My husband and I need a new exercise bike. He likes a not-smart option he can just ride and adjust the resistance as he chooses without an app. I like zwifting. We only have room for one bike. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Most smart bikes support changing resistance using a simple manufacturer’s app or cycling computer. I realize that’s an “app” but it is still much simpler than Zwift and would not require a subscription. He could (for example) run the Wahoo app on a phone and control a Wahoo trainer or smart bike by simply adjusting resistance up/down and not use Zwift at all. Spin bikes that offer manual resistance adjustment are also available, but they are much less good for use with cycling simulation apps like Zwift so if you like the idea of using Zwift I wouldn’t recommend that. Zwift works best if you let it control the trainer resistance so it can simulate hills and do workouts that demand a certain level of resistance that gets adjusted automatically. The Zwift Ride would work with that arrangement. You would get to use all its features, and he would just use it like a dumb spin bike with resistance controlled with a phone app.
Any bike with a knob you can turn to increase/decrease resistance (magnetic) will work even if it also supports apps like zwift. You don’t have to use an app at all. Amazon has many that do exactly that.
And as another possibility that I realize you didn’t really ask for, there are smart trainers that can work in dumb mode, but then you’d likely need shifting his and her bikes for fit reasons. For example, I think an Elite Justo can be preset with a resistance level and then even unplugged and used with a bike. Resistance changes then of course would depend on what gear you shift your bike into.