Smart fitness bikes are a fast-growing trend in the fitness industry.
They offer a more advanced experience that traditional fitness bikes just can’t compete with. Two bikes that do exactly this are the SoulCycle and MYXfitness bike.
Throughout this article, we’re going to be comparing them to see which is best for you. So stay tuned.
Why all the buzz around smart exercise bikes?
So, what actually makes smart exercise bikes different from traditional ones?
The first way they are different is personalization. Most of the newer smart exercise bikes let you personalize your training based on your goals and your body.
Often, you’ll be able to configure these settings and the bike will give you suggestions on how you should train and for what duration. This helps you save time and money, as you won’t need a personal trainer, or to spend hours researching.
Plus, they also often come with various other benefits such as on-demand classes and more. And, all of this from the comfort of your home which is why they are becoming so popular.
SoulCycle Exercise Bike Overview
| SoulCycle | Info |
|---|---|
| Name | SoulCycle at Home Bike |
| Brand | VARIIS EQX |
| Type | Smart Home Fitness Spin Bike |
| Cost | $2500 + $40 per month for Variis membership |
| Warranty | 1 year for display + bike – 5 years for the frame of the bike |
| Rating | 8/10 |
| Website | https://www.variis.com/bike/at-home |
The first bike in our comparison is the SoulCycle home bike which promises to “bring the magic to your living room”.
Its main focus is to bring you not only a smart exercise bike but also, a huge selection of live streams and on-demand classes that you can choose from. However, to get access to these you need a Variis membership which comes at $40 per month. There is also a 7-day free trial available with the bike.
What’s also cool about this bike is that the screen syncs with the bike, so you can track your progress.
Alongside tracking your progress, watching on-demand classes and live streams you can also play music during your class.
Advantages
The main advantage that the SoulCycle at-home bike brings is the huge selection of classes by some of the leading brands of the fitness world.
Equinox, PURE Yoga, and Precision Run are just some of the brands to which you’ll get access to the classes. This combined with the live streams that you also get access to gives you an outstanding home workout experience.
Plus, you also have the ability to track your progress which is something that can definitely be very useful.
- Lots of classes by leading brands
- Live streams
- Track Progress
- HD Touchscreen & Speaker included
- Great music
Disadvantages
Although the SoulCycle home bike is great, it does also have some disadvantages.
The main one is probably that the membership is not included which means that you encounter a large additional cost. If you are paying monthly for the bike, this will probably double your bill which is quite annoying.
Other than that, there aren’t really too many disadvantages.
Although, we would like to see more personalization considering the price point. The MYXfitness bike clearly wins in this aspect, but we’ll talk more on that later on…
- Not as personalized as MYX
- You need cycling shoes
- Membership not included.
- Higher price
MYXfitness Bike Overview
| MYXfitness | Info |
|---|---|
| Name | MYXfitness Home Bike |
| Brand | MYXfitness |
| Type | Smart Home Fitness Bike |
| Cost | From $1299 + $29.99 per month for membership |
| Warranty | 1 year for display + bike components – 5 years for the frame of the bike |
| Rating | 9/10 |
| Website | myxfitness.com |
Now that we have taken a look at the SoulCycle home fitness bike, let’s take a look at how the MYXfitness bike compares.
Related Readings: MYX vs Peloton Comparison
The main difference between the two bikes besides the pricing is that MYXfitness takes a more personalized approach, while SoulCycle focuses more on live streams.
This means you won’t need to research as much with the MYXfitness bike, and that it’s likely going to be more efficient. However, for these benefits, you will be missing out on live streams.
Advantages
As already mentioned, the main advantage is that this bike has is how personalized it is. The technology inside of this bike assesses your cardiovascular fitness, while the coaches help you step towards your specific goals with 1:1 coaching.
The bike even monitors your heart rate and optimizes your workouts for consistency which reduces the risk of fatigue and overworking.
Plus, you can also track your progress just like with SoulCycle.
The other main benefit is that it costs less than SoulCycle, as it starts at $1299 for the bike, or $1499 for the advanced version. This is significantly less than the $2500 that SoulCycle costs. Plus, the monthly membership is $10 less too.
- VERY Personalized training
- Large on-demand class library
- Track progress
- 1:1 Coaching
- HD Touchscreen & Speaker included
- Personalized Heart Rate Zones
- Tablet included
- Lower cost than SoulCycle
- Plus package comes with additional home workout equipment
Disadvantages
The key disadvantage is that there are no live streams with this bike. So, whereas SoulCycle often streams live from their studio with classes that have a great atmosphere, MYXfitness doesn’t.
You could argue that the 1:1 coaching makes up for it, and that is likely a valid point because it’s more personalized to help you reach your goals. But, we’ll let you decide what’s more important for you.
Another disadvantage this bike has is that the membership comes at an additional cost of $29.99 per month. Although this is still $10 less per month than Variis, SoulCycle’s bike.
Plus, you’ll also need a pair of bike cycling shoes which are sold at $125 per pair.
- No live streams
- Membership costs an additional $29.99 per month
- Requires bike shoes, sold at $125 per pair
So, What’s the better spinning experience? MYX Fitness or SoulCycle?
We wouldn’t necessarily call either better, but rather different.
If you’re someone who loves a great atmosphere and wants to join in on live streams that offer exactly that you’ll probably prefer the SoulCycle bike.
However, if you want a more personalized approach to your workout sessions with 1:1 coaching and personalized heart rate zones, we suggest choosing the MYXfitness bike.
Additionally, the Plus package of the MYXfitness home bike also comes with additional home workout equipment.
This includes:
- Resistance band
- Stabilizing Mat
- Oversized exercise mat (48” x 72”)
- EVA foam roller (24”)
- 6-piece weight set with kettlebell (weight rack not included)
Other than these differences, the only other major one is of course the pricing. But from an experience point of view, it just depends on what you value more, personalization, or live streams. If you would like to go for the MYXfitness bike, you can get the best price by clicking the button below.