Investing in a piece of home fitness equipment is a big decision. Weights, cardio machines and repair equipment are expensive, and you will want to get the best of the best when you pluck your hard-earned cash. But there is a big difference in what might be best for your neighbor or the guy at the office who does not stop talking about his latest equipment and what is actually best for you. Everyone has different bodies, different levels of fitness and even different goals that can make the perfect match for one person a bad experience for another. When you make a decision about what you want, it helps to know all the details. That’s why Men’s Health editors are testing the latest, best fitness products head-to-head against comparable outfits in our new Best Fit video series.
A solid stationary bike can be the centerpiece of your home fitness station, and for some people, that’s all they need to get a good workout at home. We took two of the best options on the market, the Peloton Bike + and the NordicTrack SS2i, and compared their best qualities by having two very different MH editors give the bikes a spin.
Adam Mansuroglu, a style and gear contributor, and Marty Munson, health director, want different things from their home cycling experience. Adam is more of a casual trainer, hoping to find a variety of fun, engaging rides for his workouts a few days a week. Marty, on the other hand, is a USAT-certified triathlon coach who has completed 30 races himself. She is looking for a bike that will give her high level characteristics and environment to take her training to the next level. They both also want access to a wide variety of current fitness classes.
Let’s see exactly what both bikes bring to the table:
- Slope / deny settings
- 22-inch rotating screen
- 180+ live and on-demand workouts on the iFit platform
- Fan
Peloton
- Auto-follow to allow coach to resist
- Wide library of live and on-demand classes through the Peloton application
- 23.8-inch rotating screen
After testing both bikes, Adam and Marty found that they shared some important features. They appreciated the ability to refine their sound settings, and how quiet both bikes were while pedaling.
At the end of the trial, however. For Marty, the ability to recreate her outdoor training experience was the most important feature that put the NordicTrack SS2i over the edge. Fortunately, Adam was more excited about the Peloton Bike +, as he is a big fan of the way the bike can recreate the group fitness studio experience. Most importantly, both editors have the bike that suits them best.
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