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Why foldable bikes? I mean any stationary exercise bikes are fully capable of fulfilling the need of any user, right? Then why should you consider a foldable cycle? Well, I thought it would be obvious. Get the best foldable exercise bike and you’ll save your precious space. After all, typical exercise bikes can take up a lot of space in your home.
How does Exercise Bike help?
Using an exercise bike can help you perform exercise for your lower body like the legs, calves, glutes as well as it is a great cardio workout. So bringing an exercise bike to home can help users to stay fit at least. They can burn the extra fats and calories we are depositing continuously.
Foldable Exercise Bikes
While the best home exercise bikes are great for working out, there’s no denying the fact that they can take up quite a large space. And if you are living in a small apartment or don’t have a spare room then it might be an issue for you.
But luckily for you… we’ve got some of the top folding exercise bikes in the market.
These types of exercise bikes are both cheap and they can be folded up to almost half of their size. This is why foldable exercise bikes are now very famous. You can even use them in your office if you want. If you have any small corner, you can put the bike there. And whenever you want to perform a little workout, you can simply take it out and do whatever you want to do.
Advantages of Folding Exercise Bike
- Most folding bikes are smooth and quiet.
- Provides a decent workout like any other exercise bike types.
- Works as a space saver (obviously).
- Perfect option for beginners.
- These bikes are mostly affordable in price than other types.
- Easy to use without extra hassle.
- A semi-recumbent folding bike provides extra comfort to the user.
In a hurry? Here’s a glance at the 5 Best Folding Bike!
- Pleny – Best overall foldable home bike
- Murtisol M12 – Best for beginners
- Xterra FB150 – Best upright foldable exercise bike
- Advenor – Best full body workout folding bike
- Exerwork – Best folding bike for work
Pleny stationary foldable upright exercise bike
The structure is one of the main essences of an exercise bike. There is no benefit in having an exercise bike rich with features but weak in structure. If you cannot sit on the bike and use it properly, what will you do with all the other features? To make this bike a strong one, the frames of this bike is made from heavy-duty steel frames.
While most of the other foldable exercise bikes have 8 levels of tension adjustment system, this Pleny stationary foldable upright exercise bike has 16 levels of tension. There will be a resistance adjustment knob in front of you when you sit on the bike. To adjust the tension, you have to rotate the knob clockwise or anticlockwise.
There is an LCD monitor that shows the time, speed, distance, and amount of calories burnt and the heart pulse rate of the user during exercise. There are two sets of heart rate sensors at both sides of the handlebar.
The seat is larger than normal and padded to make it comfortable. The pedals too are comfortable and have a non-slip surface with adjustable safety straps as well as support bidirectional pedaling.
Specifications
- Product Dimension: 16.2 x 12.6 x 56 inches
- Resistance system: Magnetic (16 levels)
- Product weight: 42.4 pounds
- Display: Time, speed, distance, calories burnt, heart pulse rate
- Max User Weight: 260 pounds
- Warranty: 1 Year
Murtisol MT-12 foldable exercise bike
Well hello to the ladies. This one is designed particularly and is one of the best exercise bikes for women. And the best thing about this bike is that it is not just an exercise bike. It can be used to perform four different types of exercise altogether.
First, let me finish the exercise bike part of this bike. Like most other exercise bikes, this one also has a magnetic resistance system. This magnetic resistance system is also divided into 8 different adjustable levels.
The seat of this bike is exceptionally large and cushioned. The backrest and the handlebar with the seat are also padded to be comfortable. And its height is adjustable in 7 levels.
There is a large LCD monitor with 3.5 inches display. On the display, you will see the time, speed, distance, heart pulse rate, calories burned during the workouts and the RPM (Rate per Minute).
Other specialties
There are two resistance bands for your hands to exercise your upper body muscles. Using the resistance band regularly can result you a tightened upper body muscles as well as keep your cardiovascular health neat.
Not only the resistance bands, but there is also a twister plate that you can use it to make your waist thinner and slimmer. This twister plate is also foldable. So it will not take up extra space.
Moreover, along with the plate, there are push up handles present that you can use; well do I have to say more?
All of the exercises that can be performed with the equipment of this bike are mostly in favor of exercise for the women.
So now do you understand why this bike is best for women?
Specifications
- Product dimension: 47 x 20 x 46 inches
- Resistance system: Magnetic (16 levels)
- Product weight: 40 pounds
- Display: Time, speed, distance, heart pulse rate, calories burned and the RPM
- Max User Weight: 264 pounds
- Warranty: N/A
Xterra FB150 Folding Exercise Bike
Xterra FB150 is one of the most popular exercise bikes for small spaces. This one stays compact even without folding up.
Apart from space-saving design, it is an effective cycle too. 8 levels of resistance on this bike can make sweat for sure. The upright nature of the bike makes it a little harder to work out. As a result, you can burn more calories and reach your fitness goals faster.
Pretty affordable in price and it is a big advantage to have pulse sensors integrated on the handlebars. Normal yet easy to read display will help in keeping you motivated. Other than common metrics, it has the scan function which keeps on toggling between all the different metrics one after another.
I can’t vouch for the seat unfortunately. Although it is wide, the seat lacks comfort and comes as a bit hard to sit on for too long. But, I am very satisfied with the pedals that come with adjustable straps.
The bike is ideal for short to medium range users. But, you might have to rethink getting this bike if you are over 6 feet tall.
Specifications
- Dimension: 89 x 18.1 x 43.3 inches
- Resistance system: Magnetic (8 levels)
- Product weight: 32 pounds
- Display: Speed, distance, time, calories, pulse, and scan
- Max User Weight: 225 pounds
- Warranty: 1 Year
ADVENOR Stationary Bike with Resistance Bands
The quality of ADVENOR made it impossible for us to not include it among the best foldable exercise bikes. Comfortable, durable, and it provides a good workout too.
This bike has a semi-recumbent design with a comfortable seat. Wide and cushioned to make each exercise session last longer. Besides, let’s not overlook the backrest either even though it is not a full backrest.
You will find the bike stable even when you pedal like crazy. That is important because exercise bikes can wobble easily. But, the large weight capacity and decent bottom stabilizers should keep ADVENOR from rocking easily.
There are 8 levels of resistance. But, it is the display that caught all my attention. The screen has a cool look and tracks all of your workout data. By the way, the handlebars are integrated with pulse sensors to help track heart rate of the user.
Will it give a workout? You bet! Inherent resistance aside, the bike comes equipped with resistance arm bands. As a result, you can tone the arm muscles and bring your upper body into shape.
More features include adjustable seat, pedals with adjustable straps, tablet holder, two different bike positions, and a quick folding system.
Specifications
- Dimension: 99 x 15.75 x 51.18 inches
- Resistance system: Magnetic (8 levels)
- Product weight: 45.2 pounds
- Display: Speed, distance, time, calories, pulse, and scan
- Max User Weight: 300 pounds
- Warranty: 1 Year
Exerpeutic Exerwork 2000i Desk Bike
Too busy with work? Can’t make the time to work out? Well why wait for the work to finish? Why not work and work out at the same time? Yep! You can do that with the Exerwork 2000i foldable bike.
It comes with a large sliding desktop that moves in all four directions. In addition, you can tilt and adjust it to your need. There is a small screen which tracks different metrics as you work out. But, the big advantage is the Bluetooth compatibility of the bike which lets you see workout data on android/IOS.
I love the stability and high weight capacity it can take. Up to 400 pounds user weight, this bike stays still no matter how fast you pedal. Besides, the heavy duty steel frame construction makes it a durable bike too.
Unlike Xterra, the Exerwork offers one of the most comfortable seat. 2.5 inches of thick foam provides the comfort you’d want on an exercise bike. In addition, it adjusts in any direction you wish to move it. Also, I think you’ll find the backrest more comfy than ADVENOR.
What else? 24 programs. 24 resistance levels. Storage drawer. 3 goal settings. Transportation wheels. And so much more on the offer that you are just gonna have to see for yourself.
Specifications
- Dimension: 43 x 25 x 50.5 inches
- Resistance system: Magnetic (24 levels)
- Product weight: 71 pounds
- Display: 24 workout programs & shows common metrics
- Max User Weight: 400 pounds
- Warranty: 3 Year
Buyer’s Guide
If you still haven’t picked out your best folding exercise bike then this is the perfect guide that will help you to make your decision. Reading reviews of top bikes is great, but there are still some very important things you should know before you buy an actual exercise bike.
Different Types of resistance system
Two mostly used resistance system in the foldable exercise bikes are magnetic and frictional. Here’s a snippet at both of these.
Magnetic resistance system
Quiet, smooth, easy going; three things come straight to the mind when the magnetic resistance is in context. Most people do prefer this type over frictional because of the quiet and smooth experience.
How does it work? The magnetic resistance system works with a magnet that attracts or repulses the flywheel. That flywheel happens to be made of metal. With its force of attraction or repulsion, the magnet creates resistance on the way of the flywheel’s rotation. This is how the magnetic resistance system works.
Friction resistance system
The working mechanism of the friction resistance system is a bit similar to the brake system of normal bicycles. In the friction resistance system, resistance is applied with the help of a resistance pad which is placed on the surface of the flywheel. When the user increases or decreases resistance, the friction pad also applies or releases pressure on the flywheel. Due to this pressure, the flywheel becomes harder or easier to rotate. And thus, the user feels the resistance.
Want greater resistance? A road like feel? Then frictional resistance is the way to go. But, most people simply don’t wanna bother about too much maintenance which you would have to do in case of friction resistance.
Flywheel
This is also a very important component of any exercise bike. The flywheel is the spherical wheel found on either front side or at the back side of the exercise bike. In case of the folding exercise bikes, we generally find flywheel at the front.
The work of the flywheel is to rotate. It rotates when you pedal the bike. It plays an important role in applying resistance. Now the question arises, how does the flywheel apply resistance?
It applies resistance through its weight. The flywheel which has more weight can apply more resistance. in addition, heavier flywheels simply add more stability to the bike.
The flywheel weight of the foldable exercise bikes is very low. It is around 3-5 pounds or a bit more. When you are buying an exercise bike of any type, just choose the one with a heavy flywheel. Or else, you might remain unsatisfied with the performance of the bike.
Console
The main work of the console is to show different workout stats. It almost works like a small computer. Some of the consoles even have different types of workout programs, speakers, etc. installed in them.
I have said earlier that the foldable exercise bikes are not very hardcore exercise bikes in terms of intensity. For this reason, they do not have that many special features in their console. They only show the basic workout metrics like time, distance, calories burnt, etc.
In addition to that, some console has a media holder with them where you can place your phone or tablet if it supports the size.
Seat & Pedals
You wouldn’t mind a little comfort to come with your bike, right? Well, it is simple. Choose a soft, well-padded, larger in size exercise bike seat. Moreover, it can help even more if you can get your hands on one of those semi-recumbent foldable exercise bikes. That way you’ll have a backrest to go along with a comfortable seat.
About the pedals, look for the ones with the anti-slipping surface. Because those pedals will not slip easily. Then look for the ones with extra safety straps or toe cage. Toe cage is better than the safety straps. Because they are safer. But if your bike has safety straps then be sure that they are adjustable. The adjustable straps can fit in feet of any size.
Other features
Sometimes, manufacturers add some extra features to their bike to make it more attractive and worth buying. Some exercise bikes will work as a hand exerciser, some as fullbody exerciser, many come with resistance bands, etc.
Of course, having something out of the ordinary is not a must for getting a good exercise on a bike. But, these help out when you hop onto a bike nonetheless.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Are folding exercise bikes stable to ride?
If you want to have a sturdy bike then simply choose one with longer stabilizers, higher weight capacity, and perhaps a heavy duty structure too. And voila! You’ll have a sturdy foldable exercise bike in your home.
- Can I lose weight using a foldable exercise bike?
Duh! Of course you can lose weight on these bikes. They might not come with a heavy flywheel like spinning cycles, but these bikes can make you sweat too.
- Is a foldable bike ideal for the seniors?
Although folding bikes are still safe for the seniors, but we still recommend that you use a recumbent exercise bikes. Folding bikes generally do not have the easy step-thru design. As a result, it might not suit the elders like a recumbent bike would.
Conclusion
Foldable bikes are no doubt the go to bike if you’ve got a small space. But, they are not bad at giving you a good workout either. In simple terms, you get something which can save space and can give you everything you need from a typical home exercise bike.
Sooo… lose weight, reach goals, save space, and yes, stay fit with your best foldable exercise bike.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.