The MYX II/Bodi Exercise Bike Review – 2024

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Last Updated: May 5, 2023

We were excited to review the new MYX II Exercise Bike because it’s the same MYX bike that we like but with a few upgrades, mainly the subscription content. The MYX II now offers 2 fitness apps to choose from, making it even more competitive against apps like iFit and Peloton.

A new integrated speed sensor lets you see more metrics when you ride, and the MYX II still incorporates heart rate training making every class tailored to your fitness level. This type of training is what sets it apart from the rest, in my opinion. You can also purchase additional weights in various sizes to make the MYX II more like a complete home gym rather than just a bike, at an affordable price to boot.

The same Star Trac Bike from the original MYX now with a sleeker, updated screen.

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​​Why You Should Trust Our Review Of The MYX II Exercise Bike

Here at Treadmill Review Guru, we have the unique ability to test several bikes on the market almost simultaneously- if only we could clone ourselves to ride all of them at once. When reviewing the new MYX II bike, we hopped on the original MYX bike so we could directly compare the new changes and see the upgrades.

Along with the older bike, we pulled out both bikes from Peloton: the Peloton Bike and Peloton Bike+, the NordicTrack S22i stuido bike, the Velocore which is the home bike that leans from Bowflex, and the Echelon Connect Bike EX-5s. By jumping on each of these bikes and comparing both how they feel and their different subscription content, we are able to bring you this in-depth MYX II Exercise Bike Review.

Awards: Best Exercise Bike For Heart Rate Training

We named the MYX II as the Best Exercise Bike for Heart Rate Training on our Best Exercise Bike list and gave it a 4.8 star rating out of 5. The MYX II’s use of heart rate training and its Polar OH1 heart rate monitor is easy to connect and tracks your heart rate well. When taking a class, your heart rate as well as the training zones you’re in, are clearly displayed on the screen so you can utilize heart rate training in your workouts both on and off the bike.

​​Who The MYX II Exercise Bike Is For:

• Riders who want to utilize heart rate training
• Fitness enthusiasts who want to compete with themselves versus other riders
• Users looking for a more affordable bike with subscription content that can also be used as a complete home gym
• Riders who are okay with friction resistance and want a quiet bike with interactive classes
• Taller and shorter individuals who want a sturdy bike with a screen that is still compact
• Fitness studio class lovers who want to choose between 2 different subscription fitness platforms, or use both for even more classes and programs to choose from
• Beachbody members who want to get into indoor cycling

Our Video Review

The MYX II Exercise Bike Vs The Original MYX Exercise Bike

As far as comparing the 2 bikes themselves, there aren’t many, if any upgrades. This doesn’t get any complaints from us, because the MYX is already a solid, Star Trac bike. We love that you can adjust the handles forward and back and that this bike accommodates larger riders, too.

On the original MYX bike, you could only see your heart rate, calories, and overall time spent and time left in class. The MYX II now has a speed sensor that lets you track your cadence, speed in mph, and distance in miles as well. If you want to see your cadence and speed metrics on the original MYX bike you have to purchase the Wahoo RPM Cadence Sensor.

Something to make note of is that in order to use the speed sensor on the MYX II, you must take off the plastic covering on the sensor which can be found on the inside of the left pedal crank. There is a tutorial video that explains how to do this in the settings section of Openfit. There are also other tutorial videos to help you set up the bike.

As far as other improvements, there is an improved processor on the touchscreen, the screen is 30% slimmer, and the speakers are upgraded to 20 watts on the MYX II from the original. The MYX II is also a little quieter than the original MYX.

In-depth Review of The MYX II Exercise Bike

Openfit

There are now 2 subscription app platforms to choose classes from. Both BODi and Openfit are owned by Beachbody. You can choose between one or pay for both and use them both on the MYX II bike.

BODi or Beachbody On Demand Interactive is where you can train with all your favorite Beachbody instructors in hundreds of live and on-demand classes and programs both on and off the bike, as well as nutrition content. BODi is $19.95 per month on top of the annual $99 Beachbody membership fee.

In this review, however, I’m only going to break down MYX+Openfit and the Openfit app. Openfit is $29 per month.

With the initial setup of the MYX II bike and the Openfit app, I was asked a few questions about my body stats and goals so I could build a personalized profile and see classes and nutrition information based on what I prefer. I think that this made the content and app feel a little bit more personalized than other fitness subscription apps I’ve used.

Heart Rate Training

A big draw that originally set MYXFitness apart from competitors, is their heart rate training-based workouts. Openfit keeps this feature in the forefront while updating its class styles and adding a wide variety of programs.

I have an Apple Watch, so I could connect it through Bluetooth and use it as a heart rate monitor, or use the included arm-band monitor to track my heart rate. Once my monitor was connected, I followed Justin, an Openfit cycling instructor, through the 20-minute calibration ride.

During the calibration ride, the monitor determined my max heart rate and where my heart rate ranges within each of the 3 training zones. Often the commonly used formula: 220- your age, can be inaccurate. So, training this way to figure out what your max heart rate actually goes up to is very beneficial and makes the workouts fit you and your fitness level.

After this ride, I was ready to jump into a class. They recommend that you take the calibration ride every 6 weeks or so to see how you’re improving. The goal here is that over time, your heart rate will actually stay the same or decrease slightly but you’ll be able to push harder and go faster/further on the bike. This means that your heart is getting stronger.

Even in the classes and programs off the bike, you can still track your heart rate and see which of the zones you’re in if you keep your monitor connected. The Openfit instructors explain which heart rate zone you should be in throughout class, as well. Your calories burned are also shown on the screen in these classes, as well as your duration. Keeping your heart rate monitor connected during class will help your recorded calorie burn be more accurate, too.

Music

Once I started taking a class, was when I noticed all the changes Openfit made from the original MYX app. As I cycling instructor, I’m used to designing my classes around music, and I was pleased to see that Openfit has its cycle instructors do the same. You can no longer skip ahead on a preselected playlist because the music is played how the instructor intended the class to experience it.

So, when I took a 20 minute ‘90’s Hip Hop ride, I could enjoy the hits right along with the instructor, Jesse, who commented on some of the songs and even danced along to a couple. This change makes the classes on Openfit, feel closer to how Peloton’s instructors design theirs around the music.

I was a little disappointed that the music wasn’t designed around the other Openfit classes off the bike, though. You can still skip up to 4 songs an hour on a preselected playlist in those classes.

On the MYX II, there isn’t a specific manual mode, like on the NordicTrack S22i Inclining bike. Taking a scenic ride is the closest you’ll get to a manual mode.

The scenic rides aren’t guided like they are on iFit’s classes. Scenic rides are where the iFit app on NordicTrack and Proform bikes excels, so if you’re wanting to take rides through scenic places around the world, I would look into that platform.

Classes

Overall, the classes and instructors on Openfit seem inviting, encouraging, and beginner-friendly. The Openfit studio is bright and features only the instructor. Some of the programs off the bike are filmed in more class-like environments with multiple people.

Taking a look at the dashboard, they use nice, light colors in their color scheme, and the screen in the back of the studio is often in a lighter pastel color or it is changed to reflect the theme of the class.

By just browsing through the class thumbnails, our team got the impression that they are meant to be inviting and encouraging, as well as beginner-friendly. And when you take them, they are.

The Openfit instructors make each class more about how you are feeling and how much effort you should be exerting. There isn’t a leaderboard where you compete against other riders as you do in Peloton and Echelon Fit classes. So, if you’re looking for a more competitive and community-based experience when you ride, I would take a look at those subscription platforms.

Our reviewers felt that Openfit is more focused on you, and with their incorporation of heart rate training, their classes are really tailored to you too.

Openfit incorporates a wide variety of programs, mainly off the bike, like Andrea Rogers’ Xtend Barre and XB Pilates programs, 600 seconds with Devin Wiggins, and Get Strong with Kelsey Heenan. These programs are great if you want to keep your training focused and do them over the course of a few weeks or months.

There is an abundant amount of classes and programs off the bike. Since Beachbody only recently merged with MYXFitness and Openfit, we’re hoping and assuming there will be more bike programs and cycling classes in the future.

Another aspect that I am eager to see is Openfit’s live cycling classes. Right now, live classes are only available on the mat through the Openfit app. Although the live classes won’t include a leaderboard like Peloton and Echelon Fit, they are planning to utilize the 8-mega pixel camera that’s built into the screen on the MYX II. So, when you tune into a live class, you can live stream your feed into the class so the instructor can see you and offer tips in real-time.

BODi is also offering this feature, so we’re excited to see how it works.

Watching the news through Newsy is still available on the MYX II, as the original MYX, and there are also health and wellness education classes you can watch on the touchscreen, too.

Nutrition

Another aspect that is often missing from other fitness subscription platforms, is nutrition. Openfit’s nutrition tracker lets you track your meals and breaks them down via calories and macronutrients: protein, fat, and carbs.

You can also see an overview of other nutrients and information like vitamin levels, dietary fiber, cholesterol, sodium, and total sugar content. You can also create your grocery shopping list for the day/week. This encourages meal planning and they offer lots of recipes that seem fairly quick and relatively easy to make, although I’m not much of a cook.

You can access the nutrition tracker and recipes through the Openfit app. I was surprised that you can take a picture of the food and the app will try to identify what it is. It was fairly accurate when I used it to track my meals, but I didn’t like that I couldn’t manually add in the macros from specific meals or items like my protein powder, which I couldn’t find when using the search bar and the camera couldn’t recognize it.

You can also shop the Ladder Supplements sold through Openfit on the app. There are different flavors, types, and they come in sample sizes and bundles as well as individually. There are also recipes that use these supplements so you can make all kinds of shakes and incorporate them into meals too.

Console

The entire console on the MYX II exercise bike is the large 21.5” touchscreen and the resistance knob.

As you can see, the resistance knob is behind the handles, is clearly labeled, and it also doubles as the brake when you push it down. There aren’t any controls on the handles, because everything else is accessed through the touchscreen.

The screen is very easy to see and reach. I am just over 5 feet tall, and I can reach it easily with my short arms. The MYX II offers a 4th adjustment point that many other bikes like the NordicTrack S22i, Peloton Bike and Bike+, and the Bowflex Velocore don’t offer. You can adjust the handles forward and back on the MYX II and this makes the screen easy to reach for shorter people like myself, and can give you more room if you are taller.

This added adjustment point makes the screen easier to reach, and lets you get a better fit on the bike. With my short height, I have to have the seat all the way forward on the NordicTrack S22i and Bowflex Velocore bikes in order to reach the screens.

That’s where Beachbody’s MYX II bike really impressed me because I could continue pedaling and reach everything on the screen. Another great aspect is that the screen rotates 360 degrees. Once we tried it, we realized it really only rotates 180 degrees in both directions, but this makes it movable to 360 degrees, and it can also be tilted up and down. This added feature makes it very convenient to use while taking mat classes.

The speakers are located on the back of the screen, and I really liked that you can balance the volume level to feature more of the trainer’s voice or more of the music. You can also completely mute the instructor and just listen to the music during class, or vice versa.

Charging your phone or the included heart rate monitor is also easy because the USB port is located on the back of the screen.

Construction Quality & Durability

On the MYXFitness website, the MYX II is described as a “premium Star Trac professional-grade bike”, and that is what it feels like to us.

Our team here at Treadmill Review Guru really appreciates the quality and construction of the Beachbody bike.

Frame

The MYX II bike has a steel frame, 2 stabilizers, and 4 leveling feet to ensure the bike is steady and firmly planted on the ground.

We all enjoy the feel of this bike, as we did with the original MYX. It is straightforward, easy to use, and feels very sturdy and solid. It’s heavier at 150 lbs with the touchscreen, but its overall footprint is smaller than other bikes like the Peloton Bike and Peloton Bike+.

One aspect that we really like about the MYX II is that it has 4 adjustment points. Like I mentioned above, the handles move forward and back, and also up and down. The seat can be adjusted up and down, and forward and back as well.

These adjustment points allow for a large range of reach and leg span so it can accommodate a wide variety of sized users.

The reach is the distance between the nose of the saddle to the handles and when I measured it, it ranges from about 12” to 23.5”, which is a really large range.

Leg span is measured by the distance between the top of the saddle to the top of the lowest pedal, and when measured it ranges from 28” to 41”. Leg span is your inseam so this is a good way to determine if a bike will work for you.

Flywheel

The MYX II bike has a heavy flywheel that weighs 41 lbs.

The front flywheel is heavy enough to make the bike feel stable and allows you to stand up out of the saddle.

The Beachbody bike uses friction resistance which can’t be measured. So, metrics like watts, which show your effort output, as well as the resistance level aren’t displayed on the screen when you ride.

However, when you turn the resistance knob, the resistance is added or taken off as soon as you change it. With magnetic resistance, there is a delay from when you add it on to when you feel it while pedaling. All of the other exercise bikes I compared the MYX II to, use magnetic resistance, besides the original MYX.

Magnetic resistance tends to be more expensive, has a smoother pedal stroke, and is silent. The friction resistance on the MYX II however has a really smooth feel because the flywheel is heavier, peripherally weighted, and the inertia-enhanced design allows for a fluid motion throughout the entire pedal stroke.

Drive System

The pedals on the BeachBody bike are nice because they come with 2 options. You can clip in your SPD cleats, or flip the pedals over and use regular athletic shoes in the toe cages.

Our team had no problem using both pedal options.

We did notice that all of our different-sized feet fit better in the toe cages on the MYX II than on the Peloton Bike+, which don’t seem to be deep enough to extend over the balls of our feet.

The Q-Factor, which is the distance between the pedals, on MYX II is also within an optimal range to keep your knees in proper alignment at 165mm. The MYX II also uses a 6-groove Poly-V belt drive system which keeps the bike quiet and the ride smooth.

Handlebars/Cockpit

Overall, the handlebars are really sturdy, a nice width, and the 2 large water bottle holders are conveniently-placed, large, strong, and stable. My 22oz water bottle and phone fit in them well. This is something that we all appreciated especially when compared to the more flimsy and harder-to-reach cupholders on the Peloton bikes and the Bowflex Velocore bike.

I did miss an extra horizontal bar on the handlebar, however. I like having more grip options on the handles like when I ride the Velocore from Bowflex.

Everything is well within reach on the handles.

Another aspect that we didn’t care for is the coating on the handlebars. It feels a little sticky and tacky, especially when you’re sweating. The handles also feel a bit firm, but covering them with a towel helps to eliminate both of these issues.

MYX II Plus

If you purchase the MYX II Plus option, you get a stabilizer mat, exercise mat, resistance band, foam roller, and 6-piece weight set with a kettlebell that you can pick which size weights work for you. This all comes with the MYX II bike, and all of these items are of great quality and make the BeachBody bike feel more like a complete home gym than just an exercise bike.

Performance & Functionality

Overall, we really like the MYX II bike, and it performed well for us. It adjusts to fit all of our sizes really well. On their site, MYX claims that this bike can accommodate riders ranging in heights from 4’11” to 6’8”. Considering our shortest rider (myself) is barely 5’, and our tallest rider is 6’5”, we feel that this is accurate and we all appreciated the wide leg span and reach ranges that the BeachBody bike provides.

I really like the overall comfort and stability of this bike.

This bike can also handle up to 350 lbs, which is on the larger side of weight capacity for home exercise bikes. Our tallest rider weighs 230 lbs, and he was able to stand while pedaling and felt secure when riding in and out of the saddle.

The saddle has light padding, is surprisingly comfortable, and is great for longer rides because of the narrow design.

The saddle has a nice contour for your tailbone and supports your seat bones evenly.

The handlebars were a little shaky when we completely extended them. This didn’t take away from the overall enjoyable experience that we all had on the bike, however.

I would recommend this bike for smaller spaces because it has a pretty small footprint for a bike that has an attached screen. So, if you’re limited on space and want a bike with a large touchscreen, this is something to consider.

Up to 5 people can use Openfit, so this bike is very multi-user friendly. There are also numbers on the seat and handlebar posts and sliders, so you can remember where you had the bike positioned easily if there are multiple people in your household using the MYX II.

The overall geometry and friction resistance on the BeachBody bike makes it feel more similar to riding a road bike than bikes with magnetic resistance, so if you’re a cyclist looking for an indoor exercise bike, this is something to take into consideration.

Warranty/Customer Service

There is a 12-month manufacturer’s warranty and an additional 1 and 2-year warranties can be purchased.

The delivery and setup were seamless. Like they explain on their website, you’ll receive a timeframe the day before the MYX II is delivered to be sure you are there to receive the bike. When it’s delivered, they also set it up for you.