Editor’s Note: The Horizon Fitness IC7.9 Indoor Cycle is no longer available. Check out the latest model here from Horizon Fitness.
Of all the exercise equipment out there in the world today, nothing really seems to beat the exercise bike in terms of being iconic.
It’s a simple, easily accessible piece of exercise gear that’s phenomenal at working out your legs and provides an excellent cardio experience.
As an exercise enthusiast myself, I always wanted a personal exercise bike for my home and not too long ago I decided to take a look at my options.
I ended up stumbling upon the Horizon Fitness IC7.9 Indoor Cycle and thought it was a decent and affordable choice.
Things to Know About Exercise Bikes
The primary benefits of using an exercise bike include the maintenance of your cardiovascular system and leg muscles, but there are in fact a ton of other advantages.
Exercise bikes are considered to be “low-impact” machines, which is to say the force that would normally be placed on your body during most forms of exercise is distributed more evenly.
This results in less bodily strain overall, but is especially effective at reducing joint pain and joint damage.
Subsequently, exercise bikes make great choices for those who may have physical impairments or who are elderly.
Exercise bikes are also very good options for those looking to lose weight as it burns calories much better than a lot of other activities and has the additional benefit of boosting energy and making people feel refreshed.
When looking for what to get in an exercise, bike, there are couple things to look out for:
Display Features
If you’re planning on working out with any degree of consistency, then you’re going to need some way to track your progress.
Having an exercise bike equipped with a decent LED display that shows you a bunch of different exercise statistics is going to be really important as you’re not going to see how well you’re doing otherwise.
Resistance
Having access to different levels of resistance in an exercise bike is going to be extremely important.
Based on your physical abilities and what your goals are, having more resistance levels is useful not only as it can more specifically match what you’re looking for, but if you’re interested in some hardcore training, having a very high resistance level range is going to be a must-have.
Adjustability
Not all products are going to match your body type and preferences on the default settings.
Having an exercise bike that has a decent number of adjustability options is going to be paramount for ensuring you get an enjoyable, hassle-free exercise experience.
At the time of writing, there was a great deal available. Click here to see if it’s still running…
The Horizon Fitness IC7.9 Indoor Cycle
The Horizon Fitness IC7.9 Indoor Cycle is one of the more affordable options offered by the exercise equipment manufacturer, Horizon.
It provides all the necessary parts of a good exercise bike experience, with safety, flexibility, and compatibility with other products playing a major role in its appeal.
Compared to similar bikes on the market, such as the NordicTrack S22i and the Peloton Bike, the Horizon Fitness IC7.9 Indoor Cycle has many of the same high quality features, but is available at a much lower cost.
Pros
- Comparatively inexpensive
- Small dimensions for easy storage
- Easily adjustable
- Has a superior resistance level system
- Very app compatible
Cons
- Isn’t very feature heavy
- Somewhat reliant on apps for exercise support
- Kind of heavy
The Horizon Fitness IC7.9 Indoor Cycle is a great choice for those who want an exercise bike that’s not too fancy, but not bare-bones either.
It has a lot of features and specs that make it appropriate for a bunch of different demographics, but it’s ultimately a pretty one-note kind of machine.
Notable Benefits & Features
There are more than a few upsides to the Horizon Fitness IC7.9 Indoor Cycle which makes it a good exercise bike as it’s a pretty modifiable device.
Provides Smooth Resistance Changes
Changes in resistance levels on most machines can often be a difficult, time consuming thing to do.
There are usually few customizable options, which can make it difficult to get the exact difficulty that you’re looking for.
However, the Horizon Fitness IC7.9 Indoor Cycle comes equipped with a precision resistance lever that makes everything a whole lot easier.
With resistance adjustment ranging from 0 to 100% capacity, the lever allows users to experience resistance changes in real time, rather than having to do a lot of guesswork.
Instead of having “blocks” of resistance with predetermined levels of difficulty, you’ll be able to easily customize how difficult your workout will be with the Horizon Fitness IC7.9 Indoor Cycle .
Comfort and Entertainment Options
Not all machines are optimized with user comfort in mind. They can be blocky and have features that don’t realistically match up with people’s preferences.
With the Horizon Fitness IC7.9 Indoor Cycle though, there are a bunch of options that can make your experience not only customizable, but also enjoyable.
The bike’s chrome handlebars are well-fitting and are positioned in the optimal place to ensure you’ll be able to grip them without arm strain.
Seating consists of a racing-style road saddle modeled after bikes designed for long distance and can be adjusted either horizontally or vertically to give you the best possible positioning to match your arm and leg lengths.
Additionally, the bike’s pedals are dual-sided and are outfitted with toe clips to make your feet stay stable throughout your workout.
Perhaps one of the more premiere features of the Horizon Fitness IC7.9 Indoor Cycle is the tablet mount.
You’ll be able to watch your favorite shows or surf the internet while exercising with a tablet optimally placed front and center while on the bike.
The cycle also comes with transport wheels for easy moving and is equipped with a water bottle holder to make you’re hydrated during your workout sessions.
Workout Feedback
Getting the optimal workout results you’re looking for can be kind of difficult if you don’t know how well you’re progressing.
Luckily, the Horizon Fitness IC7.9 Indoor Cycle comes with a small, portable, and non-bulky device that lets you see commonly found and useful exercise statistics, such as RPM, speed, calories burned, time, and an odometer to see how much distance you’ve gone over several days or weeks.
These statistics can act an excellent progress tracker and often act as a motivating factor as you see how much better you’re getting as the number of exercise sessions you have increases.
Exercise App Compatibility
A lot of devices out there are limited by the type of programs that they are compatible with.
You’ll be able to do some sort of basic workout with a machine, but in terms of spicing things up, you’ll definitely be at a loss.
Fortunately, the Horizon Fitness IC7.9 Indoor Cycle comes with all sorts of possibilities for exercise routines.
Especially when paired with the critically designed tablet mount, the bike ends up being compatible with a whole host of frequently updated exercise apps and programs.
Common workout apps include Pelonton, CardioCast, and StudioSweat.
Many of these apps are frequently updated and usually come with personalized exercise plans that let you work out the way you want and keep you motivated.
They also come with lessons that can be viewed in real-time when exercising, so instead of watching something while you work out, you’ll have the option of heavily focusing on your workout session.
Click here to learn more about the Horizon Fitness IC7.9 Indoor Cycle from the Official Website.
What Are Other People Saying About It?
The Horizon Fitness IC7.9 Indoor Cycle seems pretty solid for a lot of reasons. It’s got a pretty good design and seems compatible with a bunch of different workout preferences.
However, appearances can be deceiving, which is why I looked up some customer reviews to see whether it was as good as it looked and overall it seems to have garnered some pretty positive attention.
Review #1 – Jessica
“Bike is exactly what we expected and hoped for. Very solid and easy to use and to put together – took about 45 minutes. Been using almost daily and haven’t had any issues. ”
Review #2 – Deanna
“Hubby purchased this because all the gyms are off limits in our county. It’s working great for him. He takes virtual spin classes while on the bike. Excellent value for the price.”
Review #3 – Balu
“We (multiple family members) have been using the bike for over 3+ weeks almost daily, and we love it. It is a no-fuss exercise bike. It provides the baseline features – adjustments, torsion, etc – and just feels solid as exercise equipment.”
Horizon Fitness IC7.9 Alternatives
The Horizon Fitness IC7.9 Indoor Cycle is a very good option for most people looking for an at-home exercise solution.
However, it does have certain features and lacks others that might make people give it a second thought, which is why I’ve compiled a list of similar products that might better suit your needs.
Nautilus U618 Upright Bike
The Nautilus U618 Upright Bike is the perfect product for those interested in a little technological flare in their workouts while also remaining relatively comfortable.
It comes with an Explore the World program which allows users to virtually be placed in various bike-friendly locales throughout the world to give their experience a touch of adventure.
The Nautilus U618 Upright Bike is appropriate for people interested in a more or less light workout with a decent set of entertainment options.
Nautilus U618 vs. Horizon Fitness IC7.9
- Is equal in terms of cost
- Is more technologically advanced
- Comes with a Bluetooth system
- Is less optimally designed
- Is more bulky
RELATED: Click here to read our full review of the Nautilus U618 Upright Bike
Schwinn IC2 Indoor Cycling Bike
The Schwinn IC2 Indoor Cycling Bike is one of the more affordable exercise bikes available.
It has a pretty basic setup with an LED display, spot for an MP3 player, and a water bottle holder.
Its most notable exercise feature is the ability to simulate going up or down hills through changes in resistance levels.
The IC2 is a good option for those who aren’t interested in a super advanced experience. It doesn’t have too many bells and whistles, but it is much less expensive than other models.
Schwinn IC2 Indoor Cycling Bike vs. Horizon Fitness IC7.9 Indoor Cycle
- Is much cheaper
- Has less compatibility with outside exercise programs
- Is less optimally designed
- Has adjustable handles
- Takes up an equal amount of space
RELATED: Click here to read our full review of the Schwinn IC2 Indoor Cycling Bike
XTERRA Fitness MBX2500 Indoor Cycle
The XTERRA Fitness MBX2500 Indoor Cycle is designed to be a middle-of-the-road option that combines many of the features of a more advanced model while maintaining a basic frame.
It has an LED display that shares useful exercise statistics, several different resistance levels, and adjustable seating.
For those who find bare-bones machines to be unappealing, but still aren’t super big on having lots of features, the XTERRA Fitness MBX2500 Indoor Cycle is a good choice.
MBX2500 Indoor Cycle vs. Horizon Fitness IC7.9
- Is slightly less expensive
- Is less adjustable
- Has a more limited warranty
- Has a heavier flywheel
- Has fewer resistance level options
RELATED: Click here to read our full review of the XTERRA Fitness MBX2500 Indoor Cycle
The Bottom Line
Getting the right exercise bike can be a bit tricky.
There are all sorts of little details that can add up which have the potential to either make or break your experience.
While there are a lot of considerations that appeal solely to personal preference, it’s always good to have a highly functional machine with a high degree of flexibility.
The Horizon Fitness IC7.9 Indoor Cycle is an excellent machine that provides users with all sorts of options that can make exercising a comfortable, invigorating, and challenging experience.
If it seems like the right fit for you, you can check it out here for further details.
