Best Deals on Fitness Equipment and Accessories

The Heybike Cityrun performed well in our range, acceleration, braking, hill climb, and unassisted cruising tests. It’s at a decent discount right now, including free front basket and large basket attachments—plus CR members can save even more (see below for details). Even without battery power, it still managed to perform capably when climbing a hill at the lowest gear setting. It also has hydraulic disc brakes and a hub-drive motor, as well as front LED lights and a seven-speed Shimano shifter. The Cityrun is available in three colors: black, green, and orange. At 64 pounds, it’s a bit heavier than some other models, which can make it more difficult to move if you need to put it away or load it into a car.

Big power gets this Class 2 electric bike moving quickly on flat ground and also up steep hills. Although the bike’s joints sound a bit rattly going over bumps, the ride is smooth and stable, and the seat and riding position are comfortable. Big tires and a front suspension help absorb bumps. At 65 pounds, the XP 3.0 is objectively heavy, so despite its convenient carry handle, it will most likely be a chore (if not impossible) for many riders to carry. It’s bulky as well, folding into a 37x18x28-inch package that’s larger than some of the other folding bikes we tested.

For those motivated to get more movement in the new year, we think the new Apple Watch SE 3 is the most capable version yet of Apple’s budget smartwatch. It offers nearly all the health and fitness features of the pricier Series version. And you can count on impressive battery life and a bright, durable display, too.

The Fitbit Charge line routinely features great general-purpose trackers, and the Charge 6 is no exception. It offers a 1.1-inch full-color display and a range of tools that help you stay on top of your health, everything from stress monitoring to an ECG (electrocardiogram) function that can alert you to irregular heart rhythms.

The Versa 4 is a great fit for fans of Fitbit who want a sleeker-looking smartwatch. You get a good-sized display and all the basics from GPS-enabled workout tracking to heart rate monitoring, plus a generous six days of claimed battery life.

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch7 is at a new low price at Walmart right now. It typically retails for closer to $300, but Walmart’s discount is the biggest we’ve seen. This is a sleek-looking and high-performing pick, particularly if you own a Galaxy phone, and its stylish design means you can feel comfortable wearing it just about anywhere. The Watch7 offers some of Samsung’s latest health, fitness, and safety features—including sleep apnea detection, swimming stroke analysis, and daily AI-enabled Sleep and Energy scores, which make it easier to keep tabs on basic health metrics. It also has more standard features, like automatic workout-tracking, heart rate and blood oxygen level monitoring, and heart rate variability tracking.

This rugged-looking (and high-performing) Samsung smartwatch is aimed at outdoors enthusiasts—and anyone who wants the latest premium health- and fitness-tracking features. Just note that Galaxy Watches work only with Android devices. The price has been falling steadily since the summer.

The high-end Hydrow Rower uses a quiet electromagnetic resistance system and tracks all standard metrics that rowers use to measure progress—from stroke rate to split time. This machine earns top marks across all CR’s tests. It also has a 22-inch high-definition screen that can be used to access Hydrow’s live and on-demand fitness classes. As with other high-end machines, those are subscription-based—$44 per month—and include access to many types of workouts, not just rowing. It’s $100 more than the sale price at the beginning of the month, so it’s not the best deal we’ve seen. But if you’re in the market, a $300 discount is still decent.

This highly rated Horizon 7.0 lC earned great marks in our tests for adjustability, noise, and capacity, and its warranty. While it doesn’t offer built-in connectivity, it does offer Bluetooth capabilities that allow you to pair the bike to your tablet or smartphone and sync with workouts provided by third-party exercise subscription services such as Peloton.

The handlebar, seat height, and horizontal position on the Sole SB900 are all finely adjustable, which should be helpful for older riders who are looking for the most comfortable position. It has a smaller, 3x4-inch LCD display that’s battery-powered (though you can’t use it to see the machine’s resistance settings), as well as a reading shelf for a tablet or smartphone. It can connect to exercise apps, and it’s about half the price of a Peloton. A word of caution: The bar that riders have to step over while getting onto this bike is higher than the bar on other bikes we tested, which will be important to consider if you have trouble lifting your legs. The Sole features pedal clips for bike shoes and toe cages for other shoes.

The Garmin Varia RCT715 sits at the top of our ratings because of its long radar range, variety of alerts to warn the rider of approaching vehicles, and integrated camera to record incidents with vehicles or pedestrians. When paired with a phone or bike computer, the Garmin uses different colors on the display and different tones to indicate the status of vehicles approaching the rider. The radar can detect multiple vehicles at the same time. The "fast vehicle" notification activates when a vehicle traveling "faster than 55 mph relative to the bike or any vehicle significantly faster than the average vehicle speed" is detected, or when a slow-moving cyclist is being tracked and a vehicle is detected further back.

If you want a way to do cardio at home, exercising on an elliptical gets you an aerobic workout without the impact that comes with running. The Air Glide 14i is at a decent discount right now, and it’s CR Recommended for its above-average performance in our lab tests. This model got exemplary scores in our tests for construction, ease of use, and user safety. It’s also above average when it comes to ergonomics. It did fall short in terms of heart rate accuracy, but you can always wear a smartwatch or fitness tracker for more accurate readings if you want to track that.

The highly rated Horizon Fitness 7.4AT is a folding treadmill with a reading shelf and quick control dials to rapidly change speed or incline. It has excellent ratings in all tests except user safety, where it still earns a score of very good. It comes with a heart rate monitor to connect directly to training programs and has built-in speakers and Bluetooth connectivity. There are occasional sales that garner an additional $100 off, if you’d prefer to wait for more savings.

With the ability to ramp the incline up to 14.8 percent, the 7.0AT is a good model to consider if you want to “hike” indoors. CR’s testing also showed very little to no wear during simulated six months of use, making it especially durable. Testers liked that the buttons were oversized for easy control. Although the 7.0AT doesn’t come with its own heart rate strap, it will pair to one you purchase separately and automatically respond to target heart rate zones by changing the incline or speed. And while it doesn’t come with the Sprint-8 high-intensity interval training program that the 7.4 AT has, you can still connect the 7.0 AT with third-party exercise subscription services.

The Bowflex BXT8J is one of the most budget-friendly folding treadmills in our ratings, but it still offers a ton of versatility for a wide range of different styles of exercise. Up to four users can track their progress over time with data stored on the treadmill itself. Although Bowflex heavily markets its JRNY exercise subscription app for access to on-demand workouts (you’ll have to pay a monthly fee for this), using it isn’t a requirement. The BXT8J also comes with 26 different workout programs, so you’ll have a lot of options.

The pistol grip on the Ekrin B37S isn’t quite as maneuverable as the handle on some other devices we’ve evaluated. But its design allows users to pinch or palm the device, providing another nice option for holding the device, and the length of the handle can help users massage some of those harder-to-reach areas of the back. It’s moderately loud and provides a strong massage. It’s very easy to attach and remove different massage heads, and the B37S also comes with an excellent and well-organized carrying case.

The Renpho R3 massage gun is almost always available on sale for this price, but it’s still a good offer. This massage gun might be the best all-around device for most average users because it’s small, lightweight, and quieter than other devices. But it’s not the ideal choice for people who want the most intense massage or the best model to massage areas on the back. 

The pistol grip could add some more postural stress than other devices, though its light weight and small form could help alleviate stress for some. As a bonus, this can be charged with a standard USB-C charging cable.

At 30.2 pounds, this Schwinn folding bike is heavier than other models we’ve tested and doesn’t fold as easily or as compactly. And the lock that holds the folding handlebar stem upright while you’re riding had some play in it on our tested bike, which can make the Loop feel a little wobbly over bumps. But it’s also relatively inexpensive and comes with a handy carrying bag that keeps folded parts that aren’t secured—such as the handlebar stem and frame half—from swinging around while you’re carrying it. Most models we tested didn’t have a way to secure folding parts that could swing back and forth while moving the bike and could have used a carrying bag.