Worth every penny. How’s that for a short and sweet review of the NordicTrack X24 spin bike?! We’ve got a lot more details to see if that’s the case for you, but so far we’re impressed.
After years of saying I should cross train more (besides strength), I felt like spin was the best option for me. And oddly enough in the last 3-4 months now I’ve had a chance to test a bunch of spin bikes! The team has reviewed them in all price points from the Echelon bike without a screen, to YeSoul considered a Peloton dupe and now this top end outdoor simulator!
The X24 bike is unlike any of the others because the bike actually inclines and declines! That’s right, beyond changing the resistance, you can change the angle of the ride just like you would on your treadmill.
For David to truly practice mountain biking in the winters and feel ready to tackle Colorado mountains this is an innovation worth every single penny!
Who Is It Good For?
- General Fitness: Probably more bike than you need realistically, but it’s super fun.
- Heavier Users: Wider seat is more comfortable and goes up to 350lbs, which is better than other bikes we’ve tested for stability.
- Endurance: Set up for you to ride long hours comfortably and entertained.
- Intervals: Resistance feels a tad slow to change, but I think that’s just with the handles not the screen.
NordicTrack X24 Bike Overview
Over the last 15 years, I’ve had incredible luck with my NordicTrack treadmills. One took me over 18,000 miles before I decided to update it due to some damage from a move. The current NordicTrack 2450 has been equally great and again having tested 6 other much pricier treadmills lately, I’m still in love with it.
Which is why the X24 bike price tag felt right to me. I know that we are getting machines to last for a very, very long time. And in this case, the price tag wasn’t even higher than competitors to add in this crazy incline feature.
Two sided pedals are fantastic. David loves to clip in and go all out like he’s doing a normal mountain ride or go hard in a spin class, meanwhile there are days where I just want a nice easy pedal while watching a show to recover from my hard running intervals, so I slip my feet in the cage no clip in needed.
The seat on this fits me immensely better. I think it’s just a tad wider which is more accommodating to female hips (even as someone without “wide” hips). It makes the overall ride much more comfortable.
Unlike the Peloton Bike the weight placement is in front under the screen. This is immensely useful for being able to easily grab the weights. Bonus points because they provide 3lb weights and Peloton does 1lb. Maybe iFit users are just stronger?!?
And I love that it’s quiet.
I could be jaded by the fact that treadmill pounding inherently is noisier, but I know this could be done while someone was watching TV without bothering them. In fact, I have been running on the treadmill next to my husband while he bikes and we’re both able to put in headphones and happily sweat away.
The X24 is using silent magnetic resistance around the flywheel, which in theory would be similar to the feeling of a headwind. This is great for those spin class efforts, but still more exciting when you start to hit the incline and notice how differently your muscles work to actually climbing a hill.
After a number of rides by both of us to test out features and classes, I’m ready to say this might be my favorite spin bike ever. And if you’ve read reviews around here, you know I’m not one to lightly give out that kind of praise!
NordicTrack X24 Bike Specifications
- Resistance: 24 levels
- Bike dimensions: 56.4″ L (143.3 cm) x 21.8″ W (55.4 cm) x 62.7″ H (159.3 cm)
- Bike weight: 205 lbs
- Max weight limit: 350 lb
- 20% incline to -10% decline
- Screen: Pivoting 24″ (61.0 cm) touchscreen for on and off-equipment workouts
- An iFIT Pro Membership is required to access the full content and features on the equipment.
- Autobreeze fan that changes with the intensity of the workout
- 2-sided pedals with SPD and toe clips + straps
- Software: iFIT workouts
- SmartAdjust that changes incline, decline and resistance
- Syncs with Strava, Garmin Connect, Google Fit and Apple Health
- Watch your favorite shows through available streaming services
Quick Take
- Incline and Decline
- Very quiet
- iFit classes and autoadjust
- Takes up more space than some others
- Handle bars don’t adjust laterally
- Higher price point than some
X24 Bike Key Features
All right, let’s talk about what sets this bike apart from others. The biggest and most obvious is going to be this very first feature and I’m stoked about it.
20% Incline to -10% Decline
I’ve often found that biking inside didn’t translate to how biking outside feels and I think it’s partially due to the change in how you sit and move when dealing with incline and decline. No longer is that an issue with the X24.
From the handle controls or through the autoadjust when using a program, the bike will increase in increments of .5% just like the treadmill. You absolutely will notice the difference and I had to adjust my resistance down a few times as I realized the incline was indeed making it feel so much harder, in the best possible Type 2 fun way.
This made every ride more fun. It’s just such a unique feature and when combined with following a ride on the screen in some beautiful scenery, my desire to stay on this bike was 10X what it’s been on any other.
While climbing the bike might feel like it’s moving a tad side to side, but it’s not at all unstable. It’s just a difference in being positioned differently and as you start to move side to side to pump those legs that slight flex is actually really beneficial.
Handle Controls
As noted above, instead of a spin knob you’ll find the resistance and the incline can be adjusted from the handles or via the screen. This is safer when you’ve got the bike at an incline to keep you holding on, rather than needing to look down or reach for a knob.
Personally, I feel like all the bikes should switch to this because it was just easier to use. BUT I do wish you had more of a click or something to know you’ve hit the resistance button. Once I got used to where to look on the screen, I knew when things had changed, but a small addition that would be nice.
Reaching out to change things directly on the screen is possible, but felt like a stretch so the handles are my preference, but for quick speed changes on manual intervals the screen is really nice. It’s huge and touch screen, so you can’t miss what you’re trying to click!
iFIT Subscription
Yes, you can use the bike without this in manual mode. But I think you’re missing out.
One of the great features of the NordicTrack X24 bike is its seamless integration with iFit. We have used this platform with our treadmills for years and remain continually impressed by the variety of workouts, locations, styles and coursees. Your bike will need a WiFi connection to utilize this tool.
This is where that HUGE 24″ inch pivoting screen really comes to life.
Not only will you get your basic data, but great views of these experiences around the world OR you can pivot the screen to do your strength training. David LOVES follow along programs and has done so many of them from biking, to running to strength to yoga, but hasn’t even come close to using everything available. That’s impressive.
Touch screen also makes it very easy to navigate to what you want to do and see.
You’ll also be able to control things like:
- Setting up bluetooth to use your headphones
- Connecting a HR monitor
- Adjusting the volume (I hate hearing all the pings and dings as I make selections so I turn it off)
- Adjusting the fan to different levels or using the AutoBreeze feature for it to ramp up and down based on the workout
Additionally, if you have multiple users each will simply create their own iFit login under one shared iFit account. My husband and I have had our own profiles for years with iFit so no matter which machine we’re using it’s our workouts (Or when doing workouts from my phone while traveling).
I started one of the intermediate strength series and I love that my homescreen shows me the next workout in that series. It makes it really easy for you to stay on track and progress.
Global Biking Adventures
Speaking of adventures, this is what got David excited to use the treadmill and why he wanted to stay within the NordicTrack family for the bike.
Experience biking across the globe without leaving your home. The x24 bike, when paired with iFit, allows you to virtually explore stunning routes from iconic locations around the world.
And more importantly this is where the next feature gets really exciting.
SmartAdjust and Follow Trainer
iFit goes beyond pre-recorded workouts by offering interactive classes, that will adjust your machine. Climbing a hill, watch as the bike begins to tilt upwards or do a regular spin class with the resistance adjusting.
Beyond that with SmartAdjust turned on it will adjust the intensity of your workout based on past workouts. Welcome to the new world of AI where it’s taking in your data to try and make you a better athlete.
Set Up and Adjustments
I mentioned early on that the saddle fit me so much better than others and that’s because it’s just slightly wider. This runner bum always needs some time to adapt to saddles, but this was fine for a 30 minute ride right away.
Adjusting the height of the seat and handle bars was easy. The handlebars do have the weight of the screen, so while I could do it on my own it was nice to have my husband there for a quick adjustment.
As noted in the cons, the handlebars do not move laterally. On past bikes I struggled with reach because my legs are very long, but my torso is not. I found that with the handlebars raised and the seat forward, I was in good position.
If you are shorter and looking to be more bent over for a road cycling position, then I would say there could be an issue with overall reach.
NordicTrack Customer Service
Since this has been a hot topic on social media lately, I figured I would add my two cents. Having owned now 3 different pieces of NordicTrack equipment.
First delivery has always been fantastic. They make scheduling easy, they are always so courteous and make sure the machines are fully working before they leave. This was not my experience with some other brands.
While I’ve had 0 issues with the bike, when we did run into an incline issue on the treadmill I was able to get ahold of someone on the phone and then we ran through all the potential ways to resolve it on my own. Once those were not going to work, they agreed to send out a technician to resolve the issue.
No one wants to deal with any issues, but these are now massive pieces of electronics being shipped around the world and then hustled up and downstairs, so I figure it’s going to happen sometimes. So my experience was that they responded and worked to find a resolution.
Overall we’re just really impressed with the quality and features on the NordicTrack X24. We’ll make sure to update this as we often do in 6 months to let you know if everything is still working as expected or if we’ve experienced any issues.
Our Verdict
The NordicTrack X24 bike is one of the best spin bikes we’ve ever tested both for features, stability, comfort and low noise. The incline and decline feature set it apart from others to really give you more of that outdoor ride feeling.
Any other questions? What else would you like to know?
What to read next?
- Best Cardio Cross Training for Runners
- How Less Runs and More Cross Training Can Make You Faster
- Strength Training Program for Runners
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