Home Run Guide

The Bowflex C6 and C7 will be compared with regard to all of their essential performance specifications and features in this article.

Contrary to popular belief, Bowflex also offers a more recent, lesser-known spin bike. The C6 is one of the more impressive spin bikes for its price range.

The C7 is slightly more expensive than the C6, but it has a built-in 7″ HD touchscreen console that gives you access to their fitness streaming app (JRNY) as well as a number of well-known entertainment apps like Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Bowflex C6 Exercise Bike

• Price: $999
• Specs and size: 48.7 x 21.2 x 51.8 inches (123.7 x 53.9 x 131.6 cm)
• Pedals: dual-link (can be used with either SPD clips or regular athletic shoes)
• Display: LCD
• Training options: 100 micro-adjustable resistance levels, media rack, Bluetooth capabilities, performance tracking, Bluetooth-enabled heart rate armband, and set of 3-pound (1.4-kg) dumbbells

For both casual and competitive cyclists, the Bowflex C6 is an affordable indoor cycling machine.

For a quiet and smooth ride, the machine has a magnetic flywheel system and 100 microadjustable resistance levels.

The C6 does not come with pre-programmed workouts, but it does have a media rack and Bluetooth capabilities, allowing you to stream countless live and on-demand classes from well-known fitness apps like JRNY and Peloton using your device.

Along with an LCD display for tracking workout metrics like distance, time, and calories burned, the C6 bike also includes a pair of 3-pound (1.4 kg) dumbbells for adding upper body exercises.

Due to the dual-link pedals, you can use either your standard athletic shoes or SPD clips with the bike.

In addition, the handlebars and padded saddle can be adjusted both vertically and horizontally to fit users who are between 4’6″ and 6’6″ (137 and 183 cm) tall.

Other notable features include:

• a USB charging port
• an AC adapter
• a Bluetooth-enabled heart rate monitor
• transport wheels
• two water bottle holders
• a 40-pound (18.2-kg) flywheel

The C6 needs a ceiling that is at least the user’s height plus 16 inches (40.6 cm) tall and has a maximum weight capacity of 330 pounds (149 kg). It is 48.7 times 21.2 times 51.8 inches (123.7 times 53.9 times 131.6 cm) in size.

Pros & Cons Of Bowflex C6 Exercise Bike

Pros

• excellent value for the money
• easy assembly
• compact design for small spaces
• offers Bluetooth capabilities for streaming workout classes, moves, and TV shows
• includes a Bluetooth heart rate armband
• comes with a 10-year warranty on the frame

Cons

• doesn’t offer built-in workouts
• features a basic LCD screen rather than a touchscreen
• requires a tablet or smartphone with cellular data or an internet connection to access apps and classes

Price And Warranty

Within the 48 contiguous states, shipping for the Bowflex C6 is free and costs $999.

For an additional $129, Bowflex also offers in-home assembly.

The warranty for the C6 is as follows:

• 10-year warranty on the frame
• 3-year warranty on parts and electronics
• 1-year warranty on labor

Verdict

For riders looking for a high-quality bike at a reasonable price, the Bowflex C6 is an excellent choice.

In addition to being user-friendly for beginners, it is quick and simple to put together, doesn’t take up much room, and comes with a comprehensive warranty.

Additionally, the bike accommodates a range of fitness levels with its 100 resistance settings and Bluetooth functionality for streaming workout classes.

The C6 does not, however, have built-in workouts or a touchscreen, in contrast to competing products. Instead, it provides a simple LCD screen, a media rack, and a USB port for charging your gadgets.

Also keep in mind that you’ll need a tablet, smartphone, and cellular data in order to stream classes, which may make using the bike in remote areas challenging.

Bowflex C7 Exercise Bike

• Price: 16-inch (40.6 cm) console: $1,699; 22-inch (56 cm) console: $2,199
• Specs and size: 16-inch (40.6-cm) console: 59.8 x 24.1 x 52.6 inches (151.8 x 61.2 x 133.6 cm); 22-inch (56-cm) console: 59.8 x 24.1 x 55.3 inches (151.8 x 61.2 x 140.3 cm)
• Pedals: dual-link (can be used with either SPD clips or regular athletic shoes)
• Display: 16-inch (40.6 cm) or 22-inch (56 cm) HD touchscreen
• Training options: 100 micro-adjustable resistance levels, stationary and leaning modes, built-in JRNY compatibility, performance tracking, Bluetooth-enabled heart rate armband, and set of 3-pound (1.4 kg) dumbbells

The Bowflex VeloCore is a powerful indoor cycling bike with two riding positions (leaning and stationary) that is intended to mimic outdoor cycling.

The leaning mode offers a distinctive riding experience, as it gently shifts from side to side, giving you the impression that you are riding on curvy roads, in contrast to the stationary mode, which offers a standard cycling workout.

In addition to making exercise more entertaining, leaning your body in this way engages your arm, core, and leg muscles for a total-body workout.

The bike has 100 resistance levels, dual-link pedals with toe cages and SPD clips, a height-adjustable padded saddle, and two modes in addition to the two modes.

Additionally, the VeloCore has an HD touchscreen for streaming TV shows and exercise classes from services like Netflix, Hulu, Peloton, and JRNY.

The touchscreen shows performance metrics like the time, distance, and calories burned in addition to streaming.

There are currently two screen sizes available, a 16-inch (46.6 cm) and a 22-inch (56 cm) screen, with the latter costing more.

In the same way that the C6 uses a magnetic flywheel system, the Bowflex VeloCore also allows for a quiet, comfortable ride.

Additional features include:

• a Bluetooth-enabled heart rate band
• handlebars with six hand positions
• a pair of 3-pound (1.4 kg) dumbbells for upper body workouts
• a media rack
• transport wheels
• two water bottle holders

The VeloCore’s 16-inch console model has dimensions of 59.8 x 24.1 x 52.6 inches (151.9 x 61.2 x 133.6 cm) and requires a ceiling height of the user’s height plus 16 inches (40.6 cm).

It is suggested for riders who are between 5’1″ and 6’5″ (155-196 cm) tall and has a maximum weight capacity of 325 pounds (147 kg).

Pros & Cons Of Bowflex C7 Exercise Bike

Pros

• easy assembly
• HD touchscreen
• unique leaning mode builds stability and upper body strength
• its solid, durable design prevents shifting
• supports a variety of high intensity workouts
• includes a Bluetooth heart rate armband
• rides smoothly and quietly
• compact design for small spaces

Cons

• expensive
• short warranty period
• leaning mode may be too difficult for some users

Price And Warranty

The VeloCore is priced at $2,199 for a 22-inch screen and $1,699 for a console that is 16 inches (40.6 cm) wide.

Additionally, Bowflex provides in-home assembly for $199 and free shipping within the 48 contiguous United States.

The warranty of the VeloCore is as follows:

• 2-year warranty on the frame and parts
• 1-year warranty on electronics and labor

Verdict

With the VeloCore, you can target various muscle groups while still having the option for a traditional indoor cycling bike experience.

To keep you interested and challenged throughout your workout, the machine also has 100 different levels of resistance and an HD touchscreen with streaming capabilities.

In addition, the bike is simple to put together, doesn’t take up much room, and rides quietly and smoothly.

While the leaning mode sets the VeloCore apart from other bikes on the market, there may also be drawbacks to this feature.

For instance, some users might think it’s overly difficult or unnecessary. Additionally, none of the third-party fitness apps currently provide classes that use this model.

Additionally, keep in mind that the VeloCore has a limited warranty given its higher price. However, Bowflex does charge extra for extended warranties.

The Bowflex C6 Vs The C7

Resistance

The C6 and C7 are both indoor cycles, also known as spin bikes, and were created to simulate the experience of riding a road bike.

The fact that indoor cycles can deliver challenging cardio workouts makes them a popular option for home gyms, as does the fact that they don’t require much floor space.

Finding a spin bike that feels smooth during workouts and has enough resistance to effectively challenge you is the key to choosing a high-quality model.

Without the option to test drive one before buying, this can be more difficult than it should be. However, there are a few things you can look for that’ll help.

There is a substantial flywheel weight.

Flywheels that are heavier in general produce a smoother ride during workouts because they generate more momentum, which keeps the pedals spinning in between pedal strokes.

Technically, heavier flywheels ought to be able to offer more overall resistance as well (moving a heavy flywheel requires more energy).

The 40 lb flywheel that both the C6 and C7 have means that you don’t really need to take this into account when deciding between them.

But don’t worry—40 lb is more than enough to give you a good workout.

Although the resistance mechanism should also be taken into account, the flywheel is crucial.

The C6 and C7 both have magnetic brake systems, so there is no real need to go into detail about friction brake systems here. Spin bikes can use either type of brake.

Magnetic systems, however, are superior, and that is the main lesson.

The front-mounted resistance knob on the C6 and C7 can be used to change between 100 magnetic resistance levels.

This is a fantastic feature for both bikes because it allows you to fine-tune the intensity of each workout and change your resistance slightly as you use the bike.

Additionally, the Peloton uses a similar setup, so if you intend to use their digital app, using either the C6 or C7 will make it simple for you to follow along with the instructors.

Regarding the resistance systems, these bikes are all identical. With 100 levels of adjustable resistance and heavy flywheels, both bikes perform exceptionally well.

Frame

A high-quality indoor cycle should have a stable frame that won’t feel shaky or unsteady during workouts in addition to a sophisticated resistance system.

Even though it can be difficult to determine without actually riding the bike, there are a few key specifications you can look at to get a sense of how heavy-duty the bike will feel.

These include the weight capacity and the assembled weight.

The assembled weight gives you a literal idea as to how “heavy-duty” the bike is. A heavier bike will be less likely to rock and wiggle while being used, so heavier is better in my opinion.

Similar to this, a bike with a higher weight limit should have better structural integrity all around (it makes sense that a bike with a 350-pound weight limit should be a little more stable than a bike with a 300-pound limit, right?).

The latter may not always be accurate, but even in the absence of any other considerations, I would choose the bike with the higher weight limit.

Okay, so bearing all of this in mind, the C6 has an impressive assembled weight of 112 lb and a weight limit of 330 lb.

And the C7 has an assembled weight of 111 lb and a maximum weight limit of 330 lb.

So there isn’t really any difference here at all; both bikes are heavy enough to feel stable during workouts and both have enough space to safely accommodate larger riders.

Additionally, each bike’s footprint (48 x 21) is nearly identical.

Between the C6 and C7 frames, there isn’t much of a difference overall. Both bikes are sturdy and capable of carrying larger riders securely.

Warranty

Warranty coverage is crucial, even though it’s not the most exciting topic to discuss (or write about).

With a purchase, a good warranty can increase security and comfort. After all, the warranty serves as your purchase-related insurance policy.

Check out the warranties for these two bikes from the same manufacturer.

Bowflex backs their C6 Bike with the following residential warranty:

• 10 year frame
• 3 year parts
• 1 year labor

And they back their C7 with this residential warranty:

• 3 year frame
• 3 year parts
• 1 year electrical
• 1 year labor

Okay, let me clarify a few points.

First off, I want to say that the C6’s warranty is fantastic, especially in light of the fact that high-end bikes like the Peloton only offer 5 years on the frame and a year on parts.

Second, the C7’s frame warranty is much shorter, which I don’t understand. It’s basically the same as the C6’s from what I can tell.

However, the C7’s frame warranty falls far short of the C6’s in terms of quality.

Both bikes come with the same coverage for parts and labor.

Overall, it’s clear that (for unknown reasons), the C6 has a better warranty.

Features

Okay, the only real distinction between these bikes that I can currently make out is the warranty; otherwise, their performance is essentially identical.

Let’s examine the C7’s built-on console, which is undoubtedly the most significant difference between the C6 and C7.

The C7 includes a 7″ HD touchscreen gaming console.

The HD screens on the majority of other spin bikes are larger than this one, but there aren’t many other bikes in this price range that have touchscreen displays (more on prices in a moment).

You can use this console to access the fitness app JRNY from Bowflex, which offers access to instructor-led workouts, virtual coaching, scenic rides, and metric tracking.

Access to built-in entertainment apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, and Hulu is also possible through JRNY.

It’s a bummer that you have to join JRNY in order to use the integrated entertainment apps, even though this feature is fantastic.

The C6 doesn’t have an HD touchscreen display, but it does have a small LCD screen that shows your workout metrics, such as cadence, speed, resistance, time, calories, etc.

The popular Zwift app and the digital Peloton app are both compatible with the C6 and C7, and both of them support bluetooth connectivity.

The Peloton app must be accessed through a smartphone or tablet because it cannot be downloaded directly to the console on the C7.

Other than the console, both bikes come with the following features:

• Fully adjustable seat
• Fully adjustable handlebars
• Dual-sided pedals (toe cage and SPD clips)
• Dual dumbbell holders
• Pair of 3 lb dumbbells
• Included arm band heart rate monitor
• Dual water bottle holders
• Tablet holder

The main distinction between these 2 cycles is the C7’s larger touchscreen console. You must ultimately determine whether this feature is worth the additional cost when deciding between them.

Price

Let’s discuss numbers related to cost.

Before I list the prices for each bike, be aware that they may change slightly depending on the season, the availability of stock, and any current promotions.

That said, here ya go:

Bowflex C6- $999

Bowflex C7- $1299

In general, there is a $300 difference between these 2 cycles, which is really just the cost of that 7″ console.

If you decide to purchase the C7, keep in mind that in order to access the workouts and entertainment apps, you must become a JRNY member.

I think the monthly membership fee for JRNY is $19.

Final Thoughts

The C7 is essentially the C6 with a small HD console added by Bowflex. And because the C6 is awesome already, I believe the C7 is also pretty awesome. It may not be the best choice for everyone, though, in my opinion. I think the C7 is a good buy if:

• You don’t currently own a tablet
• You’re interested in accessing JRNY’s workouts/scenic rides

It makes more sense, in my opinion, to choose the Bowflex C6 if you already own a tablet and don’t care about JRNY’s workouts.

The performance of both bikes is impressive, and the C6 is $300 less expensive while offering the same performance.

Additionally, if you already own a tablet, you can use it as a console by setting it up on the media holder so that you can watch entertainment apps and use Peloton’s app without having to pay for a JRNY membership.

Overall though, I think the C7 is a great Peloton alternative for the folks interested in joining JRNY – I still don’t understand why this bike hasn’t gotten more publicity.