Move over Peloton — I’ve been testing this exercise bike, and it’s over $1,000 cheaper than the Peloton Bike+

The Echelon EX-5s Smart Connect Bike could be one of the best exercise bikes out there and offers an excellent option for at-home cardio. The touch screen display elevates the experience with great coaching software to motivate your workouts.

It’s highly adjustable for a variety of heights and looks good. But with a hefty $400 annual membership fee, this commitment won’t be for everyone. And the tedious assembly process could put you off too.

If you want to find out more about the exercise bike, keep on reading this Echelon EX-5s Smart Connect Bike review.

Echelon EX-5s Smart Connect Bike review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? An exercise bike with an integrated coaching system
• Who is it for? Anyone who needs motivational at-home gym equipment
• What does it cost? The Echelon EX-5s is available for $1,299/£1,349
• What do we like? It’s cheaper than rivals; easy-to-use display screen and coaching software; attractive design with lots of adjustability
• What don’t we like? Membership is pretty pricey, and assembly can be tedious

Echelon EX-5s Smart Connect Bike review: Specs

Echelon EX-5s Smart Connect Bike review: Price & availability

The Echelon EX-5s Smart Connect Bike is available in the U.S. from Walmart for $1,299 and directly from Echelon Fit for $1,299. It can be purchased in the U.K. at Amazon for £1,349.

The EX-5s is a decent, cheaper option if you’re not inclined to pay the premium price of a Peloton Bike+, which costs $2,695. The Peloton offers a good range of workouts and can help you reach goals, but the EX-5s does that too.

Having the display screen enhances the workout experience over something a little more basic, like the Wattbike Air, which costs $2,395 but requires you to use your own phone or tablet if you want to follow workouts.

To get access to the workout plans and classes (which the Echelon bike is pretty worthless without), you’ll need to purchase a membership, as is the case with the likes of Peloton. The Echelon membership costs $39 per month and will give you access to live classes as well as pre-recorded ones. You can also purchase an annual plan that costs $399.

While this may seem a lot for an exercise bike, a membership will allow you to access classes on all Echelon machines, as well as HIIT workouts. This is totally worth it for someone who doesn’t have the time to get to the gym and would be more comfortable working out from the comfort of their own home.

You can also buy additional equipment to track progress, including the heart rate monitor for $129 from Echelon that can be paired with the bike so you can see your biometrics in real time on the screen in front of you as you work out. This is great for tracking your metrics in real time, and can help you decide whether to go a little harder or take it slow.

Echelon EX-5s Smart Connect Bike review: Design

Firstly, you obviously have to get to the point where the bike is set up… which took two hours. There are a lot of moving parts here, so it’s no surprise it takes a while, but it was still a long and tedious process.

It’s hard to innovate the exercise bike — I mean, it’s a bike. But it seems that Echelon has done everything they can to make the EX-5s bike look as sleek as possible, from red trim to a sleek display screen. It’s far easier on the eye than the Echelon EX-3 ($949), which is a lot taller and looks a bit more like a strange abstract sculpture. It’s also a lot less chunky than the Wattbike Air, so I have more room when it's set up.

The bike is pretty big but not at all chunky like the Wattbike Air. It measures 52 x 50 x 20 inches and is suitable for users ranging in height from 4’5” to 6’8”. I’m 5’3”, so I fit on that scale nicely and was able to adjust the bike to get to my most comfortable position with ease.

The seat of the bike can be adjusted by 10 inches up or down, and four inches forward or backward. I kept the seat at height four and forward on three. The handlebars can also be adjusted six inches up or down and three inches forward or backward. I used these pulled all the way toward me on number one, as I found this to be best for my posture. All of this adjustment is super simple and can be achieved by simply twisting a few handles to slacken and tighten.

More adjustment can be found at the pedals, where you can strap your feet to the bike and make the fit as tight as you need, so you feel secure while cycling. On the other side of the pedals, you’ll find SPD-cleat holsters, so if you have cycling shoes already, you can clip in securely.

The bike offers 32 levels of manual magnetic resistance, and these can be cycled through using the red knob just in front of the saddle, or can be increased in increments of five on the display screen. This 21.5-inch touch screen display is a great addition to have on the bike. With the Wattbike Air, you have to rely on your mobile phone or tablet as the screen to follow workouts, which can become a little tiring. It’s nice having a dedicated device for the job, even if it is running some pretty janky Android software (updating the thing during setup was a bit of a nightmare, but after that it worked fine).

There are two wheels on the base of the bike at the front, and it’s a good thing too, because otherwise this thing would be pretty much impossible to move. It weighs a whopping 124 pounds, so if that’s a deal breaker, it would be worth something more basic like the Yosuda Indoor Cycling Stationary Bike ($300).

The bike has two spacious water bottle holders under the display screen, so you can hold plenty of fluids for rehydration. The holders can be a little awkward to get to, though, since they’re directly behind the handlebars. Behind the seat, there are also dumbbell holders for easy access to some weights (which are not included) if your workout session calls for them.

Echelon EX-5s Smart Connect Bike review: Software & classes

Once I had the EX-5s up and running, I logged into my Echelon account on the display and was instantly met with a huge variety of classes from a bunch of different instructors. I was able to pick an instructor or type of class I liked, or even a course that spans over a couple of days or weeks.

There’s something for everyone, from low-impact and beginner options to advanced classes that increase your heart rate and give you an effective burn. And the way the courses are presented makes them look anything but daunting. It lets you know the level of the class you're taking and takes you through a quick description of the aims of the class. I found this super helpful in selecting what I wanted to take on.

The classes are labeled with their soundtrack types, including electronic, pop, indie hits, and many more. My music-geek heart hates to admit that I didn’t know any of the songs played, but since the instructors were talking over the tracks the whole time to motivate me, I didn’t mind.

The metrics on the screen change instantly in accordance with your pedal speed and resistance settings, and you even get averages to keep you on track. The instructors tell you what cadence you should be aiming for and how to adjust resistance for better results. It feels very similar to an in-person spin class. You can also choose from guided scenic routes if you’re in the mood for something more calming.

There is an element of community with the bike too, much like Peloton, where you can find encouragement and some light rivalry with other users through the interactive leaderboard during live workouts. You can also connect with friends and family. I like that you can link to fitness apps, including Strava, Apple Health, and Fitbit, for tracking too.

Echelon EX-5s Smart Connect Bike review: Performance

The Echelon EX-5s Smart Connect Bike is pretty much everything you could need from home gym equipment. It’s like your own personal motivator, but it helps that it’s super simple to use.

I tried out a 20-minute beginner class to get used to the bike, and I would recommend that even seasoned cyclists try this, as it guided me through the controls of the bike during my workout. This was great because I could learn on-the-go. This class combined elements of mindfulness and took me through a mind-to-muscle connection with breathing exercises. The bike was super comfortable for the entirety of this session.

Once I was familiar with the controls, I headed over to a 20-minute advanced session. Again, the coaching was great, and the bike was mostly comfortable, but at higher speeds and when standing up to ride, it felt a little unstable. Nothing scary, mind you, and I didn’t feel like I would go flying off, but it wasn’t as secure as the station bikes at the gym.

I especially enjoyed the feedback received on screen. I knew how well I was doing during my workout as the instructors would dictate expected metrics, and I would ensure my numbers lined up. Also, it’s pretty quiet to use — you can just hear the whirring of the pedals, which is to be expected.

Echelon EX-5s Smart Connect Bike review: Verdict

The Echelon EX-5s Smart Connect Bike is a great home-gym solution for anyone, beginner or seasoned cyclist, who wants to implement some cardio into their routine. It’s cheaper than a Peloton, but still offers excellent workout performance and elite coaching to motivate you towards your goals. The touch screen display is convenient and simple to use, and the high levels of adjustability on the bike mean it can be customized to suit you.

Unfortunately, that membership comes with a hefty price tag of $399 a year (yikes), but you do get access to a huge selection of workouts, not just the bike sessions. So if you’re willing to shuck off the gym membership, then this is surely the way to go.