Premium exercise bikes are ecosystem purchases first and hardware second, so our research weighed classes, subscription costs, and owner-reported reliability alongside ride feel. The field has shifted since we started: the NordicTrack S22i, long the incline-training alternative, is now discontinued, which leaves the Peloton Bike+ (ideally refurbished) as the clear default and the Bowflex VeloCore as the wildcard for lean-mode core training. The S22i still appears below, reframed as a used-market option with eyes-open caveats.
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1
Best Overall
Peloton
Peloton Bike+
7.0
The best classes in the business plus Auto-Follow resistance and a rotating screen, especially smart bought refurbished.
Auto-Follow is the feature that sells the Bike+: the resistance turns itself to match the instructor, so the ride stays hands-free in a way no rival replicates. Add a 23.8-inch screen that rotates a full 360 degrees for floor workouts and the best class library in the business, and this is still the benchmark premium bike. The full price of admission: $2,695 new (a refurbished unit runs about $1,395), a $49.99 monthly All-Access membership that is effectively required, a short 12-month component warranty, and a closed Peloton ecosystem you commit to.
Motorized -10% to +20% incline/decline Peloton can’t match, at a strong hardware price. Verify availability.
Is the S22i discontinued? Yes, confirmed: the product page 404s and the bike is gone from NordicTrack's lineup, so this is now a review of a discontinued model you can still find used or at discount retailers. The hardware case that made it popular stands: a motorized -10% to +20% incline and decline range Peloton never matched, a 22" rotating screen, a 32 lb flywheel, and iFit at $39 a month, on a bike that sold for about $1,999. The caveats have been promoted to the main story: a documented touchscreen-failure pattern, $425+ replacement consoles, and a parts and support future that just got murkier.
Unique lean mode works your core like a road bike: a distinctive, eyes-open buy given the brand’s support questions.
Every other bike here stays bolted upright; the VeloCore tilts. Its lean mode lets the frame rock side to side so your core and stabilizers work the way they would on a real road bike, and no major rival offers anything like it. At $1,499 with JRNY at $19.99 a month, it also carries the cheapest subscription in this group. Now the part our research cannot soften: Bowflex went bankrupt in 2024 and operates under new owner Johnson Health Tech with intermittent stock, the electronics warranty lasts one year on a screen that costs about $1,100 to replace, and JRNY has no live classes.
Is the Peloton Bike+ worth it over a cheaper bike?
It’s worth it if you’ll use the classes and Auto-Follow regularly. That experience is the best in the category. If you mainly want hardware value or terrain training, the NordicTrack S22i offers incline/decline for less, and the refurbished Bike+ (~$1,395) narrows the price gap.
What do the subscriptions cost?
Peloton All-Access is $49.99/month, NordicTrack’s iFit about $39/month, and Bowflex JRNY $19.99/month. On most of these bikes the subscription is effectively required to get the experience you’re paying for. Factor it into the long-term cost.
Do exercise bikes offer incline like treadmills?
Most don’t, but the NordicTrack S22i does: a motorized -10% to +20% incline/decline that simulates climbs and descents. Peloton and most rivals adjust resistance only.
