So now that I have a few more minutes, let me address this a bit further.
As many of you know, I used to be an avid road biker -- I used to bike between 25-40 miles at a clip 4 or 5 times a week -- until I had a pretty serious bike accident three years ago. The roads here in Vermont are pretty narrow and hilly and don't have any shoulders, and as much as I loved biking, I became pretty wary about getting out there again. For the past two summers I'd been working out at my local gym, but this year it's been closed because of the pandemic, and like the rest of you, I was at a loss of what to do. I started doing on line cardio classes, which have been fun, but I missed the kind of workout I got from biking.
When I started investigating bikes,
@MissySki, I was pretty set on getting a Peloton. Somehow I happened on the Echelon bike -- I think I saw an ad on youtube -- and I thought it looked pretty similar but without the high price tag. So I started reading reviews on line (here's
one I found), and to me, Echelon started to look more and more appealing. It seemed like the biggest difference was that the Peloton came with a screen and the Echelon didn't, and that didn't bother me. I mean, I already had an iPad, so why did I need a screen? As far as I could see, this was just an added expense and another thing that could go wrong. I went back and forth and back and forth, until I finally figured, ah, what the heck, and just ordered the Echelon.
The Echelon comes in 4 levels, and I opted for the EX3, which is one of their mid-level bikes, and I'm glad I did. Honestly, if there's something I'm doing without that a higher level bike offers, I'm not missing it. The EX3 is easy to use, offers a nice smooth ride, and provides a pretty close approximation to getting out on a real bike. It works well with my iPad, so that's good, too. As for the workout, well, there are thousands of classes. You can go either live or on demand; I've pretty much stuck to the on-demand (I think I've done one live class so far). And all the instructors I've had have been excellent. There are a number of scenic rides you can do, too -- I've ridden around Singapore, Rome, and Corsica so far, which is kind of cool.
One more thing: it does come disassembled, so you have to put it together yourself. But it's not that hard to do. (Actually, Jon did it, and said it was easy.) There are some instructional videos that help with this, but he didn't even need them. All the tools you need are included, too.
Bottom line: I'm very pleased. Sure, I could've bought a Peloton, but I was put off by the expense (I think you're paying for the screen and the marketing). The downside: yes, you have to pay monthly for classes (you do with the Peloton, too, right?). That doesn't bother me. It's not that expensive, and it's worth it. There's also a wait (as there is for the Peloton). I think I had to wait five or six weeks between placing my order and getting the bike. But that's just how it is this year. There's a lot of demand for all sorts of home fitness stuff, so it's something you have to expect. I hear road bikes and kayaks are impossible to get, too.
Hope this helps. If you have any more questions, let me know.