Why You Can Trust CNET This Peloton bike alternative lets you take actual Peloton classes and costs just $599
Add your own tablet and coaching app to this Horizon IC7.9 Indoor Cycle for a cost-effective way to get fit at home.
Barely 75 days into the new year, there's still time to embrace your fitness resolution and start working out at home (or wherever you happen to be self-quarantining). Perhaps you want to try indoor cycling, but spending $2,200 on a gold-plated Peloton bike is out of the question. Well, you can get essentially the same experience using a much less pricey bike and adding a subscription to the Peloton app with your own tablet. If you want to go the DIY route, you can save big right now with a bike from Horizon Fitness. The Horizon IC7.9 Indoor Cycle is $599 when you apply coupon code CNET100 at checkout. Usually $1,299, it's selling for $699 on the Horizon site right now, and the code gives you an exclusive additional $100 discount.
Recently, Cheapskate Rick explained how you can replicate the Peloton experience by combining a more affordable exercise bike with a tablet running a subscription app. That's essentially Horizon's sales pitch; the IC7.9 invites you to add your own tablet (there's a secure holder built into the bike) and a subscription to any coached class you like, such as those from the Peloton app or Studio Sweat OnDemand, and the bike includes real-time cadence feedback on an LCD display to keep you on track with the class. Or just ride it on your own; you certainly don't need to have a subscription to something.
The IC7.9 has dual-sided pedals -- you can use the toe cages or clip in your shoes -- and you sit on a racing-style road saddle. Always a concern for home exercise gear, the bike comes with a one-year parts and labor warranty. This is a solid deal overall: It compares favorably with a number of the Peloton alternatives Rick recently featured in his roundup of indoor exercise bikes that cost less, and with this current deal, it beats all of them on price.
Originally published earlier this month. Updated to reflect new sale prices.
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