Six months ago I made the decision to give up my ridiculously expensive gym membership. I realised I was hardy ever getting time to go to the gym and even once I was there, I’d mainly just stick to using the stationary bike. I decided to put some of the money I was saving from quitting the gym towards buying an entry level stationary bike for home. With money being tight, I thoroughly read stationary bike reviews and did my research before deciding to purchase the Yosuda Indoor Cycling Bike on Amazon. Read on for my honest Yosuda indoor cycling bike review.

Yosuda make a few bikes – this is the one I purchased:

The Yosuda bike has just over 14000 five star reviews on Amazon but honestly, I’m always a bit sceptical of Amazon reviews. I skipped to the one star reviews and most of them were concerned with

1. the noise the flywheel starts to make after a couple of months and

2. parts starting to break after a few months.

Just like the Pooboo bike, the Yosuda bike is at the cheaper end of the market, costing just over $300. I’m pleased to say that it feels sturdy enough and so far, after a couple of months’ use, it hasn’t broken. Full disclosure though, I’m average size/ weight and only ride every second day. I also don’t try and push the bike to its max every ride. You might have a different experience with the bike if you are larger and like to thrash the bike each time you use it or if you are an advance rider.

Like most stationary bikes in this price range, the Yosuda bike uses friction resistance instead of magnetic resistance. The friction resistance on the Yosuda bike works by pressing a pad against the spinning wheel to make it harder to peddle. This causes friction noise (although I don’t find it terrible) and the ride just isn’t as smooth.   I’m also worried that the pad will wear out at some stage, although the bike does come with an additional pad. I noticed that Yosuda also makes a more expensive bike with magnetic resistance so if magnetic resistance is important to you, you might want to check out that bike instead. The Pooboo bike which is also around the $300 mark, has magnetic resistance so if magnetic resistance is important to you and you are on a tight budget, the Pooboo bike might be a better choice.

Yosuda indoor cycling bike review -pros and cons of the Yosuda bike

Pros

• the cost. At just over $300 USD, the Yosuda bike is one of the cheapest stationary bikes on the market. Especially when compared to the Peloton bike, which will set you back around $2000.
• the Yosuda bike has a nice compact design that fits easily in small spaces.
• unlike the Peloton, the Yosuda bike is “open platform” meaning you can use the Yosuda bike with any fitness app you like, such as the Peloton digital app, Apple Fitness Plus, Youtube or you can just watch Netflix/ TV.
• if you have any problems with the bike, customer service seems to be very responsive (judging from the Amazon reviews).
• the Yosuda bike is easy to move around as it has small  wheels on the bike for this purpose.
• unlike the Peloton, the Pooboo bike does not need to be plugged into a power outlet.
• the highest resistance level on the bike was plenty high enough for me.
• the bike is quite adjustable. The handlebars can be changes two different ways. And the seat is adjustable up/down and forward/backward, making it suitable if you are sharing the bike with other members of your household.

Cons

• unlike the the Pooboo bike which has a similar price point, the Yosuda bike does not have magnetic resistance. Magnetic resistance means that the bike is quieter and adjusting between levels is smoother. There is also less maintenance involved.
• the digital monitor the bike comes with is very basic and feels a bit flimsy to me. It tracks time, speed, distance, calories burned and odometer which you have to cycle through with one button to reach the setting you desire. The bike also has an ipad/ phone mount to hold your own device which I found a bit annoying to use because my ipad with its cover, was too thick to fit in the mount. Also, when the iPad is in the mount, it blocks the digital monitor. 
• the most obvious con of the Yosuda bike is that it doesn’t come equipped with a touchscreen. The higher end bikes that come with a touchscreen such as a Peloton give you a lot of stats about each of your rides and records these stats.
• you adjust your resistance by turning a resistance knob on the bike. There are no levels on the resistance knob. This makes it hard to work out what your resistance level actually is. So if you are doing a ride using the Peloton app for example, and the instructor is telling you to set your resistance to a certain level, it is going to be difficult to work out exactly what that level should be.  
• the Yosuda bike is not a “set and go” experience like the Peloton and other high end bikes. You will need to figure out a heart rate monitor, have a different device for streaming the workouts and invest in some data feed tools.
• none of your metrics for each ride are going to be saved anywhere.  Every time you do a new ride, all your existing metrics will reset. If tracking your progress over time is important to you, you are going to need to write it all down.
• while the seat is adjustable, it is a pain to do so. Every time you want to adjust the seat, you need to move a screw up and down a few holes. This gets very annoying if you are sharing the bike with someone else in your household who is a different height.
• similar to the Pooboo bike, I found the seat to be pretty uncomfortable. The seat is big and cushiony, but it seems to sink after a half hour ride. It felt like I was riding on metal frame of the bike.
• the bike feels a little unsteady when I’m riding out of the saddle.
• there is no cadence measure on the bike so you’d need to invest in a Wahoo cadence sensor. Similarly, the bike doesn’t give you you your resistance or power output.
• unlike some of the higher end bikes like the Peloton, some assembly of the bike is required (although it only took me about 45 minutes to assemble it).
• the bike is not foldable or collapsible.
• the handlebars are coated in foam rather than rubber which I found a bit slippery once I worked up a good sweat.
• if you are very tall, this bike is probably just a bit too short for you.
• no bluetooth capabilities to connect it to an external fitness tracker or to classes you might be doing on your device.

Who is the Yosuda bike most suited to?

• beginner riders
• riders on a budget
• riders who don’t need a smart bike
• riders who don’t need all their metrics integrated in the bike
• riders who don’t expect the bike to last a long time
• riders sharing the bike with other people in their house who are of varying heights; and
• riders needing a compact bike that won’t take up too much space.

Yosuda indoor cycling bike review – Yosuda product specifications at a glance

Yosuda bike FAQs

What is the cost of the Yosuda bike?

The YOSUDA Indoor Cycling Bike Stationary – Cycle Bike with Ipad Mount & Comfortable Seat Cushion costs just over $300

Can you use the Peloton app with the Yosuda bike?

Yes, you can certainly use the Peloton app with the bike by streaming the Peloton workouts from a device such as your phone/ ipad. However you won’t get access to the Peloton live classes, leaderboard and competitive / social aspect that a Peloton bike and all access subscription gives you. Note the bike also doesn’t have bluetooth capabilities to connect it to the classes you might be doing on your device.

Can you use cycling shoes with the Yosuda bike?

This bike is compatible with SPD pedals but does not come with them. So you would need to replace the standard cage pedals with SPD pedals if you wanted to use cycling shoes.

What is the weight limit for the Yosuda bike?

The maximum weight of a rider is 270 lbs.

Is it hard to assemble the Yosuda bike?

No, I didn’t find it hard at all to assemble the bike. If you have any issues, you can check out this video on how to assemble the bike:

Yosuda indoor cycling bike review – my final conclusion on the bike is:

I’ve found the Yosuda bike to be a reliable, simple, stationary bike. However I don’t expect it to last that long as after only a few months, it is already showing some wear and tear. This seems to be confirmed by the 1 star Amazon reviews. However if you are only intending to do a few rides a week and are not fussed about having all the smart features that some of the higher end bikes like the Peloton bike has, the Yosuda will get the job done and let you get a good cardio workout.

Court Williams

Courtney has a passion for all things fitness on a budget. She loves home workouts and trying out different fitness gear.