The fitness market has been flooded with a ton of really affordable indoor cycles that, if I’m being honest, all kinda look the same.

You probably know what I’m talking about here too – generic names, below average performance specs, and otherwise pretty forgettable all around.

Well, the Cyclace doesn’t fall into this category.

Not only does it come with an original model name that helps it stand out, but it’s also packing above average specs for such an affordable cycle.

Highlights include a 36 lb flywheel, a 330 lb weight limit, and the rarely seen racing style drop handles.

The biggest downside is probably the fact that it uses a friction brake resistance system, but to be fair, that’s the norm in this price range.

Overall, if you’re looking for a tough indoor cycle that takes it easy on the budget, I think the Cyclace is one of the best options available.

But before you decide, you have to do your own homework – and that’s where I can help.

In this review, I’ll go over everything this exercise bike has to offer, including where it falls a bit short.

After reading, you’ll know everything you need to to decide whether or not this is the right cycle for your home.

Let’s begin.

The Cyclace Exercise Bike

I haven’t been able to find much info about which company or larger brand owns Cyclace and as far as I can tell, they only offer this one exercise bike.

If I had to guess, I would say the Cyclace is provided by a Chinese-based company that probably owns a bunch of other affordable bike brands.

Which there are a lot of these days.

Regardless, I want to give props to ’em for giving this bike a cool name that certainly stands out – it sounds like some kind of Greek monster to me.

The Cyclace has become crazy popular on Amazon and at the time of writing this, has well over 6000 user reviews with about 90% of them giving this bike a 4/5 or higher.

Impressive.

Anyway, let’s start this review by looking at any bike’s most important feature, the resistance system.

Pros

• 36 lb flywheel
• Fairly heavy-duty frame
• 330 lb weight limit
• Fully adjustable seat
• Drop handles
• Toe cage pedals
• Tablet holder
• Water bottle holder
• Good customer service

Cons

• Friction brake resistance
• Short warranty

Resistance

Exercise bikes create resistance by pairing a spinning flywheel with either a friction brake or magnetic resistance mechanism.

Most agree that magnetic systems are better because they create resistance without having to make contact with the flywheel, which makes for a smoother feel.

Plus they’re basically maintenance free.

Friction brakes on the other hand, use a brake pad that actually pushes into the flywheel to create resistance.

Friction brakes can work well too, but you’ll eventually have to replace that pad, as it brakes down with continued use.

With all of this in mind, consider that the Cyclace uses a friction brake resistance system.

There are some bikes in this price range using simple magnetic systems (like the JOROTO X2), but friction brakes are by far the norm.

With friction brakes, you don’t have set resistance levels, this is why you’ll see brands refer to them as having “infinite resistance levels”.

As you turn the resistance dial to increase the resistance, you’re pushing the friction brake further into the flywheel.

You can turn the dial as much or as little as you like, allowing you to make really small adjustments to the resistance, which is a good thing.

On the other side though, without set resistance levels, you have to rely solely on feel for setting your intensity, which might make it a little harder to replicate workout conditions.

Especially for less experienced riders.

After a few rides though, you’ll learn how many turns of the dial it takes to get the resistance to where you need it.

The Cyclace also comes with a free replacement brake pad, which is a nice touch – at least you won’t have to worry about finding one for that first replacement.

That about does it for the resistance mechanism, so let’s talk about that flywheel.

Most indoor cycles, especially in this price range, are designed so that having a heavier flywheel is a good thing.

The extra weight builds more momentum, which helps create a smoother pedaling motion.

These days, there are a lot of bikes packing really heavy flywheels, but I think anything in the 30 lb range or higher is plenty to get the job done.

The Cyclace comes with a 36 lb flywheel, which is easily heavy enough to create a smooth pedaling feel.

And users seem to overwhelmingly agree that this cycle provides a smooth workout.

Overall, the Cyclace scores highly with its heavy flywheel and even though I prefer magnetic resistance systems, in this price range we have to expect friction brakes.

Frame

One of the most disappointing things about budget bikes is how light weight and flimsy their frames feel.

These bikes tend to wobble around as you use ’em, which can certainly take away from the workout experience.

Now budget bikes in general, tend to be lighter duty because they’re more affordable – I mean let’ be real, there are legit reasons why some bikes cost a lot more than others.

But still, heavy-dutiness (is that a word?) varies greatly amongst budget bikes too.

The best way to get an idea as to how stable or heavy-duty a bike’s gonna feel (without being able to try it out first) is to look at the assembled weight spec.

This simple spec tells you exactly how heavy it is – and seeing higher numbers here is always a good thing.

With all of this in mind, the Cyclace comes with an assembled weight of 86 lb, which is pretty good for a bike in this price range where many weigh in the 70 – 80 lb range.

For the sake of comparison, JOROTO’s X2 is a bit heavier-duty with a weight of 94 lb, but Yosuda’s Indoor Cycle is a bit lighter at roughly 73 lb.

Again, for this price range, the Cyclace is pretty heavy.

The Cyclace also comes with an impressive weight limit of 330 lb, allowing folks of all sizes the ability to safely ride this cycle.

Overall, I really like that the Cyclace comes with a heavier-than-average frame.

Warranty

The Cyclace comes with the following residential warranty:

• 1 year parts

This is a very short warranty, but this is how it goes for this price range.

All similarly priced bikes offer this same 12 month guarantee, so I don’t think we can hold this against the Cyclace.

Besides, we all know that purchasing a bike this affordable comes with some risk.

On the plus side, Cyclace’s customer service gets praised all the time by buyers, which is quite rare these days, considering how awful most brands’ service is.

Overall, this bike comes with a very short warranty, but that’s the norm in this price range.

Features

The Cyclace comes with the following features:

LCD monitor- the monitor on this cycle is very simple. It’s more like a little stop watch that can track time, distance, speed, and calories. It doesn’t track cadence, but it’s easy enough to install a cadence tracker purchased separately.

Fully adjustable seat- you can adjust the height and horizontal position of the seat, making it easy to find a comfortable riding position.

Height adjustable handlebars- the handlebars aren’t fully adjustable, but you can adjust their height. This bike also includes the drop handles, which might be a nice perk for folks looking to really mimic the feel of riding on a road bike.

Toe cage pedals- the pedals one the Cyclace are designed for sneakers, so you don’t have to worry about using cleats. Although you could easily swam them out if you do want to use cleats.

Water bottle holder- there’s a small water bottle holder, giving you no excuses not to stay hydrated.

Tablet holder- there’s a place to put your tablet in case you want to watch movies or follow along with streaming workouts.

Price

Keep in mind, prices on these bikes can change, but at the time of writing this, the Cyclace is going for $359 on Amazon.

This makes it a very affordable indoor cycle, even though there are even cheaper bikes out there.

But let’s take a look at some of the other top cycles in this price range.

I’ve mentioned JOROTO’s X2 a few times, but that cycle usually costs around $400, comes with a 35 lb flywheel, a magnetic resistance system, and a frame that’s a little heavier than the Cyclace’s.

There’s also the Yosuda Cycle, which costs about $300, which comes with a similar flywheel, also uses a friction brake, but weighs a little less.

There’s also YESOUL’s S3, which costs a little more at roughly $500 – it comes with a lighter flywheel and a lighter frame, but comes with 100 levels of magnetic resistance.

Overall, based on these comps, I think the Cyclace holds its own quite well against the competition.

Final Thoughts

Ok, that’s about all I got regarding the Cyclace.

As I mentioned in the intro, I think this bike has a lot going for it.

I like the heavy flywheel and I like that the frame is a bit heavier than most in this price range. I prefer magnetic systems, but friction brakes are expected at this price point.

The warranty is short, but again, that’s also to be expected in this price range.

It’s awesome that their customer service has a good reputation though.

Personally, I like JOROTO’s X2 a little better with its magnetic resistance, but the Cyclace can still hold its own with any bike in this price range.

Overall, I think the Cyclace is easily one of the best cycles $350 can get ya. Recommended.