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Spin Bikes and Indoor Cycles are sometimes dismissed too quickly as the awkward-to-ride bikes you find in gyms or in the homes of individuals not brave enough to venture out into the hills, rain or traffic. However, as we wrote in our Spin Bike vs Turbo Trainer article during the winter, using a stationary indoor cycle can really eliminate some of the annoyances riders experience when training on the traditional alternative.
Here are some of the machines that we think would make a perfect addition to the collection of any racer or serious recreational cyclist. These are the 6 best indoor bikes for serious cyclists.
The One for a Rider on a Budget
For someone who's going to be putting in some serious mileage, the Origin OC3 is the perfect indoor cycle. It has a commercial warranty that guarantees it for up to 10 hours riding a day, so you can safely say it's built to last.
It's specifications make it quite easily comparable to some of the bigger, more well known brands' of indoor cycle and we definitely think it's our best value for money bike.
The One to Keep the Neighbours Happy
If noise is a concern for you, we would recommend you consider the Origin OC5. Coming from the same Origin Fitness range as the Origin OC3, this bike is a step up from it's chain driven sibling. The Origin OC5 rides incredibly smoothly and is such a well built machine it will withstand any amount of usage.
What's amazing about the Origin OC5 though, is that it rides just as well like a chain driven bike but is almost completely silent! We're big fans of this bike as it is definitely one of the best to ride on this page.
The One for a Lifetime without Maintenance
Staying with the belt driven theme, the Schwinn AC Performance Plus Carbon Blue is our next Top 6 contender, making use of a tough carbon toothed belt. Schwinn claim it's the only belt available that performs as well as real bike chain!
The curvilinear toothed design of the reinforced carbon fibre belt means it's not going to slip and over time it holds it's shape. This means that maintenance is kept to an absolute minimum, leaving you more time to spend riding.
The One for Data and Making Your 'Marginal Gains'
If you know your cycling, you'll be well aware that Wattbike is often cited as the only indoor cycle good enough for the pros. With endorsement from British Cycling it is famed for the incredibly accurate data it's computer gives the rider. This includes everything from real time pedal stroke analysis to a variety of challenging workouts and power output tests. The Wattbike is a completely intriguing cycling machine and is the best toy any sports performance or general cycling nerd could ever ask for.
However, if you're looking for a brand new version of the clever (Pro or Trainer model) Wattbike we're talking about then you'd better be prepared to part with over £2,000.
The One for an All Round High Performance Bike
The final bike is one of our favourites; the top of the range Stages SC3 indoor cycle. The Stages bike incorporates a cycle computer to the bike, which is nothing new. The SC3 PC is one of the best to use strain gauge technology to produce extremely accurate power output readings which has been a challenge for manufacturers in the past.
The Stages bike is also one of the smoothest rides as it was designed by Team Sky for real road Cyclists. The magenetic resistance, belt drive, narrow gait and SPD pedals offer a truly realistic road bike feel.
