep things charged.
It's not all gold stars for the NordicTrack S22i. Our test bike arrived with a non-functional screen, and it took a little time to get a hold of customer service to get a replacement. Once we got a working screen, it repeatedly dropped the WiFi connection in the middle of workouts. After some troubleshooting, we solved the connection issue by using 2.4Ghz WiFi, but the issue was frustrating nonetheless. In our research, we also discovered that Icon Fitness &#40;NordicTrack's parent company&#41; has a less than stellar customer service track record, although our experience was good once we finally got in touch with them. Despite these issues, we really came to love the realistic and immersive cycling experience this bike and the iFit app offer and would recommend it to anyone who doesn't want to feel trapped in a studio.

If you want to ride at home and don't love the studio-style classes offered by the competition, the NordicTrack Commercial S22i Studio Cycle is our recommendation. This commercial-quality spin bike has 24 levels of smooth, silent magnetic resistance providing a wide range of difficulty, along with the unique ability to adjust incline and decline between 20 and -10% to simulate the feel of real-world riding. The 22-inch swiveling touchscreen has WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, and it seamlessly integrates with the iFit app. While it does include a good selection of studio classes, iFit sets itself from the studio-centric competition with thousands of trainer-led scenic rides in beautiful places all over the world. Engaging trainers provide prompts, commentary, and training tips, helping to pass the time and keep you motivated. Best of all, the bike has an AutoAdjust feature that changes the bike's resistance and incline based on the terrain and trainer you're following, allowing you to get completely immersed in the ride. iFit also includes the full spectrum of off-the-bike workouts and the swiveling screen can be turned for viewing in any direction. The S22i also comes loaded with features like an adjustable fan, speakers, 3-lb dumbbells, bottle holders, a heart rate armband, and a USB port to keep things charged.
It's not all gold stars for the NordicTrack S22i. Our test bike arrived with a non-functional screen, and it took a little time to get a hold of customer service to get a replacement. Once we got a working screen, it repeatedly dropped the WiFi connection in the middle of workouts. After some troubleshooting, we solved the connection issue by using 2.4Ghz WiFi, but the issue was frustrating nonetheless. In our research, we also discovered that Icon Fitness &#40;NordicTrack's parent company&#41; has a less-than-stellar customer service track record, although our experience was good once we finally got in touch with them. Despite these issues, we really came to love the realistic and immersive cycling experience this bike and the iFit app offer and would recommend it to anyone who doesn't want to feel trapped in a studio.
Read more: NordicTrack Commercial S22i Studio Cycle review

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pcmag.com

MYX Fitness is a lesser-known brand increasingly crowded home exercise market, but they bring an intriguing option to the table with the MYX II Plus bike. While perhaps not as sleek-looking and refined as some of the competition, the bike itself is sturdy and stable with a massive range of friction resistance to suit users of all fitness levels. An enormous range of fit adjustments and a 350-pound weight capacity also means that it should work for most users. It comes equipped with a WiFi and Bluetooth-enabled 21.5-inch swiveling HD touchscreen that can be oriented however you like for on and off-the-bike workouts using the OpenFit app. OpenFit has a good selection of studio-style cycling workouts with all the ride types, lengths, and music genres to choose from, all of which are based on heart rate zones using the included Polar heart rate armband. The app also has a huge selection of off-bike workouts ranging from strength training and pilates to yoga and meditation, and the Plus version we tested comes with a set of 6 dumbells &#40;you choose between light, medium, and heavy&#41;, a kettlebell, a bike mat, exercise mat, foam roller, and a resistance band so you can follow along and build you own little home gym. The MYX II Plus also comes with plenty of other useful features, and delivery and assembly are included in the price, adding to its impressive value.
While the MYX II Plus is a quality bike, the friction resistance does not have any preset levels and seems a little vague compared to other models. We enjoyed the OpenFit app's cycling workouts, but there's no denying that it's somewhat limited compared to Peloton, for example, although there are a lot of off-bike classes to balance it out. Of course, the app membership cost is not insignificant, and it's right up there with the most expensive competitor's apps. Regardless, we feel this is a reasonably priced option for at-home studio cycling that comes with features and extras for total body fitness. 

MYX Fitness is a lesser-known brand increasingly crowded home exercise market, but they bring an intriguing option to the table with the MYX II Plus bike. While perhaps not as sleek-looking and refined as some of the competition, the bike itself is sturdy and stable with a massive range of friction resistance to suit users of any fitness level. An enormous range of fit adjustments and a 350-pound weight capacity also means that it should work for most users. It comes equipped with a WiFi and Bluetooth-enabled 21.5-inch swiveling HD touchscreen that can be oriented however you like for on and off-the-bike workouts using the OpenFit app. OpenFit has a good selection of studio-style cycling workouts with all the ride types, lengths, and music genres to choose from, all of which are based on heart rate zones using the included Polar heart rate armband. The app also has a huge selection of off-bike workouts ranging from strength training and pilates to yoga and meditation, and the Plus version we tested comes with a set of 6 dumbells &#40;you choose between light, medium, and heavy&#41;, a kettlebell, a bike mat, exercise mat, foam roller, and a resistance band so you can follow along and build you own little home gym. The MYX II Plus also comes with plenty of other useful features, and delivery and assembly are included in the price, adding to its impressive value.
While the MYX II Plus is a quality bike, the friction resistance does not have any preset levels and seems a little vague compared to other models. We enjoyed the OpenFit app's cycling workouts, but there's no denying that it's somewhat limited compared to Peloton, for example, although there are a lot of off-bike classes to balance it out. Of course, the app membership cost is not insignificant, and it's right up there with the most expensive competitor's apps. Regardless, we feel this is a reasonably priced option for at-home studio cycling that comes with features and extras for total body fitness. 
Read more: MYX II Plus review

Indoor Cycling Bicycle Comparison