Rogue Echo Bike Review (2023): Is It the Best Air Bike?

The Rogue Fitness Echo Bike is one of the toughest and best cardio machines on the market. Popular in the CrossFit community, it brings a new intensity to cardiovascular training besides those gruesome sprints you may perform on the treadmill. The Rogue Echo Bike combines heavy-duty steel with a unique build to create a tough and durable exercise bike that can take on the intensity of any workout. 

The staff at Breaking Muscle consists of CrossFitters, strength and conditioning coaches, and certified personal trainers. Our lead product testers have tested the Rogue Echo bike for several weeks. We put it through long endurance workouts, short high-intensity interval training (HIIT sessions), and warm-ups and cool-downs. Amanda Dvorak, Breaking Muscle’s Reviews Editor, also used the Echo Bike at least once a week for over two years at her old CrossFit box.

We’ve combined our experiences to gather insight into just how special this product is. In this Rogue Echo Bike review, we’ll discuss the top characteristics and features of this bike, highlighting what makes this product so unique amongst the competition. 

Key Takeaways

• The Rogue Echo Bike offers a great hybrid of lower and upper body conditioning. In fact, you can rest your feet on the foot pegs and just use the arms of the bike for an upper body workout if you have a lower body injury.
• The enhanced LCD console on the Rogue Echo Bike monitors metrics like intervals, distance, calorie expenditure, and heart rate. It also incorporates Bluetooth functionality, enabling you to sync it with a range of cycling apps for enhanced performance data.
• The Rogue Echo Bike starts at around $895, which is about the mid-price range of other brands that provide a similar product. 

Rogue Echo Bike Pros

• The seat on the Rogue Echo Bike is capable of moving upward, forward, or backward so that it can adjust to fit your proportions. 
• After we tested the Rogue Echo Bike, it was evident that the bike’s belt-driven system coupled with its steel fan blade provided a smooth, consistent, and very quiet ride. Its quietness is beneficial for those who want a great at-home experience without disturbing the people they live with. 
• This bike is super strong and very stable. It weighs 123 pounds and has a weight capacity of 330 pounds. Whether you use it for a casual warm-up or cooldown or an intense HIIT workout, it doesn’t budge and remains stable. 

Rogue Echo Bike Cons

• If you want additional conveniences like a water bottle holder (which Rogue calls a bottle cage) or a phone holder, you must purchase them separately.
• One thing we noticed is that it requires more effort to start the bike due to the belt-driven system. With a belt-driven system, the movement is based on your immediate effort. If you stop pedaling, the wheels stop moving. It’s not like a chain-driven system where the wheels continue to spin due to momentum. This belt-driven system helps keep the machine quiet but also makes the Rogue Echo Bike a harder bike to ride.
• The price of the Rogue Echo Bike might be too high of a financial commitment for some. It costs around $895 and is more expensive than other bikes on the market, like the classic Assault Bike, which is about $699. 

Rogue Echo Bike Rating

At Breaking Muscle, we’ve tested dozens of exercise bikes, including several fan bikes. When testing exercise bikes, we analyze criteria such as construction quality, durability, stat tracking, and added conveniences. We then put each bike through a proprietary scoring system and rank it on a scale of 1 to 5 for each criterion. Here is how the Echo Bike scored.

Factor	Rating (out of 5)
Price	4
Materials, build, and construction quality	5
Delivery and assembly	5
Included workouts	3
Heart rate monitoring	4
Display and stat tracking	4
Conveniences	3

Rogue Echo Bike Overview

When it comes to selecting the perfect exercise bike, it’s essential to consider your specific workout needs, such as space constraints. The Rogue Echo Bike has many unique characteristics, but not every feature is a one-size-fits-all solution.

The Rogue Fitness Echo Bike is a popular fan bike for those who want a tough workout, especially athletes. One population that especially enjoys the Rogue Fitness Echo Bike is the CrossFit community. This product provides a tough and durable workout experience that can easily meet the demands of the most intense CrossFit metcons.

RELATED: Best CrossFit Shoes

One of the reasons it’s so durable is its belt-driven system. Unlike chain-driven systems that allow for momentum, the Echo Bike’s wheels stop moving when you stop pedaling. While this contributes to the machine’s quiet operation, it also makes the bike more demanding to ride.

Who Should Buy the Rogue Echo Bike

• This bike is great for someone who wants an intense workout session. As mentioned, the belt-driven system requires constant effort to keep the machine running. The minute you stop pedaling, the machine stops as well. 
• People should buy the Rogue Echo Bike if they don’t want to constantly perform repairs. The belt-driven system is much easier to perform maintenance on, versus the chain-driven systems that need more care and attention. 
• This bike is great for someone who needs a sturdy cardio machine. If you are looking to do high-intensity exercises with all-out efforts, the Echo Bike can take on your needs. 

Who Should Not Buy the Rogue Echo Bike

• As mentioned earlier, we noticed with our testing that the Rogue Echo Bike was a bulky machine that might require more workout space than you would think. This would not be the best bike for someone who has limited workout space. 
• The Rogue Echo Bike doesn’t have a high-tech monitor. The monitor provides metrics like calories burned and distance traveled but doesn’t offer instructor-led programming.
• This would not be a good bike for those looking for a portable bike to move around different spaces. With how bulky and heavy this bike is, it could be tough to move around your workout space. (Note, though, that it does have roller wheels at the front to make portability a bit easier.)

Rogue Echo Bike In-Depth Review

Selecting the right piece of equipment involves careful consideration of things such as price, quality, and added conveniences. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll take a closer look at what sets the Rogue Echo Bike apart in terms of materials, build quality, and construction. From the sturdy steel construction to the ease of assembly, this bike offers much more than an intense workout experience.

Price

The price of the Rogue Echo Bike is $895, which is around the middle to higher end of pricing amongst competitors and the reason we gave it 4 out of 5 stars in this category. One of the main reasons for its price point is its materials. When our staff looked at the Rogue Echo Bike, they could tell it was made from Rogue. It looks like Rogue took parts from their best squat racks to build it! Other fan bikes on the market, like the Classic AssaultBike, are just under $700. On the other hand, the Echo Bike is cheaper than the Concept2 BikeErg, which costs around $1,100. 

As of this writing, the Echo Bike also qualifies for free shipping. This isn’t unusual, as brands like Assault Fitness and Scwhinn also offer free shipping on their fan bikes. But it is still worth calling out — not having to pay for shipping can be a relief for budget-savvy shoppers.

RELATED: Best Jump Ropes

Materials, Build, and Construction Quality

The Rogue Echo Bike gets a perfect 5 out of 5 stars for its build quality. It is 123 pounds and consists of 2×3″, 1.2 x 3″, and 1.625 x 3.125″ steel with a textured black powder coat. This black powder coat covers the whole bike and enhances its durability. The materials used to build the Echo Bike make it strong and sturdy, as it can hold up to 330 pounds. A rubber belt operates the fan and requires much less maintenance than a chain belt.

The padded seat helps make the Echo Bike more comfortable to sit on for long workouts, and the 1.5-inch diameter rubber-grip handles that are welded to the bike’s arms allow for more stability.

The bike also provides metal foot pedals and footpegs. To turn your workout into a solely upper body workout, you can rest your feet on the pegs and operate the bike with just the arms. The 4.5-inch footpegs feature knurling to help prevent your feet from slipping off them.

Delivery and Assembly

Upon delivery, the Rogue Echo Bike requires assembly. Rogue provides all the necessary tools and hardware, along with easy step-by-step instructions. One of our product testers was able to assemble the bike by himself and scored the assembly process 5 out of 5 stars.

Multiple reviews on the Rogue website also indicate that the build process is fairly simple. 

RELATED: Best Functional Trainers

Included Workouts

We only gave the Rogue Echo Bike 3 out of 5 stars for included workouts because it doesn’t provide special programming, like instructor-led classes. However, it does provide modes to complete workouts in, such as a 20/10 or a 10/20 interval training mode for 10 to 20 seconds of exercise and 10 to 20 seconds of rest. You can also build your own workout. In comparison, other fan bikes, like the AssaultBike, also provide a handful of built-in workouts and the ability to create custom workouts. 

Heart Rate Monitoring

The Rogue Echo Air Bike provides heart rate tracking functionality. To have this data displayed on your LCD screen, you need to buy a compatible external heart rate monitor separately. We rated it 4 out of 5 stars for that reason.

Some heart rate monitors compatible with the Rogue Echo Bike are the Garmin HRM-Dual Heart Rate Monitor, Garmin HRM-Pro Plus Heart Rate Monitor, and Polar H10 Heart Rate Sensor.

Display and Stat Tracking

The five-inch by eight-inch monitor, which is a common size amongst other fan bikes, provides a clean and high-contrast clear display. As discussed, you can choose from various modes, such as HIIT training (10/20, 20/10, or custom intervals). You can set goals for time, distance, or calories, and the console will count down accordingly. The display shows heart rate data as well, as long as you have a compatible heart rate monitor.

The console is powered by four AA batteries, which come with the bike. As an upgrade from previous models of the Echo Bike, the mounted LCD console now boasts Bluetooth compatibility. Bluetooth allows you to connect to other devices like a Garmin heart rate monitor to track your workout metrics. 

Ultimately, we rated the display and stat tracking features 4 out of 5 stars. The monitor spits back a lot of data, but we wouldn’t say there’s anything super fancy about it. 

Conveniences

The Rogue Echo Bike does not come with a water bottle holder, bottle cage, or device holder, which is why we gave it a low score of 3 out of 5 stars in this category.

That said, these add-ons cost less than $10 each, which isn’t a big financial investment to upgrade your Echo Bike and make it the best piece of home gym equipment you have. 

Rogue Echo Bike Specs

The Rogue Echo Bike is a high-quality bike that almost seems overbuilt, resulting in less wobble and more stability. It also comes with some unique features you won’t find on many of its competitors. Below, we’ll take a close look at those features, as well as the dimensions, resistance, and weight capacity.

Overall Dimensions

The Rogue Echo Bike is 55 inches long, 29.5 inches wide, and 52.25 inches high. The height includes the top of the handles, the length is the overall bike seat position furthest from the fan cage, and the width is the handles at the widest points. The overall footprint of the bike is 44.5 inches by 23.75 inches.

Resistance

The Rogue Echo Bike is an air bike, which combines wind resistance that intensifies with more pedaling from the feet and/or arms. It can provide a full-body workout for anyone. The resistance also stems from the belt-driven system. The belt-driven system requires more effort than a chain-driven system, as a belt-driven bike only works while you pedal. Once you stop pedaling, the bike stops moving, making it harder to get it to start again. That’s what makes this bike a solid leg exercise for building size and strength. 

Weight Capacity

The Echo Bike’s weight capacity is 330 pounds, which is stronger than some fan bikes but the same as others. For instance, the AssaultBike has a weight capacity of 300 pounds, and the Concept2 BikeErg and the Schwinn Airdyne Pro both have a weight capacity of 330 pounds.

Seat and Handlebar Adjustments

You can’t adjust the length of the Echo Bike’s handlebars. However, you can adjust the seat to 11 different height settings and five front-to-back settings, allowing you to get the most optimal riding experience. 

Electrical Requirements

One of the most unique features of this air bike is that your movement powers it. As such, you can use the bike anywhere. This makes it a great addition to your garage gym, and you can even take it outdoors if you want to feel the sun on your face while you train. The monitor does need four AA batteries to operate, though. 

Noise Level

Compared to other fan bikes we’ve tested, the Rogue Echo Bike makes minimal noise due to its structure and materials. The belt-driven system provides smooth and quiet mechanics. Other bikes, like the Schwinn Airdyne and the AssaultBike, use chain-driven systems, which are much louder and can make your workout sound more disruptive. 

In addition, the Echo Bike’s fan blades consist of a sturdier material, which is tough durable steel. This makes these blades much stronger and less likely to make noise. 

Portability

The Rogue Echo Bike is much heavier than other bikes. It weighs 123 pounds, while the Assault Bike is 96 pounds and the Concept2 Bike Erg is 58 pounds. But although the Rogue Echo Bike is much heavier, it has oversized front wheels that help with portability. This bike also doesn’t require an outlet, so you can move it in and out of any room in your home.

Warranty

The Rogue Echo Air Bike comes with a two-year warranty. This is pretty common; the AssaultBike and Concept2 Bike Erg also have two-year warranties. Note, however, that Rogue’s warranty excludes typical wear and tear on the metal pedals and handlebars. 

RELATED: Best Treadmills for Home

Rogue Echo Bike vs. AssaultBike

The AssaultBike is 50.95 inches long, 23.34 inches wide, and 50 inches high, compared to the Rogue Echo Bike, which is 55 inches long, 29.5 inches wide, and 52.25 inches high. Because of the smaller footprint, the AssaultBike’s weight capacity is lower than the Rogue Echo Bike, as the Assault Bike holds a total of 300 pounds and the Rogue Echo Bike holds 330 pounds. 

The AssaultBike is a common brand used in many CrossFit gyms, as its smaller build can accommodate multiple users in a bigger space. Plus, the Classic AssaultBike is around 95 pounds, a smaller weight than the Rogue Echo Bike, which makes it easier to move around a large gym.

Additionally, the Rogue Echo Bike uses belt-driven mechanics, and the Assault Bike uses chain-driven mechanics. Chain-driven bikes tend to be louder and require more upkeep, which could be frustrating for those who prefer a quieter workout experience.

Lastly, those with strict budgets may prefer the Assault Bike. It’s about $200 cheaper than the Echo Bike, making it a better option for individuals searching for more affordable home gym equipment.

Rogue Echo Bike vs. Concept2 BikeErg

Unlike the Rogue Echo Bike, the Concept2 BikeErg does not include moving handles. Your legs power all of the movement, which could be an issue for those wanting a full body workout like you would find on the Rogue Echo Bike. 

The Concept2 Bike Erg includes the infamous PM5 monitor. Our staff at Breaking Muscle truly appreciates this monitor, as it’s a powerful performance monitor that tracks stats such as pace, estimated calories burned, and watts (power output).

The PM5 monitor also connects via Bluetooth to various apps, including ErgData. The ErgData app allows you to create custom workouts, access the Concept2 Workout of the Day, and much more. This is the same monitor you’ll find on the Concept2 rower. The main difference between the PM5 and the Rogue Echo Bike console is that the PM5 tracks power output, which can help you quantify how hard you are working at a specific moment.

RELATED: Best Rowing Machines

Another big difference between the Rogue Echo Bike and the Concept2 Bike Erg is the weight. The Concept2 Bike Erg is only 58 pounds, more than half the size of the Rogue Echo Bike. Both bikes have a weight capacity of 330 pounds. 

Rogue Echo Bike Customer Reviews

The Rogue Echo Bike has an impressive 4.9 out of 5-star rating on Rogue’s website. One review commends the bike for its ease of assembly and effectiveness in providing a rigorous workout. Another user, who uses the bike in his garage gym, appreciates its durability, low maintenance, and efficiency for various HIIT workouts and warming up before resistance training. Other reviewers express similar sentiments.

Some reviews highlighted a couple of drawbacks to the Echo Bike, though. In one review, the user mentioned that the metal housing around the wheel easily came apart. They felt the weld was not strong enough and trying to find a replacement for the entire metal housing is almost impossible.  

Final Verdict: Is the Rogue Echo Bike Worth It?

From all our research and testing on the Rogue Echo Bike, we can definitely say that it is worth the purchase and the hype. Made of Rogue’s top-tier steel construction, this 123-pound exercise bike provides massive durability as it can take on some of the toughest of workouts. 

The Rogue Echo Bike provides a smooth and quiet workout due to its belt-driven system. However, it also requires more effort to operate. The harder you push, the harder the bike works. All this, combined with its oversized structure and tough build, make it a solid purchase for anyone looking to take their cardiovascular health to the next level. 

FAQs

The post Rogue Echo Bike Review (2023): Is It the Best Air Bike? appeared first on Breaking Muscle.