The Best Fitness Cardio Lineup: A Complete Guide to the Treadmill, Bikes, and Cross Trainer

If you're building a home gym and you don't want to source cardio from one brand and strength from another, Best Fitness has the most complete value-tier cardio lineup we stock at Everything Gyms. Five distinct cardio modalities — treadmill, recumbent bike, cross trainer, indoor cycle, and mountain climber — under one brand umbrella, all from Body-Solid's residential value tier (same Forest Park, Illinois engineering pedigree as Body-Solid's flagship lineup, just tuned to a more accessible price point). This guide walks through every active piece, who it's right for, and how the five fit together as a cardio category.

The Best Fitness Cardio Philosophy

Best Fitness cardio sits in a specific market position: real residential cardio quality at price points that make a complete home gym achievable without four-figure cardio commitments per piece. None of these are commercial-grade machines — that's a Body-Solid Endurance line conversation — but every Best Fitness cardio piece is built for serious daily home use, with real motors, real flywheels, and real warranties.

Three rules of thumb when matching the lineup to your training:

For weight loss-focused cardio, the BFT25 Treadmill is the right starting point — calorie burn per minute is highest for running, and the BFT25 has running-spec deck and motor.

For low-impact cardio, the BFRB1B Recumbent Bike and BFCT1B Cross Trainer are the standouts. Joint-friendly for lifters with knee or hip issues, and the recumbent specifically is the best option for users with lower back concerns.

For HIIT and conditioning work, the BFSB5R Training Cycle and BFMC10B Mountain Climber deliver high-intensity options with smaller footprints than treadmills or ellipticals.

The Five-Piece Lineup

Best Fitness BFT25 Treadmill — $1,620

The BFT25 is the cardio flagship and the only true running-spec treadmill in the Best Fitness lineup. Real motor sized for sustained running (not just walking), real deck cushioning, real incline range. Console covers the standard data — speed, distance, time, calories, heart rate — without trying to be a smart-fitness platform.

Best for: runners who want a real residential running treadmill, not a budget walker. The BFT25 will handle distance training, interval work, and incline programming for years.

What you give up at this price: smart connectivity (no Peloton-style integrated content), built-in fans, and the bombproof commercial-grade frame you'd find on a $4,000+ Body-Solid Endurance commercial treadmill.

Footprint: moderate. Plan for 7' x 3' floor area plus deck access space behind for safety.

Best Fitness BFRB1B Recumbent Bike — $550

The BFRB1B is the most beginner-friendly cardio piece in the catalog and the right pick for users with knee, hip, or lower back concerns. Recumbent geometry takes load off the lower back during the cardio session, which is a meaningful advantage for users in their 50s and 60s, post-injury rehab, or anyone whose lower back tightens up under upright bike geometry.

Best for: older adults, post-injury rehab, anyone with lower back concerns, or users who want the most comfortable cardio session for long-form steady-state work.

What you give up: the maximum HIIT-style intensity that an upright bike or training cycle can deliver. The BFRB1B is designed for moderate-to-vigorous steady state, not all-out interval work.

Footprint: small. The recumbent design keeps the bike low and short.

Best Fitness BFCT1B Cross Trainer — $730

The BFCT1B is the elliptical/cross trainer pick. Full-body motion (handles move with the stride, so arms work alongside legs), low impact, and the most balanced cardio modality for general fitness — works the upper body, lower body, and aerobic system together.

Best for: users who want a single cardio piece that covers most use cases. The cross trainer is the "Swiss army knife" of cardio — not the best at any single thing, but solidly good at everything from low-intensity recovery sessions to hard interval work.

What you give up: the running-specific calorie burn the BFT25 delivers, and the seated comfort of the BFRB1B for longer sessions.

Footprint: moderate. About 6' x 2.5' footprint. Plan ceiling clearance for users on the taller side — the stride moves the user up about 8 inches.

Best Fitness BFSB5R Training Cycle — $625

The BFSB5R is the indoor cycling/spin bike. Heavy flywheel, real road-bike-style geometry, friction or magnetic resistance for high-intensity intervals.

Best for: users who want gym-class spin sessions at home, road cyclists who train indoors during off-season, and HIIT programmers who want the highest intensity ceiling in the cardio lineup.

What you give up: comfort for long-duration sessions (this is a road-bike-style saddle, not an upright comfort bike), and recumbent's low back support.

Footprint: small. Indoor cycle geometry is the smallest footprint in the cardio lineup besides the mountain climber.

Best Fitness BFMC10B Mountain Climber — $230

The BFMC10B is the price-leader cardio pick. Stepper-style motion that mimics climbing, with handles for arms-engaged climbing patterns. At $230, it's the cheapest entry point to home cardio and the right pick for users who want a HIIT-friendly cardio piece that takes minimal space.

Best for: apartment-sized gyms where footprint is the hard constraint, supplemental cardio next to a primary strength setup, or HIIT-focused training where you want intensity options without the price of a treadmill or cross trainer.

What you give up: the steady-state distance training capability of the larger cardio pieces. The mountain climber is built for short, intense intervals.

Footprint: smallest in the lineup. About 3' x 2' footprint with handles up.

How to Choose

Three buyer profiles cover most decisions:

The runner. Buy the BFT25 Treadmill ($1,620). Real running-spec deck and motor, durable for sustained training. Optional secondary: the BFMC10B Mountain Climber ($230) for HIIT days.

The general-fitness home gym builder. Buy the BFCT1B Cross Trainer ($730). Single cardio piece that covers low-intensity recovery, moderate steady state, and HIIT. Best balance of versatility and footprint.

The injury-aware or older user. Buy the BFRB1B Recumbent Bike ($550). Joint-friendly geometry, lower back support, comfortable for long sessions. Optional secondary: the BFCT1B Cross Trainer for upper body engagement on cross-training days.

The budget-conscious buyer. Start with the BFMC10B Mountain Climber ($230) as the foundation, add a recumbent or cycle later as budget allows.

The cyclist. Buy the BFSB5R Training Cycle ($625). Closest geometry to a road bike, heavy flywheel for resistance feel, real interval ceiling.

Pairing Cardio With a Best Fitness Strength Setup

The clean version of a complete Best Fitness home gym: one strength centerpiece plus one cardio piece.

Strength + cardio under $2,000: BFPR100B Power Rack ($435) + BFFID25B Bench ($230) + BFRB1B Recumbent Bike ($550) = $1,215 before barbell, plates, and dumbbells.

Strength + serious cardio under $3,000: BFMG20B Sportsman Gym ($670) + BFT25 Treadmill ($1,620) = $2,290 for full strength multi-station and running-spec treadmill in two purchases.

HIIT-focused gym under $1,000: BFPR100B Power Rack ($435) + BFMC10B Mountain Climber ($230) + BFFID25B Bench ($230) = $895 plus barbell and plates.

What to Add as You Progress

After the initial cardio investment, common upgrades:

Heart rate monitoring. Most Best Fitness cardio consoles support chest-strap heart rate; a quality strap (Polar, Wahoo) costs $60–100 and dramatically improves training quality.

Resistance increment. The cardio pieces with magnetic resistance (recumbent, cross trainer, indoor cycle) have meaningful resistance ranges — most users don't reach the top of the range, but if you're a serious athlete training for cycling competition, you may want to upgrade to Body-Solid's Endurance line.

Recovery. Cardio loads the cardiovascular system but also accumulates joint stress over time. The Best Fitness BFINVER10B Inversion Table ($280) is the recovery pairing we recommend most often.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these cardio machines commercial-grade? No. Best Fitness cardio is residentially warrantied. For commercial-grade, look at the Body-Solid collection and specifically the Endurance line and Pro Clubline.

How loud are they? Treadmill is the loudest (motor noise). Recumbent and indoor cycle are nearly silent. Cross trainer is moderate. Mountain climber is quiet (no motor; it's mechanical).

What's the warranty? Frame carries longer warranty than electronics and consumable parts. Specifics are on each product page.

Can I move them around? All five pieces have wheels for tilting and rolling on a hard floor. Treadmill is the heaviest (200+ lb); plan two-person moves for room rearranging.

Do I need a special outlet? All five plug into a standard 120V outlet. The treadmill is the highest power draw — give it a dedicated circuit if your home wiring is older.

What ceiling height for the cross trainer? About 7 feet of clearance. The stride raises the user roughly 8 inches above standing height.

Bottom Line

The Best Fitness cardio lineup is the most complete value-tier cardio family we stock. Five distinct modalities, every one built on Body-Solid's residential engineering pedigree, all priced for realistic home gym budgets. Browse the full Best Fitness collection to see current pricing and inventory, or read the Best Fitness brand guide for the broader catalog context. For strength pairings, our Best Fitness home gym for beginners under $500 guide walks through the strength side.