Nordictrack Grand Tour vs Studio Cycle Comparison – Which is Best for You?
Trying to compare the Nordictrack Grand tour vs Studio Cycle bikes?

You’re not alone. These are two lines of exercise bikes from Nordictrack that give you some very impressive features – like incline and decline for a more realistic feel, handweights in the console and full-color, HD consoles!
Plus the Nordictrack Grand Tour and Commercial Studio bikes all come with iFit Coach compatibility.
So you can bike trails all over the world from Hawaii to the Grand Canyon and enjoy the scenery from your console.
You can also stream high-energy studio workouts to your console and enjoy an intense, high-calorie-burning workout from the comfort of your own home.

There are, however, some key differences between the Grand Tour bikes and the Commercial Studio Cycles that you should know.
Here’s a review of the main differences between them to help you decide which is best for you:
Nordictrack Grand Tour vs Studio Cycles – Price
There are 2 different Nordictrack Grand Tour models – the Grand Tour and the Grand Tour PRO bike. These bikes are a little more affordable than the Studio cycles starting around $999 up to $1499 with Free Shipping here.
The Nordictrack Commercial Studio Cycles are a bit higher-grade and meant to be more of a commercial-type bike for frequent and experienced cyclists.
There are also two models – the S15i and the S22i bikes. They start at around $1599 up to $1999 with Free Shipping here.

Nordictrack Grand Tour Bike vs Studio Cycle – Consoles
All bike consoles are full-color, HD and touch-screen sensitive.
They will all work with the iFit coach workouts – so you can bike trails all over the world and watch the scenery from your console window for a more immersive, virtual-reality experience.
There are a few key differences however. Here’s the Nordictrack Grand Tour console:

And here’s the console on the Grand Tour PRO Bike :

As you can see, the Pro console is quite a bit larger – 10 inches vs 7 inches across. So it’s going to be easier to see your workout stats and watch the iFit Coach workouts with the larger screen on the Grand Tour Pro bike.
Now here is the Nordictrack Studio Cycle S15i console:

And the Nordictrack S22i Studio Cycle console:

As you can see the Studio Cycle consoles are larger than most other bikes – and even larger than the Grand Tour bikes.
The S15i has a 14 inch console and the S22i has a massive 22 inch console! That’s like having a built-in, interactive TV screen right on your bike.
Another difference?
While they all have the 3-pound weights included on the console, you’ll notice that the Studio Cycles look a bit more finished and “commercial” than the Grand Tour bikes.
You’ll also notice that the hand grips are more padded and comfortable-looking on the Studio Cycles than on the Grand Tour bikes.
One thing the Grand Tour bikes have that you don’t get on the Studio Cycles?
A tablet holder.
So with the Nordictrack Grand Tour upright bikes you can attach your tablet above the console and use it to surf the web or watch TV shows or movies as you ride. You don’t get this with the Studio Cycles.
One thing you may not be able to tell from the pics above are WHERE the console screens are located on these bikes.

The Grand Tour Pro consoles (see above) are a bit flatter (so your tablet will be around eye level) whereas the Studio Cycle consoles (see pic below) are a bit more vertical (so the console will be a bit more at eye level).

Nordictrack Grand Tour vs Studio Cycle – Incline / Decline
While you get incline and decline on both the Grand Tour and Studio Cycle bikes, there is a slight difference. On the Grand Tour bikes you get up to 10% incline and 10% decline.
On the Nordictrack Studioi Cycles, you get up to 20% incline and 10% decline.
So you get a bit higher incline on the Studio Cycles to add extra challenge to your workouts.

Nordictrack Grand Tour vs Studio Cycle – Rotating Console
The Grand Tour bikes come with some impressive consoles as you can see below:

However the Studio Cycle consoles add something extra – they rotate 180 degrees!
This is great for those iFit crosstraining workouts where you want to get off the bike to do stretching, yoga, weight training etc:

Nordictrack Grand Tour vs Studio Cycle Comparison – Heart Rate
The Nordictrack Grand Tour bikes will work with a wireless chest strap to monitor your heart rate. The Pro model even comes with a free wireless chest strap included.
However the Studio Cycles do not come with this option or a wireless chest strap.
Nordictrack Grand Tour vs Studio Cycle Comparison – More Differences
The Nordictrack Studio Cycle seats and pedals are compatible with standard road bike seats and pedals. So you can change them out if you want.
The Grand Tour bikes do not have this feature – you can’t change out the pedals or the seat.
Also, the Studio Cycles are just built a bit tougher with Commercial-grade steel frames and enhanced corrosion resistance. They’re also a bit heavier which adds stability.
This makes sense as they are Nordictrack’s “Commercial” bike series. The Grand Tour bikes are well built and stable – but they aren’t really designed for super-heavy, intense workouts like the studio cycles are.

Bottom Line?
The Nordictrack Grand Tour and Studio Cycles are both very popular indoor training bikes designed to give you a more effective and enjoyable workout.
However there are a few key differences between them.
The Grand Tour bikes are really more of a souped-up-upright bike with great training features like incline or decline. But you also get more of a standard console and regular exercise bike features like the heart rate monitors and the tablet holder above the console.
The Nordictrack Studio Cycles on the other hand are really built for someone who wants a serious, commercial-grade indoor cycle with all the bells and whistles.
They have a stronger frame and are designed to take longer and more intense workouts. Plus with the swivelling consoles, higher inclines and the interchangeable bike pedals and seats – you have a few more things to do on these bikes.
It really comes down to what you’re looking for, your workout style and budget.
In either case, both bikes give you a lot more than other brands on the market and you’ll have a lot of fun ways to challenge yourself while working out!
Want to Learn More?
Click Here for a Special Offer on the Nordictrack Studio Cycles

Click Here for Free Shipping on the Nordictrack Grand Tour Bikes

Will these bikes work without the membership, as in once the membership runs out, can you still use the Bike manually
Thanks
Hi Gerry,
Thanks for your question. I’ve spoken to Nordictrack several times about this (as have many others on this site). And yes – once the membership runs out – if you don’t want to renew iFit, you can still use the bikes manually (any of them).
Vienna