5 Best Folding Exercise Bikes Review
When it comes to fitness, nothing beats the ease and security of working out at home. There’s no need to drive to the gym, pay for a membership, or feel insecure about your capabilities. However, the drawback for many avid fitness lovers is that having a home gym isn’t always practical.
Fortunately, folding exercise bikes eliminate the issue of your exercise equipment taking up too much space. If you’ve been considering an exercise bike for a while, you may want to consider trying a folding exercise bike to suit your needs.
How to Choose the Best Folding Exercise Bike
When choosing the best folding exercise bike, there are a few things you need to consider.
Setup
You want a bike that is easy to put together when it arrives. Instructions should be clear, and you shouldn’t need to take more than half an hour to have a completed exercise bike.
Furthermore, you want the set up for your workouts to be seamless. A bike that requires additional time for setup and breakdown before and after each workout session won’t be worth your time.
Storage
You’re choosing a folding exercise bike for a reason: to save space. Your exercise bike should easily fold into a compact system that can be stored wherever you need.
Bulky and large exercise bikes won’t store properly, which will not help with your space-saving solution.
Fitness Settings
One thing that many buyers don’t consider when choosing a folding exercise bike is the fitness settings. While compactness and storage are essential, you also want a bike that will enhance your physical fitness. Different settings, exercise challenges, and strength-building equipment will provide substantial experience during your workouts.
Size
Not all exercise bikes are the same. A common issue many people face is that the bikes are either too big or too small. Problems such as being unable to climb on and off the bike with ease, being too tall, too short, or being overweight for any exercise bike can hinder your experience.
You should keep in mind the measurements and capabilities of your exercise bike before making a final decision. For instance, you need to pay particular attention to size when you want to choose the best folding recumbent bike.
What are the Benefits of a Folding Exercise Bike?
As opposed to an ordinary bike, the main benefit of a folding exercise bike is its ability to compact and be stored away. The folding nature of the exercise bike saves space in your home and allows you to pull out the exercise equipment whenever you like without sacrificing time and energy.
Of course, the main reason you need an exercise bike in the first place is to improve your physical fitness abilities. Folding exercise bikes that include multiple settings to challenge you during a workout and build your strength are exceptionally favorable.
What’s the Best Way to Store a Folding Exercise Bike?
The more compact your bike, the easier it will be to store. When storing your exercise bike, there are multiple ways to approach the situation. You can store your bike in a closet if you want it out of sight. Or, if you prefer easier access, you can fold the exercise bike and store it against a wall to save space in the middle of the room.
Precautions For Using a Folding Exercise Bike
While the benefits of folding exercise bikes certainly outweigh their drawbacks, there are a few precautions you need to consider when selecting a folding exercise bike.
Safety
Safety should be your number one priority when it comes to exercise equipment. You want a bike that can store easily and doesn’t fall over when put away. Additionally, you don’t want the bike to cause injury to any pets or small children.
Furthermore, you want a stable bike. Stability will prevent the bike from tipping over during intense workouts, which will protect you from injury. Another thing to consider is height. If you are taller, your knees may hit the handlebars of specific bikes, resulting in bruising. If you are shorter, you may not reach the pedals, which will result in a poor workout.
While many of these factors are difficult to avoid and are up to the owner’s use and discretion, an easily stored foldable exercise bike can solve it.
Setup
Some exercise bikes can take additional time to set up. Furthermore, they may include additional knobs or tools to enhance the workout experience. You should be cautious of bikes that require a lot of work to set up or include several add-on features as they can easily get lost, and often, these bikes require more time to use.
Maintenance
A good exercise bike shouldn’t require too much maintenance. However, it’s always a good practice to consider maintenance when selecting a folding exercise bike. Look into warranties with different brands and ensure that small parts like screws and knobs can be purchased if something breaks down the road.
Review of the Best Folding Exercise Bikes
Listed below are some of the best folding exercise bikes I’ve found. They each bring unique features and meet the key benefits listed above. Hopefully, this review will help you narrow down your choice for a folding exercise bike that will suit your needs. Find the foldable exercise bike review below:
1. ATIVAFIT Indoor Cycling Folding Exercise Bike
The ATIVAFIT exercise bike is a fantastic option for beginners or people who prefer light, no-pressure workouts. The bike is ultra-quiet, so there is no distraction or embarrassment from excessive noise. This feature makes it great for apartment buildings since it folds compactly, and the quiet sound will not annoy neighbors.
Furthermore, this bike includes wheels at the body to make for easy maneuvering when you bring the bike in and out of storage. While this bike is terrific for beginners, cycling feels like riding on level ground, so there isn’t much tension. If you’re looking for a more challenging workout, this bike may not be for you.
Additionally, the seat of the bike is uncomfortable. After cycling for thirty minutes, you’ll start to feel sore. While this isn’t a deal-breaker from all of this bike’s fantastic features, it is something to take into consideration.
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- Exceptionally quiet
- A stable mechanism that does not shake during a workout
- Weighs 30lbs and is easy to lift and maneuver
- Compact design allows it to be stored nearly anywhere
- Includes wheels to help move the bike with ease
- Has a hard seat that is uncomfortable to sit on for long durations
- The seller cannot ship individual parts if a piece breaks
- Not a lot of tension for more advanced workouts
2. Lanos Folding Exercise Bike
The Lanos folding bike is another beginner-friendly bike that exceeds expectations. There are multiple settings to provide a challenge and build strength as you follow through with your workouts. If you start on level 5, you have five other settings to conquer, resulting in long-term use as you attempt to beat your previous records.
This bike comes with clear instructions, making it super easy to assemble. Furthermore, it features a bright LED screen to track important data like time, speed, and heart rate. What impressed me about this bike was how comfortable the seat felt during the workout. It comes with two adjustments to enhance your cycling as well, which is a great feature.
Unfortunately, the bike is not very recumbent and only includes two adjustment settings. While beginner-friendly, more experienced cyclists may not be impressed. Another issue I found was that the pedals and seat height aren’t accommodating for people below 5’2″. If you are around that height or shorter, you won’t be able to utilize this bike properly.
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Multiple settings to provide challenge and build strength
- Comfortable seat
- Easy assembly with clear instructions
- Highly portable and easy to store
- Features a bright LED screen with data layouts
- Not ideal for people shorter than 5’2″
- Not very recumbent. The seat only has two adjustment settings
- Can make a knocking sound on higher settings
3. XTERRA Fitness FB150 Folding Exercise Bike
If you’re looking for an exercise bike that is suitable for nearly any height, then the XTERRA folding bike will be sure to impress. It suits people anywhere between five and six feet tall. As one of the best foldable exercise bikes, it also includes a lot of tension, making it an excellent choice for all levels of cycling enthusiasts. Compact, portable, and stable, this bike makes it easy to set up and store away before and after every workout.
While I was amazed by this bike’s versatility, I was not excited about the digital monitor. First, the display is not lit, which can hinder morning or evening workouts. Another issue with the monitor is that it is not accurate. It seems to raise your data in a way that appears as if you’re burning more calories than you are.
However, the bike itself is easy to use and is quiet enough that you can watch a show or video on your phone while using it. The seat is not the most comfortable either. Although, the bike comes with an option for a seat backing, which would improve the experience.
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- Suitable for people of all heights
- Includes lots of tension to improve your workout
- Stable and does not wobble
- Compact and portable. Suitable for small homes
- Quiet and does not distract from your workout
- The digital monitor isn’t entirely accurate
- The shape of the seat is uncomfortable
- The display is not lit
4. BCAN Folding Exercise Bike
The BCAN folding exercise bike is a great all-around bike for people of all ages, heights, and exercise capabilities. It comes with a large and comfortable seat that enhances the cycling experience. It’s an excellent bike for shorter folks, people going through physical therapy, and the elderly, thanks to the ease at which you can climb on and off the bike.
While the bike provides a decent bit of tension, the settings are limited and experienced cyclists may find this bike to be too easy. Additionally, the instructions are poorly written and not very clear, making it difficult to assemble. However, the BCAN customer support team is prompt and friendly, doing their best to ensure you receive the best quality product that they can provide.
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- Large, comfy seat to enhance the cycling experience
- Quiet system
- Perfect for nearly all heights
- Easy to climb on and off of/no hindering bar in the middle
- Amazing customer support
- Instructions are not clear and are poorly written
- Basic digital display that can be inaccurate
- Not a lot of tension with limited settings
5. MaxKare Folding Magnetic Upright Exercise Bike
The MaxKare folding bike is truly one of a kind. It’s a versatile bike, perfect for all experience levels and body types. However, if you are on the taller side, you may find that more clearance is needed for your legs during a workout.
The bike comes with multiple levels so that you can challenge yourself in different tension settings. What was most impressive about this bike was its unique arm resistance bands. This feature adds more complexity to your workouts and aids in building arm strength and leg strength.
One drawback I found was that over time, the handlebars would loosen, meaning you will have to tighten them now and again to prevent them from falling off. However, this bike is super quiet, comfortable, and sturdy, which provides a great overall workout experience.
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- Super quiet bike
- Multiple levels to provide challenges and different tension settings
- A sturdy bike that can hold lots of weight without wobble
- Ease-of-use for the upright and recumbent settings
- Includes arm resistance bands to improve workout
- If you are over 5’11”, your knees may bump into the handlebars
- Over time, the handlebars may become loose
- Display data is a bit off
Conclusion
Finding the best foldable exercise bike in 2021 can be challenging. Whether you need a bike that can accommodate your height or are looking for more challenging settings, the process of selecting the perfect bike can prove challenging.
The recommendations on this list certainly outrank their competition in comfort, challenge, and versatility. So, if you’re a beginner or expert cyclist, you’ll likely find the perfect fit for you so long as you keep in mind your personal needs.