Bowflex VeloCore Bike review
Our Verdict
A unique lean mode separates the Bowflex Velocore from other exercise bikes, but that's non the but affair that makes information technology nifty.
For
- Flexible platform (even works with Peloton)
- Lean style makes ride interesting
- Subscription is less expensive and not required (afterwards outset year)
Confronting
- Expensive (more expensive than Peloton)
- No alive classes or leaderboards
- Bigger and heavier than competitors
Tom'south Guide Verdict
A unique lean fashion separates the Bowflex Velocore from other practise bikes, only that's not the just thing that makes it great.
Pros
- +
Flexible platform (even works with Peloton)
- +
Lean style makes ride interesting
- +
Subscription is less expensive and not required (afterward first yr)
Cons
- -
Expensive (more expensive than Peloton)
- -
No live classes or leaderboards
- -
Bigger and heavier than competitors
Bowflex Velocore: Specs
Assembled weight: 175 pounds
Pedals: Regular or clip-in (SPD)
Passenger size: 4'6" - 6'6"
Max rider weight: 325 pounds
Dimensions: 59.8 x 52.6 x 24.i inches
For those who feel stationary fitness bikes are too stationary, the Bowflex VeloCore could be the reply. This continued fitness bike that leans from side to side so you feel similar you lot're riding a real wheel, instead of just pedaling away in your living room like you lot accept been all year long.
While it's just as expensive as a Peloton, the Bowflex VeloCore'south unique design and large display makes it a compelling alternative, one of the best exercise bikes around and the all-time workout machine that'due south not a Peloton in the 2021 Tom'southward Guide Awards for health and fitness tech. Plus, its side-to-side movement volition help tone your midsection — if you lot can stomach its price.
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Bowflex Velocore review: Cost and subscription costs
The Bowflex VeloCore does look like it'south trying to take on the Peloton Wheel (only don't all fettle bikes these days?), so if y'all're looking for a upkeep-friendly alternative you'll want to look somewhere else. The VeloCore comes with two screen size options, a sixteen-inch panel for $ane,699 or a 22-inch console for $2,199. Our review unit of measurement sports the 22-inch console, the same screen size constitute on the original Peloton Bicycle, which is actually cheaper at $one,895. The screen tilts but doesn't swivel, so if that's a feature you want, then the Peloton Cycle+ is nevertheless a better choice.
The VeloCore's price includes shipping simply does not include associates, which costs an extra $190 (Peloton'due south prices includes aircraft and assembly). I watched the assembly video and opted for professional associates, mostly because while information technology doesn't seem overly hard, at 175 pounds, it's heavier and larger than other exercise bikes.
The cycle also comes with a pair of three-pound dumbbells and a Bluetooth centre rate monitoring armband. The accessories are a squeamish add-on, but they're non dealmakers.
You're non just buying a bike, though — you're also ownership a service. When you purchase the VeloCore you'll need to commit to a minimum of 12 months of Bowflex'due south subscription-based grooming platform, JRNY, which costs $nineteen.99/calendar month (after a two-month gratuitous trial) and allows unlimited accounts.
Bowflex Velocore review: Design
At a glance, the VeloCore looks a lot like its competitors: Sleek, matte-blackness frame, crimson accents, giant touchscreen on the front. Thank you to its semi-unique "lean style," the VeloCore has a totally different profile from many of its competitors — the VeloCore is lower and wider, while bikes from Peloton and Echelon are narrower and more upright — simply I wouldn't be surprised if someone thought all these continued fitness bikes were made by the same company. That said, I'grand pretty sure Bowflex has been rocking a carmine logo since the 90s.
The VeloCore's screen is fantastic. It's big, bright, and pretty piece of cake to use equally long as your fingers aren't slippery with sweat. The console tilts just is very sturdy while you lot're using the bike.
The screen is where you'll see all of your metrics as you ride: Time, distance, calories, burn rate, heart charge per unit, cadency, resistance, and lean charge per unit (if the bicycle is unlocked). The resistance is displayed as a number (there are 100 levels) but adapted manually with a knob.
The VeloCore is equipped with dual-sided pedals, so you can use them with regular shoes (i side has adaptable toe-cages) or SPD cleats. I'yard glad the bike allows for both options, considering I'm the kind of spin-casual who rents shoes, and even if buying a $two,000+ bike means yous should probably also invest in some cleats, it's nice to non accept to.
The VeloCore is an impressive piece of equipment fifty-fifty without any of the tech. It's super sturdy and notwithstanding all the adaptable areas — the seat, handlebars, and touchscreen angle — are extremely like shooting fish in a barrel to change rapidly. The VeloCore's seat is, frankly, faster and easier to adjust than the driver's seat in my car. The VeloCore has plenty of places to stick things — there'due south a telephone holder under the multi-grip handlebars, a tablet stand near the bottom of the console, two water bottle holders, and built-in dumbbell hooks for the included iii-pound dumbbells.
While the VeloCore has a footprint of virtually threescore inches long by 24 inches wide, you'll need an expanse that'due south at least 50 inches wide to employ the wheel's lean manner. The tallest indicate of the bike is the touchscreen, which is 55.3 inches tall with the 22-inch screen and 52.6 inches tall with the 16-inch screen. The bike has two small transport wheels on the front and a handle on the back (which is very helpful — a lot of fettle bikes don't have handles), so once it'due south assembled it's really pretty easy to move around.
Bowflex Velocore review: Lean mode
The VeloCore'due south biggest selling signal is its leaning mode, which causes the bike to sway from side to side as you ride. Why exercise you want this? According to Bowflex, information technology's a more natural-feeling, immersive ride, plus the lack of stability forces y'all to appoint your cadre, and the added dimension makes for a much more intense workout. If this sounds a little gimmicky, that'due south because it is a little gimmicky. But that doesn't mean I don't similar information technology.
The VeloCore can be used in either upright (locked) style or lean mode. There'due south a locking knob on the crossbar, just above the resistance knob — button it down with an open palm to unlock the wheel and enable lean fashion; pull information technology up to lock the bike in its normal upright position. It's very easy to lock and unlock, even in the centre of a conditioning, so you can swap betwixt modes whenever y'all want.
There'due south another leaning fitness bike company, RealRyder, which has been around for virtually a decade, so this isn't particularly revolutionary applied science, only the VeloCore is the just continued bike with this feature.
JRNY has several workouts that incorporate lean fashion, merely lean mode was most interesting to me in unguided workouts — when I was doing scenic rides or watching Television. My principal weakness with cardio is boredom, only the actress swaying movement made the rides much more interesting and engaging — and yes, immersive, even though I wasn't leaning with the curves. Leaning rides definitely had a completely unlike vibe from standard upright workouts, plenty so that I felt similar I was using multiple machines.
While the lean mode does make riding seem slightly more natural, it's definitely not the aforementioned equally riding a cycle on a road. The bike sways much more than you'd be swaying on a normal bike, particularly when y'all're doing things like colina workouts — enough and then that it definitely seems like it would pose an injury run a risk for people with weak joints (i.e. knees). But this isn't a concern as long as yous're not trying to do every conditioning in lean way.
Bowflex Velocore review: Coaching and grooming programs
JRNY'southward content falls into three categories: Adaptive workouts led by a virtual coach, streaming on-need workouts led past trainers, and breathtaking rides through a number of cities, parks, and other destinations around the world. There are also off-cycle workouts on JRNY's app, but this department feels a little similar an afterthought.
It's all well-fabricated and easy to follow, and the trainers are engaging and inspiring, but it'due south not as well different from the content on a lot of other platforms — and it's definitely not going to inspire a rabid fanbase the mode Peloton's or SoulCycle's content does. While JRNY does offering some interactive content with its adaptive workouts, the platform doesn't currently offer live classes or competitive features such as leaderboards. There's no shortage of quality content — only content quality isn't what inspires you to actually start a workout. Live classes offering a degree of accountability and variance that you just can't make it on-demand videos.
While Bowflex doesn't currently offering live classes, its platform is surprisingly flexible. With a JRNY subscription y'all can stream videos from several 3rd-party streaming services, including Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ (with valid credentials). This might audio trivial, but it's a feature found on surprisingly few continued fitness bikes — non even Peloton has this yet. It seems like a waste to have a big, built-in screen and not be able to use it for anything other than workouts. JRNY besides lets you connect the VeloCore to third-political party training apps — including Peloton, though y'all won't be included in the live class leaderboards, and only your cadence volition sync with the app.
JRNY'due south platform is likewise adaptive in other ways: Information technology curates a listing of workouts for each user based on functioning, conditioning mode, and preferences (you lot tin charge per unit each workout, even if you finish halfway through). The platform does a pretty good job of learning your own workout mode; I prefer short, loftier-intensity workouts and the app more often than not shows me 15-minute workouts.
Y'all don't take to follow the app's suggested list; y'all tin can pick whatever workout from the app's library, which is broadly sorted into difficulty levels and can be filtered by length. The library isn't enormous, only it's large enough that I want more filtering options — I'd love to be able to find workouts that apply the cycle'southward leaning mode, for case. The workout library is definitely modest compared to something similar Peloton, but it's big plenty — I've been using the bike for a month and I still feel like there are new-to-me options to pick from.
What is nice is that y'all can choose your own music while riding. JRNY has a built-in streaming service called Bowflex Radio, which has a bunch of genre-based playlists with electric current music; the choice is somewhat limited (no classical, said my husband — the but person who works out to classical music), simply I liked all the playlists I chose. The VeloCore'south speakers are below the screen and audio corking; my simply pocket-size issue was fiddling with the book, which is sort of a hassle on a touchscreen while you're trying to piece of work out. The console does have physical buttons, including volume controls, on the dorsum of the display, only they're not labeled — really, I didn't even notice they were there until I'd been using the bike for two weeks. In one case you memorize those buttons information technology's a piffling easier, merely information technology'south not exactly super-intuitive.
Bowflex Velocore review: Verdict
The VeloCore is an fantabulous exercise bike — no gimmicks necessary. Information technology has one of the most versatile consoles out in that location, offering several options, including free workouts and breathtaking rides, to choose from should you decide not to subscribe to JRNY.
But the VeloCore's locking feature is really why I can recommend it: Lean mode is neat, and it keeps things interesting, simply information technology's not something I'd desire to have to do most wheel workouts, especially non the more than strength-oriented spin workouts, in.
Information technology ultimately comes downwards to what motivates you: If you actually want to be part of the Peloton community, the VeloCore can't really supplant what you'd get with a Peloton Bike. Merely if you need variety and flexibility (or if you take multiple people with dissimilar conditioning styles in your household), the VeloCore is a much meliorate option and gives yous fashion more bang for your buck.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/bowflex-velocore
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