Amazon Launched a Surprisingly Affordable Exercise Bike with Echelon

UPDATE: Shortly after the announcement of the Echelon EX-Prime Smart Connect Bike, Amazon denied having any formal connection to Echelon's new product. The exercise bike has since been taken down from Amazon's website. "This bike is not an Amazon product or related to Amazon Prime," an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement to Shape. "Echelon does not have a formal partnership with Amazon. We are working with Echelon to clarify this in its communications, stop the sale of the product, and change the product branding."

As home workouts have taken off in recent months, plenty of people have considered adding an exercise bike to their home gym. Of course, that means popular studios have enhanced their offerings, focusing on live and on-demand streaming and bikes for at-home use. Now, Amazon has teamed up with Echelon to add a new affordable home exercise bike to the mix. (

The new bike, called the Echelon EX-Prime Smart Connect Bike (Buy It, $500, amazon.com), marks Amazon's first connected fitness product. The Echelon bike can pair up with an Android or iOS device via Bluetooth. That way you can view your resistance, distance, speed, cadence, and output (that's the energy you're expending in watts) throughout your ride using the Echelon Fit app. If you're also interested in class instruction, you can sign up for a membership through the app to access live and on-demand videos. For $40 per month, you get access to classes you can take on your bike along with all of Echelon's off-bike yoga, Zumba, barre, strength, Pilates, and boxing classes.

The exclusive-to-Amazon exercise bike features 32 levels of magnetic resistance for a quiet ride. It has an adjustable seat and handlebars, plus pedals that are compatible with regular sneakers or clip-in cycle shoes. (

If you've been hearing everyone hype up the Peloton Bike (guilty), you might be curious about how it differs from the EX-Prime, especially given the fact that the Echelon bike is less than one-third of the price. For one thing, the Peloton Bike is equipped with a large touchscreen while the EX-Prime just connects with the screen of a separate device. In terms of dimensions, the EX-Prime is slightly more compact, measuring 45" x 36" x 11" to Peloton's 59" x 53" x 23". The EX-Prime is also more lightweight — it weighs 36 kilograms (about 79 pounds) and the Peloton Bike weighs 135 pounds. The Peloton Bike is superior when it comes to the number of resistance settings, with 100 levels.

While there's a huge gap in upfront costs, Echelon and Peloton's memberships are similarly priced. At $39 per month, Peloton's comparable all-access membership is just under the Echelon United Monthly Unlimited plan.

Whatever your budget and preferences, there are plenty of home exercise bikes to choose from. If you've been looking for one that'll help you replicate the studio experience, but four-figure price tags have stopped you, the Echelon EX-Prime might be *the one*.