Assault Fitness AirBike Elite Review – 2024

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Last Updated: August 25, 2023

The Assault Fitness AssaultBike Elite is a popular air bike used by garage gyms and CrossFit athletes throughout the world. This AssaultBike Elite has been used in the CrossFit games and is known for being both challenging and consistent — making it a great machine for training and competition.

The AssaultBike Elite uses air resistance which is unlimited; the harder you work, the more air is produced by the fan.

The AssaultBike Elite is the ideal training tool for athletes at all conditioning levels. Whether you are a new rider looking to shed a few pounds or a conditioned CrossFit athlete who is ready to compete, the AssaultBike Elite provides customizable — and unlimited — training potential. Keep reading our Assault Fitness AssaultBike Elite review to learn more about this impressive cardio machine.

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Air Bike Awards: Best Overall Air Bike of 2024

The AssaultBike Elite has been awarded one of the best air bikes of 2024 and sits at the top of our list. We love this bike for it’s impressive and solid construction, powerful and effective workout functionality, and simple yet impressive design.

Why You Should Trust Our Review Of The AssaultBike Elite

We were eager to get our hands on the AssaultBike Elite because it’s one of the most popular air bikes out there. We assembled it ourselves and tested it to see how it holds up to its fame and also how it compares to other air bikes on the market.

We compared it to the Rogue Fitness Echo Bike, Schwinn Airdyne AD7 Pro, and the Xterra AIR650 Air Bike Pro. This way we can give you insight into how the AssaultBike Elite weighs up to these popular air bikes and also let you know everything you need to know about the AssaultBike Elite.

Our AssaultBike Elite Air Bike Review Video

In-depth Review of Assault Fitness AssaultBike Elite

The FIIT App And Pre-Programmed Workouts

FIIT App

As far as content, the AssaultBike Elite has more options than other air bikes on the market. That’s because they partnered with the FIIT app which is a top on-demand fitness app in the U.K, to bring you optional subscription content. The FIIT app is $25.99 per month or $129.99 for a yearly membership.

If you’re into taking trainer-led classes from home like I am, you’ll probably enjoy the classes and trainers. With a cheaper monthly price when you pay upfront, I think the app is worth it, but the best part about using the FIIT app is that it’s completely optional. This means that when you use the AssaultBike Elite, you can use it with or without the subscription content.

The AssaultBike Elite connects through Bluetooth to the FIIT app on your device this way you can see your rpm’s from the bike in the app. Another plus for me is that the FIIT app connects to my Apple Watch, so my heart rate is reflected in the app and on the bike too. Other fitness trackers can be connected too like Polar, Wahoo, Fitbit, and more. Something to be aware of is that if you want to see your reps and have more connectivity with the bike and the app, you’ll need to purchase the FIIT Tracker. The FIIT Tracker lets you compete on the leaderboard, too.

There are 1000+ classes that range from 10 minutes to 60+ minutes. There are different types of classes like yoga, Pilates, strength, air bike, and more. This lets you use the app for more than just exercising on your air bike. From their options, it looks like you’ll get a pretty well-rounded training experience.

The app is pretty easy to navigate and can be used on your device or TV. There’s also a search bar and filters to help you narrow down your class choices. The FIIT app also has challenges, training plans, collections, and group classes that are scheduled for specific times and let you compete on live leaderboards.

The instructors are knowledgeable, motivating, and energetic-which is everything I look for in a trainer. The music is integrated into the class, which I like. So you hear it with the instructor. There are different genres of music in the classes too, although after a few classes the music sounded a bit generic to me.

If subscription content and trainer-led workouts aren’t for you though, you can just use the content on the AssaultBike Elite’s console. Although, if it’s your first time using an air bike, you can watch a few instructional videos in the app with a free trial to get you started on your air bike workout journey.

Pre-Programmed Workouts

You have multiple different workout settings on this console.

On the AssaultBike Elite’s console you’ll find the following programs to use. You can also just hop on and do your own thing, too.

• Interval Programs
  • 20/10 Intervals: 20 seconds of work with 10 seconds of rest. This is a traditional Tabata-style workout with a rest segment that is half the time of the work segment.
  • 10/20 Intervals: 10 seconds of work and 20 seconds of rest. This inverted Tabata interval program provides more rest which allows you to go all out during that 10 seconds. Don’t think this is easy! If you give it you all those 10 seconds are killer.
  • Custom Intervals: if you want to do 40/20s or 45/15s, you can set the interval work/rest intervals as desired.
• Targeted Training Programs:
  • Time: Set a goal time to complete and then work until you achieve the set time.
  • Distance: Set a distance goal and then try to complete it in less time than your previous session.
  • Calorie Burn: Work to accomplish a specific calorie burn via distance, speed, intervals, or any other method that kicks up your heart rate.
• Heart Rate Training: the console is Bluetooth enabled so it will sync with any compatible chest strap for targeted heart rate training. Heart rate training is a more accurate way to measure your exertion since your heart rate will respond to how hard your body is working. Heart rate training is very valuable on the AssaultBike Elite. The console provides a digital readout of your heart rate in real-time.

Console

The console on the AssaultBike Elite consists of a battery-powered LCD screen. Once you start pedaling the screen turns on. Be advised, that the console is not backlit, so in low-light conditions, it can be hard to see the numbers.

In regular lighting, the digits are large and easy to see.

Overall, the console is really easy to use. I could connect it right away to the FIIT app, although I wish I could just connect my Apple Watch to the bike’s console. In order to see my heart rate on the screen from my watch, I had to connect it through the FIIT app. When just using the workout programs on the screen, everything is easy to see and find. Once you start working out, you’ll see your time, calories, distance, speed, watts, rpm, and heart rate (when you are wearing a compatible tracker).

We did miss a cup holder on the AssaultBike Elite. The Schwinn Airdyne AD7 air bike has a built-in cupholder and storage pocket. I was able to rest my phone on the lower lip of the console on the AssaultBike Elite, which was helpful when taking FIIT classes from my phone.

Construction Quality & Durability

The Assault Fitness AssaultBike Elite is a well-built air bike. It’s the premium version of the AssaultBike Classic that has been used in the CrossFit Games. It has more steel components that are thicker than both of Assault Fitness’s other 2 air bikes, too.

This design makes it feel like a tank to use.

Frame

The AssaultBike Elite has a sturdy steel frame that’s powder-coated to be corrosion resistant and has reinforced with sealed bearings in every pivot. The two steel stabilizers have 4 leveling feet that are adjustable to keep the bike from rocking.

In comparison, it’s not quite as hefty and “over-built” as the Rogue Echo Bike, but in our opinion, it doesn’t need to be. It’s a little heavier at 139 lbs versus the Rogue Echo Bike which is 127 lbs, so this also helps contribute to the stable feel of the AssaultBike Elite. All of our reviewers agree that the AssaultBike Elite feels like a solid piece of equipment that will last.

Fan

The 27” fan on the AssaultBike Elite encases 6 flat steel blades that rotate around the hub as you move the pedals. The fan is connected to both the pedals and handlebars — so you can isolate either the upper or lower body as desired.

The fan blades are red and add a nice pop of color that coordinates with other red accents on the bike.

The fan on the Elite isn’t quite as large as the Rogue Echo Bike, and it doesn’t have as many fan blades as the Schwinn Airdyne AD7. The fan on the AssaultBike Elite offers unlimited resistance like these other air bikes. So, when you pedal and move the handles faster, the harder the resistance gets to work against. This makes air bikes great for high-intensity training and for users of all abilities.

An included windscreen blocks the air that blows back up to the rider. But it can be removed if you want the benefit of more air in your face to cool down while riding.

We really like this included accessory.

Drive System

The AssaultBike Elite uses a chain drive system that connects the pedals to the fan hub. The chain has consistent resistance throughout the stroke. The Xterra Air650 Airbike Pro also has a chain drive system. Chain drive systems are known for creating extra noise on top of the fan, and they’re known for requiring maintenance like lubrication and tightening.

The Airdyne AD7 and Rogue Echo air bikes use belt drive systems that are known for being quiet and requiring little to no maintenance. The chain on the AssaultBike Elite came properly lubricated and ready to use when we assembled it, making it set to use for plenty of workouts. It’s also handled all the workouts we’ve put it through really well so far.

The AirBike Elite features flat metal pedals with small cleats along the edges for proper foot grip. There is no strap to hold your shoe in — so make sure you have a solid foot placement with the ball of the foot connecting with the pedal for maximum power. These pedals work well with any kind of athletic shoe and provide a nice grip. In addition to pedaling forward, you can also pedal backward on this bike to work your muscles a little differently.

Handlebars & Saddle

As mentioned above, the handlebars and pedals move in conjunction with one another which allows for targeted training of the upper body or lower body, as well as full-body training. The handlebars on the AssaultBike Elite are steel and have a textured coating at the top for you to get a grip on when training.

The handles definitely feel really sturdy and worked for all of our reviewers, but we wish they had more grip options.

The Xterra AIR650 Airbike Pro and the Schwinn Airdyne AD7 both have handles that offer multiple places for you to grip onto which helps target different muscles.

When you do want to use the handlebars on their own, there are 2-foot pegs on either side of the fan for your feet to rest on. Their placement worked for all of our reviewers, too.

The foot pegs are steel and textured so you don’t have to worry about your feet slipping.

Granted, like all bike saddles, it is not the most comfortable seat you’ll ever sit on, but for training purposes, this one is a step up. The wider seat provides more support and the black surface is both sweat and moisture resistant. The seat is less contoured than others, and we found it to be pretty slippery. I noticed I would slip forward on the saddle a little bit as I was working out. It can be tilted however or swapped out for a different seat though.

The seat can be wiped down to sanitize.

One aspect that makes the AssaultBike Elite best for users of all sizes is that the saddle can be adjusted up and down and forward and back. I’m 5’1” and our tallest reviewer is 6’5” and we both were able to adjust the saddle just right for each of us, with some extra room on the seat post to spare. The Rogue Echo bike is known for being big and less user-friendly for shorter folks, so we are happy to say that the AssaultBike Elite seems to work for shorter and taller users.

For reference, when measured the reach (distance from the front of the saddle to the neck that the console sits on) is 12” when the saddle is all the way forward, and 17” when the saddle is all the way back. The leg span (distance from the top of the saddle down to the top of the lowest pedal) is 28” when the saddle is at the lowest setting and 38” when the saddle is at the highest setting. The range of these distances helps to tell us how the bike will work for different height users. The leg span is your inseam length. The 5” of adjustment space that the saddle offers forward and back should be plenty for most users.

Performance & Functionality

Assault Fitness has a reputation for building consistent, quality machines and the AssaultBike Elite certainly fits that mold. We really enjoyed testing this air bike. It performed well for all of us and feels like a solid, durable bike. Since the AssaultBike Classic has been used in the CrossFit Games and the Elite can be found in both gyms and homes alike, this really speaks to the construction and durability.

It feels like it will last a long time.

The AssaultBike Elite also has a large 350 lb weight capacity which is comparable to the other bikes we compared it to. This means that along with the fact that it can accommodate taller and shorter users, it can handle larger users as well. That’s why we recommend this air bike for all-sized users.

It’s also great for users of all levels because the air resistance works to challenge you, no matter what fitness level you’re at. Because it uses air resistance though, it is loud. This is to be expected with all air bikes though, and one might not be best for a shared space like an apartment. The chain drive system also makes a grinding sound on top of the air blowing from the fan. The chain wasn’t overly loud for us when testing, but just know that this machine makes a good amount of noise.

Another aspect to be aware of is that the AssaultBike doesn’t fold. But there are two large transport wheels under the front stabilizer. You can tip the bike to engage the wheels and then roll as needed.

I don’t have any problem moving the AssaultBike Elite around.

Warranty/Customer Service

Assault Fitness has a nice warranty for the AssaultBike Elite. There is a 10-year warranty for the frame, a 3-year warranty for non-wear parts, and a 1-year warranty for labor. This warranty is similar to Schwinn’s but not as extensive as Xterra’s lifetime frame warranty for the AIR650 Airbike.

It took two of our reviewers to set up the AssaultBike Elite, and it was pretty straightforward to assemble.