Indoor bikes can differ significantly in terms of features and price, which can be confusing for first-time buyers. Have you ever wondered whether you really need a high-end smart bike or will a basic model be enough for your workout needs and goals? In this guide, we will walk you through the key differences and features of a smart bike over other exercise bikes to help you make an informed decision.
What is the difference between a smart bike and a basic exercise bike?
A basic exercise bike is a great tool for a fitness workout. But smart bikes offer a higher quality ride experience and come with highly accurate performance tracking.
A basic exercise bike is the most common type of indoor cycling equipment that you can find in gyms and cycling studios. They are designed to replicate outdoor riding and offer a set of resistance levels similar to a road bike. Some exercise bikes have a basic display and a library of pre-programmed structured workouts you can choose from. They tend to be sturdy pieces of cardio equipment that provide solid training for beginners.
The main disadvantage of basic exercise bikes is their lack of insight into cycling performance. Without a smart screen and built-in resistance calibration, it’s hard for riders to track metrics such as cadence and heart rate, and to measure your overall progress. If you want to more accurately follow structured workouts, you will have to buy additional accessories such as a cadence meter and a heart rate monitor. However, it’s still quite hard, not to say impossible, to properly perform more complex interval training protocols and maximum-intensity sprints, such as REHIT, on basic exercise bikes.
More advanced electronic models like a Peloton or NordicTrack come with better tracking options and have their own ecosystem of online classes and community rides. They provide convenient solutions for general fitness but still aren’t helpful for power-based training.
Smart exercise bikes are the latest category of cycling tech. They use interactive technology to capture your cycling data and provide a realistic ride feel of an outdoor bike. The bundle of features provided by the best smart bikes includes:
- Automatically controlled, dynamic, or AI-powered resistance
- Accurate power measurement tools
- Detailed insight into your performance
- Simulated shifting and gradient
- Compatibility with third-party apps like Zwift, TrainerRoad, and FulGaz for virtual riding
Smart bikes are higher-end cycling equipment—their price starts roughly around $2,000 and can easily exceed $3,000. If you are short on budget, you may consider smart trainers as a more affordable alternative to smart bikes.
4 reasons to boost your indoor training with a smart bike
Smart bikes offer a few important benefits over basic exercise bikes.
1. Track the progress of your training goals
Setting yourself clear fitness goals comes prior to any workout plan. To make your training efficient, you should decide whether you want to improve your athletic performance, enhance overall health, or lose weight, select the appropriate types of workouts, and accurately track relevant indices.
Smart bikes such as CAROL Bike enable you to stay in full control of your training progress and get motivation to move forward.
With CAROL, you can start your cycling experience by performing a range of fitness assessments to determine your current Functional Threshold Power (FTP) and Maximum Aerobic Power (MAP) and accurately calculate your Fitness Score.
During a Ramp test or 2 types of FTP tests, you keep pushing as hard as you can and go to your absolute limit while CAROL Bike’s AI automatically increases your target power. At the end of the test, you will get an accurate measurement of your aerobic performance level. It is recommended to measure your FTP once at the beginning of training and periodically check your progress.
During your CAROL rides, you will get insight into your ride metrics including your ride progress, power, cadence, and heart rate on a smart 11-inch display.
Smart bikes provide the highest accuracy standard for professional gym equipment, usually under ±1%. You can be rest assured that your key fitness metrics are accurately tracked, including your power output, aerobic fitness, and calories burned during the ride.
2. Perform Sprint Interval Training (SIT)
Sprint interval training is one of the most effective ways to improve aerobic fitness, metabolic health, and burn calories. Usually, sprint intervals are very short—from 10 seconds to 1 minute—and performed at maximum intensity so you need special software that will track these parameters for you, and optimal hardware to withstand the forces of sprinting.
Smart bikes allow you to truly push yourself to an all-out sprint. Most smart bikes are designed with a sturdy frame and a heavier flywheel for increased stability. You can pedal as hard as you can without having to worry that your smart bike won’t handle the pressure.
During short sprints, every second matters, and smart bikes will make sure that you push yourself to your limit. For example, CAROL Bike’s AI-controlled brake system automatically applies your personal, optimized resistance at precisely the right time, in a fraction of a second, allowing you to reach maximum intensity levels.
CAROL’s signature Reduced Exertion HIIT (REHIT) workout creates the most potent training stimulus with just 2×20-second sprints. It’s scientifically proven to deliver superior health and fitness benefits compared to regular cardio exercise in 90% less time.
CAROL's REHIT workout is scientifically proven to deliver superior health and fitness benefits compared to regular cardio exercise in 90% less time.
3. Get a realistic ride feel
Smart bikes offer WiFi, ANT+, and Bluetooth connectivity and compatibility with popular indoor cycling apps such as Zwift, ROUVY, TrainerRoad, and FulGaz. This means you can immerse yourself in virtual riding and compete in virtual racing. Your cycling routine will become much more fun as you choose real bike routes of Tour de France or in Tuscan scenery.
Simulation features will bring your indoor riding even closer to a realistic experience. Gradient simulation imitates the ascents and descents of your itinerary—the bike will adjust resistance when you start climbing. The most common gradients used in smart bikes are 20 and 25%—a higher gradient will be useful only for professional athletes. The most advanced smart bike models will also offer downhill simulation, surface simulation, and entire bike tilt.
Shifting is the second most important component of your ride feel after pedaling. Exercise bikes differ in the ergonomics of their shifters and gearing systems.
During simulated shifting, offered by most smart bikes, your chain doesn’t physically move between chainrings. Instead, your smart bike simply changes the resistance so it feels like you are riding in a bigger or smaller gear. That’s why you get a smoother experience when “changing gears” on a smart bike than on a basic exercise bike.
Last but not least, your smart bike will become part of a cohesive ecosystem with other third-party apps that you use collecting your fitness and health data in one place.
4. Get extra comfort during the training
Smart bike’s practicality may seem secondary compared to its tracking and simulation capabilities but extra comfort during the ride will help you better focus on your fitness goals.
Smart bikes usually have a more ergonomic design and better adjustability options than a basic bike. It may be more important for certain people whose stature and body composition differ from the average. Advanced smart bike models offer plenty of saddle height, crank length, and handlebar positions for a proper bike fit. For instance, the CAROL Bike has 5 different handlebar grip positions and a saddle designed for maximum comfort. Some smart bikes have additional features, such as built-in fans or triathlon bars.
Other useful additional features include a phone or a laptop holder, a water bottle holder, a display indicating your real-time performance, and entertainment options. You can seamlessly connect to CNN, Fox, and NBC news and entertainment streaming apps such as Netflix, Disney+, and YouTube during your CAROL ride.
What are the best smart bikes?
There are a few best smart bike options for different budget ranges on the market. Depending on your training preferences, you can opt for a smart bike that boasts pinpoint accuracy of your fitness tracking or one that offers the most realistic ride feel.
CAROL Bike should be your first choice in both categories. It offers the shortest, most effective workouts—backed by science. It’s designed for people who have minimal time for their cardio workouts and want to achieve superior cardio and metabolic health benefits. REHIT and AI-personalization are the two features that make CAROL Bike unique. Its frame, brake system, and screen have all been meticulously designed to offer an optimal REHIT experience while offering more choice and versatility than most other smart bikes. Just 2×20-second sprints, 3x a week, are scientifically proven to deliver superior health and fitness benefits in 90% less time compared to regular cardio.
CAROL also lets you integrate with third-party apps like Zwift and Kinomap for a virtual riding experience. Elsewhere, the Wahoo KICKR Bike and Tacx NEO Bike are often mentioned in reviews as two other popular smart bikes.
Conclusion
While the more basic exercise bikes still can provide you with a solid cardio workout, a good smart bike will take your indoor cycling to the next level. Innovative technologies will give you accurate insight into your performance, offer a data-driven personalization, and create a cohesive ecosystem for your fitness data with other training apps. If you’re serious about your indoor cycling, a smart bike is the best indoor bike for you.
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