Our Fitness Experts Reviewed the SoulCycle At-Home Bike — Here's Everything You Need to Know
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Known for its cardio party cycling classes and bright yellow studios, SoulCycle was one of the first indoor cycling studios to take the fitness world by storm. Dim candlelit studios, energetic playlists and passionate instructors set the stage for a sweaty ride that's all about the beat of the music and cycling choreography.
With an increasing demand for quality home workouts and equipment, SoulCycle delivered their new At-Home Bike to consumers in March 2020. You can now tap it back at home with top SoulCycle instructors and a growing virtual community. But with a hefty price point and competitors like Peloton also bringing boutique fitness classes to the comfort of people's homes, many consumers are wondering if the SoulCycle bike is the best choice for them.
Good Housekeeping Institute fitness experts and certified personal trainers tested the SoulCycle At-Home Bike for over six months, evaluating ergonomics, workout programming, exercise variety, construction quality, accuracy and more. Here's everything you need to know about the SoulCycle At-Home Bike and whether or not it's worth a place in your home gym.
Delivery, Setup and Dimensions
Setup: We found user setup to be simple and intuitive, and the platform features seat and handlebar setup tutorials to make sure you're in proper alignment. Our experts like that the SoulCycle At-Home Bike is delivered pre-assembled to your home. The delivery appointment only took 20 minutes for us, and SoulCycle says that each appointment takes approximately 20-30 minutes to complete. The bike includes a limited warranty for the touchscreen, bike hardware parts and the bike frame.
Size: Upon delivery, you’ll notice the ultra-sleek finish and design, complete with a steel commercial grade frame which our Lead Engineer Rachel Rothman said felt premium and well-constructed. “The bike itself feels heavy weighing 142 pounds, which does contribute to its sturdiness but can be difficult to move even with the wheels,” she adds. The bike accommodates for heights ranging from 4'10" to 6'10" and supports a weight of up to 350 pounds. The overall dimensions of the bike are 62.2” L x 22.2” W x 53.5” H, and SoulCycle recommends a clearance of about 24" on all sides of the bike for safety.
Features: The large high-resolution touchscreen measures 21.5" which is comparable to other luxury smart bikes of its kind. Complete with Bluetooth capabilities, you can easily connect to your devices. You'll need special cycling shoes for this bike, which our experts say is worth the investment for a smoother and swifter ride. Cyclists will appreciate the double-sided pedals which accommodate both Delta and SPD-style cleats, which means you don't have to purchase the SoulCycle brand cycling shoes and can get really any pair since most will be compatible with the bike.
The SoulCycle Experience
The platform offers a mix of live and on-demand classes and our experts like that you can filter the library by category, class length, instructors, difficulty level, music or theme rides. During the class, you'll ride to upbeat music and choose the level of resistance that feels good for you. Instead of specific resistance shared during class, SoulCycle focuses on a more intuitive approach of listening to your body, riding to the beat of the music and finding the resistance level that's right for you.
Our fitness experts like the nice, simplistic layout that shows cadence, power and distance on the screen for metrics (but you have the option to swipe this progress bar away too). You can also tap the center of the touchscreen to pause your ride which is a helpful feature that busy parents will appreciate. You'll have options to navigate through volume, ride progress, form rider view and more. Every class you take on the bike goes into your app history and you can also opt to omit classes you've already taken or position them from newest to oldest. Another fun feature: follow your favorite instructors and get notified whenever a new class of theirs becomes available.
Special Features
A few key features distinguish the SoulCycle At-Home Bike from its competitors:
SoulBeat: This post-ride report tracks you during your ride to see how you connect with the music and how much power you generate. After class, you can view the recap that includes "beat match" to show you how in sync you were with the rhythm and choreography, "power" to see how much force you're using on the pedal, "cadence" which indicates how fast you pedal and "distance" to show how far you rode in class.
Streaming Capabilities: Rothman loves the unique streaming capabilities of the SoulCycle At-Home Bike which allows you to connect to Netflix or Disney+ and ride to your own beat with Freestyle mode.
Choreography Based Cycling: Essentially a dance party on the bike, our experts find that the classes do go by quickly since the choreography and upbeat music make the classes fun, immersive and motivating.
SoulCycle At-Home Bike vs. Peloton Bike+
Both smart bikes offer premium construction and quality as well as top-notch instructors and motivating content. You'll get access to digital platforms with both bikes that include not just cycling classes, but also a variety of other content like yoga, running, strength and more. Both bikes also come at similar high price points and have larger high-resolution screens (21" for the SoulCycle At-Home Bike and 23" for the Peloton Bike+).
The SoulCycle At-Home Bike allows you to stream to Netflix and Disney+ whereas Peloton does not, and it also allows you to pause the class if needed which can be useful for busy parents. But the Peloton Bike+ offers some novel features, Rothman adds, like auto-follow for the instructor to control your resistance as well as a screen that rotates 180 degrees in each direction which is great for off-bike exercises and bike bootcamp classes.
On the SoulCycle At-Home Bike, you manually control your resistance with the knob but it does not show how much resistance you have on the screen since this is less of a focus for SoulCycle instructors in general. The instructor approach is also quite different between the two platforms: Peloton focuses on a more athletic approach that is metric-driven whereas SoulCycle is more about choreography and feels more experiential.
Cost
The SoulCycle At-Home Bike costs a hefty $2,500 plus tax, but includes shipping and assembly. You can finance the bike for as low as $64.10/month. In contrast, SoulCycle in-studio classes cost up to $36 per class; if you used to go into the studio 1-2 times a week, over the course of a year, that's the same cost for the at-home bike and you'll be able to ride it unlimited.
In addition to the cost of the bike itself, you'll also have to pay to access the SoulCycle content; partnered with Equinox+, a 12 month Equinox+ membership is required upon bike activation and costs $40/month. The good news is that the Equinox+ membership includes not only SoulCycle content but also a variety of other fitness classes that you can stream from the mobile app including Precision Run, PURE yoga and more. If you are already a member of an Equinox club, then you get automatic access to Equinox+ and are exempt from having to pay this extra fee.
SoulCycle also offers bundles ranging from $135-$375 that all include a bike mat and small set of dumbbells. If you already have cycling shoes, then you can choose the Soul Basics bundle but the pricier options (Soul Fundamentals and Soul Quintessentials) include cycling shoes and socks.
Is the SoulCycle At-Home Bike worth it?
If you love the SoulCycle community, music-driven classes and bike choreography then the SoulCycle At-Home Bike is likely a great choice for you. You'll also get access to the Equinox+ digital platform to compliment your cycling regimen with other fitness classes like strength training, yoga, running and more. Although this bike isn't as metric-driven as its competitors, many may prefer its more experiential feel and immersive experience that is less numbers driven than other platforms. The sleek design, well-constructed build and quality class content make it a great addition to any home gym.
GET THE SOULCYCLE AT-HOME BIKE
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