Cardio for Everyone: Best Exercise Bikes

Most people would associate the Schwinn name with a big ticket price and high quality; thankfully with this bike, you still get the high quality without the high price. The bike is built solid and can easily support 300 pounds without breaking a sweat. The bike is designed to be very comfortable with a perforated back helps to keep you cool during your workout. It offers 25 levels of Eddy Current magnetic resistance which is not only smooth, but it’s super quiet during your workout.

As with most cardio machines the console is really the brains of the operation here and the brains are indeed big. The screens are large and backlit nicely to easily read your key metrics and you will also find it easy to navigate and change between the 29 preset workouts. This bike is packed with extra features as well, like a USB connector/charger for MP3 players, a three speed fan, a pair of decent speakers, a full adjustable seat, and ergonomically designed handles complete with grip heart rate monitors.

Marcy is a go to company when you are looking for quality products at a decent price and this recumbent bike is no exception. The body is extremely solid and can withstand weights up to 300 pounds with no movement. It offers a fair amount of comfort with an adjustable foam padded chair and ergonomically designed handles. Resistance is offered through eight levels of smooth and quiet magnetic resistance which are especially important in this bike because it does not come with any preset workouts. The screen is large, easy to read, and especially easy to navigate considering it is only there to display your key metrics. This bike is pretty bare-boned when it comes to extra features which isn’t all bad since it keeps the cost down.

Schwinn has come a long way since their days of just being a bike manufacture, as they now manufacture quality exercise machines offered at prices which makes their competitors look twice. The 170 is the top of the Schwinn budget line which makes it the perfect marriage of technology and price. Like most bikes in its class, it has a small footprint but retains has a solid, sturdy base. 25 levels of Eddy Current Resistance offer the perfect level of smooth, quiet magnetic resistance for any user.

The bike is programmed with 29 preset workouts and while the console itself looks a little intimidating at first (considering how many buttons it has) it’s pretty easy to navigate once you know what all of the buttons mean. Of course this machine shows all of your key metrics and offers a backlit screen, but it has a ton of extra features which will make you feel like you are actually at the gym.

There’s a USB charging port, a set of decent speakers, a three speed fan, a set of hand grip heart rate monitors, and a water bottle holder. On top of that it has over-sized pedals for easy pedaling and a surprisingly comfortable seat. This bike has one of our lists best warranties for a budget bike, with a 10 year warranty on the frame and two years on parts. As a nice bonus, Schwinn even offers a 90 day labor warranty.

The ME-708 from Marcy is a great budget upright bike offering a super small footprint capable of supporting users up to 300 pounds. It offers eight levels of smooth, quiet magnetic resistance which is easy to change using a conveniently located dial on the machine. The console is large which makes it easy to read your key metrics during a workout but unfortunately there aren’t pre-programmed workouts offered.

Marcy does make sure that the pedals are large enough for a comfortable fit and the seat is surprisingly comfortable for a bike of this price. While bike doesn’t have a lot of extra features beyond height adjustment, that’s what helps make this option budget friendly.  It also comes with a strong limited lifetime warranty which guarantees this bike will last you a very long time.

The Airdyne is one of my favorite exercise bikes and has been for a while now because of its excellent construction and comfort. It uses air resistance which has the downside of being noisy but also offers the benefits of keeping you cool and having infinite resistance. While it is impossible to make an air resistance bike completely quiet, Schwinn does a great job of keeping the AD6 as muted as possible. The frame is made from high quality plastic, steel, and aluminum parts that offer great support without making the bike too bulky.

The AD6 6 has always been a great exercise bike but this newest model is what fitness fanatics dream of. It offers some sweet new accessories like a wind screen, magazine rack, and rev meter for interval training. They even improved their console layout to make it more user friendly with constantly displayed user metrics and an easy three button navigation. The AD6 is awesome but it is not perfect; the frame is only warrantied for 15 years and the parts for three. On top of that, it doesn't offer any workout programs either but aside from these few small flaws the Schwinn AD6 is pretty close to perfect.

The Diamondback Fitness Assault Bike uses a giant fan for resistance which is an old school throw back with some new aged technology. Fan resistance comes with its own sets of pros and cons which makes it pretty polarizing among exercise bike users. The large fan offers unlimited resistance and a natural cooling element, but on the other hand it can be uncomfortably noisy. The Assault Bike carries the same features as other air resistance bikes, but what makes it special is what sets it apart from other air resistance bikes. It offers thick-gauge, chro-moly steel, sealed cartridge bearings and oversized pivots which basically ensure this bike is nearly indestructible.

The Assault Bike also offers a simple to read, yet entirely advanced console which you can navigate with only a few buttons. It offers seven different workout programs including six preset workouts and one custom interval workout. Other features that make this bike special include an adjustable seat, both vertical and horizontal, and moving handle bars which get your arms in on the action. The warranty on the Assault Bike is a little questionable with a maximum of five years on the entire bike, but once you touch the bike you can tell it's so well made it doesn’t really need one.

The C572r is a beautiful recumbent bike that puts most other bikes to shame. It is meant to be a commercial recumbent bike, but is not priced so high that you would have to own a gym to own one. Since it is built for gyms it will have no problem standing up to heavy daily use by the whole family and supports a maximum user weight of 500 pounds. The frame is solid with extra support to ensure there is no movement. The seat is easily adjustable and has water bottle holders on either side. The bottom of the seat is padded and contoured for a longer, more comfortable ride. The back of the seat is made to be extra breathable and keep you dry, while remaining comfortable. The console looks like something out of a sci-fi movie, but it is actually fairly easy to use. It does not have that many programs, which is somewhat beneficial because every program is available at the touch of a button. The console displays everything you need to know about your workout and more without having to scroll through a bunch of screens. This bike does not come with an integrated MP3 player, but there is an option to add an entertainment bracket. The console does have a 3 speed fan and the entire thing is self-generated which save energy and keeps you from tripping over cords in your weight room.