Sole’s LCB is a heavy-duty upright bike that’s rated for both residential and light-commercial use, even though it’s priced more like a home model.
With a 30 lb flywheel and 40 levels of resistance, the LCB has enough muscle under the hood to challenge riders of all skill levels.
And with a large, fully-adjustable, cushioned gel seat, comfort shouldn’t be an issue either during workouts.
And even though Sole puts performance over everything else, the LCB’s console is no slouch when it comes to features – highlights include a 10″ LCD screen, bluetooth speakers, and USB charging.
Throw in one of the longest home warranties on the market and I think one could easily make the argument that this is one of the best home upright bikes around.
(I, myself, would make such an argument, but more on that later).
But I’m not here to sell ya on this bike – I’m here to go over all the specs and features the LCB has to offer so you can decide for yourself whether or not it’s worth investing in.
I’ll also compare it to some of the other top upright bikes in this price range so you can see how it stacks up to the competition.
Well, let’s get to it already.
The Sole LCB Upright Bike
Sole’s become one of the top names in home fitness and there’s really no secret to their success – all they had to do was create heavy-duty equipment, back ’em with great warranties, and then sell ’em at fair prices.
Turns out that’s all it takes.
Speaking of prices, most of Sole’s products fall under $2k, so I would consider them more of a mid-range home brand.
They’re a lot more affordable than luxury brands like Life Fitness and Precor, but quite a bit more expensive than really affordable brands like Sunny or XTERRA.
And realistically, this is the price range where a lot of the most popular home fitness equipment is found (and where we tend to find the best bang for your buck).
Anyway, when it comes to upright bikes, Sole only offers 2 – the LCB we’re here to discuss now and the more affordable B94.
The LCB is higher-end than the B94, coming with some significant upgrades.
Pros
- 30 lb flywheel
- 40 levels of magnetic resistance
- Heavy-duty frame
- 350 lb weight limit
- Large, easy to use console
- Bluetooth speakers
- USB charging port
- STUDIO app compatible
- Strap heart rate monitor compatible
- Fully adjustable, gel cushioned seat
- Cooling fan
- Great warranty
Cons
- Only 10 workout programs
- Strap heart rate monitor not included
Resistance
You know, we don’t hear that much about upright bikes anymore – everyone seems to be more interested in spin bikes and all that.
But upright bikes can still offer a great workout and since they keep you in a more upright position, they can certainly offer a more comfortable experience.
If you’re looking for an upright that can provide a substantial workout, it’s a good idea to compare flywheel weights (especially in this price range).
Having a heavier flywheel is usually beneficial because the extra weight helps create a smoother pedaling motion (more weight means more momentum), but it also usually means more overall resistance too.
That said, upright bikes don’t pack the same kind of crazy heavy flywheels indoor cycles do, but they still vary quite a bit in terms of weight.
Sole’s LCB comes with a 30 lb flywheel, which is average at best for a spin bike, but it’s about as heavy a flywheel as you’ll find on an upright model.
For the sake of comparison, this matches the flywheel found on Spirit’s XBU55, but it’s quite a bit heavier than the 19 lb flywheel found on NordicTrack’s VU29.
And it’s a lot heavier than the 13 lb flywheels found on more affordable uprights like Schwinn’s 170 or Nautilus’ U618.
But it’s not all about flywheel weights, it’s a good idea to compare resistance systems too.
All upright bikes these days use magnetic resistance systems, so that should be a given, but the number of resistance levels they come with vary a lot.
Now having more resistance levels doesn’t mean more total available resistance, it just means you can make smaller adjustments to that resistance.
But again, having heavier flywheels tends to mean more overall resistance.
Anyway, the LCB comes with 40 resistance levels, giving you a lot of control over the intensity of your workouts – which is a good thing because you can fine tune the resistance, making gradual adjustments as needed.
And with a belt drive, the LCB should be very quiet during use, so you shouldn’t have to worry about noise.
Overall, the LCB scores very highly in the resistance department. With a 30 lb flywheel and 40 resistance levels, this upright has a lot more muscle under the hood than most.
Frame
I always stress the importance of considering how “heavy-duty” or “stable” the bike itself is going to feel and I realize it can be hard to quantify a feature like this.
But I think the easiest way to do that is to simply look at the bike’s assembled weight – because this number tells us exactly how heavy the bike is.
And the heavier a bike is, the more secure and stable it should feel during use.
That’s because all that extra weight is going to make the bike harder to move, meaning it’ll wobble or shake less during workouts.
When it comes to assembled weights, Sole usually doesn’t have any issues, and that’s the case as well with their LCB.
With an assembled weight of 130 lb, not only is this upright easily heavy enough to provide a stable base, it’s also quite a bit heavier than most other bikes in this price range.
Spirit’s XBU55, another one of the top uprights, weighs in at around 100 lb, as does the VU29. Diamondback’s 1260 ub is also about the same, weighing around 106 lb.
And the LCB is a lot heavier than the more affordable bikes like Schwinn’s 170 or Nautilus’ U618, which weigh somewhere in the 60 – 80 lb range.
So again, the LCB is a very heavy bike (which I think is a good thing).
But it also comes with a 350 lb weight limit, which is awesome for a home upright bike.
The higher weight capacity is a good indicator of overall bike quality, but it also allows folks of all sizes to safely access this bike.
Otherwise, the LCB takes up the same footprint most bikes do (roughly 4′ x 2′, give or take a few inches).
Overall, I like how heavy and robust the LCB is because it’ll make for a more stable (and commercial-like) feel during workouts.
Warranty
Sole backs their LCB Upright Bike with the following residential warranty:
- Lifetime frame
- 5 year parts/electronics
- 2 year labor
Ok, so this is a great warranty.
It’s awesome to see a lifetime frame guarantee because plenty of brands don’t offer this, but that 5 year parts warranty is probably even better since most brands stop at 2-3 years.
And 2 years on labor is a year longer than what most offer there too.
There aren’t many brands that offer warranties that can compete with this one, but Spirit does offer a 10 year parts warranty on their XBU55.
There’s also 3G Cardio, who offers a 7 year parts warranty on their Elite UB Upright Bike.
But these 2 brands are certainly exceptions to the rule.
Oh, Sole also offers a light-commercial warranty on the LCB:
- Lifetime frame
- 3 year parts/electronics
- 1 year labor
Overall, I don’t have any complaints when it comes to the warranty department.
Features
The Sole LCB Upright Bike comes with the following included features:
10.1″ console- the console on this upright is large and brightly-lit, making it easy to see during workouts. There aren’t any fancy touchscreens or video streaming functions, but you can easily see all workout metrics on the same screen
10 workout programs- Sole doesn’t include a ton of workouts on their machines, but there’s still enough to get the job done for folks who like following along with pre-programmed workouts. These include 6 standard profiles, as well as 2 heart rate guided ones and 2 custom user workouts.
STUDIO compatible- the LCB is also compatible with the STUDIO streaming app, which gives you access to thousands of streaming workouts and additional metric tracking (tablet or smart phone necessary to connect with app).
Bluetooth speakers- you can listen to your workout jams wirelessly through the console with the built-in bluetooth speakers.
USB charging- you can also charge your phone or tablet while you workout with the built-in USB charging port (comes in handy if you like to watch Netflix while you bike).
Heart rate monitoring- the LCD comes with built-in grip heart rate monitors in the handles and is also compatible with telemetry strap monitors as well (although I don’t think one is included).
Cooling fan- there’s a built-in fan to help keep you more comfortable during those more strenuous sessions.
Tablet holder- Sole was smart when the decided to put the tablet holder above the console because this way you can watch your tablet and still see all your workout metrics at the same time.
Fully adjustable seat- the seat on this upright is fully adjustable, meaning you can adjust both the height and fore/aft position easily. It’s also gel cushioned for extra comfort and most users agree it’s quite comfortable during use.
Water bottle holder- there’s a place to store you workout beverage of choice.
Price
At the time of writing this, Sole has the LCB on sale for $999 – this could change of course by the time you read, and if that’s the case, I apologize.
But for the sake of this section, I’m going to base my comps on that price range, so I hope it’s at least a little helpful.
Regardless, here we go.
Based on this price, the top comps would be Spirit’s XBU55, NordicTrack’s Commercial VU29, and probably Diamondback’s 1260ub.
Although there’s also 3G Cardio’s Elite UB which is also pretty awesome.
The XBU55 is very similar in terms of performance – it comes with a 30 lb flywheel, 20 resistance levels and a 350 lb weight limit too, but it comes with an even longer (10 year parts) warranty.
And it’s priced identically on Fitness Factory.
The VU29 is priced around $100 or so less and comes with a 19 lb flywheel and 24 resistance levels, but it comes with a 14″ HD touchscreen display that can be used for streaming workouts.
But a much shorter warranty.
Finally, Diamondback’s 1260ub is several hundred bucks cheaper at the time of writing this and it comes with 32 resistance levels, a 25 lb flywheel, 15 workout programs, and a 350 lb weight limit.
But again, much shorter warranty – 5 year frame, 3 year parts.
Overall, based on the above comps, I would say the LCB easily holds its own and then some.
Final Thoughts
Well, that’s about all I got.
I don’t have much to complain about when it comes to Sole’s LCB – this upright comes with a heavy flywheel, a ton of resistance levels, and a great warranty.
It’s also very heavy-duty and packing a solid console.
And based on the comps mentioned above, I think it’s priced competitively, considering the level of specs and features it comes with.
I guess if I had to complain about something, it would be nice if it came with an included chest strap heart rate monitor; it’s also a little lacking when it comes to workout programs.
But that’s really just me nitpicking.
All things considered, I think the LCB is easily one of the best home upright bikes around.
If you’re looking for a comfortable upright bike that can perform, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Highly recommended.
