This budget Yosuda Indoor Cycling Bike surpassed all of our expectations during testing

The Yosuda Indoor Cycling Bike offers something most competitors can’t – a refreshingly simple ride at a refreshingly affordable price. And that’s the beauty of it. 

Having tested some of the best exercise bikes on the market, I hopped into the hotseat of this budget option expecting to be somewhat underwhelmed, but came away feeling quite the opposite. You see, while Peloton pioneered the smart fitness tech revolution, there’s a lot to be said for a bike that does the basics well. 

With a comfortable seat, sturdy build and budget LCD monitor, this model has everything you need for a spin-style workout. We actually prefer it for interval training sessions where you’re switching between exercise moves, as you can jump on the bike without having to load up any digital screens – so you can save precious seconds during a minute-long sprint. 

Price and availability

The Yosuda Indoor Cycling Bike is available on Amazon with an MSRP of $439.99. However, it is frequently featured in significant sales (at the time of writing it was down 36% to $279.99) so it’s worth keeping an eye out for discounts.  

Design and features

This Yosuda bike is made from sturdy steel, providing a stable base for long rides and interval sprints alike. There are also dials on each rubber foot, so you can adjust the height to suit uneven floors. 

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It’s comfortable too, with a plush seat offering far more cushioning than the Peloton Bike+ and Wattbike equivalents. But it’s still fully adjustable, with the option to move the seat up and down (along with the handlebar) as well as forwards or backwards to create an optimal cycling position for all bodies.

With a 40in x 22in footprint, the bike is compact enough to fit in most home workout spaces, while the weighty flywheel provides smooth yet near-silent resistance so you won’t annoy anyone with noisy early-morning workouts.

There are a wide range of resistance settings you can switch between using a classic, easy-to-reach spin bike dial located on the frame between your knees, so you can taper your training to suit your strength and fitness level.

Performance

I found the Yosuda bike to be a delight to ride. During a steady-pace 60 minute session, the cushioned seat kept me comfortable and the heavy flywheel moved smoothly throughout. The tablet holder on the handlebars was a blessing too, as I was able to chip away at my Netflix watchlist while working out. 

This wasn’t an option for the more intense sessions that followed; a set of sweaty sprint intervals and a circuit-style EMOM workout involving planks, push-ups and cycling.

Through the sprint intervals, the sturdy bike stayed secure on the floor with minimal wobbling, even when I really pushed the pedals to the metal. But the EMOM workout was where the Yosuda really came into its own. 

For a total of 15 minutes I performed a 60 second plank during the first minute, 20 push-ups during the second and accumulated ten calories on the bike in the third before restarting the cycle. Because the Yosuda Indoor Cycling Bike is so simple, I was able to hop on and start riding in seconds without scrolling through endless options on a touchscreen. The monitor also retained my data from the previous round, allowing me to pick up where I left off each round. 

So, if you’re looking for a straightforward yet versatile at-home training tool that doesn’t take up too much space or cost the earth, I’d say the Yosuda Indoor Cycling Bike ticks every box. 

Classes and platform

If you want to make the most of this exercise bike, you’re going to have to be something of a self-starter. Where Peloton and the like serve you workouts on a plate, hence their hefty price tags, the Yosuda Cycling Bike doesn’t even have any preset programs, leaving you to source your own workouts. 

Luckily, we can help with that. If you’re stuck for ideas, give these three 20-minute exercise bike workouts to challenge every fitness level a go.

Alternatively, you can find an almost infinite resource of exercise bike workouts online and on YouTube. Or, if you want a follow-along video session, you can use apps like Peloton and iFit with the bike via your phone or tablet (you just won’t have the metrics sent from your bike to your phone, and will have to adjust the resistance yourself).

Data and metrics

Speaking of metrics, the Yosuda Indoor Cycling Bike provides baseline data, showing you total time elapsed, speed, distance and calories. If you want to monitor things like your heart rate and cadence, you’ll have to fork out for additional monitoring tools.

Keeping things simple (the Yosuda’s speciality) the monitor only has a single button, which can be used to flick through the different metrics or held to reset your workout. You can also leave it on a “scan” mode that will cycle through the different data every few seconds. 

Verdict

The Yosuda Indoor Cycling Bike’s strength lies in its simplicity and affordability. It’s compact, sturdy, and stable, with a plush seat which can be adjusted four ways to create a comfortable cycling position. 

The ride is smooth and near-silent, and it’s brilliant for circuit training as you can just hop on and start cycling. It doesn’t have the touchscreen or follow-along workouts of smarter counterparts like the Peloton Bike+, but it doesn’t have their high price tags either, and can often be picked up for under $300 in an Amazon sale. So, I think this is an excellent training tool for anyone wanting to get a sweat on at home on a budget. 

Also consider…

Peloton Bike+

The Peloton Bike+ is our top-rated exercise bike for a reason; it’s a brilliant machine boasting a sleek design, robust build and a captivating app crammed with thousands of workouts (all displayed on a cinematic touchscreen). The up-front cost, paired with the app’s membership fee, will put many people off. But if you want a comprehensive home training tool and this is within your budget, there’s no exercise bike we’d recommend more highly. 

Wattbike Atom

The Peloton Bike+ is the ideal bike for those who want to stay in shape at home, but the studio classes might not satisfy avid cyclists. The Wattbike Atom, on the other hand, is designed with realism in mind, offering smooth electromagnetic resistance controlled by “gears'' on the handlebars. It’s not as user-friendly as the Peloton for newcomers, but if you’re serious about your cycling and fitness then we think you’ll love it.