BowFlex Velocore Bike Assessment (2024): Lean With It, Rock With It

The finest train bikes might help you construct and keep a low-impact health routine that may assist strengthen your cardio functionality, assist in weight reduction, scale back blood stress, and help psychological well being. (1)(2) Whereas you’ll find a budget-friendly bike to help your indoor biking objectives, a premium machine — just like the BowFlex Velocore — has 100 ranges of magnetic resistance, an immersive 22-inch touchscreen to stream JRNY programming, and the power to make amends for your Netflix exhibits. Most noticeably, a side-to-side lean performance could make you’re feeling such as you’re biking a velodrome monitor from the consolation of your house fitness center.

It’s possible you’ll be questioning if the VeloCore’s $2,199 price ticket is value it — or in the event you’re going to be left dissatisfied. That will help you alongside, BarBend’s roster of licensed private trainers and cyclists put this bike to the take a look at, leaning so far as we might to every aspect and sweating alongside to JRNY programming. We’ll get into the main points of our biking expertise under, however in the event you’re searching for an indoor train bike that may higher replicate the road-biking expertise (and also you’ve bought the cash), this can be the machine for you.

BowFlex VeloCore Bike

Bowflex options an progressive leaning mode and may help customers as much as 325 kilos. Plus, you will obtain a two month free trial to JRNY together with your buy.

Principal Takeaways

• This upright train bike has a leaning mode that lets you tilt back and forth as in the event you had been taking corners outside on a street bike.
• The 22-inch HD touchscreen is built-in with the JRNY health app and options an array of onboard leisure choices, together with apps like Netflix. 
• You will get this bike with two completely different display screen sizes — nevertheless, the 16-inch HD touchscreen is just not accessible on Amazon.

The BowFlex VeloCore is likely one of the prime rivals of the Peloton bike, with a 22-inch HD touchscreen, built-in programming to take your coaching up a notch, and a singular leaning mode that enables customers to tilt back and forth like they’re driving a kind of bike video video games at Dave N’ Busters. “The VeloCore is a extremely enjoyable experience,” famous our tester, a CrossFit Degree-1 coach.

Whereas it could be “enjoyable,” the 100 ranges of magnetic resistance present a variety of depth for novice and seasoned riders seeking to break a sweat and reap the feel-good advantages an train bike has to supply. 

The metal construct can help customers as much as 325 kilos in each stationary mode and leaning mode. Plus, the 33-pound flywheel helps to create a clean and extra road-like expertise, permitting for extra momentum, particularly as you improve resistance to simulate uphill climbs.

[Related: Benefits of Exercise Bikes]

This bike is on the market with both a 22-inch or 16-inch touchscreen that’s built-in with JRNY, a health app with on-demand studio lessons, scenic rides by way of Discover the World, and entry to widespread streamers like Netflix and Hulu. 

JRNY additionally gives adaptive exercises, which means it might probably analyze your health degree to offer you suggestions for lessons and rides which can be finest suited to your degree of potential. 

Whereas a subscription isn’t crucial to make use of the bike, you’ll want the JRNY membership to entry the display screen’s full capabilities, from built-in programming to leisure app accessibility. After a free two-month trial, JRNY All-Entry prices $19.99 a month or $149 for the 12 months.

We just like the adjustability of this bike — its seat is adjustable 4 methods and the handlebars can be adjusted. Plus, it gives a number of grip choices for probably the most ergonomic hand placement. 

Our tester pedaled of their sneakers, however customers can flip the toe cages round to clip in. “I recognize when a motorcycle has toe cages and SPD clips, so I can select between trainers or a extra dialed-in expertise with biking footwear,” they famous.

There’s a 90-day return, refund, or substitute window on Amazon — so  lengthy because the product is in its unique situation. Nonetheless, whereas Amazon mentions a 10-year body, three-year components, and one-year labor guarantee, the precise producer’s guarantee is two-years body and components one-year labor. 

That is far lower than what our tester would have preferred to see: “For train bikes at this worth level, the usual is a 10- to 15-year body guarantee, so this leaves us wanting extra.” 

Coaching With the BowFlex VeloCore 

“There’s a motive children are inspired to discover ways to experience a motorcycle from a younger age: It’s enjoyable, and it’s nice train!” says BarBend knowledgeable reviewer Amanda Capritto, CPT, CF-L1, CES, CSNC. As adults, the enjoyable doesn’t should cease. 

Biking on the VeloCore gives customers with 100 ranges of resistance that may be adjusted with the resistance knob, a touchscreen to completely immerse you in content material and programming, and a leaning mode that targets your core and higher replicates the expertise of driving a street bike outside. This feature-rich bike makes it a robust contender when searching for the finest dwelling fitness center tools to help your objectives.

BarBend is full of health fanatics, from licensed private trainers and CrossFit coaches to biking hobbyists, and our workforce has tried and examined greater than 30 of the most well-liked train bikes in the marketplace. We bought in a number of exercises on the BowFlex VeloCore and to give you a transparent understanding of our findings, we scored classes corresponding to tech capabilities, sturdiness, and adjustability on a scale from 1 (yuck) to five (we find it irresistible). See our findings under. 

Settling In

Getting arrange on this bike is straightforward, with four-way seat changes to fine-tune an ideal match. As soon as within the saddle, you possibly can decide to slide your sneakers into the toe cages or flip the dual-sided pedals round and lock in with a pair of biking footwear with SPD clips. 

The handlebars modify vertically — most customers will need these aligned intently with their seat top. (BowFlex claims the handlebars have four-way-adjustability, however our tester solely discovered there to be vertical adjustability.) 

“I dialed in a snug match, nevertheless, I do want that the seat had padding,” famous our tester, an authorized private coach. They scored ergonomics and adjustability a 4.5 out of 5.

Show

The BowFlex VeloCore is likely one of the finest train bikes with screens for good motive. The HD touchscreen is a whopping 22 inches — one of many largest screens we’ve seen on a chunk of train tools — however there’s additionally an equivalent mannequin with a 16-inch display screen which might prevent a pair hundred {dollars}. 

In response to our tester, “The display screen is vivid and crisp, and offered a ton of coaching metrics.” You’ll discover time, interval, energy burned, distance, coronary heart fee, and extra on the show. Moreover, customers can tilt this monitor forwards and again to make sure they’re not straining their neck throughout rides. 

JRNY App

JRNY is the digital health platform built-in into the VeloCore’s show. It presents entry to trainer-led lessons, scenic rides by way of Discover the World, and programming from apps like Netflix and  Amazon Prime Video (subscription required). 

Moreover, JRNY presents a health evaluation that may assist the app study your health degree so it might probably advocate lessons and customized coaching that fits your potential. “I preferred that JRNY tracked my milestones, rewarding me the extra I took lessons,” talked about our tester, who gave dynamic programming a 5 out of 5.

[Related: Best Fitness Apps]

Whereas there are a whole lot of on-demand spin lessons you possibly can take, there’s additionally quite a lot of off-bike exercises, corresponding to pilates, yoga, energy coaching, and extra. Whilst you can stream these lessons from the HD touchscreen, you can too stream them proper out of your cellphone or pill, providing you with the power to take your exercise wherever you need. 

Nonetheless, our tester wasn’t impressed with the trainer-led studio lessons. “The lessons felt a little bit bland, and I want that the display screen supported different programming so I might do my Peloton rides on this bike.”

Subscription to JRNY prices $19.99 a month or $149 a 12 months after a free two-month trial. That is decrease in price than subscription providers like NordicTrack’s iFIT ($39/month) and Peloton All-Entry ($44/month). “With out a subscription you’ll solely have entry to a couple built-in exercises,” our tester famous. 

Compatibility

Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities mean you can pair this bike with third-party apps like Zwift or Peloton. Whilst you gained’t be capable of stream this programming by way of the touchscreen, there’s a media shelf the place you possibly can prop up your smartphone or pill. Tech capabilities scored a 5 out of 5.

Resistance

100 ranges of magnetic resistance will be manually adjusted with a flip knob to extend or lower your coaching depth, making this bike appropriate for each low-intensity rides and high-intensity coaching. Customizations earned a 4.5 out of 5. 

Our tester famous, “It’s a variety of resistance, but it surely needs to be adjusted manually, which means you gained’t discover any buttons that crank the resistance up for you.” 

The 33-pound flywheel is sweet — it’s 1 pound heavier than the NordicTrack S22i’s flywheel, however 5 kilos lighter than the Peloton’s — and can present ample momentum as you pedal throughout its 100 ranges of magnetic resistance. (3) You’ll additionally discover a pair of 3-pound dumbbells that dangle from cradles on the entrance of the bike, which might help you tone your higher physique whilst you spin. 

Lean

“You gained’t discover incline or decline capabilities on this bike,” talked about our tester, “Nonetheless, it’s one of many few machines I’ve ever seen that enables the rider to lean back and forth.”  

With its angled positioning, the Velocore’s leaning function works to imitate the expertise of taking tender curves on an actual street bike, which ought to really feel good for out of doors bikers unable to lace up as a result of climate or different circumstances. Whereas immersive and enjoyable, this lean functionality can even assist to focus on your core, arms, and stabilization muscle tissues, all of that are activated as your physique positioning tilts. In contrast to recumbent bikes which goal to maintain the rider in probably the most upright and stationary place attainable, this bike was constructed for motion.

 [Related: Best Recumbent Bikes]

Whereas lots of JRNY’s biking applications incorporate this performance, customers can decide to lock this mode in the event that they’re not eager to lean. 

Moreover, our tester was shocked that they didn’t really feel just like the bike was going to topple over when leaning back and forth. They had been additionally impressed that it might probably help customers as much as 325 pound — 25 kilos greater than the trade customary — each in stationary and leaning modes. Sturdiness scored a 4.5 out of 5.

What to Think about Earlier than Shopping for the BowFlex VeloCore Bike

In response to BarBend knowledgeable reviewer Amanda Capritto, CPT, CES, CNC, CF-L1, CSNC, “There are two key teams of individuals I see benefitting from indoor train bikes probably the most: Individuals who want a low-impact strategy to do cardio train, and athletes coaching for an occasion who want a strategy to carry out structured interval coaching.” 

Whereas many train bikes can present fundamental coaching and cardio, it’s vital to think about the next components to find out if the BowFlex VeloCore is true to your wants.

[Related: What to Look for When Buying an Indoor Cycle, According to a Spin Instructor]

House

“It’s straightforward to get caught up within the glitz and glamor of sparkly, huge [exercise equipment], however the actuality is that most individuals don’t have the house… Many individuals are making do with what they’ve: A nook of their bed room, a slice of lounge, possibly a spare walk-in closet,” says Capritto. 

Whereas train bikes are likely to take up much less ground house than treadmills, ellipticals, and rowing machines, it’s nonetheless crucial that you just measure your accessible house and examine that with the footprint of the bike you’re contemplating. 

The VeloCore takes up 10.01 sq. toes, nevertheless, BowFlex recommends having a exercise space of 35 sq. toes to accommodate your coaching. We will safely assume that that is to offer you room to lean with out knocking your head right into a wall.

Tech Capabilities

“Bikes [with streaming capabilities] have develop into ultra-popular amongst individuals who love the health studio vibes that come from interactive exercise periods,” notes Capritto. 

This bike’s 22-inch contact display screen and JRNY app integration present simply that. When you’re occupied with a unique model of health programming, corresponding to iFIT or Peloton, you gained’t be capable of stream these providers from this bike’s touchscreen. 

Nonetheless, due to the Bluetooth capabilities on this bike, it is possible for you to to pair the Zwift and Peloton apps with this bike and take lessons or cruise via digital programs from your individual machine. Subscriptions required, clearly. 

You may also entry leisure apps like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video by way of the homescreen, to not point out Discover the World, an app full of scenic rides that span the globe. You’ll, nevertheless, want subscriptions to Netflix and Amazon Prime Video to entry that content material. 

Whereas there’s an excellent quantity of tech capabilities on the VeloCore, it’s all depending on whether or not that tech works for you and in case you have the subscriptions (or are prepared to get the subscriptions) that’ll make this bike actually sing. For these disinterested in programming, and are simply searching for a motorcycle to hop on and experience, this will not be a really perfect alternative for you.

[Related: Best Exercise Bikes with Virtual Courses]

Value

When you’ve bought money to burn and also you merely need a high-tech train bike, you do you, boo — pull the set off and complement your coaching with this bike’s 100 ranges of resistance, leaning mode, and 22-inch HD touchscreen. When you’re on the fence about the fee, you’ll need to take into account if this $2,199 bike helps your coaching objectives. 

The side-to-side lean is one thing you gained’t discover on different high-end train bikes, plus the JRNY app subscription ($19.99) is round half the month-to-month price of Peloton ($44) and iFIT ($39). Nonetheless, you’ll want JRNY to utilize the massive 22-inch touchscreen, because it gained’t do a lot however take up house with no subscription. Earlier than shopping for this bike, take into account the added subscription prices on prime of the bike’s price ticket. 

Setup

“You’ll need an additional pair of arms that will help you transfer the field this bike is available in,” famous our tester, “And in the event that they’ll stick round that will help you set the whole lot up, that’s an additional bonus because it took me three hours to construct this bike on my own.” 

They added that the whole lot was packaged properly and guarded throughout cargo, however that sure components lacked clear labeling, which made for a troublesome construct.

On Amazon, you will have the choice of paying for Room-of-Selection Supply ($19.99), by which supply professionals will transfer your merchandise into the room of your alternative. You may also splurge on Deluxe Supply and Meeting ($129.99) and have your new tools delivered to your room of alternative, checked for defects or injury, and assembled. This meeting is a steal in comparison with BowFlex’s related service, which prices $199.

[Related: Best Exercise Bikes on Amazon]

BowFlex VeloCore Vs. The Competitors

We’ve put collectively a chart of among the finest high-end spin bikes so you possibly can examine how they stack up in opposition to each other. The next choices had been chosen as a result of their HD touchscreens with streaming capabilities and related worth factors.

The BowFlex VeloCore is the most costly bike upfront, however JRNY, the app built-in into its touchscreen, is likely one of the most inexpensive apps on an train bike. We additionally like that it provides customers entry to Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, in contrast to the NordicTrack S22i, which gained’t enable customers to stream leisure outdoors of iFIT’s health lessons and scenic rides. Additionally, it’s the one comparable bike with a leaning mode perform.

The BowFlex VeloCore goes toe-to-toe with Peloton, Stryde, and NordicTrack S22i’s display screen dimension, and all choices have crisp HD screens that assist present an immersive coaching expertise. Customers searching for micro-adjustable resistance as much as 100 ranges will discover the NordicTrack S22i falls brief with its 24 ranges.

The place BowFlex VeloCore disappoints, in comparison with the competitors, is with its two-year body and components and one-year labor guarantee. This body guarantee is lower than half of what the Peloton Bike and Stryde Bike provide, and eight years lower than the NordicTrack S22i’s guarantee. 

Our knowledgeable reviewer Amanda Capritto CPT, CF-L1, CES, CSNC, likes to advocate bikes with “a minimum of 5 years on the body, two years on components, and one 12 months for labor.”

[Related: NordicTrack S22i Exercise Bike Review]

Locations to Purchase the BowFlex VeloCore

You should buy the BowFlex VeloCore by way of Amazon or Scheels.

Buyer Expertise

Our tester ordered this BowFlex VeloCore off of BowFlex, however this bike is not bought via their web site. Nonetheless, the whole lot was packaged very well from the producer, which ought to be the case even when bought from Amazon or Scheel. 

When purchasing with Amazon, you possibly can count on the next choices for supply. 

• Free Inside Entryway Supply: The train bike is delivered to the primary dry space of your residence.
• Room of Selection Supply ($19.99): The train bike is delivered to the room of your alternative, so that you don’t should wrestle dragging the field to the place your bike will stay.
• Deluxe Supply and Meeting ($129.99): Handlers will ship your train bike to your room of alternative, unpack the machine, examine for any injury or defects, and assemble the bike for you. When it’s all arrange, they’ll even take all of the packaging supplies away with them (in order for you.) Plus, this selection is eligible for fast returns, so in the event you’re having second ideas, you possibly can return the bike on the spot with the supply workforce.

Since our tester struggled with assembling the BowFlex VeloCore, we’d advocate buying Deluxe Supply and Meeting if it’s inside your means. 

Warranties

The BowFlex VeloCore’s two-year body and components and one-year labor guarantee is subpar for what we wish to see on high-end tools. Nonetheless, we do recognize the 90-day return coverage supplied by Amazon. Guarantee, financing, and returns earned a 3 out of 5 with our tester.

Firm Info

Beforehand often called Nautilus, BowFlex Inc. relies out of Vancouver, Washington and manufactures BowFlex and Schwinn tools, from dwelling gyms and adjustable dumbbells, to treadmills and train bikes. It’s additionally the proprietor of the adaptive health platform JRNY, which is built-in into many items of its cardio tools. 

[Related: The Best Bowflex Gyms for At-Home Training, Small Spaces and More]

To contact BowFlex buyer help, you possibly can attain them at (800) 605-3369, plus there’s a stay chat function on their web site to assist reply any questions you could have. On the time of this writing, their buyer help was unreachable, with pre-recorded guarantees to be again up and able to help in about 2 weeks.

In Conclusion

“Peloton-esque bikes have develop into ultra-popular amongst individuals who love the health studio vibes that come from interactive exercise periods, each stay and pre-recorded,” says BarBend knowledgeable reviewer Amanda Capritto, CPT, CF-L1, CES, CSNC. “If that is one thing you’re occupied with, be ready to shell out a big amount of money and in addition pay for a month-to-month subscription.” The BowFlex VeloCore matches the invoice with its immersive HD touchscreen and built-in JRNY programming, however ups the ante with its distinctive leaning capabilities.

Whereas the upfront price of this train bike is excessive, the decrease price of the JRNY can prevent some money in the long term in comparison with different high-end train bikes that incorporate iFIT or Peloton programming, which have month-to-month subscriptions roughly double the price of JRNY. The bike is good for customers of all health ranges and might help add some child-like enjoyment again into your health routine. You’ll simply have to determine if the fee and the lower-than-standard guarantee are definitely worth the enjoyable.

[Related: iFIT Review]

FAQs

References

1. Chavarrias, M., Carlos-Vivas, J., Collado-Mateo, D., & Pérez-Gómez, J. (2019). Well being Advantages of Indoor Biking: A Systematic Assessment. Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania), 55(8), 452. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina55080452
2. Schuch, F. B., & Vancampfort, D. (2021). Bodily exercise, train, and psychological problems: it’s time to transfer on. Traits in psychiatry and psychotherapy, 43(3), 177–184. https://doi.org/10.47626/2237-6089-2021-0237
3. Selecting the best flywheel weight to your spin bike. (n.d.). Aptitude Health. https://www.flairfitness.com/weblog/choosing-the-right-flywheel-weight-for-your-spin-bike