Description
- 30-Day iFIT Family Membership Included; on-demand workouts on your equipment with Global Workouts & Studio Classes; Add up to 5 users; Elite trainers adjust your equipment (39 Dollar value)
- UPGRADED 22” Rotating HD Touchscreen Display streams on-demand iFIT workouts; IMPROVED HD graphics processor; Adjustable display allows for 360-degree screen rotation
- ENHANCED Automatic Trainer Control; NEW quieter incline motor; -10% to 20% incline; 24 resistance levels; iFIT Trainers auto-adjust your resistance and incline for a hands-free workout at home. Tilting display.
- NEW Bluetooth Headphone Connectivity; Pair your own Bluetooth headphones to your bike for high-quality in-ear audio; FASTER WIFI Connectivity; (2) 3 Lb. dumbbells for cross-training on your bike
- 350-pound user weight capacity; Protected with a 10-year frame warranty, 2-year parts warranty, and 1-year labor warranty; 59” H x 22” W x 60” L
Patricia (verified owner) –
très heureuse de mon investissement, les workouts sont génial et le vélo est robuste et de très bonne qualité
Robert (verified owner) –
Item is good but unless you live in the US. You get the run around if it breaks
Hayden (verified owner) –
Have had this for about a week now , it was fairly easy to assemble, skip the manual and download the 3G assembly instructions, those were very helpful. Overall the machine is good and performs as i was expecting. Do not pay full price for this as it is the older model without the clip pedals and improved audio. A couple things that annoy me .
1. the video glitches , even though i have gigabit internet and connect on 5G.
2. the fan is extremely loud
3. there is no screen saver sleep – watch out for burn in if you don’t unplug it.
4. its slow booting if you do unplug it.
The good.
1. Great exercises.
2. The resistance levels are a bit of a misnomer. When the incline changes , the resistance increases behind the scenes as it should but without changing the resistance level that it is set at so although it says 24 levels, the combinations of incline and resistance makes it seem more.
3. Everything is laid out within reach, quite well designed.
4. integration with apple health a nice bonus.
5. workouts are challanging.
6. pretty stable ( I am over 250lbs) and it handles offseat riding well.
7. easy to change from riding to floor workouts ( some trainers alternate between the 2).
So in summary , its a well built exercise bike. I was a bit dissappointed that it was an older model than the current one but not so much so that I would return it .
Jennifer (verified owner) –
Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2020
Display Size: 22 InchesStyle: Commercial S22i Studio Cycle (Old Model)Verified Purchase
Overall Pros & Cons
Pros
– Incline/decline (+20% to -10%) feature; adjusted automatically with training videos; also manually adjustable
– Resistance incrementally auto-adjusts with training videos, and manually adjustable
– Both studio and road training videos; many options and levels available
– Quiet and smooth ride, comfortable feel, even during intense workouts
– Multi-speed fan
– Large clear 22″ screen, which also rotates for off-bike training
– Can change sound level separately for instructor voice or music
– Competitive price for the level of features (about $700 less than Peloton for first year)
Cons (and overall they are minor)
– Takes ~2 hr to assemble, but not bad considering
– No wireless headphone option (vs Bluetooth on Peloton); requires transmitter or wired headphones, but speakers are totally fine
– Speakers in rear of monitor (same as for Peloton)
– Screen not as touch-sensitive as a cell phone, but still responds well
– Limited live studio rides (but tons of recorded rides whenever you’re ready to ride)
The Comparison…
I’ll start with comparing the NordicTrack and Peloton bikes since, like I did, you’re trying to decide between them. Peloton is a great bike, but NordicTrack wins with more features. I had previously used a Peloton several times at hotels, so I can’t say that I know all the features, but from my experience here are benefits of the NordicTrack S22i vs the current Peloton model: (1) automatic incline/decline; (2) automatic resistance on handlebar and incremental changes (vs. manual knob on Peloton frame without fine control); (3) monitor swivels sideways; (4) multi-speed fan; (5) wires are integrated in frame so not loose on exterior; (6) can use sneakers on pedals, or can switch pedals out to clips (vs Delta-clips only on Peloton requiring cleats); (7) 2 x 3 lb weights included; (8) warranty 10 yr frame/2 yr parts/ 1 yr labor (vs Peloton 5 yr frame, 1 yr parts-labor); (9) ~$700 less for first year since includes 1 year of iFit, (10) slightly cheaper monthly fees after first year, (11) tons of studio training PLUS hundreds of trainer led rides all around the world.
The Details…
Cost:
I purchased on Amazon for $1999+tax (free delivery with Prime). I also added 3 yr service contract for $249, so total of $2248 ($2436 with all taxes). NordicTrack direct typically offers in-home setup for additional fee, but home assembly was not available during pandemic anyway, so I chose the self-assembly and it was easy to assemble. For overall costs, NordicTrack also includes iFit membership free for first year, a $396 value. FYI, comparable cost for Peloton would have been $2245 for bike, plus $39/month membership, so $2713 for 1 yr (before taxes). Standard Peloton comes with 1 yr service so adding another 2 yr would be $230. Even without any additional service contract, the first year with membership for NordicTrack is $1999 vs $2713 Peloton (all before taxes), so the NordicTrack is a savings of ~$700 compared with Peloton for the first year. After the 1st year, monthly fees are $33 for iFit ($396/yr) and for Peloton $39/mo ($468/yr) or $72/year cheaper.
Assembly:
I ordered the bike on April 26 on Amazon and it arrived May 8. This was peak pandemic and so it was up to us to assemble. The box is large and very heavy. The next day, my daughter (25) and I (55) put the bike together, it was not difficult and only took 2 hr, from removing the many parts from the box, through full assembly, to stepping onto the bike for the first time. The main frame is heavy and requires 2 people to carry; the other parts are not an issue.
The assembly instructions were reasonable to follow. We first laid out all the parts on cardboard to easily gather for each step. Some screws were very difficult to completely install, and 2 screws (on the bottom left & rear right platforms) only went about 75% into their holes, but did not affect the bike stability at all. (Service later did send me replacement bases & screws for free). The iFit membership card was in the box and we activated on a computer within minutes. The iFit membership is available for 4 family members, free for first year, then $33/month thereafter, compared with $39/month for Peloton. It’s easy to switch between family members once everyone is logged in.
The biggest assembly issue was that the Post Knob (part #100) used to secure the handle bar had a bent screw and could not be installed. I called NordicTrack service. Because of the pandemic and low staffing all over the planet, it took a few days to get through, but once I got a rep, she was terrific and quickly sent out the part needed, and I received it a few days later. We were able to use the bike for the week with a low handle bar but got it back to 100% quickly. My bike is on a medium pile carpet without a mat, and once all parts were in place, the bike is sturdy. It has wheels in front so not hard to move within a room if needed, but it is heavy. Some reviews have mentioned wobbly monitor and handlebars, but once that knob was tightened, there is no wobble. My bike is in the basement, so it is 2 floors from my WiFi router, but I have not had any issues with signal when riding.
Workouts:
Since gyms were closed for months in the late winter/early spring in NY, it was critical to get workouts in the house, and the NordicTrack was essential. There are recorded studio sessions for all fitness levels available on iFit, with dozens of different trainers. There are also live studio workouts, although I haven’t tried these since scheduled at certain times, I’d rather ride when I want with the recorded videos. The on-screen stats are great, with time, distance, elevation, RPM, etc, both as numbers or as a graph. One of the best features with iFit is there are also specialized rides all over the world, with different trainers and different lengths; these are a terrific feature and mix up the variety of the studio format. On a weekend morning I can choose Anja’s boot camp studio rides and sweat it out, and then during the week when I have less time I can choose an “outdoor” ride from 20 to 40 min or more, and ride in Norway, Spain, New Zealand, Japan, all over the world. With these, there are a mix of road and mountain trails and it allows you to get away from a studio setting; I usually listen to my music on the stereo box behind me, put the trainer audio just loud enough so I can hear the location info, and choose full screen to focus on the scenery rather than all the specs. I actually look forward to getting an early morning workout on this bike.
There is also a feature of mapping your own ride via GoogleMaps, which is cool, but requires some time to map out and the images are static, so I haven’t used this feature.
Another major feature with this bike is that whether it is a studio or outside ride, there is an incline/decline motor that simulates hills, which is not available on the Peloton. Moreover, this incline/decline and the resistance level will auto-adjust during studio rides and follow the normal terrain of outdoor rides. This allows you to focus on the ride rather than adjusting when the trainer says “OK, set your resistance to X”. I haven’t had to manually adjust incline or resistance for any rides. Handlebar and seat have adjustable heights, and seat can be adjusted back/forth with easy to turn solid knobs.
The software is intuitive, and many rides are offered on the main screen. Otherwise it’s not too easy to find new rides, or to continue an existing series of workouts with the same trainer if you’ve started another ride in between. The search feature allows for filtering, but it would be nice to have a “next ride in workout series” option available.
There is no wireless headphone or Bluetooth available, so one time I used my wired headphones but that’s not convenient since some studio trainings are on then off the bike. The training music is not my style (Peloton studio music is better, but that’s not why I got a bike). Like the Peloton, the NordicTrack’s speakers are on the back of the monitor, so I just set up my stereo box with iPod behind me so I can play the music I want, then I turn on the trainer audio channel on the bike just enough to hear them. The fan has a few setting levels and is clutch on tough rides. Yes the incline adjustment motor is loud, as is the fan even on low setting, but riding the bike is very quiet; in my basement the sounds are not an issue. But if it’s in your apartment at 5 am with someone in the next room, the incline motor might have some low noise. The 22″ screen is a great large view; not as touch-sensitive as an iPhone, but it works fine. There is standard circular headphone jack on side of monitor, as well as USB-A and HDMI ports on the back if needed. There are some training sessions where you come off the bike and onto a mat, so the monitor swivels to allow you to see the screen from various angles.
Some tips/observations:
– The power switch is hard to find; it’s on the mid-body near the floor, just above the power cord.
– For my bike, the iFit membership card was in the instruction bag, and was easy to activate. Yes, you have to enter your credit card number, but first year is free so not really an issue; we bought the bike for the training membership.
– Once we got the replacement knob to adjust the height, the handle bars and screen do not wobble as much as has been reported in some reviews.
– NordicTrack customer service was courteous and helpful for the replacement knob.
– During assembly, the wires don’t easily push into the handle bar wells, so dropping string down the tube and tying to the wires and pulling up through tube can be helpful.
– Based on other recommendations that the original seat may not be comfortable, we just went ahead and ordered a replacement seat. We actually didn’t even try the original so I can’t comment on that quality.
Overall:
If you’re looking to make an investment in yourself, especially if the gyms are not open or you don’t have time to leave the house, the NordicTrack S22i is a fun and full-featured bike with terrific studio and global trail rides.
Patrick (verified owner) –
I got this bike just a couple of weeks ago. I’m almost 50 years old, and while I’ve been in fairly good shape most of my life, lately I have found that I have less energy, and it’s difficult to get motivated to work out. I bought this bike to jump-start my motivation.
I did as much research as I could on this bike, although there isn’t much out there. I watched a few Youtube videos that included reviews of the bike as well as problems users experienced. More on that in a minute. I chose this bike over the Peloton, Echelon, and other “connected” bikes. With Peloton, I didn’t like the idea of a high-priced monthly membership fee. The Nordictrack has a similar fee, but you get one year free, and the monthly fee is about half that of the Peloton. The downside with this bike compared to the Peloton is that you don’t get live workouts. All of the workouts on this bike are pre-recorded. On the other hand, the workouts automatically adjust your resistance and incline, which I don’t believe the Peloton workouts can do. That was the big selling point for me. I hate spinning classes where you are constantly making adjustments to the bike, and with this bike, you don’t need to. I decided that was enough of an advantage to outweigh the lack of live workouts.
I had the bike drop-shipped to my house. I had to be there to sign for it. Delivery went well – they communicated closely with me to let me know when they were coming, and they showed up right at the beginning of their delivery window. The guys were willing to bring it in the house for me, but I had it left on the porch. I opened the box and brought it into the house myself, piece by piece. The heaviest piece by far was the main frame, which includes the frame, flywheel, pedal arms, and incline motors. That is a VERY heavy section. I managed to get it in the house myself, but it’s really a two-person job. I then had to bring it down to my basement (since I don’t have any panoramic windows looking out onto the Pacific ocean, I decided the basement would have to do). I needed a furniture dolly to get it down there – I strapped the main frame to the dolly and lowered it down, step by step. I have no idea how I will get this bike back up the stairs if/when I need to. It must weigh 200 lbs. There are wheels to move it around, but those won’t help you get it up and down stairs.
Assembly was relatively easy – it probably took me less than two hours. The assembly guide was fairly well-written, although the pictures weren’t the greatest. There were no poor translations – this guide was written in native English! Mostly, you are assembling components with screws and the provided hex wrenches. There is a little bit of work to feed some wires through the handlebar shaft. All in all, nothing too challenging.
Shortly after assembling the bike, I found what I thought would be a fatal flaw: the handlebars wobble badly! And when the handlebars wobble, so does the screen. I had seen this on a Youtube video so I wasn’t completely surprised, but I had hoped it wouldn’t be a problem with my bike. If you stand next to the bike and push gently on the side of the handlebar, it’s very easy to make it wobble back and forth. It’s worse when the monitor is adjusted to higher positions. I tightened everything I could find – even screws that had already been pre-tightened at the factory – but I couldn’t improve the wobble noticeably. I am a mechanical engineer and I can tell you that there is no obvious source of this wobble. My conclusion is that the wobble is caused by the way the frame is mounted in the incline motor, since everything else can be tightened down but that connection. Despite the wobble, the bike is rock-solid otherwise and seems very high quality. The flywheel is completely smooth and the bike is absolutely silent during operation, except for the fan and the occasional adjustments made by the incline motors.
But back to the wobble… I was actually thinking I would be sending the bike back because of it. However, to my surprise, I found that the wobble doesn’t bother me while using the bike. If you are unbalanced and your body is swaying back and forth while you lean on the handlebars, then yes, it will wobble badly. But the instructors all talk about maintaining good posture and engaging your core while you ride, and I’ve found that when I do that, the bike doesn’t wobble at all! So it really doesn’t bother me, and in fact it helps me ride more under control and it improves my technique. The only exception is during some high-resistance, high-incline intervals when I’m standing up on the bike. During those times, I can feel the handlebars and monitor wobbling, but I’m usually pushing so hard that I am not really focusing on the screen anyway! I did notice with some amusement that in the studio workouts, the bikes ridden by other people can occasionally be seen wobbling as well. This seems like a normal characteristic of the bike. This is the type of thing that would usually drive me crazy, but like I said, it isn’t nearly as much of a problem as I expected.
As I said, I’ve had the bike only a couple of weeks, and I’m a relative newbie to spin cycling. I’ve completed a few of the “trail ride” workouts as well as a couple of the studio workouts. I have had trouble finding workouts that are an appropriate level for me, since they aren’t really labeled according to fitness level. A few times, I’ve started a workout only to decide it’s way too tough, and I’ve stopped it partway through. But I’ve learned that if I take a day off between workouts, my quads are better able to handle a tougher workout the next time. I’m sure I will be able to complete most of the workouts once I get myself in better shape.
The studio workouts are hit or miss. I found one instructor whose vocalizations really annoy the heck out of me, so I try to avoid her workouts (for example, she says “Yay-uhhhh” way too often!). These workouts are more like traditional spinning sessions. What I like is they often tell you to get off the bike and do some other things, like planks, jumping jacks, ab crunches, etc. It adds some nice variety, particularly when your quads need a break! The monitor swings easily around so you can stand anywhere near the bike and still see the screen. Also, you can adjust the instructor volume independently of the music, which is a good feature. While I’m on that topic, I should mention that this bike has no Bluetooth capability, which is a HUGE oversight in a $2000 bike! You can only listen through a 3.5mm audio jack or through the speakers. Fortunately, there is an easy solution to this that allows you to use your Bluetooth wireless headphones, as I do. Just buy a $20 Bluetooth transmitter, plug it into the side of the monitor where the audio connection is, and problem solved! Then you can work out in near-silence, if you are trying not to bother your co-habitants.
The trail workouts are much more fun. You are following the instructor through the woods, mountains, city, or whatever, and they tell you what your cadence and effort level should be. The resistance and incline adjust automatically, as they do with the studio workouts. The video isn’t high-def, but it’s realistic enough to be enjoyable, and the screen is large enough that you really feel like you’re there. So far, I like the instructors. The New Zealand instructor was a little hard to understand, but you get used to it. There are a few weird anomalies. In my most recent “San Francisco” workout, the instructor said we would end our workout by riding across the Golden Gate Bridge. As it turned out, we got near the bridge in the end, but didn’t ride across it. I felt cheated! The other thing I don’t like is that your target cadence doesn’t appear on screen, so you need to pay attention to the instructors to hear what they want you to do. There appear to be dozens of trail rides and I don’t think I will get tired of them, particularly as I get more accustomed to doing longer and more challenging workouts. I noticed that my iFit account does keep track of what I’ve done, but I haven’t done much with that yet. I also haven’t tried creating my own rides around my neighborhood – supposedly that uses Google Map images. I don’t know if I’ll bother – why would I ride around my neighborhood when I can ride in the French Alps instead?
The touchscreen functions seems to work fairly well, though they aren’t as responsive as, say, a smartphone. I’ve noticed when my hands are sweaty, it doesn’t respond as well. The interface is OK, not great. Browsing through workouts is a bit tedious. I’m hoping there will be software updates that provide more workouts and maybe a more intuitive interface. The wi-fi seems OK. My bike is in the basement and my router is on the 2nd floor, so I’m pleased that it connects most of the time, although it has failed to connect once or twice. The video workouts play smoothly with no buffering, except a little at the beginning. The workouts sometimes start out low-res and then get better within 20 seconds or so.
I plan to add my wife to the bike at some point when she’s interested. It will be a bit of a pain to adjust the bike for her, then back to me, etc. You can adjust handlebar/monitor height (which takes some effort), seat height, seat position (front to back), and seat angle. Hopefully the two of us can find similar settings so she doesn’t have to change everything. Adjustments are all done manually, after loosening a big knob. The only exception is the seat angle. The seat is mounted just like a traditional bike seat, so it needs an Allen key to loosen it. Pedal-wise, I’m content with using the provided cages with normal sneakers for now. I have never ridden a bike with toe clips, so I don’t really care about getting them.
After working out, you are supposed to switch off the bike and pull the power cord, which seems very odd! The instructions say this is to prevent the electronics from premature wear. That seems like a weird explanation. The bike takes 1-2 minutes to boot up each time, so it’s not a trivial issue.
The fan works adequately, although it’s loud and has an odd chemical smell to it. Also, when the workout is over, the fan often stops, and I have to manually re-start it every 30 seconds or so. This only happens when I’m still sitting on the bike after the workout ends. It’s a minor annoyance.
I may update this review as time goes on. For now, I have no regrets about buying this bike. I’m giving this bike four stars, with the wobbling being the biggest problem and the other problems I noted being fairly minor. Feel free to ask questions and I’ll try to answer them!
UPDATE: It’s been a couple of months now, and I’m still enjoying the bike. The handlebar wobble hasn’t gotten any worse, and I still don’t really notice it when I’m on the bike. I am still using the pedal cages rather than clip-ins, and I find them to be just fine. I upgraded my wireless router and moved it closer to the bike. I’ve noticed that the workouts load more quickly now, but the resolution hasn’t improved. There have been a few firmware/software updates so far, and I’ve noticed that considerably more workouts have been added – I’m sure I’ll never do them all! The biggest problem I’ve noticed with some of the workouts is that the cadence the instructor tells you to maintain isn’t always realistic – often, it’s ridiculously hard to keep that cadence because of the high resistance. There are other times when you are supposed to maintain a certain effort level, but it’s not possible due to the light resistance. These are exceptions rather than the rule, though – most of the time, the cadence/resistance/effort level match fairly well with what the instructor is saying. The software interface is still a little frustrating when browsing workouts. The workouts don’t tell you whether you’ve done them before. To find that out, you need to look at your calendar, which won’t be practical after you’ve been using the bike a few months. Also, the expected calories burned are shown on each workout, and they are a joke – there is just no way I can burn 600 calories in 30 minutes! Anyway, just wanted to update this to say I still have no regrets!