Foldable Exercise Bikes: 2024 Buying Guide

The foldable exercise bike is a brilliant space-saving invention. It’s ideal for home gyms, smaller fitness studios, and mobile personal trainers. With so many options on the market, how do you choose the best one for your needs?

In this buying guide – we outline the advantages and disadvantages of folding exercise bikes, what to look for when buying one, and the best models on the market right now.

Exercise Bike Benefits

Exercise bikes are a staple in the gym, home, and PT studio environment. Despite being around for decades they remain a hugely popular piece of training equipment. This is because they improve cardio fitness, endurance, and muscle tone in a low-impact manner.

Cycling workouts burn calories, increase strength, and build bone. They also have functional fitness benefits (balance, climbing stairs, standing up) that help with everyday activities. Because cycling doesn’t put much pressure on joints, it’s ideal for older people, those with injuries, or carrying extra weight.

People buy folding stationary bikes for a number of different reasons – here are some of the key benefits…

Indoor bikes allow you to train in all weather
Training at home or in a PT studio can be safer than cycling on busy roads
Bikes offer a lower-impact cardio alternative to walking, running, and treadmills
Take up less storage space – ideal for homes, small fitness studios, or mobile PTs
Exercising on a bike is quieter than a treadmill which can be preferable in apartments
Easy to transport between different locations

If you’re a personal trainer, then a foldable exercise bike has additional benefits. Firstly, you can throw them in the back of your car which makes them perfect for mobile PT businesses. Secondly, they’re an ideal space-saving option for small personal training studios that don’t have much storage.

You might also like… 5 Adjustable Kettlebells That Are Easy To Use & Transport.

What Makes a Good Exercise Bike?

We’ve ranked products based on the proportion of verified 5* reviews that users have provided. Fold-up exercise bikes with less than 100 reviews were not included since this isn’t a big enough volume to guarantee a statistically valid sample size.

Where two products had similar rankings, we then differentiated between them based on features and price. However, you might have different needs or preferences so consider the factors that matter to you. These might include…

Price or value for money
Design aesthetics
Size when folded up
Weight capacity
Durability
Saddle comfort
Handle design or shape
App connectivity
Resistance features and programs
Ease of set-up

Our product recommendations cover the US and UK so that you can find the best product in your location.

5 Best Foldable Exercise Bikes

Here are the best folding exercise bikes you can buy right now…

Exerpeutic
Xterra
Slim Cycle
Marcy
Sunny

You can find plenty of used exercise bikes for sale on Craigslist, eBay, or Gumtree. They’re sometimes available from Walmart in the US or Argos in the UK but aren’t always stocked consistently. Whether you want used or brand new, let’s look at each of these products in more detail…

This article was prepared by a certified personal trainer and fitness equipment specialist. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases but this never influences our editorial choices. Fitness is an important topic that impacts people’s health so we always offer 100% unbiased information.

Exerpeutic Foldable Exercise Bike

The Exerpeutic 575 XLS is the best foldable indoor bike on the market. It’s highly durable, looks stylish, and has loads of built-in workout programs to choose from. Plus, it’s suitable for people weighing up to 400lbs which makes it the most widely accessible for all body types.

This super-smart bike includes 16 resistance levels, 21 workout programs, and a built-in tablet holder so you’ll always be challenged and entertained. It tracks the usual distance, time, and calories, plus speed, pulse, odometer, RPM, and watts. If you don’t need all these features, then there’s a more basic 500 XLS model that might be more suitable.

This bike is suitable for user heights 5’1″ to 6’5″ and folds up to 26.4″ L x 24.8″ W x 57.5″ H. Almost 80% of its customer reviews are 4* and 5*.

Pros – durable, stylish, lots of workout programs, 400lb weight limit, positive customer reviews.
Cons – more expensive than other bikes, no back support for recumbent use.

⇒ Buy from Amazon US or Amazon UK.

Xterra Fitness Bike

The Xterra Fitness FB150 folding exercise bike is the cheapest and best value option. It features a classic, compact design and transport wheels that make it easy to move about and put away. It has a maximum user weight of 225lbs so it’s suitable for the average American or Brit (but not for those on the heavier side).

This sleek bike features 8 resistance levels and tracks speed, distance, time, calories, and pulse. It’s suitable for user heights 4’10” to 5’10” which makes it ideal for smaller people but not those of 6′ and over. It folds up to 18.1” L x 18.1” W x 50.8” H. A huge 89% of its 8000+ reviews are 4* and 5* which is even more impressive given the low price.

Pros – durable, stylish, low price, excellent customer reviews, ideal for smaller users.
Cons – no workout programs, not suitable for taller exerciser, 225lbs weight limit makes it unsuitable for some overweight users, no back support for recumbent use (although a recumbent model is available).

⇒ Buy from Amazon US or Amazon UK.

Slim Cycle

The Slim Cycle is the most versatile option on our list. It’s a folding upright and recumbent bike that features built-in arm resistance bands too. This allows you to train your upper and lower body at the same time.

This sleek bike features 8 resistance levels and tracks speed, distance, time, calories, and has an odometer. According to the manufacturer, it’s suitable for users weighing up to 295lbs (135kg) although some reviewers dispute this. An impressive 92% of its 8000+ reviews are 4* and 5* making it the best-reviewed product we found.

Pros – upright and recumbent in one, built-in resistance bands, excellent customer reviews.
Cons – no built-in workout programs, the basic plain black design doesn’t reflect the premium price.

⇒ Buy it now from Amazon US or a similar one by YYFITT from Amazon UK.

Marcy Bike

The Marcy foldable exercise bike has an excellent reputation for quality. It’s available in a range of colours including pink, green, and blue which makes it less boring than some of the other options.

In our opinion, it’s no better or worse than the Xterra fitness bike in terms of quality or features. They really are on par when it comes to resistance options, tracking metrics, and durability. If anything, the Marcy has slightly poorer reviews with 87% 4* and 5* (versus 89% for the Xterra).

It’s really the colour options that set it apart but they come with a hefty price tag. While the plain black bike is $130, you can expect to pay $380+ for a pink or blue one.

Pros – durable, stylish, low price for the black option, good customer reviews.
Cons – no workout programs, quirky colour options are pricey, no back support for recumbent use.

⇒ Buy it now from Amazon US or a similar one by Ultrasport from Amazon UK.

Sunny Foldable Exercise Bike

The Sunny folding bike is a lightweight yet sturdy option with handy transport wheels. It’s an upright and recumbent bike in one which makes it a bit more versatile. While it may look plain but comes with some useful extras like a device holder and water bottle slot.

This sleek bike features 10 magnetic resistance levels and tracks time, speed, distance, calories, heart rate, and has an odometer. It’s suitable for users weighing up to 300lbs and 90% of its 2000+ reviews are 4* and 5*.

Pros – upright and recumbent in one, excellent customer reviews.
Cons – no built-in workout programs, the plain grey design doesn’t reflect the premium price.

⇒ Buy it now from Amazon US or Amazon UK.

How To Use a Folding Bike

In terms of working out, both folding and standard exercise bikes can be used in the same way. You can do endurance training, speed work, HIIT sessions, and spin-style classes.

However, setting them up requires a slightly different approach. With a standard exercise bike, you simply wheel it out from wherever it’s being stored and jump on. For folding bikes, you’ll need to unfold it (sometimes requires releasing a latch) and then lock it in the open position to ensure it’s stable and secure.

This video shows you how easy it is to set up and pack away most foldable exercise bikes…

Foldable Vs Standard

Unsure whether to get a folding option or a traditional fixed design? Here’s a comparison of the foldable vs standard bike options so you can weigh up the key differences…

Foldable

Can be folded away allowing space to be used for multiple purposes
Take up less storage space – ideal for home use, smaller fitness studios, or mobile PTs
Some products offer upright and recumbent options in one
Requires careful setup and adjustment to ensure safety
Can feel less sturdy than traditional exercise bikes
Easy to move around and transport between different locations

Standard

Difficult to store away so requires a dedicated space
Larger footprint than foldable exercise bike so requires more storage space
Fixed upright or recumbent setup makes it less versatile than dual-use machines
No need to worry about setting it up every time it’s used
Can feel sturdier than folding options
Heavy and awkward to transport

Summary

There you have a complete breakdown of the best foldable exercise bikes on the market right now. We’ve covered the pros, cons, and unique features that differentiate them. All that’s left is for you to decide which is most suitable for your needs…

FAQs

Below are some of the most common questions people have when buying a folding exercise bike. If you have one that isn’t answered then get in touch to ask us directly!

Do Bike Weight Limits Matter?

The average US male weighs 199lbs (90.6kg) and US female weighs 171lbs (77.6kg). This means that bikes with a typical 100kg limit will be suitable for some but not everyone.

For those who have a lot of muscle or are overweight, it’s important to find a bike that suits your needs. Personal trainers should opt for bikes with a minimum 300lb limit to accommodate every type of client.