7 Best Assault Bikes (Review) in 2021

How We Chose Our Selection of Assault Bikes

The assault or fan bike has been around for a while now but is still little known or understood outside the hardcore workout community of CrossFitters and gym rats. Therefore in order to provide our readers with a comprehensive picture of just what they are, how they work and which ones are worth the sometimes formidable asking price we had to double down on our research. When it came to choosing the best assault bikes we looked at four main areas of concern:

Quality - As we just mentioned assault, air, or fan bikes (whichever name you choose to assign to them) are not cheap by any standard. They can totally be worth the investment but for $1,000 and up you want to make sure your bike is rock solid, easy to use and built to last. We put dozens of assault bikes under the microscope, inspecting everything from the quality of the welds to the quality of the pedals to whether the seat made any funky noises while we were grinding and whether the bolts had a habit of coming loose during the ride. If a particular bike did not meet our exacting quality standards it didn’t make the list.

Reviews - Reviews are always a tricky consideration. As we live in the age of online retail there is no shortage of reviews available online. Customer reviews, in particular, are a double-edged sword because A) there are a lot of them so they make a tempting resource but B) you can never be sure if that scathing review was written by the competition masquerading as a disgruntled consumer. So when it comes to reviews we tend to take the Olympic approach: we discard the best and the worst and see what relevant concerns or issues that emerge from the middle. We’ll then take any such information into consideration. At the end of the day, however, we base our decisions largely on the direct experience of our product testers.

Brand - Because these devices can be fairly expensive to manufacture the assault bike field is a fairly limited one populated mostly by some large, well-financed companies like Schwinn and a rogue's gallery of aspiring upstarts. Because of the fairly limited field of competitors brand cache and reputation don’t really enter into the equation the way they do with some other products like electronics, smartphones, automobiles and the like. In other words we survey all the various brands and give each one an equal opportunity to impress us. If it does it makes our list.

Performance - We subjected every bike we tested to rigorous workouts. If a bike was uncomfortable or coordination between the pedals and handles was unwieldy it didn’t make our list. If the bike started squeaking while our testers put it through its paces it didn’t make our list. If it was hard to achieve the posture necessary to allow peak performance the bike didn’t make our list. It’s easy to be bowled over by high-quality materials or a recognizable brand name but for us, those materials and that brand have to deliver the requisite performance or we’re not buying.

Features To Look For In Assault Bikes

Construction/Ergonomics - The way a fan bike is engineered and constructed ultimately tells the tale of how it performs and the amount of benefit you derive from it. When trying to determine which assault bike is right for your needs weigh the following ergonomic and practical considerations:

• Does it have footrests? - Most newer models of stationary air bike have footrests so you can take a break from pedaling and just work your upper body using the handles. While some hardcore types might scoff at this idea it can be a valuable feature to have. Whether it’s important to you depends on your attitude toward working out in general. If you’re the kind that pushes everything to failure you may not want the temptation of the footrest. If you’re not an extremist however, it might seem like a pretty good idea.
• Is the console easy to read and use? - Most of the best air bikes have a console front and center between the handlebars so you can keep tabs on your performance. Exactly how much and what type of information displayed on the console is largely going to be a function of how much you paid for the bike. The basic console will track things like time and (theoretical) distance covered. A more advanced console might sync with your other devices to keep track of heart rate and calories burned and allow you to set and monitor your progress toward specific goals. How many bells and whistles you want or need is entirely up to you but be sure to check out the console to see what it covers.
• Does the seat help or hurt? - The seat should be comfortable at all times but not so squishy that it undermines your ability to push off. One thing for sure is that you won’t want a racing bike-style sliver of a seat that punishes your groin. The seat should be well built and never inject itself into the workout. The seat should also have an easy to use, reliable adjustment mechanism.

The bottom line is that you’re going to push your assault bike hard and the various components have to be able to withstand the pounding while aiding you in your efforts, not undermining them.

Adjustability - The seat is the center of the adjustment universe when it comes to bikes. And that’s true whether you’re talking tricycles or assault bikes. The frame is the frame and the pedals are the pedals so if you’re going to adjust the bike to fit your body most of that will have to be done via the seat. What about the handlebars? You ask. On a standard mountain or racing bike, you have some leeway in the handlebars. You can raise or lower them and adjust the angle relative to your position. But because the handlebars on an assault bike are mechanical devices that move back and forth as you pedal adjusting them isn’t an option. So any adjustments come down to the seat.

As such you’re going to want to make sure the seat will go where it needs to go to allow you to get the most out of the bike. If it leaves you in an awkward position relative to the handlebars - too low, too high, too far away etc - the bike is not going to fulfill your needs. If you are going to base your decision on whether to buy a particular indoors bike based at least in part on customer reviews make sure you see what people are saying about the adjustability of the seat.

Durability - Because of what you are paying for one of these fitness items an assault bike should be able to provide you with many years of reliable service. Whether it does or not is going to come down to a combination of materials and build quality. For instance, in recent years manufacturers have smartened up and begun using sealed cartridge bearings on their moving parts. This prevents dirt and grime from infiltrating these vital components and mucking things up. The result is a much longer useful life for parts such as the pedals, fan, and handlebars.

At the same time, however, sealed bearings aren’t going to do you much good if the handlebars are made of cheap aluminum and bend under the stress of your workout. Therefore, you’ll want to make sure important parts like that are fashioned from high strength steel. Same for the frame. Metal fan blades are typically more durable than plastic as well. Don’t fall for marketing tales about how Navy Seals use this or that bike. Check to see what the bike is made of before plunking down your money. If the bike is going to last there should be no movement in any of the component parts aside from the movement designed to facilitate your workout. If the frame is bending and wobbling while you ride it doesn’t bode well for the bike over the long haul.

Additional Features

Assault bikes tend to be pretty straightforward devices. You get on, you pedal like a madman or madwoman the handlebars engage your upper body and when you can’t pedal any more you get off. As such you’re not going to find a ton of additional feature options for this type of exercise equipment. Any extras will likely be concentrated in the console where you may have the opportunity to link the readout to health and wellness apps on your mobile device.

Noise - Air bikes are going to be a bit noisier than traditional stationary bikes but it’s not going to be like having a 2-stroke in your apartment, house or home gym. Essentially you can expect that they’ll make about as much noise as a standard electric house fan. Maybe a little bit more. But nothing that is going to wake up the neighborhood. Any additional noise is likely to come from you as you grunt, groan, huff and puff your way through your workout.

Dimension - While each assault bike is different the dimensions tend to occupy a certain range. That’s because people are only so big, therefore the bike itself can only be so big. In general, most assault bikes will be anywhere from 4 to 5 feet in length, 1.5 to 2 feet wide and about 4 feet tall, give or take a few inches. Although there are exceptions to every rule those are the kind of vital statistics you can expect.

Weight - One of the fundamental laws of physics is that heavier objects tend to be more stable. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist than to figure out that the heavier your fan bike the more stable it’s going to be. While it might seem like a no brainer then to just go get the heaviest bike you can find it’s not that simple because you need to consider how you’re going to move this sucker around if you have to.

Another consideration is how much you yourself weigh. It’s reasonable to expect that a 250-pound person may experience some stability issues on a 50-pound air bike. Conversely, for someone who weighs 120 pounds a 50-pound bike may be ideal. That said, the majority of the bikes on our particular list occupy the 95 to 120-pound range, which should be fine for just about anyone up to 300 pounds or a little bit more.

Ease of assembly - This type of exercise equipment doesn’t arrive completely assembled. As with a weight bench, you’ll have to do some basic assembly. In almost every instance the best assault bikes will come with all the tools you need to assemble them. If they don’t something is seriously wrong and you should call the manufacturer. From the time you unpack the bike to when it’s ready to ride shouldn’t be more than an hour or maybe 90 minutes at the most. Unless of course, you’ve never touched an Allen wrench or screwdriver in your life. Even then you should be able to put the bike together in an afternoon.

Seat - We touched on the seat a couple of times already but the subject warrants another visit because with this type of exercise bike the style, materials, adjustability and overall comfort of the seat are of paramount importance. You’ll need to ask yourself what type of seat you prefer. Do you like something firm or something a bit squishier? Are you a big person? If so, you’ll want a seat with a bit more real estate in order to help guarantee stability.

The seat must also be easily adjustable and lock in place firmly wherever you set it. With some air bikes, you can swap the seat out for a standard bike seat if you like. While other companies offer a range of seat options and seat upgrades. Because the seat is so important to your overall experience make sure you get one that covers all the bases when it comes to your personal preferences and functionality.

Resistance - In a general sense the size of the fan and the size of the blades will determine the degree of resistance you experience. As such if you want more resistance you’ll want a CrossFit bike with large blades. If you want less resistance you’ll want smaller blades. How hard you pedal also has a part in determining resistance. That’s because harder you pedal the more air those blades are going to encounter. Although it’s been a rumored upgrade for several years now most air bikes still don’t allow you to control the amount of resistance at the pedals. It all comes from the fan blades meeting the air. Will manufacturers finally get around to adding dial-in resistance like you can get on stationary bikes any time soon? Unknown. For now, resistance is all a matter of how hard you pedal and how much air you move.

Warranty - When it comes to air bikes there are 2 main types of warranty: on the frame and on the moving parts. For the most part frame warranties tend to be longer simply because the frame is a stationary, unchanging thing. Typically you can expect a frame warranty ranging from 2 years to the life of the bike. If something goes wrong during that period though you may have to pay to ship the bike back to the manufacturer. And since the best air bikes can weigh 100 pounds or more that shipping cost could be substantial. Read the fine print to find out if they’ll cover it or not.

On moving parts, you’re likely to get a warranty ranging from 1 to as many as 5 years. But rarely any longer than that. Also, it’s never as straightforward as something breaking and the manufacturer just fixing it without question. If you exceeded the weight requirements of the bike or if you modified the bike in any way it will likely void the warranty. In addition, some manufacturers will actually send a tech to your home to repair the bike while others won’t. Don’t assume anything when it comes to the warranty. Read the fine print.

Assault Bikes FAQ

Q: What Is An Assault Bike?

A: An assault bike, also called a “fan bike” or “air bike” (and in some corners referred to affectionately as “Satan’s tricycle”), is a form of upright stationary indoors bike for exercise. The assault bike differs from the standard stationary bike in two fundamental ways.

• First, it uses a fan to create resistance rather than a crimping device of some sort that makes it more difficult to pedal, which is essentially what you get on a standard exercise bike.
• And second, the assault bike engages the handlebars as well, which move back and forth in a way similar to what you’ll find on stationary equipment designed to mimic cross country skiing.

As such the assault bike provides a far more well-rounded, full-body workout than you’ll get from an ordinary stationary bike. Assault bikes are great calorie burners while also being ideal instruments for endurance training and overall conditioning.

Q: How To Use An Assault Bike?

A: An assault bike as we’ve said is not like your standard stationary bike. With an assault bike your entire body gets into the mix. Arms are flailing, legs are spinning, heart is pumping, chest is heaving. By the time you dismount you may be ready for 12 hours of sleep.

To use one of these beasts you mount it in the same fashion as you do a regular stationary bike. But that’s where the similarities end. Once you get cranking and your arms are pumping you’re going to realize this is not your parent’s exercise bike. Resistance is coming from the fan blades, which means you control how much there is. Want a tougher workout? Just pedal faster. That will increase the amount of resistance the fan blades encounter from the air. Want to give your legs a break and just do some upper body work? Put your feet up on the footrests and just work the handlebars. You can make your routine as difficult or easy as you wish. And if the console on your bike can be synced with other devices you can also monitor your vital signs, plan out more detailed workouts and track intervals.

Q: What Are The Benefits Of Using An Assault Bike?

A: There are a number of benefits to working out with an assault bike. Here are 5 of the most important:

1. It devours calories - The intense, full body workout you get from an assault bike will burn calories at a rate you wouldn’t be able to touch with a standard stationary bike. It’s possible to burn 500 calories or more in a single workout. With a standard indoors bike you might, might, burn half that many.
2. It’s low impact - Considering the intensity of the workout involved an air bike is actually extremely low impact. That means it’s not going to chew up your ankles, wrists, hips or shoulders. You’re not going to pull muscles from landing in awkward positions or throw out your back. As long as you maintain good posture and use the bike as it’s intended the likelihood of you sustaining an injury is very low.
3. It increases endurance - One of the most important aspects of conditioning is endurance. It’s what separates champions from also-rans in sports. How many times have you seen the effects of endurance training in big sporting events where one team remains fresh while the other team wilts? The assault bike is one of the best pieces of equipment you’ll ever find for increasing endurance. All your muscles, as well as your heart and lungs, will get a prolonged workout that will help you build the endurance necessary to reach your athletic goals.
4. It’s great for your heart - An assault bike provides the type of protracted cardio workout few other pieces of exercise equipment can match. As your entire body is engaged in a strenuous activity your heart is getting the exercise it needs to stay strong and your lungs are opening up and getting the kind of airing out they normally only get from distance running. A healthier cardiovascular system helps buttress your immune system and reduce blood pressure.
5. Lower stress levels - A vigorous full body workout produces the same type of high you often hear runners talk about, where they get in the groove and their body just takes over. It’s a euphoric feeling generated by the release of endorphins into the bloodstream. The euphoric state also coincides with enhanced immune system strength and, maybe most importantly, can blow stressful feelings right out of the water.

Q: How Often Should You Use An Assault Bike?

A: How often you work out and the level of intensity of your workout will depend on a number of factors. Those include your age, your weight, your current physical condition and whether you have any health issues or a history of previous injuries. If you are just starting out with exercise start with a low-intensity workout once or twice a week and work up from there. Remember to loosen up beforehand and also keep in mind that physical progress is dependent upon you pushing through barriers. That means don’t do the same workout once a week for a year. You won’t obtain any benefits from that. Start easy and then gradually build.

Q: How Do I Maintain An Assault Bike?

A: As is the case with most types of exercise equipment assault bikes don’t require large amounts of special attention. It’s rare you’ll ever need to repair anything and even if you do (and the bike is still under warranty) the manufacturer should handle those repairs. Assault bike maintenance then comes down to little more than regular cleaning and keeping an eye out for problems you may have to bring up to the manufacturer. As such we recommend the following air bike maintenance routine:

Day To Day

• Wipe the seat clean after every use.
• Wipe the sweat from any parts of the bike where it may be present.
• Wipe down the console, removing sweat and dirt.
• Walk around the bike and make sure all connections are still tight.
• Dust the fan cover.

Weekly

The following are predicated on the notion that you use the bike several times per week. If you don’t then these can be done once a month.

• Do a complete check of all moving parts.
• Make sure everything is moving as designed and there are no squeaks.
• Tighten any Allen screws or other connectors that need it.
• Test the pedals to ensure you’re getting an accurate RPM reading on the console.
• Check the chain (if you have one) to make sure it hasn’t come loose.

Quarterly

• If you have a chain lubricate it every 3 months.
• Check all stabilizer bolts.

You shouldn’t have to replace the console batteries more than twice a year.

Types of Assault Bikes

There are 2 types of the drive mechanism for air bikes, they are chain and belt. Both will do a fine job and can be depended on though there are some subtle differences between them:

• Belt drive - Whether it’s garage door openers or motorcycles or assault bikes belt drive systems tend to be more expensive than a chain drive. A belt drive will also provide a smoother, quieter ride. The belts themselves don’t need any type of regular maintenance although in the long run (say every few years) they’ll need to be replaced.
• Chain drive - The chain drive is proven the technology and even some of the best assault bikes still use them. The chain will need to be lubricated periodically, however. And the tension will need to be checked on a fairly regular basis. A chain drive will be a tiny bit noisier and you may detect some vibrations through the pedals as you work.