Myx II Connected Home Fitness Studio
Best big screen
You probably can’t talk about indoor bikes without mentioning Peloton. But though Peloton quickly became a household name, there’s no shortage of competing bikes out there looking to either meet or beat the relative newcomer on prices and features. So if you want an alternative to the Peloton experience, know that you’ve got some options.
Best Peloton alternatives of 2023
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pcaplabel:Best Seller
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pcaplabel:Best Seller
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Most indoor bike platforms now ask you to pay at least some monthly fee for software. The Bowflex C6 is currently my favorite exception to this — it can pair via Bluetooth with a variety of different exercise apps, including Peloton’s. Add to that one of the lowest prices of any “connected” bike and you’ve got a serious contender.
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The Echelon Connect EX3 costs significantly less than a Peloton bike, but gives you essentially the same experience.
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The Echelon Connect EX3 costs significantly less than a Peloton bike, but gives you essentially the same experience.
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The Echelon Connect EX3 costs significantly less than a Peloton bike, but gives you essentially the same experience.
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The Echelon Connect EX3 costs significantly less than a Peloton bike, but gives you essentially the same experience.
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If you want a Peloton alternative at the lowest possible price without losing important features, look to Echelon. The company offers a similar class structure, both live and on-demand, but the hardware and subscription cost considerably less than anything from Peloton. The EX3, for example, currently costs $800, or you can get it with a one-year subscription for $1,220. That price drops to around $600 or less when it’s on sale, which happens frequently.
Myx Fitness isn’t shy about what you get with this Peloton alternative, it’s a bike with a 21.5-inch screen and original, in-house fitness programming for the whole body. The pricing is decidedly different, however, as the Myx II stationary bike costs just $1,399, with a monthly membership fee starting at $29. So while it’s not the least expensive option in the roundup, it offers considerable value.
Recommended, with reservations
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The Peloton Bike Plus has a screen that can swivel around so you can do workouts off the bike.
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The Peloton Bike Plus has a screen that can swivel around so you can do workouts off the bike.
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The Peloton Bike Plus has a screen that can swivel around so you can do workouts off the bike.
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The Peloton Bike Plus has a screen that can swivel around so you can do workouts off the bike.
” overridecredit=”Tyler Lizenby/CNET” linktext=”Read our Peloton Bike review” linkurl=”https://www.cnet.com/reviews/peloton-bike-2019-review/” usepricing=”true” data-key=”cnetlisticle__76e0e7ac-04e9-43fe-8d2a-2bc43d3ba823″ position=”NaN” contenttype=”Best List – Precap” pagelayout=”FAQ Markup” showdetails=”true” suppressautoplay=”true” class=”c-shortcodeListicle g-border-thin-light-top g-inner-spacing-bottom-medium g-inner-spacing-left-large g-inner-spacing-right-large g-inner-spacing-bottom-xlarge g-outer-spacing-bottom-large g-border-thin-light-bottom g-border-thin-light-right g-border-thin-light-left”>
Peloton’s cycle is, without question, the Bentley of home exercise bikes — a sturdy and beautiful machine that feels every inch like a premium product. Of course, it has a price tag to match the Peloton experience: $1,445, delivery and setup included, plus $44 a month for on-demand and live classes. And if you’ve got the money, the new Peloton Bike Plus just had a price drop to $1,595.
How we test Peloton alternatives
Every indoor bike has the same basic feature set, but testing any bike as a viable Peloton alternative means the bike needs to meet a few basic benchmarks. When testing any indoor bike, we’re primarily interested in measuring the following:
- Size, stability and comfort: How well this bike fits in your home and how comfortable it is to ride in a home. This includes ease of assembly, how much noise the bike makes and how well it tucks away when not in use if that’s what you need in your space.
- Software features: If this is a Peloton alternative, it needs to be able to deliver a lot of different things all at once. This includes heart-rate monitoring and reporting, access to a wide variety of workout types and the ability to use your bike in a competitive workout environment (real or virtual)
- Cycling flexibility: It’s important that the indoor bikes we consider as Peloton alternatives be able to challenge a wide variety of skill levels. This means something on this list allows for clearly defined difficulty levels and allows for someone with preferred cycling shoes to comfortably use the bike.
Each bike we have access to is thoroughly tested by riding in three different situations — included HIIT workouts, 20-mile performance rides and more casual 30-minute cycling sessions. If we have not yet had access to the bike but find its features interesting, this detail is called out in the section.
Factors to consider when choosing a Peloton alternative
- Consider how much you’re willing to spend on an indoor cycling bike. Some less popular brands may cost only a few hundred dollars, whereas bigger brands like Peloton can cost thousands.
- Many smart bikes now include a subscription to access their classes. Decide if a member subscription is important to your indoor cycling experience or if you want an option to just ride.
- If you do want a member subscription, determine if you’d like the ability to create additional profiles for other family members.
- Consider if you want the bike’s screen to be built-in or if you’re OK with a tablet or phone holder.
- Make sure the bike you’re eyeing fits in your home as they can take up a decent amount of space.
Peloton Alternative FAQs
