Best Exercise Bikes Under £500
3 Bikes That Won't Wreck Your Wallet (Or Your Knees)
So you want a home gym and you've decided the exercise bike is the right move. Smart choice, honestly — it's low-impact, it doesn't judge you for watching telly while you sweat.
The tricky part is the shopping. Type "exercise bike" into any search bar and you'll get bombarded with everything from £80 wobble-machines that sound like a shopping trolley with a bad wheel, to £2,500 smart bikes that basically require a second mortgage. We're here for the sweet spot: under £500, actually good, and available right now in the UK.
We've dug through the reviews, checked what's actually in stock, and landed on three bikes worth your attention. Fair warning: this market moves fast — discounts appear and disappear like biscuits in an office kitchen — so treat prices as "roughly this" rather than gospel.
The Quick Verdict (For Those Who Just Want an Answer)
Best Overall
Domyos Training Exercise Bike 500
The one that does everything well without breaking the budget
£499
Best Spin-style Option
For people who want to feel like they're in a proper spin class
£399
1. Domyos Training Exercise Bike 500
Best Overall
The price: Around £499.99, sitting right at the edge of our budget like it's daring you to spend one more penny.
If exercise bikes were students, this one would be the reliable all-rounder who does well in every subject without ever pulling an all-nighter. It's not flashy, it's not going to show up in a Peloton advert, but it consistently gets recommended as the best option under £500 — and when review sites keep landing on the same bike, that's not a coincidence, that's a pattern.
Who it's for:
- People who want one bike to do it all — comfortable, capable, and not embarrassing to look at
- Anyone planning to actually use this thing regularly, not just for the first fortnight of a New Year's resolution
- Buyers who want a bike they'll still be happy with in a year, not just impressed with on unboxing day
Why it stands out:
This is the bike equivalent of a good pair of jeans — comfortable, dependable, and it works for pretty much every occasion. It handles regular cardio sessions well, which matters if your goal is consistency rather than the occasional guilt-ride after a big weekend.
The catch:
It's the priciest of our three picks, so if you're just testing the waters with home cardio, it might feel like slightly more commitment than you're ready for. It's also not the cheapest way to get an upright bike into your living room if budget is genuinely tight.
The verdict:
If you only read one section of this review, make it this one. For most people, most of the time, this is the safe bet — the bike you buy when you don't want to overthink it and just want something that works.
Get the Domyos Training Exercise Bike 500 if:
You want the best all-round bike under £500, you're planning to use it properly and regularly, and you'd rather spend a bit more now than regret a cheaper bike in six months.
2. Domyos Basic Exercise Bike 100
Best Budget Buy
The price: Around £299.99 — genuinely one of the more wallet-friendly options that doesn't feel like a compromise.
Think of this one as the reliable hatchback of the exercise bike world. It's not going to win any beauty contests, and nobody's writing a rap song about its Bluetooth connectivity (mostly because it doesn't have any), but it will get you from A to "actually did cardio today" without draining your bank account.
Who it's for:
- Total beginners who aren't sure yet if home cardio is going to stick
- Casual users who want something simple, not a bike with more settings than their washing machine
- Anyone whose main goal is steady, straightforward fitness rather than chasing performance stats
Why it stands out:
It's been praised for being genuinely stable while you ride — which sounds like a low bar until you've used a wobbly bike and spent half your workout gripping the handlebars for dear life instead of pedalling. It's also easy to set up (a genuine miracle in the world of flat-pack fitness equipment) and gives you just enough useful data to track progress without overwhelming you with numbers you don't understand.
The catch:
You get what you pay for, in the nicest possible way. There's no fancy digital platform, no app syncing, no virtual instructor yelling motivational nonsense at you. It's a simpler experience overall — but if your goal is "get on bike, do cardio, get off bike," that's not actually a downside.
The verdict:
This is the smart pick if you want to spend the bare minimum to still get something worthwhile. Don't let the lower price tag fool you into thinking it's a lesser choice — for plenty of people, this is genuinely all the bike they'll ever need.
Get the Domyos Basic Exercise Bike 100 if:
You want to spend as little as possible, you're just starting out with home cardio, or you simply don't need bells, whistles, or Bluetooth to get your heart rate up.
3. Reebok i-Bike Indoor Cycle
Best Spin-Style Option
The price: Around £399.00 — comfortably in the middle of our three picks.
If the two Domyos bikes are the "sensible choice" section of this review, the Reebok is the one for people who watched one too many spin class videos and decided they want that experience at home, minus the questionable playlist and the instructor shouting "FIVE MORE SECONDS" for what feels like five actual minutes.
Who it's for:
- Riders who want a more aggressive, forward-leaning position rather than sitting bolt upright like they're at a garden party
- Anyone who prefers hard interval sessions over a gentle, steady pedal
- People chasing that studio-cycling feel without studio-cycling prices
Why it stands out:
This is the sweet spot between a basic upright bike and the pricier studio machines that start creeping toward four figures. It gives you more of that "proper spin bike" feel — sturdier build, more aggressive riding position — while still landing comfortably under our £500 ceiling.
The catch:
It doesn't have quite the same weight of editorial testing behind it as the two Domyos options, so we'd call this the slightly more adventurous pick of the three. Not a red flag exactly, more of a "here's what we know so far" situation.
The verdict:
If comfort and simplicity aren't your priority — if you genuinely want to sweat buckets and pretend you're back in a Tuesday evening spin class — this is the one to go for.
Get the Reebok i-Bike Indoor Cycle if:
You want more of a spin-class experience, you like your workouts hard and interval-based, and comfort ranks below intensity on your list of priorities.
Upright vs. Spin-Style:
Which Should You Actually Choose?
Go Upright
Go Spin
- Comfort over intensity
- Something simple you won't need a manual for
- General cardio fitness, fat loss, or steady home workouts
- A bike that won't make your thighs file a formal complaint on day one
This is your Domyos territory — either the Basic 100 or the Training 500, depending on your budget.
- Interval training that actually challenges you
- A more intense, leaned-forward riding position
- Something that feels closer to an actual studio class
This is where the Reebok i-Bike comes in — built for people who want their home cardio to feel like a workout, not a leisurely pedal while watching soap operas.
The Final Word
If we had to send you off with one recommendation, it's the Domyos Training Exercise Bike 500. It's the safest bet, the best all-rounder, and the one most likely to still be earning its keep in your home gym a year from now rather than gathering dust as an expensive coat rack.
That said — if your budget is tighter, the Domyos Basic Exercise Bike 100 is a genuinely smart choice, not just a consolation prize. And if you're after something with a bit more spin-class swagger, the Reebok i-Bike deserves a serious look.
Whichever one you go for, remember: the best exercise bike is the one you'll actually use, not the one sitting in a corner holding your washing.
Quick FAQ
What's the best exercise bike under £500 in the UK?
The Domyos Training Exercise Bike 500 is our top pick for most buyers.
What's the best budget exercise bike for beginners?
The Domyos Basic Exercise Bike 100 — simple, stable, and easy on the wallet.
Are spin bikes better than upright exercise bikes?
Neither is objectively "better" — it depends whether you want comfort and simplicity or a harder, more intense ride.
Is £500 enough for a decent home exercise bike?
Yes, especially for general cardio and consistent home training. Just keep your expectations matched to the price bracket — you're not getting a Peloton-rivalling touchscreen for £300.