The XBU55 is the only residential upright bike Spirit Fitness offers, but I guess if you get it right on the first try there’s no need to repeat yourself.

With a 30 lb flywheel, 20 magnetic resistance levels, and a smooth acting belt drive, the XBU55 is designed with performance in mind.

But it’s no slouch when it comes to console features either.

This upright also comes with a brightly backlit display, 10 workout programs, bluetooth, and an included chest strap heart rate monitor.

And this is Spirit we’re talking about here, so of course this bike comes with one of the longest warranties on the market.

All things considered, I think the Spirit’s XBU55 is easily one of the best home upright bikes available, but I’m not here to sell it to ya – I’m here to go over everything it does and doesn’t have to offer and compare it to other top uprights in its price range.

This way, you can decide for yourself whether or not it’s the right bike for your home.

Let’s begin.

The Spirit XBU55 Upright Bike

I don’t come across much marketing for Spirit Fitness, so I’m not sure how well-known they are out there in the general public.

I can’t imagine they have anywhere near the brand recognition of NordicTrack, Schwinn, or even Sole.

And that’s a shame, because Spirit is quietly one of the best home fitness brands around (in my humble opinion anyway).

Spirit is very similar to Sole, both in terms of their lineups and price ranges, although Spirit machines tend to be a little simpler when it comes to the consoles.

But Spirit’s warranties are about as long as you’ll see anywhere, but more on that later.

Spirit has a fairly extensive lineup of cardio machines to choose from, but as I mentioned above, the XBU55 is their only residential upright bike to date (they’ve got a couple more commercial bikes to choose from).

You might notice there’s also an XBU55ENT, but that’s the same bike just with Spirit’s upgraded “ENT” console (10″ touchscreen console, lots of workout programs screen mirroring, entertainment apps, etc.)

Anyway, let’s start this review with a look at how this bike is designed to perform.

Pros

• 30 lb flywheel
• 20 levels of magnetic resistance
• Belt drive
• 350 lb weight limit
• Fully adjustable seat
• Blue backlit LCD console
• 10 workout programs
• Bluetooth
• Chest strap heart rate monitor included
• Built-in speakers
• Cooling fan
• Comfortable seat
• Amazing warranty

Cons

• Frame could be heavier
• No USB charging
• No bluetooth speakers

Resistance

You don’t see much talk about traditional upright bikes these days.

Now, it’s all spin bikes and streaming fitness apps and interactive home gyms, blah, blah, blah.

But there’s still some legit classic upright bikes out there, which is great because they can still fill the need for folks looking for a more comfortable option to spinning.

Upright bikes keep you in the upright biking position, but unlike indoor cycles, they don’t force you to lean forward as much.

Upright bikes usually come with higher consoles/handlebars and they also usually come with larger, more comfortable seats.

They don’t replicate the feel of road bikes like indoor cycles do, but they offer a more comfortable biking experience.

And they can still provide great workouts too, as long as their resistance systems have what it takes.

Like most indoor cycles, most higher-end upright bikes utilize heavy flywheels and magnetic systems to create the resistance for your workouts.

Heavier flywheels are advantageous because the momentum that’s built as they spin makes for a smoother pedaling motion.

And even though upright bikes aren’t known for packing huge flywheels like spin bikes, top models are still packing plenty of muscle under the hood.

Case in point, the XBU55 comes with a 30 lb flywheel.

Now 30 lb might sounds pretty average for a spin bike, but it’s massive for an upright model and easily heavy enough to create a smooth feel during workouts.

Spirit pairs this heavy flywheel with a belt drive and 20 levels of magnetic resistance, making it well-equipped to provide a quiet, smooth feel.

When it comes to resistance levels, having more doesn’t necessarily mean more overall resistance (although having a heavier flywheel usually does), but it does mean you can make smaller adjustments between levels.

Which is a good thing too.

With 20 levels, the XBU55 offers plenty of control over the intensity of your workouts, although some bikes, like the similarly priced Sole LCB, do offer more (40).

Overall though, the XBU55 scores highly with its heavy flywheel and users almost unanimously agree that this bike offers a smooth, quiet ride.

Frame

When it comes to the XBU55’s resistance system, there isn’t much to complain about. So let’s move on and see how the rest of the bike measures up.

When looking at a bike’s frame, I usually start by assessing its assembled weight.

I do this because this spec gives you a good idea as to how stable or heavy-duty it’s gonna feel during use.

And if you ask me, heavier is always better because a heavier bike is going to be less likely to wiggle around during workouts.

How heavy is heavy enough?

Well, generally speaking, anything over 100 lb is pretty good, especially for a more compact upright bike.

With this in mind, the XBU55 weighs in right at 100 lb, which is a little lighter than some of the other top uprights in this price range.

Sole’s LCB is much heavier at 130 lb, but NordicTrack’s VU29 is around 100 lb, Diamondback’s 1260ub is at 106 lb, and Life Fitness’ more expensive C1 Lifecycle is only 116 lb.

So, the XBU55 is a bit lighter, but it’s still in the right ballpark compared to these other elite uprights.

Users don’t seem to mind though, I haven’t come across any complaints regarding the bike feeling unstable or wobbly during use.

And even though this bike is a little lighter than some of the other bikes, it still comes with an impressive weight limit of 350 lb, allowing most riders to safely access it.

Seeing a high weight limit is also a good sign of build quality.

In terms of dimensions, the XBU55 is pretty standard, taking up a footprint of roughly 43″ x 22″ (L x W).

Overall, the XBU55 isn’t as heavy as some of the other top uprights out there, but it’s heavy enough to feel stable during use (and comes with a great weight capacity).

Warranty

Spirit Fitness backs their XBU55 Upright Bike with the following residential warranty:

• Lifetime frame/brake
• 10 year parts
• 1 year labor

Yeah, now you see what I’m talking about – Spirit doesn’t mess around when it comes to their warranties.

You can’t beat a lifetime frame guarantee, but it’s that 10 year parts warranty that really sets this guarantee apart from most.

There just aren’t that many brands these days offering a parts warranty like this, most stop at 3-5 years.

I know Precor still offers 10 years on parts, but those bikes cost quite a bit more than the XBU55.

A year on labor is standard stuff, nothing special there.

Spirit’s home warranty is awesome, but they also back the XBU55 with a commercial warranty:

• Lifetime frame
• 5 year brake
• 3 year parts
• 1 year labor

The fact that Spirit is comfortable offering any commercial warranty on this bike says a lot, but that’s actually a pretty good commercial guarantee too.

Overall, the XBU55 comes with the longest warranty you’re gonna find in this price range.

Features

The Spirit XBU55 comes with the following features:

7.5″ LCD console- this bike doesn’t come with any fancy touchscreens or anything like that, but its display is large enough to see all your workout metrics clearly and blue backlit for better visibility. You can also adjust the angle of the console to meet your needs.

10 workout programs- again, nothing too crazy going on here, but this bike comes with all the basic built-in workouts you’d expect. These include all the classic profiles (fat burn, hill, cardio, strength, and interval), as well as 2 heart rate guided workouts, 2 custom user workouts, and manual mode.

Bluetooth- the XBU55 is bluetooth compatible with Spirit’s free fitness app, which allows you to track workout data, as well as Zwift, which can make your workouts a lot more entertaining.

Heart rate monitoring- there are built-in contact monitors in the handles, but Spirit also includes a free chest strap monitor for more accurate readings.

Fully-adjustable seat- you can adjust both the height and horizontal (fore/aft) position of the seat, making it easier to find a comfortable riding position. Speaking of comfort, most users find the seat on this bike quite comfortable.

Tablet rack- there’s a place on the console where you can place a tablet (or book) for easy viewing during workouts, but it’ll block your view of the console itself.

Speakers- you can plug your phone or mp3 player up via the audio port and listen to your workout tunes through the built-in speakers in the console.

Cooling fan- there’s also a fan built-into the console to help keep ya a little cooler during workouts.

Water bottle- there’s even a convenient place to store your water bottle, so there’s no excuse for not staying hydrated!

Price

Before we finish things up here, I want to talk about how much the XBU55 costs and take a closer look at some of the other comps in this price range.

At the time of writing this, the XBU55 is going for $1699 on Spirit’s website.

But it’s a little cheaper on Amazon ($1599) and quite a bit cheaper on Fitness Factory ($1399).

These prices can change of course, so I apologize in advance if they aren’t accurate by the time you read this.

But regardless of where you find it, it should cost well under $2k, which I think is a pretty fair price for it considering its features and warranty.

I’ve mentioned it a little already, but Sole’s LCB is one of the XBU55’s biggest competitors and at the time of writing this, it costs $1399 through Sole.

The LCB comes with the same 30 lb flywheel, but comes with 40 resistance levels, a slightly more advanced console (bluetooth speakers and USB charging), and a heavy-duty frame.

Sole’s warranty is really good too, but Spirit’s is better.

There’s also NordicTrack’s Commercial VU29 which goes for around $1299 – it’s only packing a 19 lb flywheel and has a much shorter warranty, but it has a 14″ HD touchscreen console compatible with streaming iFit workouts.

Diamondback’s 1260ub is another very nice, similarly priced upright and it comes with a 25 lb flywheel, 32 levels of resistance, and 15 workout programs, but it’s warranty is pretty short (5 year frame, 3 year parts).

Overall, I think the XBU55 holds its own well against these other impressive uprights and is priced quite competitively.

Final Thoughts

Well, there ya have it.

The XBU55 has a lot going for it, especially from a performance standpoint.

With a heavy flywheel and smooth acting magnetic resistance system, this upright has everything it needs to provide a comfortable pedaling motion.

It’s console isn’t especially advanced, but it comes with a nice selection of workouts, is easy to see, and even comes with an included chest strap.

Folks looking for a reliable upright bike that’s easy to use will likely love the XBU55; folks looking for an upright with an advanced console or streaming capabilities should consider another model (or check out the XBU55ENT with its advanced console).

Overall though, I think Spirit’s XBU55 is easily one of the best home upright bikes around. Highly recommended.