Best spin bike 2023: Get fit at home with the best spinning bikes
Enjoy a studio-style experience at home with your very own spin bike
Offering an excellent, low-impact cardiovascular workout, spin classes are all the rage right now. And while having a motivational teacher can bring out your best bike-riding self, you will have to pay a pretty penny for the pleasure. Fortunately, the popularity of spin classes has spawned a range of excellent home exercise bikes designed for high-intensity activity that you can enjoy from the comfort of your home.
Peloton spearheaded the rise in home spin bikes linked to apps full of live and on-demand classes and, where it has led, many others have followed. You now have options to fit all budgets and preferences.
Before we dive into our top picks, here’s what you need to know when you’re looking to buy a spin bike.
Best spin bike: At a glance
- Best for under £650: JTX Cyclo-6 | £625
- Best budget Peloton alternative: Echelon Smart Connect | £799
- Best overall: Peloton Bike+ | £1,995
How to choose the best spin bike for you
What is a spinning bike?
Home exercise bikes predominantly fall into two categories, only one of which is suitable for spinning. Upright bikes have a more comfortable seated position where you’re not leaning over the handlebars and aren’t designed for spinning or HIIT sessions in general.
What you need is an indoor cycle. These are now often referred to as spinning bikes and they’re set up to mimic the riding position you adopt when on a road bike, with a forward lean over the handlebars. You can also stand up on the pedals, which is key to spinning success.
How much do I need to spend?
Spinning cycles tend to be pricier than upright bikes, but you can still pick up great bikes for under £300, while top-end options will set you back over £1,000. One thing to bear in mind is that with services such as Peloton or Echelon, where you’re using the app for instructor-led spinning classes, you will also have to pay an ongoing subscription for the content, which is usually over £30 a month.
What are the key features to look out for?
Start by checking the weight of the flywheel because heavier wheels tend to allow for a smoother, more stable ride, especially when you start to crank up the speed and resistance. When it comes to resistance, it’s best to have friction resistance on a spinning bike where you can twirl a knob to increase or decrease it rapidly in line with the demands of your classes. Magnetic resistance using buttons is more difficult to use for this. That said, many new bikes have magnetic resistance that can be adjusted quickly with a dial.
You will also need to check out the size of the bike to see if it will fit into the space you have lined up – indoor cycles tend to have a larger footprint than upright bikes – and you will also want to confirm that the maximum user weight is enough for you. Almost all spinning bikes will have adjustable handlebars and saddles, but if you’re particularly tall or short it might be worth checking that the range available can accommodate you.
How do I get spinning classes?
You can simply create your own interval workout and go at it solo on a spinning bike, but it’s much easier to summon and maintain the motivation to push through a HIIT class when you have an instructor leading you through it, whether that’s through a prerecorded or live session.
There are third-party apps and classes on YouTube you can use for this without a connected spinning bike, while the best experience comes from bikes with partner apps such as Peloton and Echelon.
Make sure that the bike you’re getting has a tablet or phone mount on the console. You will need this to follow spinning classes on apps, although some options like Peloton will actually have a built-in screen for this.
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The best spin bikes you can buy in 2023
1. JTX Cyclo-6: Best spinning bike under £650
Price: £625 | Buy now from JTX
The Cyclo-6 is a gym-standard spinning bike at a very friendly price for home users and, unless you want a connected experience where your bike links to an app with classes, there’s no real need to spend more. The Cyclo-6 has a heavy 22kg flywheel, so it will run smoothly no matter how much power you’re putting through the pedals, and the friction resistance is controlled by a knob on the frame, which means you can ramp up the difficulty to challenge any level of rider.
Even if you’re planning on following spinning classes, you can always prop up your tablet within view and use the Cyclo-6 with apps such as Apple Fitness+ or Peloton – you just won’t see your stats onscreen as you do with connected bikes.
Key specs – Size: 124 x 54 x 122cm (LWH); Resistance: Friction; Max user weight: 160kg
2. Echelon Smart Connect Sport Bike: Best budget Peloton alternative
Price: £799 | Buy now from Echelon
This is not a budget bike by any means, since the Connect Sport costs £800 and you need to spend £40 a month for access to the partner Echelon app and the classes it contains. Compared to the price you pay for Peloton, however, it’s a veritable bargain, since you’re getting live and on-demand spinning classes on a connected bike.
There’s no built-in screen like on the Peloton Bike, but there’s a tablet/phone holder on the handlebars so you can follow the classes easily. The Connect Sport is also aimed mainly at beginner spinners, with a lightweight 7kg flywheel and pedals that have cages rather than clips. Echelon used to have the EX3 bike for £949. The EX3 was a more robust bike that would be better for experienced spinners and also linked to a tablet rather than having its own screen.
Key specs – Size: 125 x 51.5 x 111cm (LWH); Resistance: Magnetic; Max user weight: 136kg
3. Peloton Bike+: Best home spinning bike
Price: From £1,995 | Buy now from Peloton
Peloton is the biggest name in home spinning – and with good reason. The bike and linked Peloton app offer the best experience you will find, with a range of engaging classes suitable for all abilities shown on the built-in HD screen.
The Bike+ is the new top dog in Peloton’s range, but you can get the original Peloton Bike for £1,345 if you prefer. The upgrades on the Bike+ include a bigger screen (23.8in to 21.5in), better sound quality and auto-follow resistance that will change in line with the instructions during classes, whereas on the original bike you have to adjust it yourself. You can also adjust the resistance yourself in the Bike+, though, in case you want to work harder or ease off compared to the instructions given.
As well as spinning classes, the Peloton app, which costs £39 a month, also includes all manner of other workouts, including strength, HIIT and yoga sessions, and on the Bike+ the screen can be rotated 360° to make it easier to see when not cycling.
Key specs – Size: 149 x 58 x 135cm (LWH); Resistance: Magnetic; Max user weight: 135kg
4. Apex Bike: Another great Peloton alternative
Price: £729 | Buy now from Amazon 
Apex is another great option for home spinning, with the bike linking to its partner app to show live and on-demand classes. The Apex undercuts the Peloton in two ways. First, the bike is cheaper at £749, as it doesn’t have a built-in screen, but does have a tablet holder, which means you can view the classes easily on the handlebars. Second, the app subscription is £30 a month, rather than £39.
The bike itself has some nifty features, including a phone holder that also charges your phone wirelessly if your phone is suitably equipped (although we found large phones such as the iPhone 12 Pro Max don’t work), and by USB if it isn’t. The flywheel is only 4kg, but it still runs smoothly and, in our experience, provides a good challenge for even fit users, with 30 levels of magnetic resistance.
It’s worth noting that the Apex bike will only work on iOS at the moment, making the Peloton or Echelon bikes better options for Android users.
Read our full Apex Bike review
Key specs – Size: 122 x 61 x 122cm (LWH); Resistance: Magnetic; Max user weight: 140kg
5. JLL IC200 Pro Indoor Bike: Best budget spin bike
Price: £300 | Buy now from Amazon
The JLL IC200 PRO is a smooth cycling spinning machine. With a belt-driven flywheel and magnetic resistance, the difficulty can be quickly increased or decreased up to eight levels using the dial on the frame. The handlebar and seat height are adjustable to suit your needs, and there’s a 3-piece crank system on the pedals to help generate the sensation of cycling a real bike.
The 5-readout monitor between the handlebars displays time, speed, distance, calories and pulse – the latter being tracked by silver pads on the handles. After use, it can be easily moved out of the way due to the wheels on the front, making the IC200 PRO a practical option on a budget.
Key specs – Size: 119.5 x 55.5 x 122.5cm (LWH); Resistance: Magnetic; Max user weight: 100kg
