The Bowflex VeloCore 16i is like no other exercise bike. At the push of a button, it morphs from a stationary bike to a leaning racing machine, recreating an authentic cycling experience in the comfort of your own home.
If you’re in the market for one of the best exercise bikes, now is possibly the time to throw the Bowflex VeloCore 16i into the mix. This unusual indoor bike offers a smooth, quiet and fun ride with a generous selection of riding mode workouts, not to mention a fantastic USP. Offering decent enough value when it was first released, its price has now been slashed almost in half, offering a stellar ride experience at exceptional value for money. I rode it pretty religiously every day for a month: here’s how this mean, leaning racing machine performed on test.
Men’s Fitness verdict
If you have the space and cash and love cycling, the Bowflex VeloCore 16i may be the exercise bike for you. This innovative bike offers a unique workout experience, and you’ll reap the fitness benefit- Leaning feature targets the core and arms as well as legs
- Decent selection of riding modes
- One-year free JRNY app membership
- Smooth and quiet ride
- Now at a very competitive price
- Design is bigger and heavier than most indoor bikes
Designed by Bowflex, the manufacturer of the popular SelectTech adjustable dumbbells and barbells, the VeloCore exercise bike is the latest evolution of the humble exercise bike. Yet this one takes home cycling workouts to a whole new level.
It works like a normal stationary bike, but with the press of a button, it switches from a stationary bike to one that actually leans into corners. In a similar way to the Garmin Tacx Neo Bike Plus, it adds an unprecedented degree of realism to stationary, virtual cycling.
As you lean from side to side riding through the winding roads of your virtual workout, you’re also giving your core, arms and shoulders a more significant workout than you would on a stationary bike. You’ll automatically increase muscle activation, and hence increase calorie burn.
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Bowflex VeloCore features
In addition to its standout leaning mode, the Bowflex VeloCore comes equipped with a host of other features that make for an engaging cycling experience. There are two touchscreen console sizes available – this 16in version I tested (was £2,499, now £1,399) as well as a 22in model which is now difficult to find. These are compatible with a variety of streaming apps including Netflix, Hulu and HBOMax.
Both versions also come with a one-year membership to JRNY, an adaptive fitness platform that offers a variety of workout options including a personalised coaching system that creates daily custom workouts that automatically adjusts the time and intensity of your workouts as your fitness improves.
Alongside built-in Bluetooth speakers, a water bottle holder and a media rack for your phone or tablet, the bike also comes with a pair of 1.5kg dumbbells, which dock nicely in an attachment underneath the touchscreen console.
Measuring 141.7 x 140.5 x 62.2cm (55.8 x 55.3 x 24.1in), the bike is a pretty normal size. You’ll just need to remember that in Lean Mode, you’ll need an available width of at least twice that 62.2cm to make full use of this feature. The Bowflex VeloCore’s main frame, however, feels extremely sturdy and is pretty straightforward to set up (though I found it helps if there are two of you). It’s also easy to manoeuvre and relocate thanks to the wheels at the front of the bike and the handle behind the rear wheel.
Getting started with the Bowflex VeloCore
The bike accommodates riders between 155cm and 196cm (5ft 1in and 6ft 5in). Changing the height of the four-way adjustable seat and handlebars couldn’t be easier and, once set up, the bike feels impressively solid. Both the moving parts and the finishing kit on the Bowflex VeloCore are extremely high-quality; the bike feels stable and the pedalling seamless.
The pedals also offer dual-functionality. On one side you’ll find SDP clips for cycling shoes, but if you don’t have the correct footwear, no problem; I just slipped my trainers on, flipped over the pedals and pushed my feet into the toe baskets.
The bike offers 100 resistance levels, which you can move between by twisting the large red knob between the bike seat and handlebars. And of course you have the leaning mode which works exceptionally well and which you can turn on and off mid-workout.
Post-session, you’ll definitely feel that you’ve worked your upper body as well as your legs and core. It’s this leaning feature that creates a whole body workout as you work to maintain balance and coordination. And that’s something you wouldn’t otherwise get from an indoor bike. In that respect the BowFlex VeloCore is different to anything else I’ve tested.
Is the JRNY App any good?
So how does the display work, and what’s on the touchscreen monitor while you’re pedalling away?
Just like many interactive cardio machines, you’re able to keep an eye on your usual metrics like time, distance (km or miles), calories per minute, total calories, heart rate, cadence and resistance, as well as amount of lean via the touchscreen monitor.
BowFlex also has its own interactive fitness and content platform, called JRNY, where you can access different features and cycling classes as well as full-body classes like stretching, yoga, and strength training – which you can do off the bike. It also allows you to stream workout videos, music playlists and video services. The 16-inch touchscreen I tested is responsive, well-lit and has a clear and high-definition screen – great for watching a movie whilst pedalling.
Should you buy the Bowflex VeloCore?
There’s certainly a reason why the Bowflex VeloCore has won so many awards – it’s effective, engaging and most of all, fun. And while it might not be up there with the cheaper home gym equipment, its new price does offer exceptional value for money. You really won’t find anything like its leaning feature on any other bike. It’s certainly an immersive feature, which helps relieve boredom and works your core and upper body more than any traditional stationary bike I’ve tested.
So if you’re a lover of cycling, you’ve got the space to spare at home and you want to use an exercise bike for weight loss, then the Bowflex VeloCore may well be the exercise bike for you. This innovative piece of gear offers a unique workout experience, and you’ll reap the fitness benefits.
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