With all the hassle of everyday life, you might find it difficult to make time to hit the gym. But if you can get an affordable exercise bike, you won’t have to skip out on your light biking workouts. One of our favorites is the Lanos folding exercise bike because it fits the grade from budget to functionality. It also features a large digital LCD monitor that you can use to check your distance in miles covered and your heart pulse as you workout.
If you had exercise bikes in your home, you would love to work out regularly. However, to get an exercise bike with great quality and impressive features for a proper workout, you may need a high budget.
Well, it doesn’t matter whether you want to go all out or you’re on a low budget, we’ve listed the best exercise bikes under 300, perfect for your workouts. We also provide criteria to help you choose the right one that will suit your needs.
Reviews of the Best Exercise Bike under 300
Top Pick – Lanos Folding Exercise Bike
Are you looking for an exercise bike that fits your compact living space? Check out the Lanos folding exercise bike. It’s the perfect workout tool for your office and home, ensuring a heart-friendly upright exercise. It ensures that your heart rates are steady and helps to reduce tiredness during workouts.
The foldable exercise bike comes with a 10-level magnetic resistance. This feature enhances the way you customize your workout to your preferred difficulty level. Moreover, the build and finish encourage smooth and quiet sessions, which is why is the top pick for the best exercise bike under 300.
The top-precision flywheel works to ensure a comfortable ride. You can also keep track of your stats from the massive LCD screen.
Drawbacks
For a bike with a sizable computerized screen, no pulse sensor is working. Most people complained that it had a little less resistance or difficulty levels as compared to other bikes. The adjustment knob is also a bit hard to control or use.
Best Spin Bikes – Sunny Health & Fitness Stationary Indoor Cycling Bike
With a durable and robust steel frame and crank, this Sunny indoor cycling bike offers you the best work session. It comes with a heavy-duty design in its 30-pound solid chromed flywheel, which has a max user weight of 220lbs. All components of the bike come with a comfortable finish.
The handlebars can shift forward to help adjust the distance from the seat. This feature helps to eliminate the incidence of backaches after exercise time.
You may also wish to raise the height of the seat to feat with your frame and size. Also, the pedals help to preserve your energy and momentum. The non-slip pedal maintains your feet on the grip for a safer workout.
Furthermore, you can up the difficulty of your exercise with a resistance knob. You can also reduce the friction to make riding more comfortable and help you work out for more extended periods.
Enjoy your smoothest ride with the great flywheel that comes with this bike. Bring the outdoor fun into your closet with one of the best spin bikes under 500.
Drawbacks
The most evident downside of this bike is the squeaking sound while pedaling. It messes with your psyche and slows your fitness routine. You may also need to use the resistance knob to stop the pedal since it can’t stop on its own.
Best Indoor Excercise Bike – ANCHEER Indoor Cycling Bike
Experience ultra-convenience in your home work out with the ANCHEER Indoor Cycling Bike. It features a free Qiber App, enabling you to complete your set targets while having so much fun.
Likewise, you get free workout tips from the personalized coaching app. Also, the app allows you to compete with your friends in speed stats right from your closet.
You get to select your preferred level of difficulty with a handy resistance knob. Increase or decrease resistance to enjoy your home workout session.
It also features an adjustable handlebar with a rubber covering for comfort and perfect fitting. Also, you can adjust the seat to your height to enable you to train for long hours.
The bike features a robust design with adjustable non-slip pedals. The tubular steel frame and extensive base offer the utmost durability and stability.
Additionally, ANCHEER Indoor Cycling Bike also has wheels on the front for easy movement from one room to another. What’s more, it features a digital monitor to help you plan and record your exercise sessions.
Drawbacks
One of the main letdowns of this bike is the faulty electronic dashboard—the computer malfunctions during use. Also, the flywheel comes with much extra weight. You might find it difficult to use the handlebars since it is high enough, and the phone/bottle holders don’t fit well.
Best Recumbent bike – Marcy Recumbent Exercise Bike
Customize your workouts with the Marcy Recumbent Exercise Bike. The unique step-through design makes it one of the best exercise bikes for knee replacement rehab. This layout enables an easy step on and off from the cycle. It is also heavy-duty equipment with advanced tubing and framework.
With its eight resistance levels setting, you can work out excellent to ride on any terrain you want from smooth to rough. All you need to do is to increase or reduce the resistance with the tension knob.
It also comes with a comfortable LCD that has several functions. The screen displays time, speed, and distance covered.
The LCD screen also shows the number of calories burned as well as an excellent odometer. The panel is right and easily readable. The seat is a joy to sit on as it comes with convenient high-density foam.
The saddle comes with an upgraded, ergonomic design that provides extra support for the back and arms—a perfect choice for those looking for the best recumbent exercise bike under 300.
Drawbacks
You might complain about the LCD because it has a dim backlight. You need a brighter light to see the readings on it. Also, the seat adjustment mechanism is not good and requires constant adjustment. Moreover, the pedals stagger for a while when working out on it for the first time.
Best Stationary Bike – Afully Indoor Exercise Bike
If I were to give out any stationary bike recommendations, it would have to be the Afully Indoor Exercise bike. It comes with a comfortable cushion seat with a 4-way adjustment and enables a more extended workout period. And it has an iPad holder to step up the fun in the exercise session.
You can check out your riding stats with much ease from the large screen display. Moreover, your safety is non-negotiable as the flywheel and seat form an ergonomic but sturdy design. What’s more, the pedals come with fixing nuts to prevent the rider from falling off the bike.
Drawbacks
Although it has a robust design, it lacks in stability and durability. And it has some electrical faults as the bike locks on its own without control. The adjustment height also makes it a bike for shorter people and a disadvantage for taller riders.
Criteria to Choose the Best Exercise Bike under 300
Choosing an exercise bike can be tough on any budget because not all models meet up to their claims. So, you must be extra careful and carry out sufficient research. To make things easy for you, we put together a guide, listing the vital features and factors to look into when looking for the best exercise bike under 300.
The Frame
First, you must consider the frame of the exercise bikes. Most models on the market are designed to be rigid and durable, while some can fold up for easy storage. Both these designs offer advantages over the other, which we will look into them.
If your apartment doesn’t have a lot of space, then the foldable bike might be your best option. They are slim enough to allow your fold and fit them into a store or slider. The best foldable exercise bike feature wheels for extra mobility after folding them.
To fold up correctly, these bikes make use of the thinner ‘X’ frame. Also, rather than using a large flywheel, folding models use tiny flywheels for a more streamlined finish.
However, the blend of a lighter frame and smaller wheel make it unsuitable for heavy-duty riders. Larger, heavier flywheels offer higher resistance to endure the effort at the start of your workout. So, if you’re an experienced exercise bike rider, the non-folding option is your best fit.
The Design
Exercise bike designs are categorized into 3: spin bikes, upright bikes, and recumbent bikes.
Each design offers a different experience. They all have their advantages and drawbacks. Hence, ensure you choose the one that best suits you.
Spinning Bikes
Spinning bikes offer the feel of a genuine bike. They’re designed with elevated seats on the same level as the handlebars. Due to this, you will need to rest some body weight on your arms to help you simultaneously workout your upper body.
The downside is that beginners may find the forward posture very uncomfortable. They are best suited for advanced gym users seeking total body workouts.
Upright Bikes
These are the most common exercise bikes in gyms. The seats are fixed a little below the handlebars for more relaxation. You’re still required to place weights on your arms, but it is much easier to work out with the upright bike.
So, if you’re looking for a more realistic bike feel, this is the best for you. It even offers better cushioning, suitable for beginners and advanced users.
Recumbent Bikes
The recumbent bikes take a unique design. Riders can sit back and pedal with their stretched-out legs in a reclined position.
The best recumbent exercise bikes offer more comfort than a traditional exercise bike. This makes them very convenient for new and old riders.
But, if you seek a high-intensity and fast-paced exercise, these bikes are probably not for you. These models hardly involve upper body workouts and don’t task your leg muscles as much, making them the best exercise bikes for knee replacement rehab.
The Control Module
The Control Module may not be a very important feature, but it plays a great role in providing entertainment during your workouts. The best budget exercise bikes may include an LCD screen, which displays your workout statistics and gives you control of the bike.
These statistics may tell you how fast you’re going, among other useful information. At $300, you can find one that has a heart rate monitor for cycling and workout.
The Height Range
This is one of the most important factors to consider. The reason is that you risk ruining your workout experience if you use a bike with the wrong height range.
Typically, the exercise bikes for home use range between 5ft and 6ft 3. But there is a wider height range to accommodate shorter or taller riders. So, if you are above or below the height range, you must search for exercise bikes specific to your height range.
The Resistance System
You must consider the method the bike used to create resistance. If you’re on a budget, you have two options: magnetic flywheels and chain/belt flywheels.
Magnetic flywheels, much like ellipticals, are centered around a weighted drive wheel. While you push and turn the pedals, the magnet creates resistance. These models operate almost quietly but could be difficult to use by newbies and professionals.
For magnetic models, you can set a level of resistance required. With this, you don’t need to increase your effort during exercise, but it prevents the bike from operating as it supposes to.
Chain drive and belt drive bikes remedy this dilemma. Much like the usual outdoor bike, these models use a system of gears and chains/belts. But they possess a heavier flywheel that may be a bit challenging.
Due to their lack of static resistance level, they respond better and faster than magnetic models. But, if you want to be selective, chain drives offer that off-road, real bike feel, while belt drives run quieter, smoother, and faster.
You also regularly need to lubricate chain drives. But you don’t need to do this for belt drives. Instead, you only need to replace them after 1 or 2 years for optimal functionality.
Final Word on Best Exercise Bike Under 300
This review offers much help for those who love in-house workouts but can’t afford the best spin bikes under 1000. You have no excuse not to exercise as the bikes on our least are among the best budget exercise bikes on the market.
A good look at the top 5 best exercise bike under 300 listed above and criteria will make your purchase quite easy.
