If your New Year’s resolution is to improve your fitness, buying a connected indoor cycling bike is a great way to go about it. The combination of bike and an app full of follow-along, high-energy workouts takes the guesswork out of getting fitter and help keep you motivated.
Peloton is the big name in indoor cycling, but you’re looking at at least four figures for the most affordable bike, even if you shop Peloton’s Boxing Day sale.
You don’t need to spend that much, though. I’ve found two serious reductions on bikes from Echelon which Coach has reviewed and recommended in its guide to the best exercise bikes. Neither offer as polished an experience as a Peloton bike and these Echelon bikes don’t have a built-in screen so you have to use a smartphone or tablet, but for $300-$400 they offer excellent value.
Echelon’s app membership is $39.99 a month, although you can pay $399.99 for a one-year membership or $699.99 for two years, which drops the price per month to $33.33 or $29.16.
One advantage of getting an older machine is that there’s a manual resistance dial, so if you decide to stop paying for the app you can easily follow along with any of the free indoor cycling classes found on YouTube.