When you live in an apartment and want to do some spin bike workouts there are a few considerations over and above those you have when living in a house. They can have a big influence on your choice of spin bike.
Of course, it is important that you can work out on the bike as hard as you want and know the bike is going to be able to stand up to it. That doesn’t matter where you ride the spin bike – in your house, apartment or at the gym.
The additional things to consider about a spin bike when you live in an apartment are how much noise it makes, especially when you are on the second floor or above, and how much room is needed when using the bike and whether it can stored out of the way when it is not in use.
Fortunately spin bikes are a lot quieter than some forms of exercise equipment such as treadmills and they are not very likely to disturb your neighbors when in use. The bikes themselves are quiet and there is no pounding that you get when running on a treadmill which can be annoying to anyone living below you.
There can sometimes be a vibration caused when spinning fast that could pass through the floor but that is easily solved by placing a rubber exercise mat under the bike that you probably want to use any way to protect your floor from the dust and lubricant that may be given off when you use the bike.
Spin bikes are compact equipment and don’t take up too much room. Even so, it is unlikely you are going to want to keep the bike in the middle of your family room when it isn’t being used no matter how good it looks. Spin bikes are heavy due to the use of a flywheel and a solid steel construction so you get a fluid and solid workout. It is for this reason they can’t be easily lifted and folded up and put away. To help with this most spin bikes have transport wheels that you can tip the bike on to and manoeuvre the bike to where you want to store it.
When choosing the best spin bikes for an apartment the first criteria I looked at was how good was it – can it do what it was made to do. Does it give a great spinning workout with a fluid cycling motion, can you adjust the resistance easily, can the tension be increased and decreased consistently and progressively, is the ride stable, and does it wobble even when transitioning from seated to standing up and back again. If it was not highly rated in these areas it was crossed off my list for being considered.
Once a bike passed these criteria it was important that it was quiet so that it was unlikely to disturb others in your apartment and/or your neighbors. After that I looked at how big a footprint the bike has and how easy it is to move the bike from where it is stored to where it is going to be used and back again so you have use of your living space to enjoy. It also won’t annoy anyone you are sharing the apartment with.
In coming up with the shortlist for bikes to be included in this best of listing I investigated each bike in detail. I read through customer reviews, studied the manufacturer’s website and went through the user manuals and where anything was unclear I contacted the manufacturer for clarification.
I gathered up all of this data together and input it in to a spreadsheet, sorted it and then carefully analyzed it all to rank them. I looked at their overall quality ratings, cost, how quiet they were and how easily could they be transported and stored out of the way when it is not in use.
With this analysis finished I determined the best spin bike for an apartment and came up with three different ones for different budgets. The three levels are: – budget, between mid-range, and premium.
Best Budget Spin Bike for an Apartment
The Sunny Health and Fitness Pro Indoor Cycling Bike is an affordable bike with a 40 lb flywheel that provides a solid basis for a very good workout. The pedalling motion is fluid. It is sturdy and doesn’t move around.
It has a chain drive so you’ll hear a little noise from that and the resistance pad on the flywheel. It is quiet and is unlikely to disturb anyone. You can watch your favorite movie without turning the volume up. It does require some minor maintenance on the chain and resistance pad by way of lubricant and tightening to keep it quiet on an ongoing basis.
It weighs 92.2 lbs when assembled (assembly is quick and simple). It has 2 good transport wheels at the front that make it easy to move around and put away when it is not being used. It has a footprint of 20 inches wide by 48.5 inches long and is 46.5 inches tall.
It can be adjusted to fit sizes between 5 ft 3 ins and 6 ft 8 ins. It is quick to do this so it can be used by more than one person. This is a no frills bike, so there is no water bottle holder, console or somewhere to rest your MP3 player or book. Aside from that this bike has what you need for a quiet workout of whatever intensity you want..
Best Mid-Range Spin Bike for an Apartment
The Sunny Health And Fitness Belt Drive Indoor Cycling Bike gives an even quieter ride having a belt drive instead of a chain drive. The only noise you are going to hear from this bike is a quiet shooshing sound of the resistance pad on the flywheel. You can ride this bike when you have children napping and they won’t be disturbed so your neighbors shouldn’t hear a thing.
The bike comes with a 49 lb flywheel that gives a more solid and smoother ride. It has a good strong construction so there is no choppiness or wobbling at anytime in your workout. It is a heavy bike weighing in at 115 lbs. However, the transport wheels at the front makes it easy to move the bike around and store it away when not in use. It is 20 inches wide by 44 inches long and is 50 inches high.
More than one person can use this bike, too – it can be simply adjusted for heights between 5 ft 3 in and 6 ft 8 ins. It does come with a water bottle holder so you can quickly hydrate yourself during your workout without having to reach for your bottle. It doesn’t have a console or anywhere to put your MP3 player or book. It does have everything needed for you to get a workout as intense as you want.
Read a review of the bike here
Best Premium Spin Bike for an Apartment
The Keiser M3 Plus looks great and gives you a very quiet workout. It looks good enough that you may want to leave it out so you can admire it and show it off to your guests.
It uses magnets to give the resistance on the bike and has a belt drive so there is very little noise at all coming from the bike at all. It is almost silent.
The only thing you are likely to hear is your heavy breathing from the effort you put into pedaling. The magnetic resistance ensures you have pedaling experience similar to that you get on an outdoor bike. You can push yourself hard on this bike and it won’t move or jiggle around.
There is some assembly required but this again is easy and quick with much of it being done before you get the bike. The bike weighs 91 lbs and has transport wheels at the front so again it is not too much of an issue to move it to where you want it. For storing the bike’s dimensions are – width 25.75 inches by 48.25 inches long and 44.5 inches high.
This bike has a basic console that can help you track your workouts and has a water bottle holder. It too can be adjusted easily for different user heights – between 4 ft 10 inches and 6 ft 5 inches allowing it to be used by more than one person. This is a gym quality bike from which you can get a full on workout just like you get in a gym but without leaving the comfort of your own home.
These are 3 good bikes that you can use to get a good, quiet workout. It is very unlikely that your neighbors will hear you when you workout. Some people have reported working out on them in the middle of the night without disturbing anyone in their home. People riding these spin bikes are pleased with how they perform as well as how quiet they are.
They all can be easily moved out of the way when you want the space for getting on with the rest of your life.
The increase in price does give you more features. The more expensive bikes do offer a smoother workout and a more fluid cycling motion. They are quieter, too.
To decide which one is right for you will depend on your budget and how seriously you are taking the spinning workouts.
If you want something that gives you a good solid workout then the Pro Indoor Cycling Bike or Belt Drive Indoor Cycling Bike will meet your needs with the Belt Drive model giving a quieter and smoother ride.
Although these two bikes can take being ridden intensely you are more likely to find that the Keiser M3 Plus is going to deliver you the best riding experience when you are wanting to push yourself very hard.
I’m 5′ 6″ tall and weigh 150lbs. I stand up 95% of the time when I ride my indoor bike. I use it several hours a week. My LeMond rev master lasted almost 12 years. The stress on the pedal mechanism is tremendous. Do these bikes compare, or should I just buy another rev master. Do you have suggestions?
Thanks for the feedback on LeMond Rev Master on how long it lasted. The Keiser M3 Plus should give you a similar type of experience.