Freebeat Lit Bike Review 2024 | Gen Z Tested & Approved

Dimensions/Storability

The Freebeat Lit Bike feels like other comparable exercise bikes like the Peloton Bike+, but it’s more affordable. With the overall design and color options, it should look nice in any home.

It has dimensions of 49” x 23” x 59”. It doesn’t take up too much space, but you should be careful about knocking the screen into anything when moving it. The two stabilizers have adjustable leveling feet to plant the bike to the floor. Our team didn’t experience any movement of the bike when riding. The front-mounted transport wheels let you move the bike when needed, too.

The Freebeat Lit Bike is easy to move.

I’m surprised at how lightweight yet sturdy the Lit Bike feels. It only weighs 113 lbs. Comparatively, the MYX II weighs 150 lbs, and the Peloton Bike+ weighs 140 lbs. We expect exercise bikes with attached touchscreens to be heavier, so I’m glad the Freebeat is light while still being stable.

Onboard Workouts & Apps

Anytime you see a large screen attached to a piece of exercise equipment, you should expect that it requires a monthly subscription to access all the content on the screen. The Freebeat Lit Bike has a large touch screen enabled with subscription content that requires – you guessed it – a monthly fee.

You have access to all of Freebeat’s content with a subscription.

The classes are on-demand and either 15 or 30 minutes long. They include indoor cycling and off-the-bike workouts such as sculpting and stretching. Instructors lead the classes in an indoor studio environment. All of this is pretty standard when it comes to subscription fitness content. However, when using the Freebeat Lit Bike, I quickly learned that this content has a fun twist.

While you follow along with an instructor as they guide you through class by providing cues and motivation, the class is also gamified. As you pedal, you earn points for pedaling at a specific cadence that fits the beat of the music playing.

At the bottom of the screen is where you keep track of your cadence, estimated calories, combo points, on-beat percentage, and score.

One significant aspect of studio spin classes is the music. Platforms like Peloton utilize music by creating curated playlists for every class. Freebeat does the same with curated playlists for each class.

The cadence goal changes for every song, so when you hit the targets, you’re riding to the beat. There is an easy and hard target for you to ride to. If you pedal somewhere in the middle of these ranges, you won’t get combo points, and trust me– you want combo points. You must pedal within a close range of either of the cadence targets to earn points.

What does earning points get you? A higher rank on the leaderboard, of course! You also get the satisfaction of watching your score increase.

Usually, with leaderboards, you either love them or hate them.

This one can be swiped away, but it’s fun to see your ranking on the screen – at least to me, it is, but I’m a bit competitive. Even if you aren’t the most competitive person, you’ll like having a target and collecting points. I found this incentive alone made it impossible for me to not finish every ride I started. So, yeah, it’s very motivating and highly effective—point for Freebeat.

When taking a class, a time remaining bar displays at the top of the screen, and your metrics are at the bottom. This progress bar includes breaks where songs change. The metrics include calories, cadence, accuracy, and score.

Directly in front of the instructor’s bike on the screen, your combo points accumulated in real time are displayed (when riding to the beat). The word “miss” appears if you’re not within close range of the cadence targets. Small arrows pointing up or down appear next to your cadence to help encourage you to increase or decrease your pace.

There are challenges you can participate in to receive prizes if you want even more incentive to work out. Some rewards for the challenges are gift cards to Amazon and Starbucks; one even had a $30 Spotify gift card. You, of course, have to be at the top of the leaderboard to win these.

The classes offered are primarily for cycling. There are hundreds to choose from, and the library grows constantly. I was surprised by the large amount. The sculpting and stretching classes are limited in number. These classes are nice but don’t offer the chance to earn points or feature a leaderboard.

From what I’ve seen, the sculpting classes are strength-based but require very light weights. I would use another subscription platform, or none at all, for cross-training. However, even if you were to only use the subscription for cycling, it is worth it.

This is the extent of the stretching classes.

There is a Just Ride mode if you don’t want to follow along with an instructor for every ride. You can see metrics like cadence, watt output, distance, speed, and resistance level. These rides aren’t scored, and you can’t collect points, but more metrics are tracked than during the trainer-led rides. I wish that metrics like distance and watt output were shown during class.

There are scenic rides and virtual 3D map rides. I’m not the biggest fan of these options, but they are a good alternative for days you aren’t feeling the high-energy classes.

Freebeat’s membership exceeded our expectations when riding. Having users ride to the beat of the music and earn points for it is smart and fun. It is essentially the goal of any spin instructor teaching an indoor cycling ride. When teaching a class, I always try to pick music with a good beat and encourage my clients to ride to it.

A lot is happening on the screen during the classes. The camera angle and background change. Your score, cadence, the arrows indicating whether you should speed up or slow down, and combos flash—not to mention the leaderboard. While I found it engaging, it might be overwhelming for some.

I found this to be attention-grabbing, although I’m a bit competitive, remember?

Speaking of competing, you can also earn bonus points when you ride out of the saddle!

There is a sensor in the saddle that detects your movement in and out of the saddle. Cool, right? Riding out of the saddle definitely requires more balance and is typically more challenging than riding in the saddle. This feature certainly helps you add more intensity to your rides; at least, I know it did for me!

The saddle itself has minimal padding but is surprisingly pretty comfortable.

Console

The Freebeat Lit Bike has a 21.5” touch screen. This is comparable to the NordicTrack S22i and the MYX II bike. The screen is where you access the content and see your metrics and resistance level. Like these bikes and the Peloton Bike+, the screen can be tilted up and down and pivoted to either side.

This adjustability is beneficial for off-the-bike training and adjusting the screen in general.

The screen is clear and well within reach for my short frame of 5’1”. It’s also slim, streamlined, and pretty light. I didn’t experience any shaking or movement of the screen while riding as I do on a couple of other models. There are just two short cables in the back that stay out of the way when adjusting the screen in any direction.

The screen is easy to navigate. There is a navigation bar on the left side of the screen and at the top. The left side is where you can go to the home screen, arena (for challenges), classes, profile, and settings (screen brightness, wifi, etc). The navigation bar at the top of the screen allows you to apply filters to find certain classes.

Regarding storage, there are two cupholders between the screen and the handlebars. These are plastic but hold a water bottle just fine. There isn’t a designated space to place your phone, like on the S22i, but I could set mine in one of the cupholders while riding.

There are also weight cages behind the saddle, but the 3 lb Freebeat weights are sold separately.

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Build Quality

Sure, the subscription content is cool, but what about the bike? It has a unique look, comes in multiple colors, and is stable to use. The colors available are pink, white, black, and beige.

We found the Freebeat Lit Bike to be sturdy and comfortable to ride. It can handle users up to 300 lbs. This build quality is on par with the Peloton Bike+. 350 lbs is usually the highest weight capacity that we see on bikes. The MYX II and NordicTrack S22i have this weight limit.

Frame

Freebeat claims that users ranging from 4’11” up to 6’4” can use the Lit Bike. We agree. Our team ranges from 5’1” (me) up to 6’5”. I could get a good bike fit and had some range to work with when adjusting. Our 6’5” reviewer, Matthew, wished there was another notch or two to raise the seat higher.

The frame is made out of welded steel.

The Freebeat Lit Bike has three adjustment points. The handles adjust up and down, and the saddle adjusts up/down and forward/back. Most exercise bikes with screens adjust this way.

This is where I have the seat adjusted for me, so users below 5’1” should be able to get a good fit.

I also did some measuring to better understand how much adjustability the Freebeat Bike has. I measured the reach, which is the distance from the nose of the saddle to the base of the handles. With the saddle all the way forward, this measured 17”, and with the saddle all the back, this measured 21”. It isn’t the largest range we’ve seen, but it offers plenty of room to work with.

The leg span (distance from the top of the saddle to the top of the lowest pedal) measured 27” to 36” when the saddle was at the lowest and highest settings. The leg span is your inseam length.

Flywheel

In addition to the bike’s frame and materials, the flywheel’s weight is another factor we consider when reviewing exercise bikes. Flywheels can be heavy (we like to see over 20 lbs) or lightweight (usually under 10 lbs). How the bike is engineered determines what kind of flywheel it should have.

We expected (and hoped) the Freebeat Lit Bike to have a heavy flywheel, considering its price point, and it does! It is 28 lbs, which helps add to the overall quality, sturdiness, and durability of the bike.

This weight is comparable to the Peloton Bike+ and NordicTrack S22i. The Freebeat Lit Bike, however, has a wooden panel over the flywheel, which creates a more unique aesthetic. I like it, and it adds a little flair to the bike’s appearance.

Most importantly, the flywheel creates a smooth, consistent pedal stroke.

The Lit Bike uses adjustable magnetic resistance. When you’re riding, the resistance level is shown at the bottom, center of the screen. There are 100 resistance levels offered, the same as bikes from Bowflex and Peloton. We found that the resistance is plenty for users of all abilities.

An impressive feature of the Freebeat Bike is automatic resistance. When using this feature, the bike adjusts the resistance based on the instructor’s cues during class. The bike also factors in your performance during previous rides to determine the resistance levels. NordicTrack and ProForm equipment offer this feature through iFit, and I’m thrilled Freebeat offers it, too.

Like on the Peloton Bike+, you can hear the resistance as it’s being adjusted. It isn’t too noisy, but the bike makes a low humming noise.

At the top of the flywheel, there are wires and components that can be seen to allow for the automatic resistance feature.

This can be bypassed, and you can adjust the resistance yourself via the resistance knob below the handles.

From a functionality standpoint, the resistance knob works just fine, but it is plastic.

Considering how high-end Freebeat’s adjustment knobs are, I would like to see the construction of the resistance knob improved to have the same level of quality as those. The resistance knob is also a brake that you can push down to stop the flywheel.

Drive System

The Freebeat Lit Bike has a belt drive that connects the flywheel to the pedals, making for a smooth, quiet experience. The pedals are toe cages, so you can ride wearing any type of athletic shoe. These cages feel plenty deep for various shoe sizes, especially compared to the toe cages on the Peloton Bike+, which are pretty shallow.

They adjust the fit around your shoes securely.

Unfortunately, these pedals don’t offer clip-ins for cycling shoes. Exercise bikes like the NordicTrack S22i have hybrid pedals that offer both options.

Handlebars

For basic riding hand positions, this bike allows for positions 1, 2, and 3. I would like a horizontal bar in the middle for more options. From a comfort standpoint, these handles are nice. From a functional standpoint, though, they offer the bare minimum.

The Lit Bike’s handlebars have a grippy texture but limited grip options.

Warranty

Freebeat includes a 10-year warranty for the frame, a 24-month warranty for bike components, and a 12-month warranty for the touch screen when you purchase the LIT Bike. The bike is straightforward to assemble, and Freebeat includes a manual with the bike and an instructional video on their website to help with assembly.

Should You Buy the Freebeat Lit Bike?

If you’re looking for a fun twist to indoor cycling, then check out the Freebeat Lit Bike. Instructors lead the subscription cycling classes, and the content encourages you to ride to the beat of the music.

Every class feels like a game as you earn points by staying at a specific cadence and riding in and out of the saddle. There’s even a leaderboard for those who are competitive. The Lit Bike itself is comfortable, quiet, and stable to ride. We love that it comes in multiple colors, too. The Freebeat Lit Bike is definitely one to consider if you want to have some fun while you sweat.

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Freebeat Lit Bike Q&A / FAQ

What is a Freebeat bike?

The Freebeat is an affordable smart exercise bike with trainer-led content. It comes in multiple colors and has a fun, upbeat vibe. The Lit Bike is the more premium option with a sturdier construction and better resistance. The Freebeat Boom Bike is the more affordable option.

How much is the Freebeat subscription?

A Freebeat subscription is $39/month. We strongly recommend subscribing for the full experience on the Freebeat Lit Bike.

Can you use the Peloton app on the Freebeat Bike?

No, Peloton is not available on the Freebeat bikes.

Does the Freebeat Lit Bike require a subscription?

Yes, the Freebeat Lit Bike requires a subscription for most of its features. While there is a manual ride option available without a subscription, it can be difficult to find.

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