All the Excitement with SI's freebeat Boom Bike Review: A Budget-Friendly Alternative

The freebeat Boom Bike is designed to offer the same high-quality, effective cardio exercise workouts you’d expect from higher end models like Peloton or SoulCycle stationary bikes. Unique to this exercise bike are cool features such as dynamic LED light strips that change colors as you ride in sync with the rhythm of the music during your cycling workout. The Boom Bike features gamified workouts where you can earn points the harder you push yourself as you move and groove to the music, climbing in and out of the saddle.

Design and construction

The freebeat Boom Bike is well-made given its affordability. One of the benefits of the design is its sleek, compact footprint. The bike fits on a standard yoga mat, with overall dimensions measuring 52 inches long (front to back), 25 inches wide (side to side) and 52 inches high. Therefore, even if you don’t have a dedicated home gym, and just have a little space in your living room, you can fit the stationary bike into your tight space fairly easily. The bike is also lightweight, so it’s relatively easy to move around. It weighs 79 pounds and has a maximum user weight of 300 pounds.

The frame of the freebeat Boom Bike is made from welded steel, which is powder coated to protect the frame and prevent rusting. It comes in white, Tuscany yellow or steel gray.

One thing to note is that the Boom Bike flywheel is quite lightweight compared to premium indoor cycling bikes. It weighs just 15.4 pounds. For comparison, the Peloton Bike has a 35-pound flywheel. A heavier flywheel usually provides a more stable, smooth ride and can better replicate outdoor riding, but heavier flywheels take more power to move. Therefore, lighter flywheels are ideal for beginners and petite riders.

Touchscreen display

The Boom Bike features a glare-free, fingerprint-free 15.6-inch HD touchscreen that can be fully rotated. The touchscreen tablet enables you to stream on-demand workout classes with the paid freebeat subscription plan. The touchscreen also shows your workout metrics, the leaderboard and your workout video as you ride. Another cool feature? The monitor on the freebeat Boom Bike has an online browser function, enabling you to surf the internet in between workout classes.

Resistance

One of the unique features of this freebeat bike is the auto resistance system. Like many of the best indoor cycling bikes, the Boom bike has silent digital magnetic resistance. However, in addition to manual control of the resistance, there is an auto resistance system feature that responds to your performance level on the bike. When you are cycling at a low cadence (low RPM), the resistance automatically increases. When you are cycling at a high cadence (high RPM), the resistance automatically decreases. This is designed to challenge your strength and endurance, increasing your fitness level over time. You can also choose to turn off the automatic resistance if you want to be in full control of the resistance.

Additional features

The bike seat on the freebeat Boom Bike features smart saddle detection, so the bike can actually sense when you are on it. Another unique feature of the Boom Bike is the dynamic LED lights. Users can control the LED Lights via the settings on the bike tablet, and the LED lights will automatically adjust according to the beat of the music in your indoor cycling classes.

There is Bluetooth® 5.0 Connectivity for audio devices, but the exercise bike does not offer any heart rate monitoring. Calories burned during the workout are determined based on your weight, workout duration, cadence (RPM) and resistance.

Warranty

Compared to many other inexpensive stationary bikes, the freebeat Boom Bike is backed by an impressive warranty. There is a 10-year frame warranty, 12-month touchscreen warranty and 24-month parts warranty on parts (pedals, seat etc.).

Does the freebeat Boom bike Offer a Community I Can Engage With?

Yes. freebeat is trying to build a supportive community. The company offers members a dedicated Discord and Whatsapp community to engage with other Boom Bike riders. You can also add friends on the touchscreen monitor and track workouts and compete with one another on the leaderboard.

Adjusting the freebeat Boom Bike Pedals

Unlike many indoor cycling bikes, such as the Peloton bike and NordicTrack exercise bikes, which require cycling cleats, the freebeat Boom Bike comes with pedals with toe cages. This means that you don’t need cycling shoes or cleats to ride the bike. You can adjust the toe cages with the included strap to fit a variety of shoe sizes. You can also swap out the included pedals for bike pedals that require cleats (SPD pedals or Delta cleat-compatible pedals).

Working Out With the freebeat Boom Bike

You will need to have access to WIFI to use the Boom Bike because all of the on-demand workout classes must be streamed via an internet connection. Once you set up your freebeat account, it’s easy to get started selecting classes and riding the bike.

Classes

The Boom Bike Comes with a 45-day free trial of the workout class subscription plan, and then after that there is a $39 per month fee. The subscription provides users with access to over 500 workout videos. The library of on-demand classes is vast, both in terms of the genre of music playlists that you will hear during the workout to the experience level and instructional style of the trainer leading the class. In addition to cycling classes, there are toning, sculpting, fat-burning, strength training and stretching classes. The instructors are all expert personal trainers and coaches designed to provide not just motivating workouts, but guidance to help you get stronger and more fit both in and out of the saddle.

Unlike the Peloton Bike and some of the other premium exercise bikes, the Boom Bike does not come with dumbbells. However, you can purchase accessories for the bike, such as dumbbells, resistance bands and an exercise mat on the freebeat website.

At this time, there are no live workout classes yet offered.

Most of the on-demand bike workouts are high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and feature energetic instruction, motivating music and a party-like vibe. The classes range from 15-30 minutes, which is great for those with a busy schedule. If you want to ride longer, you can take multiple classes back to back. There are computer-generated gamification features that kind of make it feel like you’re riding in a video game, and the tablet shows all of your workout metrics as you ride. Plus, the subscription fee lets you create up to 10 accounts per membership so you can create profiles for family and friends, too.

Music

The music in the Boom Bike workouts is usually EDM and pop music. You can also open the browser on the monitor and play any music or playlists you prefer from Spotify, Apple Music or other online music platform. You can connect your Airpods or other Bluetooth earbuds to listen to the background music and instructor while you ride.

freebeat Boom Bike Subscription

When you purchase the freebeat Boom Bike, you get a 45-day free trial of the interactive fitness membership, which is a $59 value. Once the free trial is over, the Boom Bike membership fee is $39 per month, but you can register up to 10 accounts with just one membership. This means that you can split the costs with other family and friends to save money.

How to Set Up Your freebeat Boom Bike

Assembly is said to be fairly straight forward, as the bike comes mostly assembled. You will need to attach the touchscreen, pedals and floor stabilizers. There is a PDF manual as well as a video tutorial for assembly. At this time, professional assembly services are not offered, but there is 24/7 customer support should you have questions or need help.

freebeat Boom Bike vs Competitors

Here’s how freebeat’s Boom Bike stacks up against other indoor exercise bikes.

freebeat Boom Bike vs Peloton Bike+

While freebeat’s Boom Bike and Peloton’s Bike+ corresponding apps offer on-demand classes, Peloton All Access members have the added benefit of taking live classes, too. Another major difference? Peloton’s bikes are built with heavier flywheels which offer more resistance and as a result, tougher workouts for users to push through. If you’re a seasoned cyclist the Boom Bike may not offer enough of a challenge due to its lighter weight flywheel.

freebeat Boom Bike vs NordicTrack S22i

NordicTrack’s S22i is another heavyweight stationary bike that may be better suited for seasoned cyclists who are looking for a setup that offers a wider range of resistance. The S22i has a 32 pound flywheel in comparison to the Boom Bike’s 15.4 pound flywheel and the former also has a generously sized 22-inch rotating HD touchscreen in comparison to Boom Bike’s 15.6-inch rotating touchscreen.

Still, the Boom Bike is a great budget-friendly alternative to pricier, high-end indoor exercise bikes such as Peloton and NordicTrack’s S22i.

freebeat Boom Bike FAQs

Does freebeat have scenic rides?

Yes. There are two scenic rides available with the subscription: a Country Ride and a Valley Ride. Users can find the freebeat scenic rides on the Class page.

How much does the freebeat subscription cost?

The freebeat Boom Bike comes with a free 45-day interactive fitness membership, which is a $59 value. After the free trial is over, you must pay for the membership.

Can you use the freebeat Boom bike without a subscription?

No. There is no Just Ride mode. You must pay for the subscription plan to use the freebeat Boom Bike. With that said, the exercise bike can technically be used without the subscription, but you won’t be able to turn on the monitor. Additionally, the resistance can only be adjusted when the power and monitor are on, so you really won’t get much functionality at all without paying for the freebeat subscription.

Do you need cycling cleats to use the freebeat Boom bike?

The freebeat Boom Bike comes with pedals with toe cages, so you don’t need cycling shoes or cleats to ride the bike. This is a boon for beginners who may not have cycling shoes. However, if you prefer clipless pedals, you can swap out the pedals with any type of bike pedal of your choosing, including SPD- or Delta-compatible pedals. This will enable you to ride with your indoor cycling shoes.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the freebeat Boom Bike is one of the best indoor exercise bikes for those on a budget. Users report that the ride feels smooth and that classes are super engaging with top-notch instructors, tons of music options and short high-intensity workouts geared to every fitness level. The gamified workouts, leaderboard and dynamic LED lights bring a unique, fun aspect to workouts for those who tend to get bored with the basic exercise bike workouts offered by most competitors. Although there are no live classes and the library of on-demand workout videos isn’t as robust as the Peloton Digital platform, the bike is a budget-friendly alternative for riders who are looking for a great workout with a more fun vibe.