Nordictrack S10i vs concept 2 bikeerg

This is a comparison of the Nordictrack S10i and the concept 2 bikeerg including pros, cons and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.

Overview and review of the Concept two bikeErg

The Concept 2 bikeErg comes in at $999. In this article you will learn more about the product itself, its Pros and cons and alternatives you might want to consider. This article has originally been published in the overview "Which conditioning equipment to buy from Rogue".

Overview of the Concept 2 bikeErg

The concept 2 bikeErg is concept 2‘s take on bringing the real cycling experience to your home. Most bike parts are compatible with the bikeErg so you can attach your own pedals, saddle and handles to simulate your bicycle. The bikeErg also has been designed with increasing resistance the faster you go. The mechanics simulate shifting gears to get you ready for the real ride. All of this comes with poly groove belts instead of a chain. This ensures a smooth ride which does not produce too much noise. The bikeErg comes with the following specs:

Assembled in the US
Color black
Length 48”
Width 24”
Weight 58lb
Made of Aluminium

Concept 2 has a long history of building machines for cardio. The bread butter machine is the concept 2 rower and recently the company has added the skierg and bikeErg to their portfolio. The bikeerg is the machine for you if you want to cycle at home and can not always take to the road to do your training.

Pros of the Concept 2 bikeErg

The pros of the bikeErg are

Lightweight construction
Adaptable
Simulated gears
PM5 monitor

The lightweight aluminum construction is an advantage for what this machine wants to achieve. Real world bicycles are usually built as light as possible. If you want your home training to be specific for cycling in a triathlon or the gourde France, you can not have a bulky Airbike to replace the experience.

If you want you to take all of the sports you touch as a driver apart and swap them for your own. This way you can get very close to riding your actual bike from the comfort of your home.

The bikeErg simulates the switching of gears during the ride so you get as close to the real experience than you can.

Finally, the PM5 monitor will enable you to race against others in parallel on multiple bikeErg. This can result in great fun for spinning classes.

Cons of the Concept 2 bikeErg

The cons of the concept 2 bikeErg are

No full body work out
Not for the big guys
It’s indoors

The concept 2 bikeErg will mainly focus on your legs. Therefore you will not get a lot of an upper body workout from your session. If this is important to you, you might want to go for the Rogue Echo bike instead.

The concept 2 bikeErg is lightweight and therefore build for cyclists. If you have a lot of football players on your roster you might want to go for one of the bigger Airbikes to make sure they don’t fall off.

Last but not least, nothing is like the real experience. If you want to compete in cycling you also must put in the miles on your bike outdoors. Otherwise, it is very likely that you will fail on race day.

Alternatives to the Concept 2 bikeErg

Alternatives to the concept 2 bike erg are

If you are buying equipment for your home gym and you are more on the extreme side of things you might prefer the Rogue Echo bike. This is the solid all body workout for the weekend warrior.

The concept 2 skierg is a great variation from concept 2 for anyone who skies. It simulates the upper body movement of skiing. Thing of it like a marathon version of a lat pulldown machine.

If you are shopping for a commercial gym you also might want to throw in a couple of rowers to mix things up. Avoid getting all of the same. Concept 2 actually has a mix pack on offer at Rogue where you can buy a skierg, bikeErg, and rower in one go.

Overview and review of the Nordictrack S10i 1699 (UK)

This article discusses the pros, cons, and alternatives for the Nordictrack S10i.This review was originally posted in “Which Nordictrack bike to get”. Follow the links for more details.

The S10i is the oldest bike from Nordictrack in the S line up and is currently only available for purchase in the UK. I would expect that after the available stocks are sold, this model will go end of life. The main features of the S10i are the 10 inch Touch screen, 20% incline, and the free dumbbells which come with the purchase. The full list of features includes:

10” Smart HD Touchscreen
Free Ground Floor Installation Included
Watts Power Readout
Includes 1 Years iFit Family Membership
Auxiliary Music Port
Two 2” Digitally Amplified Speakers

Ergonomic Padded Saddle
AutoBreeze™ Workout Fan
Non-slip, Multi-position Handlebar
Vertical & Horizontal Seat Adjustment

Inertia-enhanced Flywheel
-10% – 20% Incline
SMR™ Silent Magnetic Resistance
OneTouch® Controls
Enhanced Corrosion Resistance
Large Diameter Adjustable Leveling Feet
22 Digital Resistance Levels
150 kg User Capacity
Commercial Grade Steel Construction

Dual Water Bottle Holders
Two 3 Lb. Dumbbells Included
Compatible with Standard Road Bike Pedals & Seat
Front-mounted Transport Wheels
Assembled Dimensions - 140 L x 56 W x 141 H cm
Warranty - 2 Years parts and labor; 5-year frame guarantee upon warranty registration within 28 days of purchase.

If you want a bike from Nordictrack with a 20% incline, this is the best value for money you can get as long as you do not mind the smaller screen compared to the rest of the S line.

Pros of the Nordictrack S10i

The pros of the S10i are:

Money to incline ratio
Touch screen

The biggest pro of the S10i is the amount of money you spent on the incline. Currently, this is the cheapest option in the Nordictrack bike line up to get your hands on a 20% incline. The trade-off is a 10inch touch screen which is the smallest compared to the S line models.

For this price range, it is also good to get a touch screen instead of a backlit or LED screen. Other models in the same price range might not provide a touch screen as the S10i used to be the flagship bike when Nordictrack made the swing from Backlit to touch screen displays.

Cons of the S10i

The cons of the S10i are

No Bluetooth
Small touch screen
Oldest model out of the S line

As with the entire S line, the S10i also only has an aux rather than Bluetooth compatibility. This is an oversight of Nordictrack as they did modernize the screens, but did not upgrade the frames for the S series. If engineering had looked for Touch screens with inbuilt Bluetooth they would not have the problem of offering 1000 - 2000 bikes which you can not hook up to your Bluetooth earphones.

If you care about screen real estate than this bike is the worst option in the S line. I also think this is the wrong way of looking at this bike. If you buy it, buy it for the incline, not for the screen. If a big screen is your main concern and you want to save money you can go for the Grand Tour Pro in the US and save some money while still getting a 10inch.

Another downside is that S10i is the oldest model in the S line of bikes from Nordictrack. You can not buy it in the US anymore while it is still available in the UK. If you do not mind fixing things yourself or you are not a heavy user this is no problem. But if you are a gym owner who wants to buy ten of these and use them for 5 years, then you might want to opt for a newer model.

Alternatives to the S10i

Alternatives to the S10i bike are

The S40 treadmill is part of the older range of treadmills which is still available in the UK. If you want a treadmill which is cheaper now, as it got a bit out of date but was one of the best in its heyday, this is the one to get.

The T7.5 treadmill is currently the best-balanced treadmill of Nordictrack in the lower price range around 1500. It is also still being sold in the US which makes it a safer investment than the S40 for commercial use.

The 12.9i elliptical from Nordictrack would be a price neutral option if you want to accommodate for more fitness levels in your house. It is usually easier to strike a balance for all users with an elliptical than with a bike. This assumes that you can fit an elliptical in the dedicated space, as they are considerably bigger than the bikes.

The concept 2 model D rower is always a good alternative to safe money when you buy in bulk or can hang it on the wall in a home gym. With the concept 2 model D you can push the cost for your cardio machine under 1000 and own a proven industry standard. Most people think of the concept 2 model D when they think of a rowing machine. Unless they watched too much house of cards.

The Rogue echo bike is my personal favorite for home gym use. This machine is as solid as a tank and has been stripped to the bare necessities to make you sweat. Based on this it comes in at a very competitive price point of around 700. If you are a no-nonsense weekend warrior you can get the Rogue Echo bike and some heavy kettlebells for the price of one S10i bike and get cracking.

Summary for the Nordictrack S10i

The S10i bike is a great option for someone who does not mind the exercises provided via Ifit too much and already has a screen in their gym. If you are looking for a 20% incline bike of high quality without a lot of entertainment attached to it, this is the machine for you. 10inch used to be the best of the best, but in a time of 32-inch screens latched onto cardio machines the S10i just fell behind.