Last Updated on November 4, 2021 by Jeff
High-quality exercise bikes can come in handy if you want to maintain your physique without leaving the house. If you’re unsure about that, take a look at our Schwinn 270 review, Sole e35 elliptical reviews, or the overall exercise bike review. However, even with a good exercise bike, you might start running into technical issues over time, big and small.
Nonetheless, you might be able to fix your exercise bike problems at home if you know what to look for. After all, exercise bike technologies are simple enough to understand. This article will serve as your guide to exercise bike repair.
6 Common Exercise Bike Problems
Various problems could arise in your exercise bike, and they’re as follows:
1. Resistance Complications 
If there’s no resistance or change in your exercise bike’s resistance, the cause might be bent pins or cross cabling. Ensure that the power adaptor is fully inserted and that the pins are all straight.
If you’re unable to switch between resistance levels easily, cleaning and lubricating the gears responsible for the resistance mechanism is a good idea.
Moreover, you could look for any wobbly resistance wheels. If you find any, you’ll need to replace the hub.
To do that, loosen the resistance machinery, and detach the wheel and hub bolt using a wrench. Then, remove the old hub and insert a new one. Needless to say, you’re going to have to put the hub bolt and wheel after as they were, tightening the resistance mechanism.
If you have a bike operated by magnetic resistance, you’ll have to approach loss or change of resistance differently. That’s because the two magnets may have shifted or moved due to loose screws or bolts.
The magnets might have even moved enough to separate from the motor fully. This leaves your exercise bike inert with no resistance at all. The solution is simple enough; place the magnet in the designated position, and secure it properly.
As a side note, if you’re looking for equipment with smooth and frictionless resistance, you might want to consider the Proform Elliptical bike or the Schwinn 170 upright exercise bike with 25 different levels of resistance.
2. Slipping
You may find your drive belt frequently slipping. This belt takes in most of the pressure you apply, so, understandably, it might get worn with use. It would be best if you didn’t ignore worn drive belts because they can result in serious accidents and injuries. Instead, they should be replaced or tightened immediately.
First of all, the exercise bike should be unplugged. With a crank arm, Philips screwdriver, or Allen wrench, you can remove the two pedals and be careful not to damage the threads. Afterward, undo the attached screws to remove the side and top shields. This should expose the belt and flywheel.
On the one hand, to tighten the belt, adjust the idler bolt (on the top and bottom of the Eddie Mech idler bracket) and the adjustment nut.
On the other hand, you might want to replace the belt, not tighten it. To do so, release the tension cable attached to the magnetic resistance motor with a flat head tool. Then, take out the Eddie Mech, which will allow you to replace the worn belt. When you’re done, don’t forget to put the tension cable back.
If you have to replace the belt, brake pads, or both, be sure to find a replica of the part you have. Put the new part and the old one side by side to compare them because companies often produce different designs or change some of the inner components of a bike without altering its name.
Pro Tip: If you have a brake-based bike, it’s also important to note that worn belts can damage the casing, impacting the wiring that tracks distance and speed. Thus, it’d be wise to check the wires. And, if indeed they were damaged, you should replace them.
3. Noises
A common issue for stationary bikes is when your bike is noisy. Firstly, you must identify the source of the knocking or squeaking noise. It could be the pedals, motor, wheels, or belt. Whichever part is causing the noise should be detached and lubricated.
After disassembling the bike, you can put it back together. This process should make the pedaling action smooth.
If the pedals are the noise’s source, you’ll do well to check the threading first because it might be that the pedals are worn out. If the worn pedals aren’t at 90 degrees to the crank arm, you’ll need to replace them. And if you notice a bump in the pedal stroke, you can use a pedal wrench to remove the pedals and get new ones.
Tip: To avoid running into this problem in the future, regular maintenance is vital, whether weekly or monthly.
4. Error Codes 
Sometimes, an exercise bike won’t start, or it’ll show an error code, such as E1 or E6. That’s usually a sign of complications in the electronic console, which could be simple regular maintenance issues or more complicated electrical ones.
Refer back to the stationary bike’s manufacturer repair manual, as it provides instructions to resolve each specific error code. Otherwise, you can hire an expert to handle it.
5. Display Out 
Lose cabling might cause display out in exercise bikes. Check to see if the power adapter is inserted completely. If it is and the problem still stands, you’d be advised to contact an authorized service center.
6. Erratic Heart Rate Readings
If your exercise bike’s heart rate readings are nonsensical, the contact between straps/grips could be loose. You can merely tighten them to fix your stationary bike.
FAQs
Is It OK to Ride a Stationary Bike Every Day?
Yes, in fact, the appeal of stationary bikes lies in that they can be used every day regardless of the weather conditions because they’re placed indoors.
What Resistance Should I Use On a Stationary Bike?
Try to reach 80 to 100 revolutions per minute for low to moderate resistance. Moreover, you can adjust the bike to get 60 to 80 revolutions per minute for moderate to high resistance. You can monitor the cadence on the cycle console.
Can You Oil an Exercise Bike?
You can’t use oil-based cleaning products or abrasive ones because they could remove the paint off the frame. Instead, you can use a mixture of water and soup for some home maintenance.
How Do You Maintain a Stationary Bike?
Use a somewhat wet cloth with water or a cleaning product (similar to those in standard exercise bike cleaning sets). After every workout, run the fabric over the bike parts, including the seat, console, handlebars, and pulse sensors, to remove any sweat.
Final Words
To conclude, exercise bikes run into various types of issues, and to fix them, you need to be able to point your fingers towards the part with the default. Then, you can follow our instructions to know if that part needs to be placed right or if it’s irreparably broken, in which case you’ll need a replacement.
If you want our take, a little bit of maintenance goes a long way. Make sure to prioritize that to reduce the chances of any future exercise bike problems.