Best Indoor Cycling Bike Under $500

What is the best indoor cycling bike for under $500? In today’s post, we’re going to try to find out.

The truth is, there probably is no single “best” indoor cycling bike for under $500, but in today’s video, we’re going to go through and I’m going to tell you the best and worst features of each one of these bikes in a very concise way. And if you want to know more information about any one of these bikes during the review, I have full reviews on each and every one of these bikes, so browse my TailHappyTV YouTube channel to learn more.

I have these bikes lined up from least expensive to most expensive. So let’s go through and I’ll tell you about them now.

Yosuda Bike

Starting with the Yosuda bike, this is the number one bestseller on Amazon and also the cheapest bike of the bunch.

You can buy the Yosuda for about $340 (click to see current price). The best thing about the Yosuda is it is the least expensive, so it is the easiest way to get your foot in the door to indoor cycling.

Another one of the best things about the Yosuda is it is the number one bestseller on Amazon, so it is extremely easy to buy. You can click buy, and this thing or show up your front door very quickly.

That being said, the Yosuda is the worst drive train feel of all of these bikes I have, in my opinion. I’m not sure exactly what it is. Perhaps it’s the physical resistance belt pad, the flywheel, the drive train components, the bearings. I’m not sure exactly what it is, but the Yosuda is my least favorite feeling drive train feel.

The Yosuda bike does have a lot of reviews on Amazon and a lot of high reviews as well, and my theory on that is people who buy the Yosuda bike simply don’t have experience with a better drive train, so they don’t know the difference.

But the bike does work.

Another one of the worst things about the bike is the drive train, the noise that it makes, the vibrations that you get back to the resistance knob and also the comfort of the handlebars.

You don’t get a lot of hand positions, and this thing kind of stabs you. And even though it does have a big, wide seat, I think it’s really just kind of too flimsy what the springs in there, and it’s really just not great.

Another one of the worst things about the Yosuda bike is the resistance knob seems to go bad after a long time if you check out the reviews on Amazon. A lot of customers seem to say that this thing breaks after a while. I don’t know for sure, though.

However, this is a quick post. If you want a full review on the Yosuda bike, I have that on the TailHappyTV YouTube channel.

Sunny SF-B1002

Moving on to the sunny bike, this particular model is the Sunny SF-B1002, and it costs about $360 on Amazon. (it’s been on sale frequently lately)

Probably the single best thing about the sunny bike is it is a very quality and sturdy feeling bike for a very low price. This particular model is a friction resistance pad. However, this is a leather pad, and the resistance on the sunny bike feels miles and miles better than the Yosuda bike.

In my opinion, one of the large things that probably contributes to that is the 49lbs flywheel mass on the Sunny SF-B1002, which is significantly heavier than any of these other bikes I have, including the Peloton Bike+.

Another one of the best things the sunny bike has going for is it has absolutely no electronics on it whatsoever, so it is a great for a “do it yourself” setup. You can choose to add whatever you want to this bike. Basically, you can attach a tablet up there with an external tablet mount. You can just set the whole thing up in front of a TV.

If you want to know your metrics like cadence, you can buy a Wahoo cadence sensor, and this sunny bike also has a really high maximum saddle height, so it’s great for tall people.

On the flip side of the coin, one of the worst things about the sunny bike is it has absolutely no electronics and no feedback. So since it’s a physical resistance pad, there’s no cadence sensor on there. If you want a bike that just has all your metrics on it out of the box, the sunny bike is not going to give you any of that stuff.

That being said, Sunny does make a variety of indoor cycling bikes at different price points and have different options, so I’ll put links to those.

ProForm TDF CBC from Costco

Next up on the list is the ProForm Tour de France CBC from Costco. It costs about $385 and it comes with one year of iFit for free.

So I think the best thing the ProForm bike has going for is it is a great package deal has automatic adjusting resistance. So, if you’re looking to buy a bike that has everything built into it, ready to go with free app access and everything ready to go, the ProForm bike is really good for that. The ProForm bike is also really great for somebody who’s just getting started with indoor cycling, and they’re not sure if they’re ready to upgrade to the Big Brother back here, the NordicTrack S22i, which costs around $2,000.

The worst parts about the ProForm Tour de France are its maximum resistance is pretty terrible out of the box. I modified the maximum resistance on this bike and it is better now, but out of the box it is not very good.

I have many more videos on the ProForm Tour de France CBC from Costco including a full review on this bike.

However, this is a concise review, so the very last thing I want to say about the ProForm bike is this is probably the worst bike for using with other platforms because there is a tablet holder up here. But if you put the tablet up there, it blocks access to your resistance buttons, and the automatic adjusting resistance is not going to work with other stuff like Peloton or Apple Fitness Plus or any of that.

Joroto X2

Next on the list is the Joroto X2, which I bought on Amazon for $400. And it is my understanding that this bike does go on sale sometime, so I have a link below this video in the description box so you can check and see if it’s on sale.

In my opinion, one of the best things that the Joroto X2 has going for it is it has a very good magnetic resistance that has a fairly high and solid maximum resistance out of the box and it has a really solid and smooth feeling drive train, even as you crank up that resistance towards maximum since the resistance on this bike is magnetic.

I’d also like to point out one of the other best things about this bike is this bike is 4 way adjustable, meaning you can adjust those handlebars forwards and backwards dial in your riding position.

Also, the bike does come with a wide and comfortable saddle (seat). However, unlike the Yosuda bike that’s all wobbly and squishy with springs, the Joroto bike seat is a lot more supportive and a bit more firm and more usable, in my opinion.

The worst thing about the draw, though X2, is the screen that comes with it doesn’t really give you very useful metrics. You just get super basic stuff like speed and distance and calories, which you know can be beneficial to some individuals.

However, you do not get cadence or power output or resistance metrics. Even though this bike is magnetic resistance, it does not tell you your resistance number on the screen. The Joroto X2 is a solid option, and I have a full review and many more videos on this bike.

So if you’re interested in it, check out the TailHappyTV YouTube channel, but since this is a concise review we’re moving straight on over here to the Echelon Connect EX-15.

Echelon EX-15

This is the Echelon Connect EX-15 and this is the bike that we began our indoor cycling journey on.

Probably the very best thing this bike has going for is it comes with absolutely no screen at all. However, it is the Connect, so you can put your own device up here, download the Echelon app and get your metrics, including Cadence, Power Output, Resistance number, and total energy output in kilojoules, which is really convenient for using with the Peloton Digital App (or any other platforms).

So this bike is best for metrics. You can get your cadence and resistance and power output back through the Echelon app. You don’t have to buy the Echelon app. You can get used freestyle mode to get your metrics back on the screen for free.

The worst thing about the Echelon Connect is this resistance knob has 32 levels of resistance, and it is one turn per resistance level. So you have to crank this thing a lot of times to get from minimum to maximum or back.

I have a very full and thorough review on the Echelon Connect EX-15 (sport) on my TailHappyTV YouTube channel.

Final Thoughts

So what is the best bike for under $500? Well, I’m not sure there is exactly a one particular answer for that question. I’ll give you my advice, though. If I were you, I’d probably pass on the Yosuda. It seems like there’s better options out there for the money.

I really like what Sunny has to offer. They do make magnetic resistance bikes for a little bit more. You know, this one is like 360 370 bucks somewhere in that price range. They make pretty solid bikes and they’re pretty great for do it yourself setups. It’s a great option under $500 and you’ll have a lot of extra money to spend on accessories.

The ProForm TDF is a good starter bike. It’s a good complete package. You know, you get that iFit and auto adjusting resistance and stuff.

The Joroto X2 is a good solid magnetic resistance bike. Also, the Joroto X2 has really good maximum resistance for a magnetic resistance bike at a lower price point.

The Echelon Connect EX-15 is a great option, you know, as you work your way up the price point. Obviously, these bikes down toward the end of the list are better quality feeling drive trains at higher resistances because they’re magnetic resistance.

The friction bikes don’t do great on drive train feel once you start cranking up that resistance towards the max end of the spectrum. However, I will say the Sunny 1002 bike significantly outperforms the Yosuda in terms of drive train feel and what it feels like once you crank up that resistance towards the maximum end of the spectrum.

So thanks for reading guys, watch my video reviews on TailHappyTV on YouTube for more indoor exercise bike reviews!