NordicTrack Commercial S15i Studio Cycle Review
Considering the purchase of an indoor cycling bike? Read my NordicTrack Commercial S15i Studio Cycle review to help you weigh your options in the world of exercise bikes!
Spoiler alert: I feel better than ever about my NordicTrack Commercial S15i Studio Cycle buy!
P.S. Hi, I’m Chantal. I’m a mom of two, beginner cycler, and personal trainer! Read more about me here.
Just under a year ago, I blindly leapt into the world of cycling. I had never really done any spinning, except for the five minutes that my personal trainer put me on an air bike six years ago. 🙂
But, I decided that having a nice, high-quality piece of cardio equipment was a worth investment. I was right!
Now that I’ve had my bike for nearly a year, I’m due for a NordicTrack Commercial S15i Studio Cycle Review!
Seriously, I never knew how handy this bike would become. Now that all of the gyms around me are closed due to COVID-19, I am super grateful that I invested in my own spin bike to have at home.
After having my second kid, I realized that consistency was my biggest weakness on my own personal fitness journey.
I knew that as long as I had little kids, I would be thrown a lot of curveballs. My routine was constantly in jeopardy – and it still is!
Related Reading: How To Exercise With Kids At Home
So, instead of continuing to skip the gym because a myriad of reasons. (Sick kid, no sleep, field trip etc.) I decided to get RID of that “couldn’t make it” excuse.
I had a cheap treadmill at one point (it was this one from Amazon). It was actually a good one for the price, but it was SO loud. I was constantly worried about A) waking up the baby while exercising, or B) not being able to hear one of my kids if they needed me.
So, I gave the treadmill to my parents for those rainy PNW days, and started researching the best indoor cycling bikes to try.
(Like I said, I’d never even done a spin class in person. I’d used cheap air bikes at the gym before once or twice, but that’s it.)
NordicTrack Commercial S15i Studio Cycle Review
I decided that with everything that has happened (quarantines, social-distancing and all), that it’s time to do my very own NordicTrack Commercial S15i Studio Cycle Review.
I don’t do reviews often, but I figured that a lot of people are probably making home gym investments. If you’re like me, you read a lot of consumer reviews about *everything* before buying.
Good on ya!
Anyway, while I do believe that you can get some great home gym equipment on the cheap, cardio is super important.
Mind you, I am normally a weight-lifting, HIIT or circuit kind of girl. But cardio is always something we can benefit from.
Quarantine life can be lonely and depressing, and there’s nothing like a good indoor cycling workout to get the endorphins flowing!
Let’s jump in.
NordicTrack S15i Studio Cycle vs Peloton Bike
This was my first thought. I wanted to compare the S15i Studio Cycle to the Peloton Bike price-wise and feature-wise.
Are NordicTrack bikes good? Honestly, I had nothing to compare it to really, so I knew it was all going to be a gamble.
Related Reading: 11 Indoor Cycling Tips for Beginners
I obviously knew what the Peloton was, and I was also aware of how new they are compared to NordicTrack as a brand. NordicTrack offered more options (I honestly considered a high-end treadmill but felt that I should switch it up a bit.)
But you better believe that I did my research before buying my indoor bike, but here’s the deal about prices…NordicTrack wins!
My bike, the NordicTrack Commercial S15i Studio Cycle, runs $1,599 with free shipping and one year of iFit membership included.
It is NOT NordicTrack’s most expensive spin bike (the S22i comes with a bigger screen and price tag) I personally didn’t need the huge touch screen.
The Peloton bike STARTS at $2,245 without weights, which NordicTrack throws in.
Not only this, but Peloton offers a 1-Year Warranty. This is compared to NordicTrack, who includes a 10-Year Frame, 2- Year Parts, and 1-Year Labor Warranty.
With nothing fancy to compare spin bikes to, I knew that the NordicTrack Commercial S15i Studio Cycle would do just fine for me. Plus, the price difference was a no-brainer!
Is the NordicTrack S15i Studio Cycle worth it?
Now, I know that this SEEMS like a big investment to make overall. But, when you consider how long this bike is *supposed* to last if treated right, you might rethink that.
I am personally not someone who has ever regretted investing in my health, so I don’t often have buyer’s remorse when it comes to these things. But let’s do a little math to reenforce my thinking.
Related Reading: 13 Tips For Joining A New Gym With Confidence
Before I bought my bike and started indoor cycle workouts, I was spending $54/month on my gym membership. It sounds sort of expensive, but $15/month of that was for unlimited childcare.
So at an annual rate, I was spending $648 per year on my gym membership.
Before moving, I’d been with that gym for 10 YEARS.
In 10 years, I’d spent $6480 in gym fees.
Holy crap.
But let’s say that my bike was going to last 5 years and would replace my gym membership entirely. Five years of gym fees would total $3240.
So, by purchasing my own spin bike (complete with weights and lots of cross-training), I would save $1641 over 5 years. (This assumes I use the manual bike mode after my initial iFit membership was over).
Even if I were to pay for the iFit membership after my initial included year, I’d be saving $15/month compared to my gym membership.
So you decide if it’s worth it or not!
Are NordicTrack bikes good?
Like I said, I have nothing to compare mine to really. I would doubt that the NordicTrack S15i vs Peloton is much different, to be honest.
But as far as the ride goes, it is always impressing me!
I love that I can just choose a work out and after that, my only job is to zone out to some awesome music. The incline and resistance is automatically adjusted throughout each workout (but you can override it if necessary).
Related Reading: The Ultimate Rock Girl Power Workout Playlist
I admit, it took some time to figure out how to use the bike properly. For the first few weeks, I didn’t know anything about form. (I later compiled everything I’d learning in my post about beginner cycling tips.)
My butt hurt, my back hurt, and I wasn’t comfortable until I’d made MANY adjustments and read about proper form and height.
Now, I love my indoor cycle workouts and feel so luck to have my own spin bike.
NordicTrack Commercial S15i Studio Cycle Specs
When originally reading cycle bike specs, I had NO clue what anything meant. That is the absolute truth. I was sold by “built-in fan,” along with the screen, speakers, and the word “silent.” HA!
Really, I was looking for something quiet and low impact, but the idea of doing workouts that were pre-built was a solid YES for me, too.
I also knew that nothing I’d ever had would ever compare to this, so it was going to be hard to go wrong.
(An indoor bike better be good at that price, AMIRIGHT?)
But, if you’re into the details, here’s what’s up:
The NordicTrack Commercial S15i Studio Cycle Has…
- 14″ HD Touch Screen, which rotates!
- Interactive Personal Training (with iFit)
- 2 Three-Lb Dumbbells with a little shelf for them right on the bike
- Resistance and incline control at the touch of a button
- Global rides where you can emulate REAL trails and do them virtually
- Map rides where you can ride on the streets almost anywhere Google Earth will go. I once “rode in” my Dad’s hometown of Temuco, Chile!
- Cross-training, meaning you can pick from weight training, recovery workouts, and more rather than just cycling.
- Stats, challenges, and awards to help you stay motivated and monitor activity/progress.
- Up to 20% incline and 10% decline
- 22 Resistance levels
- SMR (Silent Magnetic Resistance), which makes this bike SUPER quiet
- Auxiliary Music Port
- 350 Lb weight limit
- It’s compatible with Standard Road Bike Pedals and Seat
- Adjustable everything
And of course, all of the warranty stuff I mentioned and tons of fun!
You can click here to get even more detailed specs.
What About Assembly?
Let me be honest about this – it was lengthy. But I did it myself! (You can pay $200 for “White Glove” assembly and delivery but they use a third-party and those guys are hit-and-miss.)
I think my husband stepped in the door in the last few minutes and helped me hold something up while I tightened screws. Otherwise, it was all me!
The part that took the longest was seriously NOT the bike assembly…it was getting it all out of the packaging. SO. MUCH. PACKAGING. (I’m sorry to say it took a trip to the dump to get rid of all that cardboard and foam.)
If you approach it with some patience, know that you can do it yourself. You will break a sweat and need at least 60 minutes, but hey. It’ll save you $200.
The Final Verdict
Though it took some work, troubleshooting, and glute pain to get used to the bike, I’m currently still loving my NordicTrack bike nearly one year later. Lol.
If you’re looking for a quiet, sleek, high-quality exercise bike that’s cheaper than the Peloton, the NordicTrack Commercial S15i Studio Cycle might be it.
Well, I hope that my NordicTrack Commercial S15i Studio Cycle review helps someone out there doing research on the best indoor cycling bikes.
Here’s to investing in yourself for the long-haul! Cheers!
