Yesoul G1M Max Bike Review | All the Features for a Fraction of the Peloton Price

A detailed review of a solid, affordable spin bike with a large screen that can easily be enjoyed by the whole family. Find out if the Yesoul G1M Max bike is a good fit for your home cross training workouts.

Once upon a time, I was a frequent flyer in spin classes, often as a supplement to or inclement weather-alternative to road cycling. Then life got busier, I joined a gym without spin bikes, later started working out exclusively at home and focused more on just running and strength training. I steadfastly avoided the Peloton craze during the pandemic, instead adding a rowing machine to our home gym (which has seen plenty of use).

But life has a funny way of coming full circle, and I recently found myself in a position where I’ll be unable to run for quite some time due to knee surgery, and even the rower will be a no go for a bit. No better time to test out a spin bike – but not before everyone else in my family took it for a spin first.

The verdict from everyone, as you’ll soon see, is that it’s a sturdy, smooth-riding bike that provides nearly all the same features as a much higher end bike for a fraction of the cost.

Yesoul G1M Bike Overview

If you’re thinking, “I’ve never heard of Yesoul before,” well, neither had I. Yesoul is a newer addition to the home fitness equipment market and currently offers 3 versions of the upright spin bike, a recumbent bike, treadmill and rower.

From the appearance to the features of all of their products, it’s pretty clear they’re offering a much lower cost alternative to Peloton brand cardio equipment. They have a few models, but we started with the Yesoul G1M Max.

This is their top end model and yet still under $1000 which is pretty impressive for the features.

I did a lot of research before our bike arrived and a common theme was that the assembly and setup instructions in the included manual were limited and confusing. There are many YouTube videos available to help, but as it turned out, my rather handy (and stubborn) husband was able to get it assembled without too many complaints within about 30 minutes.

Adjustments for the seat and handlebars were intuitive if you’ve ever ridden a spin bike before, and made it easy to dial in a comfortable fit for each member of the family (from the 9 and 10 year olds on up to the grown ups).

One difference from the Peloton and some other spin bikes is that the Yesoul bikes come with standard flat pedals; one side has toe cages and the other does not.

This was a plus for me in my post-surgical rehab state as clipping in and out was not going to happen, and made it easier for the whole family to use the bike seamlessly. But if you’re someone who prefers to clip in for your rides, you’ll need to invest in a separate set of clipless pedals of your choice.

Key Features

Other initial positive first impressions included:

Comfortable seat! The seat is a bit larger and more padded than most traditional spin bikes to begin with and also came with a removable padded seat cover for extra comfort

Large, rotating screen – the 21.5” full HD display, while not a touchscreen, rotates 360 degrees and tilts to allow for precise positioning for both on- and off-bike workouts

Surround sound – speakers both below the screen and behind the seat allow for good quality immersive sound

No subscription required – while Yesoul does have its own app with a large library of bike, treadmill, row, and strength training workouts available (some for free, much more for just $12.99/month subscription fee), you can also ride the bike without the app and the screen will keep track of basic ride stats

Cast or mirror your phone or tablet (using Bluetooth or the included USB-C and Lightning cables) to the screen so you can use any other app including Peloton and Zwift or watch YouTube while you ride, with your ride stats still showing in the upper left hand corner of the screen

Ride quality was as smooth and quiet as any other higher quality spin bike I’ve ever tried, but there were a few drawbacks. The bike is plenty sturdy, but at 77 lb, is considerably lighter than the 135lb Peloton. While this makes it easy to move around, for some it may feel a little wobbly especially when pedaling at a high intensity while standing. 

Placing the machine on a rubber pad, should add that extra stability. And all that being said, there was no fear it was actually going to tip, just noticeable if you’ve ridden heavier bikes.

We also found the handlebars a little awkward to adjust since you have to pull them up at a diagonal to do so. But if you won’t be changing the position between riders, this is a non issue.

Finally, at times it seemed to take a lot of turns of the resistance knob to go up or down just a few notches in resistance – not a deal breaker, just meant an extra arm workout especially when big, quick resistance changes were called for during a class. Oddly enough Coach Amanda said she noticed this in her recent test of the Echelon spin bike as well. So maybe we just need to do more strength work.

Quick Take

If you’re wondering about the differences in the Yesoul Max and Plus, there are a few key ones: the Max seat has been described as way more comfortable, Max gets you the additional back end speakers, Max is a little bit quieter and has USB-c for screencasting.

All considered, I’m very glad the Yesoul G1M Max has reminded me how much I used to enjoy spin classes.

It’s already proven to be a very helpful tool during my rehab from knee surgery, and it will see plenty of use in the months and years to come not only from me but my husband and two growing and athletic boys as well. For those that want a high-end spin bike experience without spending a high-end price, this is an excellent option.

What to read next?

• Best Cardio Cross Training for Runners
• Check out the Echelon Connect EX-5 Bike Review
• Best At Home Running Treadmills