The exercise bike has long been a cardio staple, but many tend to be big and expensive. The Stealth Cycle ($349.99) is an affordable foldable model that connects with your phone over Bluetooth and lets you play games in a companion app as you work out. It’s well-built, with a unique spring-mounted handlebar system that lets you move side to side to control games and work your upper body. However, the Stealth Cycle’s gamified workouts aren’t very fun or challenging, and its app doesn’t offer any exercise classes. Its compact design and reasonable price make it a good fit for small homes and budgets, but if you want more entertainment and guidance on your fitness journey, the much pricier Peloton Bike ($1,445) remains our Editors’ Choice.
Design: Compact and Sturdy
Stealth Fitness, the company that makes the Stealth Cycle, is a relatively new name in the fitness industry. It also makes the popular Stealth Core Trainer ($149) and the Stealth Squat, and all of its fitness devices use gamification to encourage exercise. Smart home gym machines from the likes of Aviron, Ergatta, and Peloton also offer fitness games that you control by exercising and varying your intensity to achieve a certain goal. Many other connected fitness machines incorporate gamified elements such as leaderboards, high-fives, and races.
Stealth Fitness uses gamification methodology to inform the Stealth Cycle’s design. While the pedals and saddle work the same as any other indoor cycle, the handlebars are unusual. The Stealth Cycle has what Stealth Fitness calls a Smart Handlebar System. A coil spring attaches the handlebars to the base of the bike and allows them to bend 360 degrees.
The games harness this, encouraging you to cycle while bobbing and weaving to dodge obstacles, collect virtual coins, and build a high score. The idea is to work your arms, chest, core, and shoulders at the same time as your lower body gets a workout pedaling. It’s not the first bike to incorporate upper-body exercise, however. The Bowflex VeloCore ($1,699) does likewise with a system that lets you lean side to side and work your arms and core more than you would on a typical stationary bike.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Unlike most of the smart exercise bikes we’ve reviewed, the Stealth Cycle does not include a screen. Instead, a phone clip between the handlebars lets you use your smartphone and the Stealth Fitness app (free on Android or iOS) to interact with the device and play games. Just under the coil spring, you’ll find a lever with seven resistance levels to increase the difficulty as needed.
Aesthetically, the Stealth Cycle is playfully dressed. Draped in the colors of a Pittsburgh Steeler, the Stealth Cycle measures 35 by 10 by 25 inches (HWD) and weighs 39 pounds.
It’s fairly compact to start with, but by removing a pin at its center, it can fold even smaller. It’s not slim enough to slip under a bed or a couch, but it’s small enough to be tucked away in a cupboard or a corner for storage. Tiny wheels on the legs make it easy to move the bike around.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Assembly is straightforward. The bulk of the Stealth Cycle is preassembled, but the handlebars, pedals, and legs need to be attached with included screws using an Allen wrench.
The Stealth Cycle is rated to support riders up to 300 pounds. Stealth Fitness doesn’t mention a height range for the bike, but its adjustable seat should accommodate most people.
At 5’10”, the Stealth Cycle fit me like a glove, and it felt just as smooth as riding a bike outdoors. I’m really impressed by how sturdy the bike is. Height adjustment is simple, and the seat is more comfortable than I expected—though I definitely started to get sore after an hour’s ride. Even on long cycling sessions, I never felt any rocking from side to side. My only complaint about the design is the lack of straps or cleats, a feature that lets you pull, not just push, on the pedals.
App: The Games Could Definitely Be Better
To fully enjoy the Stealth Cycle and its functionality, you need to download the Stealth Fitness app. The idea is to pick a game and pedal away, shifting your body back and forth to avoid obstacles and earn points. Stealth Fitness offers five free games to get you started: Alpine Adventure, Cycle Chase, Dash Trac, Trail Rider, and Wakeboarding. However, Dash Trac is not really a game, just a dashboard that keeps track of your stats.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
To unlock additional games, you need to pay for the Stealth+ Premium Games subscription, which will set you back either $4.99 monthly or $39.99 yearly. That’s affordable, but in my testing, I quickly realized that most of the games are just reskinned versions of one another. Trail Rider sees you traveling through the ugliest trail in the world, biking through goalposts along the way. Alpine Adventure uses the same mechanics, though this time on a snowy mountaintop.
The games remind me of the type of shovelware you’d find for the Nintendo Wii tucked away in an unmarked box at GameStop. On my iPhone 11, the simple graphics look blurry and pixelated. They look even worse when enlarged on my 55-inch TV.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
This might be less of an issue if the games were engaging and compelling, but they aren’t. I didn’t find any of the games notably challenging or fun, and I didn’t feel much of a difference in my arms or chest after a 30-minute ride, though I did notice a bit of core burn. In terms of controls, swaying back and forth on the bike was mostly responsive in the app, but subtle movements often weren’t picked up.
Even without bobbing and weaving, the only way to power through these games is to pump your legs, so you’re guaranteed a workout. I stuck to Dash Trac, which is basically a speedometer, for most of my time with the Stealth Cycle.
In addition to playing games, you can join challenges posted by other users or start your own. These challenges are based exclusively on high scores, but they do help give the Stealth Cycle a sense of community. While not totally comparable, I found myself missing the more robust and engaging community features of the Ergatta Lite ($1,799), a rowing machine that supports multiplayer games, team competitions, and more.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Beyond the lackluster games, the app also offers stats and a global leaderboard. However, there are no guided workouts, and tracking stops if you switch apps during a workout. So, if you check Bluesky or reply to text messages, you’ll lose out on metrics for that time. Stealth Fitness also doesn’t sync with other fitness apps like Apple Health, Fitbit, or Strava. The only third-party integration is the option to link your account with your Facebook page.
Verdict: Good Bike, Uninspired Games
Despite my gripes about the games and the app, the Stealth Cycle delivers a good workout, making it an affordable alternative to pricey fitness bikes with built-in screens. Its coiled handlebar is novel, and it helps to work the upper body, but you’re unlikely to use it on its own, and it feels like little more than a gimmick when paired with the app’s unexciting games. If you’re planning to pedal in front of the television, the Stealth Cycle is a decent option that won’t break the bank. But if you’re looking for an engaging gamified exercise machine you’ll want to come back to over and over again, the Peloton Bike remains our Editors’ Choice and is well worth the higher price of admission.
The Bottom Line
The Stealth Cycle is an affordable exercise bike that is well-sized for small spaces and will satisfy your cardio cravings, but its gamified workouts leave room for improvement.
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About Zackery Cuevas
Analyst, Hardware
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