Sole Fitness has 2 great indoor cycles to choose from with the SB700 and the SB900. These bikes actually have a lot in common, including heavy-duty frames, heavy flywheels, and fully adjustable seats/handlebars.
But when it comes to the resistance system, that’s where we see a big difference.
The more affordable SB700 uses a felt pad brake, while the upgraded SB900 utilizes a magnetic system with 100 levels of micro-adjustable resistance.
Both bikes also come with the same awesome home warranty, so that won’t be a concern for either.
Overall, the SB700 and SB900 are both impressive cycles, but the SB900’s upgraded resistance system is an obvious advantage.
But is it worth the extra cash?
Well, that’s what I’m here to help you figure out.
In this review, I’ll go over all the specs and features each cycle has to offer. After reading, you’ll know everything you need to in order to decide for yourself which bike is the better fit for your home.
| Sole SB700 | Sole SB900 | |
|---|---|---|
| Resistance | Felt pad brake 48 lb flywheel | Magnetic resistance system 48 lb flywheel |
| Frame | 141 lb assembled weight 300 lb weight capacity | 160 lb assembled weight 300 lb weight capacity |
| Warranty | Lifetime frame 3 year parts/electronics 1 year labor | Lifetime frame 3 year parts/electronics 1 year labor |
| Features | 3" x 4" LCD console Fully adjustable seat Fully adjustable handlebars Chest strap heart rate monitor compatible Dual water bottle holders Tablet holder Toe cage pedals | 3" x 4" LCD console Fully adjustable seat Fully adjustable handlebars Chest strap heart rate monitor compatible Dual water bottle holders Tablet holder Dual compatible pedals |
| Price | $799 | $999 |
The Sole SB700 vs The SB900
I’m not sure if I’ve ever mentioned this before, but Sole is one of my favorite home fitness brands. I like them because their machines are designed with performance in mind more so than fancy tech features.
Sole machines are heavy-duty, easy to use, and backed by great warranties- what more could you really want?
Oh, they’re competitively priced too, so there’s that.
Sole gets a lot of attention for their treadmills (and rightfully so, they’re great), but their exercise bikes are just as impressive.
They have a nice selection of bikes to choose from, but the SB700 and the SB900 are their only indoor cycles to date (well, 3 if you count the Johnny G Bike you can purchase through them).
Let’s start this comparison with a look at the performance specs each bike has to offer. Then we’ll move on to the features side of things.
Resistance
I always like to start my spin bike discussions off by going over the resistance systems, but in this case it’s especially convenient because this is where we see the biggest difference between the SB700 and SB900.
Home indoor cycles really come in 2 varieties with regards to their resistance systems- felt pads and magnetic.
With a felt pad system, there’s a brake with a (you guessed it) felt pad on it. As you turn the dial to increase your resistance, the felt pad gets pushed closer to the flywheel, making more contact with it.
When you turn the dial the other way, the felt pad is moved farther away from the flywheel, decreasing the contact with it and reducing the resistance you feel.
Believe it or not, felt pad systems can work effectively for how low-tech they are.
With these systems, you get unlimited resistance levels because you can make such small incremental turns of the dial.
The biggest disadvantage is that you’ll have to replace that felt pad periodically because it’ll break down with time.
The SB700 uses a felt pad system like this, meaning you get unlimited resistance levels, but you’ll be responsible for replacing that felt pad from time to time.
The SB900 uses a magnetic resistance system. In a system like this, you have magnets on each side of the spinning flywheel (which is metal).
The resistance is adjusted by changing the distance between these magnets and the flywheel- brining the magnets closer to the flywheel increases resistance and bringing them farther away reduces it.
Magnetic systems are great because there’s no actual touching between a brake and the spinning flywheel. This makes for a quiet, smooth feel, but it also means you don’t have to worry about replacing felt pads.
Your higher-end bikes use magnetic systems and the more affordable bikes often use felt pads.
Something else to normally consider is flywheel weight.
Having a heavier flywheel is usually beneficial because it builds more momentum as it spins, which creates a smoother feel during workouts (for more detail, check out my spin bike guide).
The SB700 and SB900 both come with the same 48 lb flywheel, which is very heavy for bikes in any price range, so this spec won’t be an issue for either model.
Oh, something else worth noting- one drawback with the SB900 is that there are no defined resistance levels. Just like the SB700, you can continue turning the knob one direction or the other, but there’s no indicator of what your level is.
This makes it difficult to replicate workout settings and it also means you’ll have to depend more on how it feels during your workouts.
I think this will be less of an issue with experienced riders than novice ones.
Overall, the biggest difference between these 2 cycles is the type of resistance system they use. When choosing between them, you’ll have to decide whether the magnetic system is worth the extra cost.
Frame
Moving on, let’s take a look at the frames of these 2 bikes.
I’m a firm believer that heavier is better because heavier bikes will feel more stable and will be less likely to wobble during workouts.
The SB700 weighs 141 lb fully assembled, which is quite heavy for an indoor cycle- especially when you consider there isn’t a huge HD screen adding weight to it.
That said, the SB900 is even heavier with an assembled weight of 160 lb, which is massive for a spin bike.
Looking at these numbers, it’s obvious that both bikes are heavy-duty, but the SB900 is a quite a bit heavier-duty (if that’s even a word).
Some of the extra weight is likely coming from the magnetic resistance system.
Both bikes come with the same assembled dimensions, so the footprint will be identical for both: 40″ x 21″ x 42″ (L x W x H).
Both bikes also come with the same weight capacity of 300 lb, which is pretty standard for elite indoor cycles like these.
Overall, both bikes are heavy enough to feel stable during strenuous workouts, but the SB900 is even heavier-duty.
Warranty
I mentioned earlier that I love Sole in part for their generous warranties. Well, time to get a little more specific. Luckily, Sole offers the same warranty on both of these bikes, so this spec won’t make a difference when it comes to decision making time.
The SB700 and SB900 both come with the following residential warranty:
- Lifetime frame
- 3 year parts & electronics
- 1 year labor
This is a great warranty considering most elite cycles (including Peloton) only come with a 5 year frame guarantee.
Most spin bikes only offer 2 years on parts too.
A year on labor is pretty standard, nothing too special there.
Overall though, Sole offers some of the longest warranties around.
Sole offers a light commercial warranty on both of these bikes too:
- Lifetime frame
- 3 year parts & electronics
- 1 year labor
You don’t see many bikes in these price ranges (especially for the SB700) that come with light commercial warranties. Seeing this really tells us how well built these bikes are.
Features
Ok, that about does it for the performance side of things. Let’s move on to the features each bike has to offer. I want to start with the differences between these bikes because there really aren’t many.
One difference though, is found in the pedals: the SB700 comes with toe cages that are designed for use with sneakers, while the SB900 comes with dual compatible pedals that can be used with sneakers (toe cage) or SPD compatible cleats.
In terms of features, that’s the only difference between the SB700 and the SB900. These bikes share the following features:
- 3″ x 4″ LCD console
- Fully adjustable seat
- Fully adjustable handlebars
- Chest strap heart rate monitor compatible
- Dual water bottle holders
- Tablet holder
You should also know that neither of these bikes come with any built-in workout programs.
The LCD consoles are very simple- they only display a few key metrics (distance, RPM, calories, time, speed). And as I mentioned earlier, the console doesn’t tell you what resistance level you’re on.
Overall, both bikes are fairly low-tech. The SB900 is compatible with cleats too, so if you already have some or are planning on getting some, this is a feature that could make a difference.
Price
Let’s take a quick look at how much each bike costs.
Keep in mind that prices change periodically throughout the year – so don’t hate me if the numbers I quote below aren’t 100% accurate when you read this:
SB700: $799
SB900: $999
I’ve also seen the SB700 on sale for $699 before, but that price isn’t guaranteed, so I went with the standard price above.
Sob, there’s a $200 difference between these 2 cycles.
And that extra cash basically gets you the magnetic resistance system and dual-compatible pedals, since these 2 bikes are pretty identical everywhere else.
Other Considerations
I like to save this area for any extra thoughts or considerations I’d like to throw in before we wrap this comparison up.
In the case of the SB700 and SB900 I don’t really have anything to add here.
Both bikes are from the same brand, so you don’t have to consider any differences in brand reputation or anything like that.
Speaking of which, Sole is a very well-respected brand with excellent user reviews. Like all brands, there are some complaints about crappy customer service or faulty machines, but every brand gets these from time to time.
Overall, most folks are happy with Sole products.
Final Thoughts
Ok, that about does it for this head-to-head comparison between the Sole SB700 and the SB900.
Overall, these 2 bikes are very similar.
Both come with massive flywheels, heavy-duty frames, fully adjustable seats/handlebars, and really simple LCD consoles.
Both bikes are also backed by the same great warranty.
The only differences between these 2 models is that the SB900 comes with an upgraded magnetic resistance system and upgraded pedals that are compatible with SPD cleats.
The real question is whether or not this is enough to justify the extra $200.
Personally, I would argue that it is.
I’m not a fan of felt pad resistance, so this is an easy one for me. The smoothness (and quietness) that a magnetic system provides is well worth the extra cash in my book.
Not to mention not having to deal with the maintenance of replacing the pad.
All things considered, I think it makes sense to go all in with the SB900 (if your budget allows for it). In the long run, I think you’ll be happy to have that magnetic resistance.
