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Welcome to The Check Out, our newsletter that gives you a deeper look at some of our editors' favorite things. Each week, we'll showcase a life-changing product, along with a bunch of other reviews, roundups, and deals that will help you live, work out, dress, eat, and take care of yourself better.
- The Editors at Men's Health The first sign that NordicTrack's new S22i isn't your average spin bike greets you at the welcome screen of its built-in iFit platform. From the moment you sign in, you’re presented with a panel of options highlighting of some of the world’s most beautiful rides—from routes in Vietnam and Tokyo to climbs in Norway and Patagonia. A few taps later, and the bike's sharp, 22-inch HD monitor transports you there instantly, setting you behind a pro cyclist as they narrate every turn in the road in real-time. This feature also does a great job of setting the S22i apart from high-end competitors like Peloton and Echelon, giving iFit a distinct offering in addition to its robust library of studio classes and HIIT workouts. For an added dose of realism, the bike's engineers also gave the S22i the unique ability to tilt upward 20 degrees, or downward 10 degrees. Those inclines and declines sync up automatically with your ride, whether you’re cruising along a Tokyo bike path or following an instructor’s lead in a live class.
A magnetic resistance system built into the wheelhouse also makes the act of pedaling nearly whisper-silent. (The only exception to this rule is the distractingly loud motor mounted on the back of the bike that blares to life as it powers you up and down those virtual hills.) A Google Maps integration, meanwhile, amounts to a nice stocking stuffer: It's fun to plot a virtual route anywhere in the world, but the actual experience of watching an image refresh every few seconds while you pedal is a few steps down from the immersiveness of those international rides.
- Mike Darling (Men's Health Executive Editor)
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