These 3 best spin bikes for cyclists are great for training in your home.
I know not everyone is a fan of them.
But they can be useful as part of your training plan for your fitness and endurance.
There are times when circumstances like the weather means you can’t get outside on your bike
Or the time you can train just won’t allow you to get out on the road.
And you don’t want to be getting the bike on the rollers.
Spin bikes make for a convenient solution.
It saves your bike from some wear and tear too.
They are split into 3 categories to help in find the bike that is best for you:
Virtual Cycling
CycleOps Phantom 5 Indoor Cycle
The bike comes with the ability to set up with the CycleOps virtual training where you can train on any route you want and set up your own (you do need to subscribe to it).
You do have to supply your own tablet to work with the virtual cycling.
it controls the precision resistance for you when you are going up the hills and down so you can know exactly how much your applying.
The handlebars come with dropbars. They and the seat can be adjusted backwards/forwards and up/down to allow you to get a very close set up to your bike.
Like a premium road bike it is supplied without pedals with the expectation you’ll supply your own – 9/16 inch thread.
It has a freewheel hub so you can coast as you would when following the terrain for corners etc. It doesn’t sway.
If you don’t like the seat you can change that to the one you like as it also is a standard bike fitting.
It measures power with +/- 1.5% accuracy to help keep your training on course without having to rely on guesswork.
Low To No Maintenance
Schwinn AC Performance With Carbon Blue
This makes it a very quiet bike – almost silent. You won’t be disturbing family members or your neighbors.
The carbon blue drive belt is ribbed sideways and reinforced with carbon. The ribbing helps give it a more bike feel without the noise. It is also thicker and stronger than traditional belts so it won’t stretch and interfere with your performance measures.
To help get the bike to be close to your bike you can adjust the seat and handlebar position vertically and horizontally that should help get very close to your bike’s set up. The horizontal positions can be adjusted to exactly where you want as they can be adjusted on a continuous scale- the height you are restricted to pre-set positions about 1/2 to 1 inch apart.
The handlebars are covered and have a flattened crossbar and ends for better grip and make it more comfortable when leaning on them.
The belt along with the magnetic resistance doesn’t require ongoing maintenance or need replacing – they should last for many years of hard indoor training.
It has dual pedals that SPD and athletic shoes but these along with seat can be changed to your own if you want.
The bike doesn’t come with a console but can be bought separately and with the upgrade it measures power.
Best Budget
Spinner Sprint
This is an affordable bike that is made to commercial specifications. It is made by the originators and as you’d expect it has a lot of the features of a spin bike.
It has a Q Factor of 150 mm which is closer to road bike and is likely to feel more natural.
It has a chain drive, resistance pad and 43 lbs perimeter flywheel to give a close feeling of being on bike on the road.
The seat can be adjusted vertically and horizontally and handlebars vertically to get close to your bike set up.
The pedals have toe cages that you use with athletic shoes. But you can replace the pedals along with the seat if you wish for your own – it has standard bike fittings.
It doesn’t come with a console but you can buy one separately.
How I Picked These Bikes
In choosing these bikes I spent a number of hours going through the product listings, product manuals, specifications and customer reviews in details of a wide range of bikes.
I assessed this information and then ranked them for their features looking at that ones that are important to give a good training basis for cyclists.
You may also be interested in spin bikes with drop bars here for further choices for indoor training.
Summary
They might not be the same as riding your own bike, although you can get pretty close these bikes and they can help you with your cardio fitness and training.
They’re a great answer to that problem when you can’t get outside on your bike. And it’s much more convenient then getting in the car and driving to the gym and when you get there missing out on the bike you want and quicker than setting everything up on rollers in your home too.