The G1-Plus is YESOUL’s newest and highest-end cycle to date. It’s also one of the most affordable cycles on the market to come with a 21.5″ touchscreen console.

Large screens aside, the G1-Plus also boasts 100 levels of magnetic resistance, a belt drive, and even comes with an included pair of dumbbells and an arm band heart rate monitor.

And, there’s the understated fact that you can access free instructor-led workouts through YESOUL’s streaming platform.

I’ll admit, this is all great stuff, but with an asking price just north of $1k, the G1-Plus finds itself in a rather competitive price range.

Which makes its shortcomings, like the lightweight frame and poor warranty, even more of an issue.

If you’re interested in investing in a more budget-friendly streaming cycle, I could see how the G1-Plus could seem enticing, but before you decide you need to learn the full story.

And that’s where I come in.

In this review, I’ll go over everything this spin bike does and doesn’t have going for it.

After reading, you’ll know whether or not the G1-Plus is worth buying.

Off we go.

The YESOUL G1-Plus Indoor Cycling Bike

 

YESOUL is a Chinese brand that’s been around since 2015 I believe.

I can’t say for sure how popular they are in China, but I get the impression that they’re coming on strong because they’ve come out with several models in just a few years.

So far, YESOUL has been specializing in affordable streaming cycles, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they eventually expand into other streaming fitness machines, like treadmills, rowers, and so on.

Kinda like Echelon did.

Currently, you’ll find 3 different cycles being offered directly through YESOUL – the G1, the G1-Pro, and the G1-Plus we’re here to discuss now.

As far as I can tell, when it comes to the bike itself, all 3 of these G-series bikes are identical.

The only real difference I see is in the size of the touchscreen console that comes with ’em (or the lack of one altogether in the G1’s case).

Pros

• 100 levels of magnetic resistance
• 21.5″ touchscreen console
• Belt drive
• Access to free instructor-led workouts through YESOUL streaming platform
• Heart rate monitor included
• Pair of dumbbells included
• Bluetooth compatible
• Fully adjustable seat
• Toe cage pedals
• Water bottle holder

Cons

• Light flywheel
• Light weight frame
• Weight limit only 265 lb
• Height limit only 6’2″
• Short warranty

Resistance

An indoor cycle’s resistance system really only consists of a spinning flywheel and a resistance mechanism, which can be in the form of a friction brake or a magnetic system.

Even though there are some higher-end cycles that still use friction brakes, most cycles in this price range are using magnetic systems.

And even though I know some folks prefer friction brakes, this makes me happy because I think magnetic systems provide a smoother feel.

Plus you don’t have to mess with swapping out the brake pads when they break down.

Anyway, the G1-Plus uses a magnetic system and it comes with 100 resistance levels, which I think is one of its best features.

Having all of these resistance levels allows you to make very small changes between each level, giving you the ability to fine tune the intensity level of each workout.

As a happy Peloton owner, I love the 100 level scale.

And even there are more bikes starting to offer 100 levels, I wouldn’t really say it’s that common yet.

Anyway, the G1-Plus scores highly with its magnetic system, but we can’t forget about that flywheel.

Spin bikes are known for packing massive flywheels and even really affordable cycles are coming with really heavy flywheels these days.

It’s not uncommon to see 40 – 50 lb flywheels on cycles costing just a few hundred bucks.

Not to say that you need a flywheel that big – personally, I think anything around 30 lb or heavier is more than big enough to ensure a smooth pedaling motion.

With all of this in mind, I’d like to mention that YESOUL doesn’t disclose the G1-Plus’ flywheel weight online.

I could be wrong (and I apologize in advance if I am), but I have a gut feeling they used the same flywheel on this cycle that they used on their older S3.

And that flywheel weighs 16.5 lb, which is very light for a spin bike these days.

Assuming I’m right, this means the flywheel on the G1-Plus is quite light, especially for a bike in this price range.

The fact that this cycle uses a belt drive might help improve the pedal motion some too though, and it’ll definitely help ensure a quiet ride.

But it would still be nice to see a heavier flywheel on this model.

Overall, the G1-Plus scores highly with its 100 magnetic resistance levels, but its flywheel is much lighter than what I’d expect on a higher-end bike.

Frame

One of the biggest differences between higher-end and lower-end bikes is how stable they feel during workouts.

As you might expect, higher-end bikes will feel more secure and wobble less than lower-end bikes.

This is because more expensive bikes usually come with more robust frames and heavier-duty components.

It’s tough though, because looks can be deceiving, making it hard to spot a heavy-duty bike without trying it out first (which is often not doable in the days of online shopping).

Luckily, there are a few things you can check for.

The most important is probably the assembled weight spec because this tells you exactly how robust the bike is.

And I’m of the opinion that heavier is always better because again, the heavier bikes will be less likely to wiggle around during workouts.

According to YESOUL, the G1-Plus comes with an assembled weight of about 68 lb.

This is very light for an indoor cycle, especially one in this price range.

To YESOUL’s defense, they have the 68 lb weight listed for all 3 of their G-series bikes – and we know that the large console on the G1-Plus has got to make it weigh a little more than the G1 that doesn’t have any console.

So, in reality, the G1-Plus probably weighs a little more than 68 lb, but this is still very low for a quality cycle.

For the sake of comparison, Sole’s SB900 weighs in at around 160 lb…

True, that’s one of the heaviest-duty bikes around, but there’s also Schwinn’s IC4 that weighs about 106 lb…

The smallness of this cycle is also evident when we consider that this cycle has a weight limit of only 265 lb, which is well below the industry average of 300 lb.

And, according to YESOUL, the G1-Plus can only comfortably fit riders who are between 4’9″ and 6″2 tall, which again, is less inclusive than many of the other top cycles that can fit folks all the way up to 6″7.

Overall, all this data points to the fact that the G1-Plus is a very small, lightweight cycle designed for smaller users.

Warranty

YESOUL backs their G1-Plus Indoor Cycling Bike with the following residential warranty:

• 1 year parts

This is the same short guarantee YESOUL offers on all their cycles and where it might not be that much of an issue on their more affordable models, I think it becomes a bigger deal here.

We’ll talk more about price in a minute, but the G1-Plus costs over a thousand bucks.

And I’m sorry, but for that kind of money, I expect longer than a 12 month guarantee that it’ll work.

In this price range, some brands offer lifetime frame warranties and 2-3 years on parts.

Overall, this is a very short warranty for a bike in this price range and a red flag that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Features

The YESOUL G1-Plus comes with the following features:

21.5″ touchscreen console- the most notable feature on this bike is the large touchscreen display mounted over the handlebars. This awesome console is designed for viewing instructor-led workouts via YESOUL’s own streaming platform, which is free at the time of writing this. YESOUL doesn’t have nearly as many workouts as Peloton or iFit yet, but there are still hundreds to choose from. And did I mention that it’s free?!? Yeah, no monthly payment, pretty sweet.

Bluetooth- the console is bluetooth compatible with heart rate monitors and headphones and you it’s also compatible with the Zwift app as well.

Heart rate monitoring- speaking of heart rate monitors, the G1-Plus comes with an included arm band monitor, allowing you to keep an eye on your pulse during workouts.

Dumbbells- this cycle comes with a pair of 2 lb dumbbells and a convenient rack attached to the rear of the bike keeps them within easy reach at all times.

Fully adjustable seat- you can adjust the height and fore/aft position of the seat, making it easier to find a comfortable position.

Height adjustable handlebars- the handlebars aren’t fully adjustable, but you can adjust their height (my Peloton doesn’t have fully adjustable handlebars either and it hasn’t bothered me).

Toe cage pedals- the pedals come with toe cages designed to be used with sneakers. If you like the idea of using cleats (or already own some), you could easily switch ’em out for other pedals.

Water bottle holder- this handy device gives you a place to store your water bottle.

Price

Before we wrap this review up, I think we should take a closer look at the price and how this bike holds up against some of the other top cycles in this price range.

At the time of writing this, the G1-Plus is on sale for $1099 (with an original price of $1299).

At roughly $1k, the G1-Plus is still fairly affordable for an indoor cycle, but it finds itself in a new bracket that’s more upscale than the really affordable cycles in the $500 range.

In this price range, we have bikes like Bowflex’s C6, which comes with a 40 lb flywheel, 100 levels of magnetic resistance, a much heavier-duty frame, and a much longer warranty.

Of course, the C6 doesn’t come with a console though.

Sole’s SB900 is another top option in this price range and it too comes with a much heavier flywheel, much better warranty, and significantly heavier-duty frame.

But again, no touchscreen console.

If we’re gonna try to compare apples to apples, I need to mention ProForm’s Studio Bike Pro 22 because it’s similarly priced ($100 – $200 more) and comes with a 22″ HD touchscreen console.

The Pro 22 comes with a 32 lb flywheel, 24 levels of magnetic resistance, a heavier-duty frame, and a much better warranty.

But you have to pay the monthly iFit membership to access all the good stuff.

Final Thoughts

Looking at these comps, I think it’s pretty easy to see that when it comes to performance alone, there are a lot of bikes out there packing more impressive specs.

Comparing this cycle to these other bikes really shows how small and light weight the G1-Plus really is.

And even though I love the idea of having 100 resistance levels, that isn’t as uncommon in this price range – there are other cycles that come with this too.

And I’m sorry, but I’d have a hard time paying $1k for a bike that only comes with a 12 month guarantee…

I think YESOUL’s G1 and G1-Pro probably make more sense because they fall in significantly lower price ranges where things like light weight frames and poor warranties are more forgiven.

But the G1-Plus is priced at a point where we should expect a bit more.

If you’re looking for an affordable streaming experience, you could always invest in a great performance cycle like the C6 or IC4 and use your own tablet to stream workouts.

And if you do have your own tablet, why not save yourself $600 and opt for the significantly cheaper G1 model – again, all of these YESOUL bikes are the same in terms of performance.

All things considered, I think there are better options out there in this price range.