With Canada’s cold and snowy winters, it’s no surprise that home exercise bikes are increasingly popular. They’re convenient, relatively inexpensive to buy, and are an excellent low-impact way to improve your cardio. Nowadays, you can even participate in interactive spin classes from the comfort of your home.
Keep reading to learn more about exercise bikes and how to choose the best one for your home gym. We’ll also highlight the best exercise bikes you can find in Canada this year.
What is An Exercise Bike?
An exercise bike, also referred to as a stationary bike or a spin bike, is a simulated cycling machine. It is set up like a bicycle with all the essential components, uncluding pedals, a saddle and handlebars. The main difference is that it doesn’t move, hence the term stationary.
Asides from its lack of moving wheels and an obvious lack of need for breaks, everything else about a stationary bike simulates a traditional bicycle.
The 6 Best Exercise Bikes in Canada in 2024
Curious about the best stationary exercise bikes you can buy in Canada this year? Keep reading to find the right bike for your fitness needs.
DMASUN Indoor Cycling Bike
DMASUN is simple but highly effective. The bike is made from a heavy, high quality alloy steel that provides excellent stability. With multiple handlebar positions and adjustable components, the bike is adaptable to your height and needs. At 95 lbs, the bike is sturdy and can support a weight of up to 330 lbs.
In terms of adjustability, the DMASUN has adjustable resistance, adjustable handlebars and an adjustable seat. It has a built-in LCD screen that lets you track speed, distance, calories burned, your pulse and exercise time. It also has a phone or tablet holder to facilitate listening to music or watching videos while cycling. You can also install their app to gain access to guided cycling classes or spin classes.
Unlike many exercise bikes out there, the DMASUN operates quietly and smoothly, so you don’t have to worry about any noise while working out. This makes it a great exercise bike for apartments or condos.
CHAOKE Exercise Bike With Heavy Flywheel
The CHAOKE is another excellent spin bike with lots of note-worthy features. With a weight of just 71 lbs, it’s lighter than most stationary bikes out there. Despite its weight, the bike is still sturdy because of its thick steel frame and heavy 37-pound flywheel. The CHAOKE can safely support a weight of up to 300 lbs.
What we love the most about this bike is its magnetic resistance and belt-driven system. This technology ensures that the bike runs extra smoothly and quietly at all times. This makes it a great stationary bike for apartments or shared living spaces.
In terms of comfort, its extra-wide, cushiony and easily adjustable seat ensures that you’re comfortable and stable at all times. The bike has a built-in LCD monitor and a hand pulse sensor for tracking your heart rate. The addition of a pulse sensor sets it apart from other stationary bikes.
Schwinn 270 Recumbent Exercise Bike
The Schwinn 270 is one of the best recumbent stationary bikes on the market right now. Comparable to the Peloton or Echelon smart bikes, it’s an interactive stationary bike with an advanced LCD display and built-in speakers. With Bluetooth connectivity, the bike lets you connect with friends and cycle virtually alongside them.
The Schwinn 270 can be synchronized with popular fitness apps like MyFitnessPal, Strava and MapMyRun. They also have their own app with virtual subscription-based courses offered and 3 free courses included. Its LCD console is next-level with a blue backlit LCD screen, 29 preset workout programs to choose from and a wide range of trackable workout metrics. The top LCD monitor can conveniently be replaced with the smartphone or tablet of your choice.
When it comes to workout intensity, the Schwinn is highly flexible with a range of 25 resistance levels. To ensure utmost safety, the seat is extra large and padded and has an adjustable backrest for additional support. With its recumbent design, the Schwinn is an excellent choice for elderly people, people with joint issues or limited mobility. The bike has a maximum weight capacity of 300 lbs.
JOROTO X2 Belt Drive Exercise Bike
The JOROTO X2 Spin Bike is a whisper-quiet stationary bike that’s overall a great choice. Weighing about 94 lbs, the X2 is sturdy enough to support a weight of up to 300 lbs. Similar to the CHAOKE, the JOROTO uses a combination of magnetic resistance and belt drive to ensure whisper-quiet cycling.
In addition to tracking your speed, distance and calories burned, the bike’s handlebar has a pulse sensor for tracking your heart rate.
JOROTO Belt Drive Indoor Cycling has an ergonomic design that allows you to comfortably rest on the handlebars. It also has an extra-wide cushion for additional comfort. Compared to other bikes on this list, the JOROTO has a very large phone or tablet holder, so it’s compatible with large tablets.
PYHIGH Stationary Exercise Bike
The PYHIGH Belt-Driven Exercise Bike is basic in terms of features, but nonetheless highly effective. Costing less than $400, it’s also a budget-friendly option. The bike is relatively sturdy thanks to its alloy steel frame and 35 lbs flywheel and can support a weight of up to 275lbs.
As with most stationary bikes, it has a built-in LCD monitor that helps you to keep track of time, calories burned, your pulse and an odometer. Its ergonomically positioned and non-slip handlebars ensure both safety and comfort while cycling. Other notable features of the PYHIGH include its adjustability, caged pedals, transportation wheels and comfortable seat.
Overall, we only recommend the PYHIGH if you’re looking for a decent budget-friendly spin bike and can handle a few imperfections.
Exerpeutic Folding Magnetic Exercise Bike
The Exerpeutic 1200 is a foldable stationary bike that’s perfect for apartments or small homes with limited space. The bike is minimal, lightweight, and can be easily folded up when not in use. Costing around $200, it’s also the most affordable exercise bike on this list.
Even though the Exerpeutic 1200 weighs just 39 lbs, it can still support a maximum weight of 300 lbs. It’s also easily adjustable in terms of height.
Like most exercise bikes on this list, the Exerpeutic comes with a LCD monitor that tracks your speed, distance, time, calories burned and even your heart rate. You can easily adjust the tension with its 8 tension levels.
We highly recommend this bike if you’re looking for a decent budget-friendly stationary bike that won’t take up too much space in your home.
What Are The Health Benefits of Exercise Bikes?
Exercising regularly with a stationary bike is an effective way of staying fit and healthy. Cycling is well known to improve cardio and lower body strength without stressing your joints. It’s often referred to as a low-impact exercise. Cycling is also a great way to boost your mental health and reduce your stress levels.
Here are the key benefits of exercising on a stationary bike:
- An effective means of burning calories and reducing body fat
- Can help you improve blood pressure and circulation
- An excellent lower body workout
- Can help increase your physical endurance and strength
- Can help improve your mood, cognitive function & sleep quality
- An effective low-impact cardio workout
- Safer and more convenient than outdoor cycling
The 4 Different Types of Exercise Bikes
There are 4 different types of stationary bikes. Although they all aim at producing similar results, they are each distinct in their construction. Below is a quick look at the four most common types of stationary bikes.
Upright Exercise Bikes
An upright stationary bike is one of the most common types of exercise bikes as they replicate a traditional bike. Upright exercise bikes lean slightly upwards so you can lean on the handles while riding.
There are various upright models to choose from, depending on the brand, but most upright bikes share a range of similar features. These features always include a large padded seat, adjustable components and an LCD monitor for tracking basic measures.
Upright stationary bikes tend to be compact in size and are generally the best option for building cardio and endurance training. The main limitation with upright stationary bikes is that the position places extra pressure on your wrists and hands. They’re also not ideal for people with back problems or limited mobility.
Recumbent Exercise Bikes
A recumbent stationary bike allows you to sit comfortably in a reclined position. It has a large seat and its pedals are positioned towards the front of the bike. Due to its reclined position, the bike does not need handlebars.
The reclined position is more relaxed and reduces the amount of stress on your upper body, lower back, and joints. For that reason, recumbent stationary bikes are recommended for people with limited mobility, joint pain and other physical injuries. The seats on recumbent bikes tend to be bigger and more comfortable. The bikes also provide back support which is not the case with most upright bikes.
Dual-Action Exercise Bikes
A dual-action stationary bike is flexible and lets you use the bike in two different ways. The machine lets you easily switch from a stationary bike to another type of workout machine. Typically, it will be a stationary bike combined with a stair climber, elliptical or another similar workout machine.
The design of dual-action stationary bikes allow you to workout both the upper and lower body. They’re a great choice for someone who wants to work on improving cardiovascular health while strengthening different parts of their body without needing multiple machines.
Interactive (Smart) Exercise Bikes
Smart stationary bikes are known for their built-in touch screens and the guided workouts that come with them. In addition to streaming guided working, smart bikes let you participate in virtual group or one-on-one classes or even cycle with a friend on live video.
Most smart bikes will come with a library of cycling classes that can help guide or inspire your workouts. They’ll also track your speed, distance and progress and help you work towards attaining your goals. This makes smart bikes a great way to keep engaged with your workouts.
In terms of design, smart stationary bikes can be upright or recumbent, depending on the brand or model you buy. The main downside with smart bikes is their price. As a more luxurious home workout machine, it’s not uncommon for a smart bike to cost up to $5000.
What to Consider When Buying an Exercise Bike?
There are many factors to consider when buying a stationary bike.Nowadays, there are many different brands, models and types of stationary bikes to choose from. Here are some key factors to consider when choosing an exercise bike for your needs:
No matter your weight, having a sturdy stationary bike is essential. But if you weigh more than 250 lbs, you must ensure that the bike you choose can safely support your weight. The sturdiest stationary bikes tend to have a heavy frame, normally made from alloy steel. The wider the frame, the better in terms of stability. Another component that ensures sturdiness is the weight of its flywheel. A heavier flywheel will ensure greater stability.
How You’ll be Using it
If you will be using the bike for intense spinning, make sure the pedals are caged. If you will be spinning with SPD shoes, make sure the bike comes with SPD-compatible pedals. For intense workouts, will also be safer using a highly sturdy exercise bike. For casual indoor cycling, most stationary bikes will do the trick. If your fitness goal is to build leg muscle and push yourself in terms of intensity, opt for a bike with higher resistance levels.
The Bike’s Adjustability
The most adjustable stationary bikes will let you adjust the seat’s height (4 ways) and the handlebar’s height (typically2 or 4 ways). Being able to adjust a stationary bike is essential to ensure a comfortable and ergonomic position when cycling. It’s also important if you’ll be sharing the bike with someone else.
When it comes to adjusting your stationary bike, it’s also important to be able to adjust the bike’s resistance or intensity level. In general, we prefer exercise bikes with a higher number of levels.
The Bike’s Design (Recumbent vs. Upright)
The importance of a stationary bike’s design goes hand in hand with your physical health and how you will be using your stationary bike. As we mentioned earlier, stationary bikes have two main designs: recumbent or upright.
Recumbent bikes tend to have a larger seat and are generally safer to use due to their reclined position. This makes recumbent bikes great for beginners or people with limited mobility.
Upright bikes, on the other hand, are more like a traditional bike. They’re the recommended type of stationary bike for most people without physical injuries.
Exercise Bike FAQs
Cycling on a stationary bike is one of the best ways to shed fat and burn calories. Depending on your cycling intensity level and body weight, cycling can help you burn over 300 calories per half hour.
The time you spend exercising on an exercise bike will depend on your endurance and fitness goals. If your goal is to burn calories, a 30-minute cycling session is enough to burn over 300 calories. For most people, we recommend starting with about 30 minutes at the intensity of your choice.
As a low-impact cardio activity, cycling on a stationary bike can safely be part of your daily workout routine. However, if you have back problems or joint issues, we recommend a recumbent stationary bike for daily use.
Since cycling works out your lower body muscles, cycling on a stationary bike is a great way to workout your abs and tone your stomach. For best results, we recommend contracting your abs while cycling.
