Credit:
Reviewed / Tim Renzi
An excercise bike designed to take on Peloton.
The S22i is one of NordicTrack’s most popular exercise bike models. Like other connected exercise bikes, the S22i features a touchscreen to stream cycling classes from its exercise programming platform, iFit. The S22i’s 22-inch HD touchscreen tilts and rotates 360 degrees for easy viewing during off-bike exercise classes.
During cycling classes, you can use the auto-follow setting to match your instructor’s incline and resistance automatically or set your own levels. (Unlike other stationary bikes, the S22i has both incline and decline settings for a more immersive workout experience.) The S22i ranges from a 20% incline to a 10% decline and it has 24 levels of resistance. You can use it with or without cleats and it comes with two 3-pound dumbbells that you occasionally use during iFit classes.
It’s 61 inches long, 22 inches wide, and 58 inches tall, about average for an exercise bike. It weighs 205 pounds and has a 350-pound weight limit—one of the better weight capacities among bikes we’ve tested.
The S22i costs $1,999, and you get a 30-day free trial of iFit. After your trial period, an iFit membership costs $39 a month, or you can pay upfront for an extended plan and save some money. A year-long membership costs $396 ($33 a month), a two-year membership costs $699 ($29 a month), and a three-year membership costs $899 ($25 a month).
Shipping is free, but you can upgrade to room-of-choice delivery and assembly for $199.
It’s less than our favorite exercise bike, the Peloton Bike+, which costs $2,495 plus a $44 monthly membership fee. However, our best “basic” bike, the Schwinn IC4, costs only $999—though, you won’t have a touchscreen to stream exercise classes on.
Credit:
Reviewed / Tim Renzi
You can do training regiments with iFit, as well as take off-bike courses for strength and other exercises.
The S22i made it easy to get my heart pumping and legs working. I just hopped on the seat, started a class, and let the bike do the rest. The auto-follow setting makes it easy to focus on your instructor and your feet as the bike automatically adjusts to various inclines and resistance levels.
iFit offers thousands of classes spanning all expert levels and durations. I enjoyed taking classes anywhere from 30-45 minutes at the intermediate level. I don’t cycle often, but these classes didn’t feel too challenging or overwhelming. I was able to push myself and get my heart rate up without worrying about injuring myself or feeling too fatigued to finish class.
You can still adjust the difficulty to your liking when using the auto-follow setting. When you adjust the incline or resistance, iFit modifies the rest of your session accordingly. This made it easy to adjust the difficulty without having to start over and find a whole new class.
While I love cycling for a low-impact cardio workout, I enjoy switching up my routine with strength training and yoga sessions for a more well-rounded exercise regimen. iFit offers all sorts of workout classes, and the S22i’s swivel screen makes it easy to follow your instructor during off-bike sessions.
I enjoy iFit’s strength, yoga, and Pilates classes just as much as its cycling programming. The instructors are equally as fun and informative, and there are hundreds of classes to choose from based on your experience level, desired duration, and goals.
Though spin bikes aren’t necessarily known for being as noisy as treadmills or rowers, I was pleasantly surprised at how quiet this bike is. Its electromagnetic resistance is near silent, even when the incline and resistance levels adjust.
The bike’s almost silent operation makes it easy to hear your music and instructor, and you don’t have to worry about disturbing neighbors during early-morning workouts.
Credit:
Reviewed / Tim Renzi
The seat can be a bit stiff.
The seat is too stiff for my liking and gets uncomfortable during bike rides longer than 30 minutes. After a handful of rides, it started to wear in and now feels more bearable, but I would still recommend a good seat cover to make your workouts more pleasant.
The S22i has a 4.8-star rating on NordicTrack’s website from more than 100 reviews. Many reviewers love the quality of the bike and iFit’s workout classes.
“We have really enjoyed the bike so after a couple of months,” one reviewer says. “The variety of rides and trainers is great. Trainers are top notch and the exercise regimen is challenging but flexible enough to adapt to your level of fitness. Highly recommend!”
The main complaints users have about the S22i is that it can be difficult to figure out how to set up and adjust, and that iFit can be difficult to navigate.
“The screen is somewhat insensitive to touch,” one reviewer says. “Sometimes you really have to pound on it to get it to respond. It is also a little too far away to reach easily when riding. As far as getting started with the bike, the manual is not all that great. It is hard to figure out basic settings at first, like how to adjust volume for the trainer and music. The ‘follow the trainer’ auto-adjust is confusing and [getting] to the settings and toggles is not very obvious.”
NordicTrack offers one of the better warranties compared to those offered by competing brands we’ve tested—10 years on the frame, two years on parts, and one year on labor.
You can purchase a three-year extended warranty for parts and labor for $200, or a three-year maintenance plan which extends the parts and labor warranties to three years each and includes an annual fifteen-point maintenance check.
Credit:
Reviewed / Tim Renzi
It’s a good alternative to Peloton.
I love using the S22i. iFit’s classes are fun and challenging and it’s easy to adjust the workouts to your abilities and goals. The bike is quiet and its 350-pound weight limit means people with many different body types can use it.
My only complaint is the seat isn’t very comfortable, especially on longer rides. However, it started to break in after a few sessions, and if it’s still stiff, this can easily be solved with a good seat cover.
S22i
The S22i is a great exercise bike and iFit’s classes are some of the best we’ve tried.
Esther Bell
Senior Staff Writer, Health and Fitness
Esther is a writer at Reviewed covering all things health and fitness.
See all of Esther Bell’s reviews
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A decline in health and fitness isn’t inevitable once you cross into your seventies. Just take look at the recent snaps of Pierce Brosnan — age 70 — shirt off in the wilds of Yellowstone National Park. Or think of Angela Rippon, 79, high-kicking it on Strictly; Helen Mirren, 78, on the red carpet; or the verve of Bruce Springsteen, playing a three-hour set in Hyde Park, London, in the summer at the age of 73. These are just four examples of a host of septuagenarians and octogenarians who have demonstrated that vitality is possible at any age — if you’re prepared to work for it.
Skeletal muscle mass and strength decline more rapidly as we age and can affect physical performance, but this
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Many people would see cerebral palsy as a barrier to a physically demanding career.
But Connor Johnstone has refused to allow his disability to hold him back.
He’s a fully qualified personal trainer with a degree in sports science and a masters in strength and conditioning.
Connor Johnstone also competed in the 2024 World Para Jiu-Jitsu Championships in Abu Dhabi. (Instagram: Connor Johnstone)
Now he’s determined to help other people with a disability who struggle exercising in the gym.
But he hasn’t always been so self-confident.
“I may not have been able to perform the movements in the gym that everyone else could, so that used to always be at the back of my mind, or I felt like I wasn’t smart enough,” he said.
“I think that’s just, all those things you tend to label yourself [with], rather than what actually is reality.”
Connor wants to help others who are struggling to exercise in the gym. (Instagram)
Encouragement from his parents and therapists helped.
“One of the biggest things for me is always trying to find a way to adapt,” he said.
It’s something he also teaches his clients.
“At one of my other practices, there were a lot of children with autism, and I was finding fun ways to do things because they don’t find generic exercises as stimulating or fun,” he said.
Connor Johnstone helps a client work out. (Supplied)
Shaznaye Bin Kali, 15, also challenges perceptions of what a typical gym-goer looks like.
She lives with hemiplegia, a condition that has affected the left side of her body, impacting her arms, legs, and facial muscles.
But at her weekly sessions with her dedicated personal trainer, Grant Gillon, she’s found a space where she feels empowered and supported.
“Shaz started, and she hasn’t looked back. She looks forward to coming to see me every Friday,” Grant said.
Shaznaye Bin Kali with her personal trainer Grant Gillon. (ABC News)
Shaznaye said she enjoyed playful banter with Grant as she exercises.
“I like lap pull downs, bench press, jumping on the bike, tennis, footy, and frisbee,” she said.
One of the things that bonded the two was Grant’s later-in-life ADHD diagnosis, which he believes has helped him positively connect with clients who have a disability.
“How I think is very similar to a lot of other people with disabilities, and I can be quite sporadic, and I often need to take a step back and try and settle myself,” he said.
“I know for myself there’s often things that I needed to be repeated quite a few times.”
Shaznaye Bin Kali working out with Grant Gillon. (ABC News)
Grant said he’s learned to be more accommodating.
“That’s probably the biggest one. And thinking on my feet,” he said.
Grant said if things don’t work out during his training sessions with clients, he tries to “keep the momentum going” by moving onto the next thing.
“You can’t dwell too much on it,” he said.
Grant’s ADHD diagnosis has helped him connect with clients. (ABC News)
Grant said working with Shaznaye meant a longer set up time to make sure she could train safely.
“We make sure that she’s got a firm grip, or often, I’ll be holding my hand over the top first making sure her grip doesn’t fall off,” Grant said.
“And sometimes we’ll be changing different attachments and handles to see if we can actually get her a little bit of a better grip.”
Grant says he likes to make the gym accessible for everyone. (ABC News)
Grant said he wanted to become a personal trainer because fitness had always been an important part of his life and he wanted to make sure others had the opportunity to participate.
“[The gym] is not always accessible to everyone,” he said.
“I guess that’s probably one of the main motivating factors [for me].”
Grant would like to see more disabled personal trainers in the industry.
“I think the one thing that hinders some people is that they feel inadequate, which can depend on the disability,” he said.
“People might think they won’t be respected due to their disability, or they don’t feel they’re up to par.”
Grant Gillon loves his work as a personal trainer, especially helping clients like Shaznaye Bin Kali. (ABC News: Mitchell Edgar )
Grant’s advice to any aspiring personal trainer who has a disability would be just getting out there and getting involved in learning through experience.
“I’m very passionate what I do, and I enjoy seeing results,” he said.
“I don’t see what I do is anything like amazing or special. I almost feel selfish because it’s something that I really enjoy.”
Connor feels the same way.
“If you’re passionate about something, you can always make it work.”
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