The best treadmill reviews you can trust
Indoor cycling is all about the content, and it’s hard to escape the attached monthly subscription. If you are an unsubscriber or want more freedom in your training, read this Sole SB1200 Exercise Bike review.
Updated: February 29, 2024
The Sole SB1200 exercise bike is for the indoor cyclist who is as likely to watch Netflix as they are to stream an exercise class. The SB1200 has a smart touchscreen display that opens up all sorts of training possibilities. Sole embraces third-party apps and connectivity to give you as many training and entertainment options as possible. The SB1200 is a studio exercise bike with all the right features and support you need for powering through your favorite classes or cycling for easy miles. It’s comfortable and sturdy. In this review of the Sole SB1200 Exercise Bike, I’ll take a closer look at what it has to offer and how it performs.
The Sole SB1200 has a sturdy frame that is covered by a lifetime warranty. The bike weighs 127 lbs and has two transport wheels for easy relocation. It can be lifted by its rear stabilizer to engage the wheels mounted on the front stabilizer. The SB1200 is a good option for a cardio machine that you need to move around often–just mind the screen!
The saddle has a sporty shape with a cutout and a channel down the middle to increase blood flow and comfort. The saddle is approximately 10 inches long and 7 inches at its widest. It felt cushioned and did not cause any saddle soreness for me during testing. It is adjustable horizontally and vertically. The horizontal adjustment is about 4 inches of variability, so you can achieve a reach of 15 to 19 inches at the lowest position or 17.5 inches to 21.5 inches at the highest vertical saddle position. The saddle to pedal height ranges from about 28 inches to 38 inches. It’s a bright red and black to add a pop of color to the SB1200’s mostly black design
The SB1200’s handlebars are bullhorn handlebars. The ends of the handles (where you would rest your handles in the third position) are lumpy. I believe that this design is to provide comfortable ridges to fit your fingers into while riding, but they are located on the top and bottom of the handlebars. It feels a little strange, but it is not uncomfortable. There’s only one middle grip option, which I didn’t mind. Some indoor cyclists may miss the additional loop or bar some indoor bikes offer.
The pedals are hybrid pedals. The SB1200 is compatible with SPD cycling shoes on one side and any athletic shoe on the other side. The toe cages can be adjusted with the typical Nylon strap found on most indoor cycles. The straps can be hard to adjust while seated on the bike, but I was able to get a good fit. If you use the SPD clips, you should have no problem.
Two magnets apply resistance to the 35-lb flywheel to create resistance. The flywheel’s heavy weight helps the SB1200 perform smoothly even whether functioning at a low or high resistance level. The SB1200 has 100 levels of magnetic levels. The 100th level is intense. I could hardly turn the pedals when trying out the SB1200, so it’s going to offer plenty of resistance. I was also able to follow along with a Peloton workout comfortably and effectively with the resistance levels. Each level felt just right compared to what many indoor cyclists might consider the gold standard. The magnetic resistance is not quite silent, but it is very quiet. The gentle noise generated is not disruptive.
The SB1200 is the most feature-rich studio exercise bike option from Sole. The SB1200 has smart features galore to appeal to those who want to subscribe to training content and those who do not. Whether you want to be entertained, instructed, or hit a performance goal, the SB1200 can help you reach your training goal.
The SB1200 has a lightweight console for a smart exercise bike. Many other competitor bikes have difficult handlebar adjustments because the touchscreen console is so heavy. I was very impressed by how easy the console and handlebar console was so easy to maneuver. The console is very minimal and does not have any physical buttons. All of the controls are onscreen.
The Sole SB1200’s touchscreen display is 10 inches. The screen can pivot, but it does not tilt. You can turn the screen almost 180 degrees to each side. This is perfect if you are incorporating off-treadmill exercise moves into your cycling routine or do not have another display in your exercise room for streaming content. The screen size is good for the proximity to where you sit in the saddle or will be positioned when out of the saddle. It is also easy to navigate.
The SB1200 has two water bottle holders mounted to the front of the bike and angled toward the resistance knob. They are plastic holders, which feel a little cheap to me. They are perfectly effective and can hold a larger water bottle than the traditional cycling bidon. While they are effective, I would like something a little more refined.
The device rack is located above the touchscreen display. The rack can hold a phone or a tablet, though devices with large cases or PopSocket attachments may not fit. There is a clip at the top of the tablet rack that can be adjusted in height to accommodate a range of device sizes. You cannot easily place your phone in a landscape position, because the top clip cannot secure it in place.
Front-facing speakers are generally better quality than rear-facing speakers. The speakers on the SB1200 are front-facing, but the audio is not as crisp as NordicTrack or Peloton bikes. The speakers are loud enough to hear while training. The volume controls are on the screen unless you have a device paired. Then, your device volume controls may be used instead depending on the device and type of connection.
Bluetooth allows the SB1200 to connect to a variety of devices. You can pair a heart rate monitor for heart rate-based training. You can also connect the Sole Plus app which saves your Sole workouts and profile across equipment, which is great if you have multiple compatible machines. You can pair headphones to quietly listen to any of the onscreen content. One thing to note is the difference between connecting to the Sole bike and the bike’s speakers. The bike will be labeled as “SB1200” or something similar whereas the speakers will be labeled “BT_speakers” for playing audio from a phone or tablet.
You can screen mirror to the SB1200 from an Apple or Android device.
Establishing a connection with an Apple device is easy. You must be on the same WiFi as the bike and then use your phone’s built-in screen mirroring function. For Android devices, the process is more convoluted. First, make sure you are on the same WiFi. Then, use the QR code to bring up the Android app or search for the “ANPLUS” screen mirroring app from Sunrise Technology CO., LTD. The app brought up by the QR code is not the right app, so you will have to navigate from this app to see all the apps created by the same developer. The “ANPLUS” app should be among them. Android users should also make sure to pair their phone or tablet’s audio to the speakers before starting to screen mirror.
The SB1200 is a good exercise bike for beginners or experienced users. It’s a great alternative to popular exercise bikes that require subscriptions to use their onscreen content. The SB1200 works very well with third-party content. The 100 magnetic resistance levels provide great resistance variation, so you can match content from iFIT or Peloton easily.
My testing of the SB1200 was fun and effective. While some of the onscreen setup for training or entertainment can be tedious, I have no complaints during training. The only thing that could be improved upon is the resistance and cadence readings on the screen. They take some time to update. If you are trying to hit an exact cadence or resistance level it can take some time to find it. I wish the resistance counted up as you twisted the knob so you knew exactly what level you were on at any given time. But overall, my training was fun and just what I wanted out of the SB1200.
Sole excels at delivering training and entertainment content. For training, you have three target workout options: calories, time, and distance. The calorie and time target programs are fine, but the distance target range doesn’t quite make sense. The distance maxes out at 10 miles, which is rather low for exercise bike training. It’s not unusual for indoor cyclists to reach or surpass 10 miles in a training session. Fortunately, you can surpass this distance in a manual activity–no problem!
If you want more guided training, there are a few options. The SB1200 has the Kinomap app built-in, but you will need a subscription to the service to access all of the content. Kinomap does provide some free training options. Kinomap is a Zwift competitor and includes content like scenic rides, virtual rides, and trainer-led content. If there are other training apps you prefer, you can use the screen mirroring function to cast any app you like right to the screen.
The SB1200 also offers tons of entertainment. With screen mirroring, you can watch any content you want from your phone or tablet. There are also plenty of built-in streaming apps like Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and Audible. These apps are perfect for the rider who wants to turn their binge-watching into productive training time!
The Sole SB1200 is for indoor cyclists who are dodging subscriptions or disloyal to a single subscription service. The entertainment options make the SB1200 ideal for exercisers who like to watch their favorite shows or movies while training. It’s easy to get more miles on the SB1200 thanks to all of these content options. Magnetic resistance makes this bike very quiet and helps users keep up with any training service they like. The one hundred levels are challenging for beginners and experienced users alike. Sole has created a good exercise bike with the SB1200, and the few critiques I have may seem a little nitpicky to some users.
