This is a no-nonsense guide to the best air bikes on the market, with quick recommendations further on in the article so you can choose the air bike that suits what you’re looking for the best.
They’re summed up in this table below. If you want to skip all the other talk and you just want to know which specific ones are currently the best to go for, then they’re all right here in one place for you.
| Editor’s Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Air Bike | Assault AirBike Classic |
| Best Lower Price Point Alternative | Schwinn AD2 Airdyne |
| Best High End Option | Schwinn AD7 Airdyne |
| Best Budget Option | Ativafit Fan Bike |
Click to jump straight to each topic.
- Why You Need an Air Bike
- What to Look for in an Air Bike
- The Best Air Bikes Reviewed
- Air Bikes We Don’t Recommend
- Other Worthy Mentions
- Frequently Asked Questions
Why You Need an Air Bike
An air bike is also called an air fan resistance bike, because that’s what it is. It’s essentially an exercise bike that uses a fan of sorts to provide resistance against your cycling action.
But that’s the thing right there. It’s not literally a big fan with pedals strapped to it.
You see, an air bike fan doesn’t glide through the air easily with a slight angle to the fan blades so they push air out in one direction like a normal fan.
What they do instead is have fan blades that are flat against the direction they’re spinning in. This makes them as inefficient at spinning as possible.
But that’s precisely the whole point. Because of that “inefficiency,” you have to really work hard to push the air out of the way of the flat spokes of the fan blade.
That’s where the genius of the design lies. What you get is an incredible high resistance version of an exercise bike that’s surprisingly much less hard on the knees and hip flexors than your ordinary exercise bike.
But most importantly, it’s a thorough workout that makes you not feel like you have to cycle for such a long time for you to build up a good sweat. That’s something normal exercise bikes are definitely guilty of.
So, now I have your attention, let’s take a look at what makes the best air bikes out there the best.
What to Look for in an Air Bike
Here’s a quick rundown of the reasons why the best air bikes out there are crowned as the best.
Smooth Gliding Motion
Basically, the harder you pedal, the harder your workout gets.
And I don’t mean that in terms of pedaling more means more calories burned. I mean that the resistance that the fan flywheel generates actually increases as you pedal harder.
That’s why it’s important to get an air bike that has a smooth gliding action with the fan mechanism.
If it’s a well-made air bike that works smoothly, you’ll be able to essentially fine tune the level of resistance you’re comfortable with keeping in your workout.
Instead of fighting against the machine and not really “feeling” the flow of the workout, you’ll instead be able to just keep a good pace naturally without having to think about it.
Sturdy Construction
Like I said before about how these air bikes are technically high resistance exercise machines to begin with, I can’t stress enough how important it is that it’s well-built.
If you’ve ever had a normal fan or air con that rattles, or an exercise bike that has a kind of loose, wobbliness to it, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. Those kinds of defects just ruin it, at least for me.
In a good air bike that becomes your favorite exercise machine, these things shouldn’t exist. Honestly, if you get a good one, you’ll never go back to a standard exercise bike.
The feel is different to a normal exercise bike like a spin bike. It’s hard to explain, but they just feel so much more natural with you being able to set your own resistance on the fly.
Of course, like with the previous point about having a smooth gliding motion, getting one that’s actually sturdy and stable enough to make full use of that is simply key.
Adjustable Resistance
Now, with the ability to change your resistance by simply pedaling harder or less hard, you’re probably thinking that a light workout is going to mean slow pedaling.
But that’s why it’s important for an air bike to have an adjustable resistance level that works properly. It means you can dial back the resistance so you can pedal faster for a lighter workout, or make it so you have to pedal even harder by default.
Basically what this means is you’re able to move the “default” level of resistance when you cycle on the air bike to where it feels just right for you. It lets you tailor the action of the bike to your own level of strength and fitness.
The trick is to set it to that level of resistance where it feels just right for you, so you can make full use of the smoothly increasing and decreasing resistance levels you get when you change up the intensity of how hard you’re pedaling.
So, putting all of this together, let’s look at our recommendations for the best air bikes out there right now.
The Best Air Bikes Reviewed
Best Air Bike: Assault AirBike Classic
Best Air Bike
Assault Air Bikes are known for their uncompromising quality and the smoothness of their bikes’ gliding motion.
This shining example of a well-designed air bike features twenty sealed ball bearings throughout the frame and pivot points to provide that ultimate smooth and durable feel.
Check the latest price on Amazon.
Best Lower Price Point Alternative: Schwinn AD2 Airdyne
Best Lower Price Point Alternative
Schwinn make quality air bikes, but the AD2 grabs our attention for being a very reasonably priced model, which utilizes their patent-pending fan design which displaces air effectively for an infinite number of resistance levels.
Check the latest price on Amazon.
Best High End Option: Schwinn AD7 Airdyne
Best High End Option
The ultimate Schwinn air bike (other than the AD Pro, which is a unnecessary unless you’re that seriously into your fitness).
The AD7 features a single stage belt drive for instant activation and a smooth, more efficient and more effective workout.
Check the latest price on Amazon.
Best Budget Option: Ativafit Fan Bike
Best Budget Option
A smaller flywheel for a smaller budget. However, it’s that this air bike doesn’t sacrifice build quality by being cheaper, unlike basically every other budget option does to some degree if we’re being honest.
Check the latest price on Amazon.
Other Worthy Mentions
Resolve Fitness R1 Commercial Dual Air Cycle
A relatively new model to come to the market. It seems good, but we still prefer the Assault AirBike since the price is similar.
An even lower budget option than our “best budget option.” If you want to try out air bikes or you’re just starting to get into shape, then this can be a decent starter to go with.
Air Bikes We Don’t Recommend
Sunny Health & Fitness Air Resistance Hybrid Fan Bike
It’s a product that’s sold well, but it just has a habit of falling apart for too many people.
Something that doesn’t inspire confidence in its build quality isn’t going to be a good choice, no matter how well it works when it does work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an air bike a good workout?
An air bike is a very good workout.
Well, it can be a very good workout, if you have a hard workout using one.
The great thing about air bikes is that they’re great for intense workouts where you’re pushing your limits by cycling hard and fast.
That’s because the resistance increases the harder you cycle.
Compare that to an ordinary exercise bike where the level of resistance is comparatively more flat, and you’ll see why air bikes are a better design for getting a real workout done.
Besides, the air they blow out the way to provide that resistance actually does help to cool you down.
Is an air bike good for weight loss?
The boring but true answer is that eating right and burning enough calories with good exercise to not be running a calorie surplus over time means effective weight loss.
An air bike tackles that second part, and for that, it’s fantastic for weight loss specifically because of the high potential for really intense, continuous workouts.
Combine that with how the fan’s blowing of air out of the way to provide that resistance you’re pushing against actually does help to cool you down. You can see how you can work out even harder than you ever could on a normal, traditional exercise bike, or even with outdoor cycling.
What is better a spin bike or an air bike?
Spin bikes use a flywheel and belt-driven system, or even a similar system combined with magnetic resistance in order to provide that resistance against your cycling motion.
Air bikes, however, are undoubtedly smoother in terms of feel, and that’s where we think the real distinction lies.
It’s a matter of preference, of course, but we do think that air bikes are really a better design.
There’s also that air bikes provide more resistance the harder you cycle, which feels smoother and a bit more natural than the more linear, flat level of resistance that your average spin bike has to offer.
Are Assault bikes worth it?
We currently recommend Assault bikes over the other brands out there in terms of it being the best overall choice for an air bike. The quality of their design and smoothness of their action is pretty hard to beat, so yes, we do recommend them.
As for whether getting one is worth it, then ask yourself whether you want to have such an incredibly effective and surprisingly enjoyable exercise machine in your home, that you’ll actually like using.
If you want to get fit, burn calories and strengthen your legs more than a normal exercise bike really can, then you have your answer.
We hope this list of the best air bikes has been helpful.
If there’s anything good that you think we’ve missed, or if you have any questions about anything, then let us know down in the comments below.
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