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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