Echelon Connect EX-8s Review

Echelon has been building home exercise equipment for several years and makes other workout equipment that works exclusively with their Echelon app. The EX-8s is the top-of-the-line Echelon Connect exercise bike with many features not offered on other models. The gym-style spin bike features a 24-inch curved HD touchscreen that integrates with the Echelon app. Having tested many of the other Echelon bikes, we were excited to see how their top-of-the-line model stacked up against other models and brands, especially Peloton.

Performance Comparison

Exercise Quality

The EX-8s has a flashy and unique design, unlike any other bike on the market. No other studio exercise bike has a second wheel in the front. The front wheel is not a functional part as the flywheel at the bike's rear is where the thirty-two levels of resistance originate but the wheels of this bike house LED ring lights. The overall quality of construction on this bike is good, with several adjustable fit parts and an impressive-looking curved screen. The Echelon app is full of spin classes, some live but mostly prerecorded classes that you can access at any time as well as off-bike exercises.

We have fairly high expectations of a studio spin bike at this price point. The bike rides well and feels comparable to many other studio-quality bikes we've ridden and tested. The EX-8s performance won't let you down in the exercise department, but its “features” distract from what could be a better experience. Handlebar and seat fore/aft and height adjustments give the user the ability to adjust for comfort and fit Magnetic resistance provides a smooth and broad range of resistance for all fitness levels. While we find a broader range of numbers in the adjustability of other brands, the range of resistance is roughly the same. Thirty-two clicks provide a gradual enough range of resistance with small enough incremental changes that its individual increases are hardly noticeable.

Adding some versatility to the bike, its screen can be flipped forward so off-bike workouts can be viewed from in front of the bike. It's a feature that helps this piece of equipment serve an additional purpose. You can utilize the Echelon app progress tracker or connect to your own apps like Strava, Apple Health, or Fitbit to track your workouts.

Companion App/Connectivity

Like many other connected fitness bikes, the EX-8s connects to the Echelon app using Wi-Fi; the bike also features Bluetooth 5.0 but not Bluetooth FTMS, which allows two-way integration with other fitness apps. This means that using this bike requires the Echelon app, and while it has plenty to offer, it's more expensive than competitors like JRNY or Apple Fitness and almost as expensive as Peloton.

The touchscreen provides an interface for initial setup and establishing Bluetooth / WiFi connections. Using Bluetooth, you can pair with wireless headphones or earbuds to keep your workouts to yourself and also the included Bluetooth Resistance controller. An Echelon App for Apple Watch allows it to share heart rate data with the bike but a heart rate monitor is not included with this bike. The screen features two audio jacks for wired headphones or external speakers, a USB A port that can be used to charge devices, and an ethernet port for those wishing to forego WiFi.

You log in to your Echelon account or create one if you're a new user after connecting the bike to WiFi. Echelon's app has numerous membership plan options, and it is just slightly less expensive than Peloton. The monthly fee is $34.99, or $399.99 each year. By committing to two years for $699, you can obtain a slight discount. The monthly cost of the app, like that of other connected exercise bikes, should be considered. The Echelon membership allows for up to five separate user profiles and gives access to all Echelon content for use on Echelon equipment. We bought a one-month prepaid membership to try this bike, but we couldn't access lessons or boost the bike's resistance until we “activated our membership.” The only way to do that was to sign up for a year-long membership with recurring automatic payments.

If you choose to join Echelon, you can access 40+ live studio classes daily. In addition to their live classes, they have a catalog of pre-recorded classes, including HIIT, Tabata, Power, Fusion, Speed, Intervals, Hills, and more, with varying lengths, instructors, and music genres. The app makes it easy to filter so you can narrow your search by class length, trainer, music, or type of ride you're looking for. There are several scenic rides, but most are poor quality and unpleasant to view, even on the curved HD screen. If you don't want a studio class or scenic ride, you can opt for a freestyle ride, but being in freestyle mode means being subjected to full-screen Echelon ads. You can turn the screen off or opt out of the ads, but you'll be left with a mostly black screen and nowhere to put your tablet or device.

The studio classes at Echelon rely on cadence and resistance as performance metrics. Those figures display at the bottom of the screen alongside estimated distance, speed, calories, and output. The output is said to be measured in watts, and the instructors say that adding your cadence and resistance numbers will equal your wattage. We compared that value using our Garmin power meter pedals and head unit and found those numbers to be only occasionally accurate and sometimes off by up to 40%.

The app features a leaderboard if you want to compare yourself to other users, and you can compare yourself by age, gender, friends, and other metrics, or you can swipe the leaderboard off the screen. As with other home exercise bikes, your exertion will be dependent on the level of resistance you choose. The app features a “progress” page that tracks all of your workouts and allows you to send that data to Fitbit, Apple Health, or Strava to track or analyze your progress there.

The app offers a wide variety of strength classes like total body, upper body, arms and abs, glutes and thighs, as well as high-intensity training. If you're looking for Barre, Zumba, pilates, boxing meditation, or yoga, they have offerings in those as well. Flipping the screen over allows you to easily view it from the front of the bike, provided you have sufficient room. The entire app and all workouts are also available on a tablet or phone allowing you to take your workout along with you.

Comfort

Similar to other high-end studio exercise bikes, the EX-8s offers a variety of ways to adjust the fit and cater to users of varying sizes. Echelon's site lists a user height range of 4'10" to 6'10", giving it a wider range than almost any other bike in our testing though we didn't have any testers large or small enough to these limits. The EX-8s will likely fit most people up to the bike's 300 lb weight limit.

A fair bit of adjustability is offered on the EX-8s, 10 inches of seat height adjustment with infinite adjustment in between and 3.25 inches of fore/aft adjustability. The handlebars can be raised or lowered a total of 4.5 inches with no indexed stops in between and be adjusted fore or aft by 2.5 inches. This range should allow most users a comfortable setup. The fit adjustments are easy to make, with bold numbered markings so that settings are easy to replicate if sharing the bike with others. The angle of the saddle can also be adjusted using the included wrench. The low, 19" step-through makes getting on and off the bike fairly easy. The Q-factor, which is the horizontal distance between the cranks at their widest part where the pedals attach, is 200mm which is a bit wider than a traditional road bike. Those accustomed to riding a road bike may notice this bike feels a bit wide.

The large, rubberized multiposition handlebar offers a wide range of hand positions including flattened sections that you can lean on. The saddle is cushioned and ergonomic, we found it to be quite comfortable even without bike shorts. Saddles can be a personal preference and fortunately, they're easy to swap. The EX-8s comes with the same dual-sided pedals as other Echelon models. They feature an SPD-compatible lipless side and a running shoe-friendly toe cage and strap on the reverse. The pedals came with cleats, that can be bolted to any clipless shoe with a 2-bolt or SPD system.

User Interface

The large 24" curved HD touchscreen is the tech centerpiece of this bike. While it's nice to have an immersive high-quality screen, this isn't without issues. The bike features a knee-friendly “e-Shock Low Impact System” that flexes the support frame with your movement. It's an ergonomic comfort feature that we appreciate but the screen extends from the handlebar which means its weight is cantilevered at the end of a rocking support arm. This doesn't bode well for user experience as the shaky screen isn't enjoyable. Other exercise bikes that feature a moving frame, like the Bowflex VeloCore 16 use a separate support arm so the screen isn't subjected to the oscillation of the frame itself.

The screen is bright and clear while following studio classes and it has great picture quality, however, most of the on-demand videos were poor quality and the HD screen didn't resolve that. Screen sensitivity presented no issues and scrolling through the different classes, settings, etc, is easy and intuitive. There are three buttons and two built-in speakers on the bottom of the monitor, the buttons control volume and turn the screen on / off. You can start a freestyle workout and if you don't want to stare at Echelon ads the entire time you can opt out of ads or turn the screen off but either way, you'll be staring at a mostly black screen with no place to hold a tablet or phone.

The large blue knob on the downtube controls the 32 levels of resistance; it goes up by turning the knob clockwise or down by turning it counterclockwise. The knob also serves as the brake for the flywheel, activated by pulling it downward.

Features

Like most high-end spin bikes, the EX-8s comes packed with features, some of them helpful, some just for fun. Dual bottle holders and a small dumbbell rack are nice touches while things like 15 color light up led wheel rings aren't likely to increase your V02 max. Echelon advertises this bike with a “Modern, Balanced Dual Ring Design” which means it appears to have two wheels, and the smaller front disc does not move or serve a function other than housing the led light ring. The bike includes a Bluetooth resistance controller which allows you to use the button on the handlebar-mounted pod instead of twisting the resistance dial.

The most prominent of features on the EX-8s is the 24-inch curved HD touchscreen which can be flipped over so that it can be viewed from the front of the bike. The screen houses “Immersive Dual-Facing Speakers” which are two 5-watt speakers spaced about 12 inches apart. They produce reasonable sound quality, or you can opt to use one of two auxiliary jacks for wired headphones or external speakers. The back of the monitor hosts a number of plugs and ports that become inaccessible once the cover is put in place. If you leave the cover off you have access to USB A and C plugs that come in handy for keeping your devices charged but you'll have to use one of the water bottle holders as a phone rest as there aren't surfaces designed to hold a phone or tablet. There is also an HDMI port for displaying your workout on an external screen.

Setup and Portability

Assembly of the EX-8s took approximately 45 minutes and was fairly straightforward. The packaging was robust and the screen was shipped separately. We found the instructions clear and the included tools adequate for the task. If you're considering building one we recommend a second set of hands and a Phillips head screwdriver with a real handle. While not directly offered by Echelon, it may be possible to arrange for professional third-party assembly depending on your location but if you can follow directions and use basic hand tools, there's no need.

The hardest part of setting the EX-8s up is getting the packaged bike to your assembly location. The shipping box weighs 155 lbs so moving the boxed bike is a task best handled by two people. It comes with printed instructions that include color photos and detailed instructions for each step in the process, if paper instructions aren't your thing, you can also access assembly videos on Echelon's website.

Even with its massive screen, the EX-8s isn't much larger than most of the other bikes we tested; its footprint measures 22 inches wide x 56 inches long and a height of 64 inches at the top of the touchscreen. To use the screen for non-cycling workouts, you'll need several feet in front of its 56" length. The bike has a claimed weight of 124 lbs which comes in less than other high-end bikes in its class, but it's certainly not light. Moving the EX-8s around on smooth flooring is possible thanks to the integrated transport wheels that allow you to roll it when tipped forward but tipping it far enough to engage the wheels extends its effective length to about 7' due to the height of the screen.

Should You Buy the Echelon Connect EX-8s?

The EX-8s provides an in-home studio cycling experience. While the bike checks many of our boxes when evaluating the best exercise bikes and prices below the Peloton Bike+, it has some frustrating features and glaring quality issues. We found it unfortunate that you can't ride this bike without being logged in or view your media on its screen. The screen swaying back and forth we found to be an annoying engineering oversight, and the lack of space for a phone or tablet to rest makes you dependent on the screen that only shows Echelon content. What this bike offers that no other bike on the market seems to have are integrated led rings that allow you to “choose from a variety of light settings to match your mood.” Those lights and other features stopped working during testing; Echelon's outsourced tech help could not resolve these issues. Dealing with Echelon customer service was reminiscent of calling the cable tv company.

What Other Exercise Bikes Should You Consider?

If it's studio cycling classes you're after, the Bowflex VeloCore 16 is our top pick and provides a unique natural cycling feel. If you'd like more than just spin class workouts, the NordicTrack Commercial S22i is a compelling alternative. This bike features adjustable incline and decline and it works with the iFit app for a really unique indoor cycling experience. The MYX II Plus is another compelling option that includes a swiveling touchscreen to provide more off-the-bike viewing options and utilizes the well-reviewed OpenFit app.