Automatic adjustments on a bike refer to the machine's ability to change resistance and incline in real time based on trainer cues or your personal fitness data — without you touching the controls. When you have to manage resistance yourself, you interrupt your rhythm and it's easy to default to a comfortable level rather than one that's actually challenging you. With iFIT's automatic adjustments, the machine handles intensity so every session is appropriately challenging regardless of how motivated you feel that day. SmartAdjust™ ensures that if you modify a setting, the rest of the workout recalibrates to maintain the right overall effort. Over time, it uses your training history to personalize future sessions, reducing plateaus and guesswork. The result is a machine that trains you, rather than one you have to manage yourself.

Full trainer-led workouts running hands-free require an iFIT membership. Basic riding works without one, but the features that make automatic resistance worth it — trainer sync, personalized intensity, AI Coach — are subscription-dependent.

That's what SmartAdjust™ is designed for. It tracks how you're actually riding and adjusts your workouts in real-time and raises the challenge as your fitness improves — so the sprints that pushed you in week two still push you in week twelve. You keep progressing without planning any of it yourself.

Yes. You can ride in full manual mode with complete control over resistance yourself, or use Workout Creator⁶ to build a custom workout your bike will follow automatically.

NordicTrack exercise bikes are worth the investment because they combine high-quality hardware with iFIT, a connected training platform that guides every workout and adapts to your fitness level over time. Unlike a basic exercise bike that relies on you to set the pace and plan the session, NordicTrack with iFIT automatically adjusts resistance in real time — and on the X24, incline and decline also adjust to match your trainer, fitness level, and goals. Guided workout series build progressively from one session to the next, so you're never starting from scratch. On the X24, the incline-to-decline range of 20% incline to -10% decline engages a variety of muscles and allows 2x more calorie burn at 20% incline⁸.

The S24 auto-adjusts resistance. The X24 goes further — it also auto-adjusts incline, from -10% to 20%, so the trainer's workout runs across resistance and grade simultaneously. Riders at 20% incline can burn 2x more calories without adding time or speed.⁸ If terrain simulation and maximum calorie burn matter, the X24 is the right bike.

Bikes with automatic resistance can be worth the premium when you want trainer-led workouts that run hands-free and a machine that adapts automatically — so you keep progressing without having to think about what to do next. The automatic adjustments and personalized intensity are designed to address the specific pattern that causes many people to quit — not lack of effort, but lack of structure and a workout that's actually calibrated to your level. If that pattern describes your past experience with gym memberships or home equipment, automatic resistance may help. If you're already self-directed and don't need external structure, the premium may not add proportional value.