Where to buy an exercise bike depends on whether you’re looking for a safe buy that may cost a little bit more or whether you’re prepared to take a risk and spend less. Within seconds you can search the internet and find hundreds of websites selling bikes.

However, before you buy from the company with the cheapest price you’ll need to consider the bigger picture.

If the model for sale is only available from just one or two suppliers in the UK it may be an older refurbished one that’s reached the end of its shelf life. It may still be a good machine and offer good value for money but please check the warranty!

If it’s for just ONE YEAR call them and find exactly what is covered. If something goes wrong with your bike you may only get telephone assistance. An engineer will ask you questions and then send a part in the post and expect you to install it. This obviously isn’t an acceptable solution. Find out if you get parts, labour and on-site help.

If you find a supplier offering a popular brand much cheaper than anyone else they may not be an authorised dealer for that brand in the UK. This isn’t illegal and you’ll still get exactly the same machine but they won’t be able to offer the full warranty.

The majority of the bikes we review here come with a minimum of a TWO YEAR warranty with on-site support, if you see one with just a ONE YEAR warranty you could be taking a risk. Yes, you may get an initial bargain but it could be costly if it develops a fault after a year.

All the retailers we mention on this site are authorised dealers for the models they sell and can therefore offer the full manufacturers warranty. From our experience the top retailers for customer satisfaction are :-

Argos
A huge retailer with a wide choice of fitness equipment.

Sweatband.com
They stock a good choice of machines from budget right up to top of the range treadmills. Over 500 visitors to our site have purchased equipment from Sweatband and to date we’ve received only two minor complaints – both resolved within a week. See their range of bikes here

Fitness Superstore
Have five large showrooms across the UK and stock both bikes for home and commercial use. See their online stock of upright, recumbent and spinning bikes.

Inspire Fitness
Inspire have a great choice of machines right across the range. They are also a licenced refurbisher of Horizon machines and always have a number at big discounts. They have a great reputation for impartial customer advice and after-sales service.

GymWorld
Another good online retailer with a wide choice. Gymworld often have a top machine or two for very competitive prices.