Best Budget Home Bikes 2022

Exercise is – or should be – a part of everyone’s lives. Cycling is a great form of exercise that’s not too tough on the joints but lets you get out and see the world. Realistically, though, cycling outdoors often isn’t that great. You have to deal with other road users as well as inclement weather, and occasional punctures. Using an exercise bike at the gym is a solid alternative, giving you the freedom to pedal and work out without having to worry about the weather, temperature, or if you’ve got enough energy to get back home.

Unfortunately, Covid restrictions have left many gyms closed. Thankfully you can get your own exercise bike. While these can run into the thousands of dollars, you can also get some pretty cheap ones. Many options in the budget class give up some of the features you’d find standard on a high-end bike, but can often come with other innovative features, such as the ability to be used under a desk. These sort of bikes aren’t necessarily meant for dedicated rides or riders but are the sort of thing that you can use to work out in the background while working, studying, gaming, or just relaxing. While they may not be as good at getting your heartbeat up, they can still help you burn calories and lose weight.

To help you pick a great bike, we’ve drawn up our list of the best budget home bikes in 2022.

The FlexiSpot Desk Bike V9B is a two in one desk and home bike. This combination allows you to keep exercising while you work or study, helping you to make the most of your time. It has 8 resistance levels so expect fairly large differences and the resistance to not be particularly strong. It’s designed to support users between five foot 1 and six foot two inches tall.

It weighs just 34 kilograms but can support up to 45 kilos on the desk and a user of up to 136kg. despite the decent weight stats, the lightweight construction does mean that there can be some wobbling especially when coming closer to the weight limits. The seat is comfortable enough for short time periods, but you may want to look into a padded cover if you’re planning to spend full working days using it.

The DeskCycle 2 is a low-profile home bike designed to go under a desk. This design means you can use it while working, studying, or gaming at your desk, in your comfortable chair. It works with desks as low as 27 inches for people 5 foot 10 and under. It uses a silent magnetic resistance wheel with 8 different resistance settings.

The pedal height can be adjusted up and down a small amount, between nine and ten inches. The design isn’t suitable for users of standing desks as it requires a chair. It also isn’t particularly convenient for tall users as they’re more likely to face legroom issues with the underside of the desk. Users with long feet also may struggle as the pedals are, by necessity, very close to the floor.

The XTERRA FB350 Folding Exercise Bike is designed to be small and space-saving with its folding design. While you use it, it is full size, but can be compressed to fit in small spaces when not needed. It’s also pretty light so it’s easy enough to move around. The lack of weight and the narrow base does mean that it can be a little, wobbly, especially when trying to get on or off of it.

The backrest is designed for a recumbent style of riding, but you don’t find yourself using it or the handles by the seat you can remove them to save even more space. The bike is designed for users between four foot ten and five foot ten inches. Taller users can still ride it but may need to be careful with their knees. The weight limit for the bike is pretty low.

The Yosuda Stationary Bike is a cheap but good quality exercise bike allowing you to get a standard form-factor exercise bike with a large flywheel, at fraction of the cost of a high-end model. The large 35lb flywheel offers a solid amount of momentum ad resistance while riding. The design of the bike leaves the flywheel exposed, which looks cool but could be a safety hazard if you’ve got pets or small children around. To help you protect wandering fingers or inquisitive noses, it also has an emergency brake, you just need to press the resistance dial down and the brake will make full contact, slowing the flywheel as quickly as possible.

The height of the seat and the handlebars can be adjusted for users with an inseam between 25 and 35 inches. The seat can also be adjusted forwards and backwards to your preference. The downside of the sturdy build and the heavy flywheel is that it can be difficult to move all that weight. Moving it is made easier though thanks to the two wheels at the front. The inclusion of a spare brake pad is a nice addition, though to keep yours working as long as possible you should ensure that the rim of the flywheel is clean and dry.

That was our roundup of the best budget home bikes in 2022. Have you recently bought a budget home bike? What sold you on it and what has your experience been with it so far? Let us know down below.