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Spin® Life Blog

​How to Choose Between Our Home Spin® Bikes

​How to Choose Between Our Home Spin® Bikes

Posted by Spinning® on Oct 28th 2021

Get ready because we’re about to take you on a guided tour of our Spin® bike collection and highlight the six beauties that make up our Home Spin® Bike lineup. Then the fun really begins…because we’re going to help you choose which of these magnificent machines is right for you. Read on!

First of all: Why choose a Spin® bike? If you need any rhyme, reason, or rationale, it all starts with the fact that Spinning® is the original, authentic indoor cycling experience and we’ve been designing bikes for your favorite studios for nearly 30 years! Our bikes are made to fit riders of all shapes, sizes and abilities and replicate the feel and geometry of real road bikes with elegant and durable designs. This impeccable engineering and innovation that began with bikes for gyms and studios around the world is also carried through to our consumer bike models, so you can bring the studio experience home.

Special Features to Keep Your Eyes On

There are a few key features that are consistent in each of these home bikes. Each bike has dual-sided SPD® compatible pedals, so you can wear either sneakers or cycling shoes with SPD cleats! (SPD cleats are the ones that are recessed, making them easy to walk in.) You’ll also love the integrated tablet mount, which will hold your mobile phone or tablet, giving you flexibility to access a variety of content and apps, including Spinning® Digital, which you’ll get to try for free with your bike purchase. Transport wheels are standard on every bike, so even the heavier bikes are easy to move from room to room. A narrow Q-Factor is another feature common to the entire lineup. Q-factor represents the distance between pedals. What’s important to know is that if the Q-Factor is too wide, it’s not biomechanically optimal. The Q-Factor on all our bikes is narrow like on a road bike, to keep you properly aligned and riding efficiently.

Bonus Design Feature: Speaking of the precision of Spin® bike design, did you know that each element incorporated into our bikes considers shedding sweat? We call this concept Umbrella Design. Our designers have ensured there are no flat surfaces where sweat can pool. Zip. Zero. Zilch. All the components fit perfectly together so that sweat can’t get into seams and cause corrosion. While competitors have square, rectangle tubing that allow for sweat entry, our design ensures a long-lasting bike that won’t break down from moisture.

Options and Upgrades

Going beyond all the standard design features, there are plenty of upgrades and mechanical variations to suit every rider. But hey – we know that not everyone who loves Spinning® is also a bike expert, so let’s make this easy on you. Here’s a breakdown of the features that vary from bike to bike.

Weight Limit: From the Pace with a weight limit of 250 lbs to the Blade and Blade ION with a 350-lb limit, it’s all about you. What we can tell you is that you want a bike that will support your frame. Choose wisely.

Handlebar Height: Generally speaking, most people position their handlebars higher than the saddle. The higher your handlebars, the more upright you’ll be. All of our bikes have adjustable handlebars, but the Pace handlebars are lower than the others, with a maximum height of 40”. That makes this bike a solid choice for people who are petite in size or medium height, but if you’re taller than 5’7” you’ll want to upgrade to the Edge bike or higher.

Flywheel Weight: A heavier flywheel means more inertia, and the more it emulates riding a road bike. A heavy flywheel also makes the bike more stable.

The Pace has the lightest flywheel, while the Elite, Blade and Blade ION have the heaviest.

Chain vs. Belt: You have two drivetrain options – chain or belt. Some people really enjoy their ride with a chain, which feels more like a traditional bike. A belt feels smoother and more fluid. It’s also quieter (though even our chain bikes are pretty quiet!) and that could be a factor if you’ll be riding in the same room with a sleeping roommate or spouse. Chains require some adjustments now and then, while the belt is virtually maintenance free.

For a belt-driven bike, choose the Aero, Elite, Blade or Blade Ion.

Brake Pad: There are two brake pad options – felt or leather. Leather lasts longer and does not need to be replaced as often; however, felt is slightly quieter.

For a leather brake pad choose the Elite, Blade or Blade Ion.

Seat Fore-Aft Microadjust: There’s something very specific to consider here. All our bikes have fore/aft adjustments for the seat, meaning you can move it forward and backward to the optimal position for your personal fit. But here’s the option: You can select a bike with either incremental fore/aft or microadjust. Incremental means that the seat adjusts to set distances (this is where the pop-pin locks into place). With microadjust, you can move the seat anywhere along the slider. For a technical rider, microadjust will give you an extremely accurate fit just like your road bike setup.

For seat fore-aft microadjust chose the Elite, Blade, or Blade ION.

Handlebar Fore-aft Adjustment: As mentioned above, all bikes have handlebar height adjustments, but with the top bikes you can also adjust your handlebars horizontally— forward and backward— to customize your reach and upper body extension.

For handlebar fore-aft adjustment choose the Blade or Blade ION.

SPINPower®: With any bike you choose, we know you’re going to put power into your ride. Why not measure that power, see your true energy expenditure, and track your performance over time? The SPINPower® Performance Crank is compatible with Spinning® Connect, Spinning® Digital Plus, Zwift, and many other popular cycling apps.

The SPINPower® Performance Crank is compatible with the Elite and Blade, and it comes standard with the Blade ION.

Here’s the 2022 Home Spin® Bike Lineup!

Now that you’re dialed in to the technical features, you’re ready to choose a bike to make your own. Here are the 2022 all-stars in order, starting with the value-priced, entry-level Spinner® Pace all the way up to the Spinner® Blade and Blade ION, which rival any commercial studio bike you’ll find. With each one we’ll call out the winning features as we scale up the line.

Spinner® Pace: Just getting started? We’ve designed the Spinner® Pace just for you! With essential features at a value price, this is a great choice for the cost-conscious beginner who’s petite to medium height (up to approximately 5’7”).

Spinner® Edge: The Edge features 4 additional inches of handlebar height adjustability for taller riders. It also has an all matte black design for a sleek aesthetic.

Spinner® Aero: Also featuring the matte-black design, this is the first bike in the lineup with a belt instead of a chain for a smooth, quiet and virtually maintenance free drivetrain. We call it the Fusion Drive™ belt system, and it’s the same upgraded drivetrain you’ll find in each of the next three bikes.

Spinner® Elite: There two key upgrades for the Elite and higher models. One is the leather brake pad vs felt, and the other is seat fore/aft microadjust.

Spinner® Blade: In addition to seat fore/aft microadjust, you’ll also get handlebar fore/aft microadjust with the Spinner® Blade and Blade ION. But what really stands out about these top of the line bikes is the commercial-style frame and studio-quality details that mimic the Spinner® bikes used in gyms around the world for nearly 30 years.

Spinner® Blade ION: Ride with power! The Spinner® Blade ION features integrated power with a SPINPower® Performance Crank so you can accurately measure your power output. With a +/-1% error margin, you’ll experience one of most accurate power measurements available on the market!

For all the specific details like dimensions, weight limits and prices, check out this savvy comparison chart to see how each bike stacks up!

Want to get up close and personal with your new ride?
Check out this Home Bike Overviews video collection on Youtube!


What do you want to ride?