Scott P

The wife and I are looking fora spin bike to put up in our exercise room. She is doing it for weight loss, I would want it for getting 30 minutes or whatever in during the week. I'd prefer to stay under $300. I see them on cl used very little all the time, but there are a lot to choose from. Is there a particular model that I should look for? I'd done the searching on Google and that turned up a few models. I'm hoping some folks here might have some advice as well.

gforeman 

Depending on your size/power, the cheap Sears models, etc. might not hold up. I went through three of them in a few months with sears (around $500), and completely destroyed the crank bearings.

I went to a fitness place and got a commercial grade Spin bike. I ended up with a Waters Fitness Tsunami Elite. Had it for at least 4 years now, and it's been flawless mechanically, though the electronic pad had an issue and was replaced under warranty.

I know you want to keep cost down, but try to look for something used that is rated for a commercial Gym. I have mine set up just like my bicycle, same seat pedals, etc.

Once you get your spinner, look in to some Spinnervals DVD's It's like having a coach in the room with you, and makes the workouts go much faster!

Good luck!

Scott P

So many of the bikes I see say they are commercial rated, but I know that may not mean much in actuality. I planned on DVDs. I already do several Beachbody workouts, so I like working out to the DVD.

Little Darwin

If you ride bikes, you should consider getting a good trainer, and a trainer specific or trainer friendly rear tire.

Scott P

It's actually more for the wife than for me. She really liked her spin classes and the whole "happy wife, happy life" deal is in effect.

CA Biker

I just purchased a Johnny G Spinner Pro for $150 on Craigslist in very good condition with clip-in type pedals. They're older model bikes (mine's a 2000), but very heavy duty and you can easily buy replacement parts. I've heard the LeMond spin bikes are very good, but they will be pricier. Check the bikes out at your local gyms and see how they like them, as they get plenty of use. You can set the bike up for each of you and mark your settings with a sharpie to make it easy to switch back and forth with your wife. Watch out for rust on prior gym owned models and of course try the bike out to make sure it's not noisy, everything seems tight, controls work fine, etc. Sometimes it's better to find one owned by a private party who's taken care of it, unless to can find an older reconditioned gym model. The actual commercial type bikes will last a long time.

modman

My wife loves her Sole SB700. Our local Dicks Sporting Goods had it on sale last weekend for $500. It's got all the features anyone would want in a higher-end model.