Bowflex C7 vs Echelon EX5 (Bowflex Bike Or Echelon?)

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Picking the right fitness bike can be a nightmare since there are so many options. From affordable to premium and all the mid-tier offerings, getting the right one is so tough. We hear you, so we decided to compare to popular models. Our Bowflex C7 vs Echelon EX5 review will show you whether a Bowflex bike or Echelon bike is right for your fitness routine.

Our Echelon EX5 vs Bowflex C7 review will compare these head to head with features, connectivity, fitness tracking, and any other differences we can find.

Read on to see which exercise bike helps you reach your fitness goals.

What is Bowflex C7 Bike?

The Bowflex bikes offer a large lineup of options ranging in price and features. While C7 Bowflex bike is technically an entry-level offering, we would say it’s closer to premium or mid-tier when compared to other brands. This has tons of features, especially considering its price. Not only does it has a 1-year JRNY membership, but you also get many media apps, fitness app connectivity, a dedicated screen, and much more.

Another huge benefit is that this is a Bowflex bike that leans. A tilting exercise bike is hard to find in this price range, but Bowflex masterfully pulls it off. It has 100 levels of resistance and a comfortable racing-style seat. The JRNY gives you access to 50+ global routes to make your fitness routine more interesting.

Check Price: Bowflex C7 Bike ->

What is Echelon EX5?

The Echelon EX5 bike is a premier exercise bike with tons of features. Perhaps the best part of their bikes is the Echelon Premier Membership. This contains 3,000+ fitness classes ranging from 5-45 minutes long, ensuring you will work up a sweat regardless of how much time you have. Plus, each class has amazing music and professional trainers that will maximize your fitness routine.

EX5 Echelon bike was built with performance in mind. Not only does this contain many features necessary to help you burn calories, but it also comes with 32 levels of resistance, a tablet holder to keep you entertained, adjustable seat and handlebars for comfort, and many other features you’ll love.

Check Price: Echelon EX5 Bike ->

What Others are Saying

Customer reviews can be useful as they show you how well the bike holds up when being used on a daily basis. You also get different viewpoints as each customer is different. Many people might love a product, but you might find that it doesn’t work for you.

Because of that, we like looking at customer reviews to see which is the better buy.

Bowflex Bike C7 Reviews from Customers

The Bowflex bike C7 reviews from Amazon are very good, but we are surprised that there are so few of them. This bike currently has over 100 reviews and a 4.2 rating, which is very high in the competitive world of fitness bikes.

Most reviews focused on how quiet and versatile this bike was. Many people also loved the included display and how many features they got for the relatively affordable price.While there aren’t as many reviews as other fitness bikes, the overall reviews are positive and show that many people like this bike.

Echelon EX5 Customer Reviews

The Echelon EX5 Amazon reviews are even better with this bike. At nearly 1,800 reviews and with an overall 4.5 rating, this is an incredibly popular fitness bike with a dedicated fanbase.

The majority of reviews focused on how easy the bike was to assemble, that it worked like a dream, and that it was incredibly comfortable. Some people said the seat was a little uncomfortable due to the shape, but this didn’t seem to come up too often.

Features

We’re going to look at both bikes to see what overall features you get, and to see which is best. Both are great, but they each excel in different ways. Overall we would call Bowflex the winner, but Echelon has a few features that are better.

Both of these come with magnetic resistance. This makes it simple to change the resistance, which makes the ride harder or easier. Echelon only comes with 32 levels of resistance while Bowflex triples that with 100 levels of resistance. That being said, both should offer you an adequate challenge.

These bikes both come with water bottle holders, dumbbell holders, media racks for devices, and an adjustable seat. Bowflex has a dedicated display (which we will cover in more detail in the next section), but the Echelon bike offers other adjustable areas, such as the handlebars. Bowflex also offers leaning mode.

While the extra adjustments are nice, we think the dedicated display, leaning, and extra resistance makes Bowflex the winner here.

Check Price: Bowflex C7 Bike ->

Echelon EX5 vs Bowflex C7: Connectivity

While both of these offer connectivity features, one offers more services while another offers one of the best services, so it’s hard to say which is better.

Bowflex bike C7 allows you to connect to Peloton, Zwift, and other fitness apps. You also get a free year of JRNY when buying this bike. This allows you to track and store your fitness stats. You also get to enjoy personalized instruction from world-class trainers as you cycle around the world on your bike.

Not only that, but the dedicated Bowflex bike display allows you to open Hulu, Disney+, Netflix, and many other apps so you can watch shows and movies while biking.

Echelon Connect EX5 doesn’t offer as many connectivity options, but Echelon Premier Membership is among the best fitness apps available. This gives you access to thousands of fitness courses for cycling and other exercises. You also get amazing music and great tracks around the world. This bike doesn’t have a dedicated display, so you must use your tablet or phone.

That being said, the bike only connects with that app. It’s great for tracking and storing your fitness information, but some people might like how Bowflex gives you more options. It really depends on which you feel is best.

However, what we can say is that you can easily store, track, and update your fitness stats while enjoying tracks around the globe and biking through exotic locations.

Check Price: Echelon EX5 Bike ->

Bowflex C7 vs Echelon EX5: Fitness Tracking

We have another tie here. Well, it depends on how you look at it. This section is going to be very similar to the connectivity section.

Both of these collect and track your fitness data. This includes speed, time cycling, distance, calories burned, and so on. They collect all the data you expect them to, which ensures that you’ll be able to track how well you’re doing. Some people need this data because they are competing while others just like to see if they’re getting better.

In either case, they collect basically the same fitness data. The difference is how the data is stored. The Echelon Smart Connect EX5 only stores this data on the Echelon Connect app. The Bowflex Bike stores this on Peloton, Zwift, and other apps.

It really depends on which app you’re using. If you love the Echelon app, then Echelon is best. If you are using other fitness apps, then Bowflex is more versatile.

What is the Difference Between Bowflex C7 and Echelon EX5?

Curious about what is the difference between Echelon EX5 and Bowflex C7? While there are many similarities between these bikes, we also found a number of differences. Be sure to check out our other Bowflex C7 reviews:

In terms of similarities, both of these are adjustable for better comfort, connect with fitness apps, track your data, and work with your external devices.

Bowflex offers more levels of resistance, connects with more fitness apps, has a dedicated display, and is in general more versatile. Echelon is tied down to the Echelon fitness app, but this is one of the best fitness apps around. It’s also more adjustable for better comfort.

Final Thoughts

Both of these fitness bikes are amazing. However, we have to go with Bowflex in our Bowflex bike vs Echelon bike review. While the Echelon app is one of the best we’ve seen with lots of personal coaching and amazing music, we didn’t like how this bike was tied down to one specific app. Bowflex was a little more versatile, which we believe other people would prefer.

That being said, both of these are very similar. If you love the Echelon app (and seriously, go check it out, it’s great!), then we suggest getting the EX5 Echelon Smart Connect bike.