There’s no doubt the COVID-19 pandemic has made it harder to stay in shape. Many people have avoided gyms or other in-person studio classes in order to protect themselves and others as they adjust to a new world of fitness.
While people with single family homes might have had an easier time arranging their houses to make way for home gym setups, people who live in apartment buildings or condos most likely don’t have the same amount of space.
With that, the Home Cyclists team wanted to present a resource for people looking to do their homework on what exercise bikes and studio bikes make for the best home SPIN classes while living in their apartments or condos. We’ll dive into some of the most common examples as well as a few unique alternative designs that might fit even the tightest of living quarters.
The quick list of top studio bikes for apartments and condos:
- Best OVERALL exercise bike for an apartment: Schwinn IC4
- Best high-end exercise bike for apartments: NordicTrak
- Best budget exercise bike for apartments: JOROTO (belt drive)
- Best alternative size exercise bike for apartments: MagneTrainer
- Best folding exercise bike for apartments: Exerpeutic Folding Bike
The best overall studio bike for apartments:

There is definitely an argument to be made here for the “bike that rhymes with schmeloton” but we’ll abstain. Just know that you will naturally impress your friends and family if you somehow get the Peloton sitting pretty in a small one-bedroom apartment or condo.
That being said, Our pick here is the Schwinn IC4. It doesn’t require much space, can easily be moved on its wheels, is relatively light, and also simply looks great.
Best high-end exercise bike for condos and apartments
In order to avoid sounding like Peloton obsessives, we’re also going to caveat this by saying of course a Peloton would look great wherever you live (maybe not in an RV we guess, but even then…)

Our vote for top high-end bike that also fits nicely into smaller spaces is the NordicTrak (full review here). It’s got all the bells and whistles as the highest of high end bikes, endless classes and home workouts, and doesn’t break as much of your bank as some of the more expensive equipment you could buy.
Best budget studio bike for your apartment
If you’re looking to save some cash but also want to buy a decent exercise bike on a budget, then look no further than the JOROTO with the belt drive. This bike is under $500 and has just the right amount of functionality to keep even an intermediate spin class affectionate happy. It won’t break your bank, can be easily moved around, and keeps a small footprint relative to some of the other budget bikes.
This is probably one of the best starting points for beginner home SPIN class folks who don’t feel ready to invest into one of the above bikes but also want to make sure they’re not buying a piece of junk.
Top-rated alternative size exercise bike for small living spaces

If you’re looking at the above and thinking, “no, absolutely not, none of that would fit in my broom closet of a housing arrangement” then we highly suggest looking into a mini exercise bike.
The MagneTrainer mini exercise bike will fit into literally any arrangement, and can even slide right under a desk or table for not only easy access during your busy day but also for easy storage.
Best folding exercise bike for small spaces
Everyone remembers the scene in Goldilocks and the Three Bears where she finally finds the meal and bed that is just right. For you, that might be a mix of a mini exercise bike with a bit more functionality avialable for a standard stand-up exercise bike. Folding exercise bikes are often the “just right” exercise bike for apartments and condos as they can easily be folded up and placed in a closet, brought out only when needed for a quick workout.
We recommend the Exerpeutic folding bike for those looking for a great build at an even better price. It’s got a little bit of technology built into it so you can track your health improvements as you make progress as well as a stronger build than other similarily priced exercise equipment.
For anyone else looking for a wide range of exercise bike reviews, you can take a deep dive into our entire list of reviews from everything to Peloton to sub-$500 exercise equipment.
It’s important to find the bike that will best fit not only your lifestyle but your living arrangements, so if you have any questions drop a comment below and one of our expert bike reviewers will get back to you in a timely manner!
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