Nowadays, when you shop for a spin bike, you can be absolutely floored by the prices.

“Does this thing also fly?”. A spin bike is a great investment, but maybe you don’t want to pay top dollar.

 You want the biggest bang for your buck. 

Well, you are in luck, because we have compiled the best spin bikes on a budget. These spin bikes allow you to get a quality workout without breaking the bank. That way, you can save the rest of that cash to spend on whatever your heart desires.

Spin bikes are one of the best tools you can use to generate fat burning workouts in the comfort of your own home. You don’t have to get on a waiting list at a local boutique fitness shop or get on a sweat-soaked bike from the last person who used it. 

Instead, having a spin bike at home allows you the freedom to get a great workout in on your time. In your own workout sanctuary. 

Best Spin Bikes on a Budget 

Our Pick: MaxKare Stationary Bike Belt Drive Indoor Cycling Bike

The MaxKare Stationary Spin Bike has the best flywheel on our list, coming in at 44 pounds and is our choice for the best Spin Bike on a Budget. This leads to an extremely smooth, consistent, and enjoyable ride. The jerking movements are virtually eliminated even during your toughest workouts. This is an impressive feature for the price.

The MaxKare features adjustable handlebars and seat to fit all size riders and has a 264-pound weight capacity. The toe cage pedals have great grip so your foot won’t slip when you are really pedaling hard. 

It also features and Phone and tablet holder so you can follow your favorite workouts or watch your show of choice. 

What are the Pros? 

  • 44 Lb Flywheel impressive for the price
  • Tablet/Phone holder included
  • No-slip caged pedals
  • Adjustable seat and handlebar
  • Adjustable resistance 
  • LCD Monitor with phone holder 
  • 264 weight capacity 

What are the Cons? 

  • Those who are taller than 6’3” may want to choose another option

Sunny Health & Fitness Pro Indoor Cycling Bike SF-B901B

Why We Love It 

The Sunny Health indoor cycling bike is a great indoor bike for the money. The 40 lb flywheel, maintains a smooth momentum and keeps your workouts going longer. The bike does not jerk or move, it stays in place for a comfortable ride. Even when you are doing high-intensity workouts! 

The seat and handlebars are adjustable and have a 275-pound capacity to fit a number of various bike sizes.  

This indoor bike also comes with a tension knob to increase resistance and intensity. 

Pro’s 

  • Fully adjustable seat and handlebar
  • Micro-adjustable resistance knob allows for various resistance levels to increase the intensity
  • Transport wheels for easy portability
  • 275 lbs user weight capacity.
  • 40 lbs chrome flywheel 
  • Smooth and quiet.
  • Caged no-slip foot pedals
  • Easy to set up
  • Impressive features for the money
  • Chain option (instead of belt) is cheaper for budget-minded spending

YOSUDA Indoor Cycling Bike

The Yosuda Indoor Cycling Bike has a number of great features. The 35lb flywheel has enough weight to simulate a real road bike ride while maintaining a smooth steady pace. 

It features adjustable resistance, that allows for increased difficulty and workout variation. I love to use the bike’s resistance with High-Intensity Interval Training. The YOSUDA has an adjustable seat and handlebars which allow for comfort of all shapes and sizes. The bike itself holds up to 170 pounds. Additionally, the LCD monitor displays a number of great stats including: 

  • Time 
  • Speed  
  • Distance
  • Calories Burned
  • Odometer

The cage pedals are great to hold your foot in place in reduce slipping when the workout gets tough. It also comes with transportation wheels so you can move your spin bike from room to room without a hassle. The best part is that it comes with an IPAD mount so you can follow along with your favorite spin class or catch up on the latest shows while exercising. 

What are the Pros?

  • Best Spin Bike on a Budget
  • 35 lb Flywheel provides stability and support 
  • Fully adjustable handlebars and seat to fit any size comfortably 
  • IPAD Holder for Intra workout entertainment 
  • Has non-slip pedals 
  • LCD Screen displays all the stats you need 
  • Holds up to 270 pounds 
  • Easy to install 

What are the cons? 

  • 6-Month Warranty is underwhelming 

Sunny Health & Fitness Belt Drive – SF-B1423/C

The Sunny Health & Fitness SF-B1423/C is the best spin bike on a budget. With a 40 pound flywheel, you can be sure your ride is smooth and continuous. You will have have to worry about the bike jerking or wobbling. 


The LCD screen shows distance and calories, tracking the two metrics you really care about. It comes with free guided videos all designed for the Sunny Health & Fitness Workout bike. These are great to keep you motivated and mix up your workouts. 

This spin bike can hold up to 265 pounds and has adjustable seats and handlebars. Making this a perfect option for a number of bike sizes. This is the perfect bike for athletes and beginner alike. All at a price that doesn’t break the bank. 

What are the Pros? 

  • Transport wheels for easy portability
  • 275 lbs user weight capacity.
  • 40 lbs chrome flywheel 
  • Smooth and quiet.
  • Caged no-slip foot pedals
  • Easy to set up
  • Impressive features for the money
  • Chain option (instead of belt) is cheaper for budget-minded spending
  • Free Workout Videos

What are the Cons? 

  • LCD Screen a little small 

Marcy Club Revolution Bike

The Marcy Club Spin Bike Comes in with a smooth 40-pound flywheel. The adjustable handlebars and saddle ensure that you can fit your bike properly for a comfortable ride and peak performance. The adjustable pedal cages allow you to increase intensity without worrying that your feet may slip out.

 The easy adjustable resistance knob is smooth. It features a quick-stop mechanism that allows the spin bike to quickly break on-demand, without having to wait until the flywheel slows down. The sturdy frame doesn’t move as you ride, allowing for a much more enjoyable training session. This bike is a great option for beginners and athletes alike. 

What are the pros? 

  • Great features for the money 
  • Adjustable resistance 
  • Quick Braking System 
  • Strong Frame 
  • Water Bottle Holder 
  • 40 lb Flywheel 
  • Adjustable Handle Bars 
  • Adjustable Saddle 
  • Adjustable Pedals 
  • 300 lb weight limit

What are the Cons? 

  • The seat may be uncomfortable for some but can be switched out

 ATIVAFIT Indoor Cycling Bike

Why We Love It

The ATIVAFIT is a great budget spin bike option. It features a sturdy frame that allows up to 275 pounds of rider weight. It also has a 40 lb chromed flywheel to help maintain a smooth ride with the same feel as a road bike. The seat can be adjusted 4-ways and handlebars can be adjusted 2-ways to ensure the bike fits your height for peak performance. 

The bike comes with an LCD monitor that tracks your time, speed, distance, and calories burned. In addition to the LCD monitor, it has a tablet holder that is great to stream your favorite spin classes or watch your favorite show.    

One of our favorite features about this spin bike, is they give you a 12-month warranty. You can return the bike for any reason and a lifetime warranty with free replacement parts!  

Pro’s 

  • Great Price
  • Lifetime Warranty with free replacement parts 
  • 40lb flywheel
  • LCD Screen that tracks calories, speed, and distance
  • Tablet Holder 
  • Holds up to 275 pounds
  • Adjustable handlebars and seat 
  • Caged pedals 
  • Transportation wheels
  • Belt is quiet 
  • Water Bottle Holder 

What to Look for in a Spin Bike

What to look for in a spin bike

Flywheel Weight

Flywheel weight is the first thing we look for in a spin bike. It is situated at the front of the bike. It is perimeter weighted (meaning all the weight is around the edges of the wheel) to give you momentum. 

There are two types of Drive systems. Chain-driven and Felt driven. Chain driven is the better option on your wallet but does come with some downsides, including a much louder ride experience. The felt driven flywheel has a much smoother ride and extremely quiet in comparison. 

Make sure you look for a flywheel that is 35 pounds or above. As you can see, we never recommend anything below 35 pounds as your ride experience become more choppy and less continuous. To put it into perspective, a commercial spin bike has a 50-pound flywheel, while home-based spin bikes usually have a 40-pound flywheel. 

Drive System

There are two types of Drive systems. Chain-driven and Felt driven. Chain driven is the cheaper option but does come with some downsides. It is a much louder ride experience that could disturb others in your home. It also requires more maintenance, including lubrication.  

The felt driven flywheel has a much smoother ride and extremely quiet in comparison. It also is easier to adjust the resistance. This comes in handy when you are really working out hard and want to adjust the resistance knob. 

Resistance

Resistance is a major factor when it comes to your spin bike. This helps with increasing the intensity of your workout. There are four types of resistance: 

  1. Manual Screw
  2. Magnetic
  3. Electronic Magnetic 
  4. Cable resistance

You want to stay away from cable resistance, as it only comes on cheap low-end bikes and is not your best option. A manual screw is the most common. This is mostly found on our budget-friendly bikes. When you manually screw the knob to increase resistance, you have a manual screw resistance bike. Electronic cable resistance is found on higher-end spin bikes but is rare compared to manual screw.

Frame and Body

The frame is of utmost importance for stability and maintaining a smooth ride. Most spin bikes have a strong frame. Just make sure to read the reviews. Look for a rame with wide legs. This increases stability which is especially important as you ramp up the intensity.\

Braking

There are three types of braking systems. They are 

  • Fabric 
  • Leather 
  • Magnetic 

Fabric brake pads are common on a budget-friendly spin bike while Leather braking systems are more commonly found on the expensive spin bikes.

The magnetic brakes are by far the best option. The issue is that they come on expensive spin bikes. They are completely silent because they do not make contact, and they have a far greater range of resistance. The maintenance is absolutely minimal. 

Pedals

Choosing a bike with the right pedals is crucial to the comfort of your ride. We recommend cage pedals for beginners, as they are a similar efficient design. You just slip your foot in and begin to pedal. 

More advanced cyclists may want to find pedals that they can clip their cycling shoes (SPD cleat) in. This would be of interest to athletes and fitness enthusiasts who may cycle on road bikes or triathlon bikes in addition to training on spin bikes. 

Transportation and Storage

Transporting your spin bike from one room to another should be simple. We prefer our bikes have wheels on the rear, so you can easily tilt and move the bike. This allows you to easily store your spin bike in a closet or garage and pull it out when needed. 

Bottle Holder

Hydration is key to a good spin bike session. Having a water bottle holder is a small luxury that goes a long way. If your bike does not have a water bottle holder, you can purchase a separate one and attach it to your bike. 

Tablet and Phone Holder

With the variety of “video workout studios” available now, having a tablet holder is becoming a great addition to your spin bike. You can stream a number of different spin classes to keep you motivated. Or you can stream your favorite entertainment or music. It’s just a nice luxury to add on your spin bike. 

Adjustability

Adjustability is one of the biggest factors for your bike. We will talk about how to fit your bike in a moment, but adjustability plays a major role. There are two key areas that are key to make the adjustments. 

  • Handlebars
  • Seat 

The handlebars should be adjustable so that your shoulders, arms, and back are comfortable while riding. If you are uncomfortable, you will never use the bike. Plain and simple. 

The seat also needs to be adjustable. The is especially important to maintain the correct distance from your torso, legs, and waist to the pedals. Have you ever seen a tall person try to bike that is too small for them? Their knees flail out to the side and they look uncomfortable and silly. Having an adjustable seat will ensure that anyone who uses the bike will be able to exercise comfortably. 

How to fit your spin bike 

Adjust the Seat (saddle) 

Having your saddle or seat adjusted to the proper height will make all the difference in the world. It not only key to your comfort but also your performance. There is a direct correlation between the way you drive your heel and the height of your saddle. 

If the saddle is too low, you will feel pain in your knees. If the seat is too high, you will reduce performance and lose momentum. 

The place to start is to stand alongside your spin bike and raise the saddle parallel to your hips. From here you can jump on the bike and see if it is comfortable. For most riders, this will be the sweet spot. For others, you may have to make some tweaks to fit your body. 

Once you have your saddle height, you need to adjust your seat position. Most people prefer a central position. But, you can usually adjust your seat forward or backward if needed. 

Adjust the handlebars 

Adjusting the handlebars ensures your upper body is comfortable. Nothing is worse than pushing on your bike and your upper body is aching. 

We like to advise riders to start by bringing the handlebars to the same height as your seat. Then Adjust to your comfort level. 

Note: If you have back pain, you may want to bring the handlebars higher than the saddle to avoid injury or aggravation. 

Get your feet in position 

The last step is to properly position your feel. For bikes with toe cages, you want the ball of your foot in the center of the pedal. This allows you to pedal with high force and comfort. This is the most efficient food position.

Conclusion

A spin bike is a great tool to get your cardio in at home. You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars. The bells and whistles are nice, but the quality of your workout is all that matters.