But some users complain about the pedals falling off or loosening (which the company insists is a user-assembly problem). They’re dual-sided, allowing you to clip in with bike shoes or slip regular shoes into cages, which is convenient, if a little clunky and inelegant. The only caveat to the IC4 is the pedals. You can connect the app to the bike via Bluetooth to get a cadence display, and for riders who really want hard-core data and power output, there are countless threads in the Facebook group about how to Frankenstein a setup using apps like Kinetic and Wahoo. (I use an old, cracked iPad.) There’s a built-in holder on the handlebars, a USB outlet for charging, and an arm-strap heart-rate monitor. You’ll need to supply your own phone, iPad, or smart-TV hookup to stream classes. But those things, combined with the steep price tag on the bike, just weren’t worth it to me.) (The company charges its bike owners $39 monthly for the same content: A Peloton spokesperson told me that this is because owners have access to more “performance data,” since the bike connects directly with the hardware, and that multiple users in the household can have an account. Aside from the much lower price, the real appeal for me is that non-Peloton-owners can stream all of Peloton’s content via the Peloton app, including live classes, for just $12.99 a month. Instead of splurging for a Peloton, I bought Schwinn’s IC4. But after a few months, I really missed working out on a bike and started doing some research.

When that was no longer an option, I tried a handful of apps and streamed classes in things like strength training and yoga. Pre-pandemic, I was doing most of my spinning on a free communal Peloton bike in my building’s workout room. I’ve ridden bikes to nowhere an average of twice a week ever since, from rusty old ones in church basements to the bikes in $40 SoulCycle classes. I’ve been spinning since the small gym I went to got its first Schwinn Johnny G spin bike in the mid-’90s.

We’ve added that review to the end of the story.

Update: We also found a third bike that is even less expensive and offers an excellent workout, if you don’t need the extra bells and whistles. And according to our experts, that bike is very, very good. In fact, mechanically speaking, they are the exact same bike.

Although the Schwinn IC4 and the Bowflex C6 have different names, different branding, and, in many cases, different prices, they share a parent company: Nautilus. As it turns out, they like the same bike. Since home workouts are still the norm for many of us, we asked two writers and fitness buffs to tell us about their favorite Peloton alternatives. Peloton bikes may be beloved, but with a price tag over $2,000, they’re not exactly accessible.

Spinning bike test