A studio full of indoor bikes goes in on one day and earns back over years, which is the classic case for spreading the cost.
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Yes. Indoor cycling bikes are funded regularly, usually as a studio-sized batch on one agreement. The asset position is reasonable: commercial bikes from established makers are serial-numbered, mechanically simple and sell well second-hand, so a funder can see value. Used bikes are fundable through recognised suppliers. What catches operators out is the rest of the room. Sound systems, lighting rigs, screens and acoustic treatment often cost as much as the bikes, and once fixed into a leased studio they are unrecoverable, so funders look at that portion very differently.
Used kit: Yes, used studio bikes fund well because the second-hand market is active, provided they come from a supplier rather than a private sale.
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Business asset finance is quoted on a flat rate, so that is what this shows — with the equivalent APR underneath, because the two are not the same number. A quick guide only; your actual rate depends on the asset, term, deposit and lender.
Representative example: on Hire Purchase, borrowing £25,000 over 48 months at a 6.0% flat rate (equivalent to 11.5% APR representative), you would repay around £646 a month; total amount repayable approximately £31,000, of which £6,000 is the cost of finance. This calculator is for illustration only — it is not a quote or an offer of finance, and the rate and repayments you are offered will depend on the asset, term, deposit and your circumstances. CW Asset Finance is a credit broker, not a lender, and may receive a commission from the lender that funds your agreement. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval. CW Asset Finance is an Appointed Representative of Rural Finance Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 630701).
Indoor bikes are among the better assets in leisure — low maintenance, easy to move, and wanted by the used market — but the business model around them is what funders scrutinise. Boutique studios often depend on class packs and a single instructor-led draw, with high fixed rent and a short track record. That combination has produced losses in the past, so underwriters read forecasts, presale numbers and the director’s background carefully. Expect a personal guarantee. The other thing to separate clearly is bikes from build: the bikes could be recovered, the sound-proofing, staging, lighting and mirrors could not. Funders may fund the whole room, but they are pricing the unrecoverable portion as unsecured and it affects the decision.
Examples of the machines we are asked to fund. This is not an exhaustive list — if what you are buying is not here, it does not mean we cannot fund it. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.
| Machine | What it is |
|---|---|
| Keiser M3i | Magnetic resistance indoor cycle |
| Keiser M3i Total Body Trainer | Upper and lower body indoor trainer |
| Stages SC3 indoor bike | Power measuring studio bike |
| Stages SB20 smart bike | Connected studio training bike |
| Life Fitness IC7 indoor cycle | Group cycling studio bike |
| ICG IC5 indoor cycle | Coach by Colour studio bike |
| Technogym Group Cycle Connect | Connected group cycling bike |
| Schwinn AC Power indoor bike | Commercial studio cycle |
| Wattbike Atom | Smart bike for studio and testing |
| Wattbike Pro | Performance testing indoor bike |
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Typically a boutique cycling studio fitting out a room of twenty to forty bikes before opening, or an established gym replacing a studio fleet whose bearings, pedals and consoles are all going at once. Hotels and residential developments adding a small studio are a smaller but regular group. The trigger is usually a launch date fixed by a lease start.
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Bought on hire purchase, business plant and machinery normally qualifies for capital allowances on the full cost even though you pay for it monthly, which is a large part of why hire purchase is the common structure. On a finance lease you generally set the rentals against profit instead. The rules change between budgets and your position depends on how you trade, so treat this as the direction of travel and get your accountant to confirm the detail before you commit.
Often it can, but be clear about the effect. Rigged lighting, ceiling speakers and acoustic panels become part of the building and cannot be recovered, so a funder treats that spend as unsecured. Where they form a large share of the total, expect more questions and a narrower set of funders willing to look.
They add cost and some desirability, but consoles also date faster than the frames do. Funders value the bikes as a fleet rather than pricing individual features. From an operational standpoint the console matters a great deal to members, so choose on that basis rather than on how a funder might see it.
Sector experience, a signed lease, presale or founder-membership numbers, a deposit from your own funds and clean personal credit. A forecast that shows the business working at conservative class occupancy rather than a full room is more persuasive than an optimistic one, because underwriters test the downside.
Usually yes, because the funder is assessing an established club with membership history rather than a start-up with none. The bikes are also an addition to an existing floor rather than the whole business model, which lowers the risk an underwriter is being asked to take.
You would settle the existing agreement, often with the supplier contributing a trade-in value towards it. Ask for the settlement figure before committing. Studios that expect to refresh on a short cycle sometimes prefer a lease from the outset, which is designed around the equipment being returned or replaced.
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Not an offer of finance. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
Tell us what you’re looking to fund and Conor will come back to you personally — usually the same day.
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A decline from one lender reflects that lender’s appetite, not the whole market’s.