Schwinn 230 Recumbent Bike

I ordered the Schwinn 230 after doing some research on different recumbent bikes that were under $500. I wanted something with a full seat that was easily adjustable with programs, heart monitoring, workout tracking and could increase resistance via the control panel vs a manual adjustment to the equipment. There were a few models that popped up, but after reading the reviews and watching the video for the Schwinn 230, I was sold. Assembly was not too difficult. My husband and I were able to put it together in about 30 minutes. It helps to have a second person for some of the assembly but it *could* be done by one person. **Note, the main body of the bike comes assembled and is quite heavy. It may require one strong person or two people to get it up or down stairs safely. I have been using the bike now for a week and a half and am quite pleased. I am using the bike 7 months pregnant (not recommended unless checking with your Obstetrician first) as a way to get daily exercise that is safe, comfortable and doesn't overexert my abilities. There are many different programs and resistances to choose from, but I stick with 30 minutes on the quick-start (one level), which even at resistance 1 will burn around 100 calories over ~6 miles of cycling. My husband has also been using the bike on days he doesn't go to the gym and he finds it very challenging at the upper levels of resistance. The bike also includes a fan, which works great and can be adjusted to 3 speeds and 2 different positions, an audio jack for your ipod/iphone/ipad or other mp3 device and speakers (adjust volume through your device), and a tablet mount for reading, watching videos or surfing the web. All in all, a great piece of exercise equipment for the price.

This bike is great, especially for it's low price. It is sturdy and my husband built it in about an hour without much grumbling (so it MUST have been easy to build!). I have used it every other day for the last week. I do the "rolling hills" program and it has me sweating by the end of it. Their is a little beeping melody at the end of the workout, and the other day my 5 year old heard it and yelled out "Goal Achieved!". Programing in your name, weight, and the date got me a little confused (and it isn't covered in the manual). I evenutally figured out how to reset the programming so my name is no longer just "Ju". There are plenty of programs to pick from, and more challenging levels that I will hopefully be able to use as my level of fitness increases. The cup holder is well located. Big enough to hold an oversized bottle or cup. Fan is a perfect height and keeps me cool during my workout. The seat is easy to adjust, and it fits my height (5'2") and my husband could use it if he wanted (at 6'4"). It really does have a the feel (resistance, quality, programs) of an expensive piece of gym equipment. Note: At my height the shelf for a tablet or phone is rendered useless because it is well below eye level. I happily hold my kindle as I pedal along. Added 7/9/15 - Still using the bike. Aiming for every other day, but not always accomplishing this. I am still doing the "rolling hills" program but I have increased the time by 10 minutes and the level by 1. My pants are looser in the thigh area, and I feel better and sleep better.

I added my performance review below, my early review was only on shipping and assembly. SHIPPING AND ASSEMBLY: For ease and condition and shipping, etc, I give it 5 stars. This bike comes in a large box that weighs 90 pounds, and is about 5 feet tall, 2 feet wide and 1 foot deep. The UPS guy will deliver it to the door, and I was able to "walk" the box without any problem. I could not have lifted the box by myself, and I'm 6 foot adult male in pretty good shape, but I only had to go 10 feet from my front door to where I was taking the bike. So, if you expect to have to get the bike up or down stairs, or from the front door to somewhere way back in the house, you definitely want two people, and a dolly if you have one. The box did not have any clearly marked "this side up" that I could find, but it has the Schwinn logo and name so common sense tells you which way to rest it on the floor. I don't know that you could break anything by putting it upside down but who knows. The exterior of the shipping box had some dings and a few cuts on one corner, but no major marks of abuse. The box is very sturdy and professionally stapled and taped closed. You will need a good pair of scissors and a flat screwdriver to get the box open. The parts are packed carefully with plenty of form-cut Styrofoam. Plastic wrap also protects the parts I guess from getting scratched. After opening the box I was able to get all the parts out with no problem. You might want a second person to help lift the base out but it's only about 50 pounds and has several useful grip points so it's not too hard. The parts include two allen wrenches and a combination screwdriver tool for assembling the bike. Except for a pair of scissors, you do not need any tools beyond what comes in the box. They also have a clever marking system on a small diagram for all the different size screws and washers; but it can be torn beyond recognition getting it open so take a good look and maybe even take a picture of it before you tear it open. I found only one very small spot of breakage. The plastic cover that surrounds the front wheel has a left and right half, with 4 molded plastic male-female connections that hold the halves together. One of them had been pulled out, but I was able to snap it back together, and one of the pieces you put on during assembly holds it together too, so I see no problems there. The instructions are fairly simple and easy to understand. You really almost can't put something on wrong. I spent about 2 hours putting it together but I was taking my time and could probably have done it in an hour, maybe 90 minutes. You do not have to be especially good with tools or anything. There are some places where having two people would be useful, but I don't really think having two people would make it go much faster. There's just one or two steps where an extra pair of hands would have been useful. You may also need some WD-40 on one or two of the screws. The bike feels very solid and sturdy when assembled. It does not feel like a cheap piece of equipment. I'm not crazy about the shape of the seat but everyone's rear end is different and I suppose other people might like it. The display panel works as advertised, no glitches or anything so far. It has both a USB and a 1/8 inch stereo jack so you can plug in an I-pod or whatever. The speakers have decent sound. The bike is so whisper quiet that you will be able to hear music or the TV with no problem, without having to turn the volume up to 11. The fan seems inadequate, if you like working out with a fan blowing on you then you might need to use a house fan. The seat adjustment lever is interesting, I cannot for the life of me figure out how it holds in place once you get it set where you want it but who cares as long as it works. It takes minimal effort to engage the adjustment lever and slide the seat back or forwards. ** ONE ODDITY THAT I JUST MENTION --- PARTS OF THE BIKE, I BELIEVE IT'S JUST THE METAL PARTS, HAVE A VERY STRONG, NAUSEATING ODOR. POSSIBLY FROM THE PAINT OR THE MOLDING PROCESS, WHO KNOWS. IN A POORLY-VENTILATED SPACE IT WILL MAKE YOU SICK AFTER A WHILE -- HEADACHE AND NAUSEA. THE METAL POST THAT SUPPORTS THE DISPLAY PANEL WAS THE WORST OFFENDER ON MY BIKE BUT THE SMELL IS PRESENT IN OTHER AREAS OF THE BIKE. I TOOK CARE OF THE WORST OF IT BY WRAPPING THE POST IN HEAVY GORILLA TAPE JUST TO COVER IT UP AND IT WORKED OK. MAYBE I JUST GOT A BAD PAINT JOB, I CAN"T BELIEVE NO ONE ELSE WOULD HAVE REMARKED ON THIS IF IT WAS THE STANDARD FACTORY SMELL. ** All in all, I give this bike 5 stars for ease of setup, easy to follow directions, useful parts and tools, etc. I guess some people have had bad experiences with a busted bike being delivered to them but I had no problem. Just about anyone should be able to set this bike up at home and you don't have to be a professional handyman either. *** OPERATION / FEATURES *** OK, to answer the main questions: Yes, this bike really is ridiculously whisper-quiet. I mean next to no noise while riding it. It really is amazing after having a chain-drive Schwinn Airdyne for years to have a bike that is so quiet. I live in an apartment, so a quiet bike that would not disturb my neighbors was important and this bike is as quiet as it could be. I can hear the TV or radio easily, without having to crank it up loud. The resistance is very smooth when increasing or decreasing, and it is totally consistent while riding. It never changes suddenly to harder or easier, if you set it on 7 then it's going to stay at 7 for as long as you want. The higher levels provide enough resistance to give a great workout to even the most fit bike rider, honestly I can't imagine even using the top 3 or 4 levels LOL. Changing levels while riding is very simple and the change happens quickly and smoothly. The console is nice, it's easy to read, etc. No complaints, it's not as fancy as some of the gym bikes I've used but so what. The built-in programs are nice and provide useful variety if you want more than just a standard ride. Some simulate small hills, some simulate urban riding, etc. You get different difficulty for different amounts of time with the programs. I haven't fooled with the feature that lets you track your progress. The speakers are fair, but the fan is really just about useless. You will do better to set up a small fan next to the bike rather than using the built-in fan. Or maybe a small hand-held battery-power fan. The pedals are very solid, but of course like most of the parts on this bike you will want to inspect and re-tighten as needed. The special tool that comes with the bike is very useful for tightening the pedals so you will want to throw it in a drawer and keep it. The pedals are mounted so that you need to pay a little attention or your heel may strike the floor as you come around, but that's no big deal. I have average adult male size feet and I can get them in the pedal strap with no problem. I'm 6'1" and the bike is big enough that I don't have to put the seat all the way back in order to get the right setting. I imagine someone 6'-3" or maybe even 6'-4" could probably do OK as long as you don't have real long legs. I am also about 260 and I had worried about the seat's durability because of the way it's mounted, it seems like it would be under a lot of torque since it only attaches to the bike along the center but it seems to do just fine, and worst case it would be one of the easiest parts to replace. Overall, I give this bike 4 stars. It seems like a perfect home exercise bike for someone who wants a quiet ride, ease of operation, and affordability. I trust the Schwinn name, and I'm glad I went with this bike instead of paying twice a much for a gym bike. But the weird smell is a show-stopper. Maybe I just got a bad paint job? I love the bike so I'm not sending it back, but it really dampens my rating.

Overall, I really like this machine. I bought it to warm up before lifting weights and to do cardio on my off-days. I weigh too much to run on a treadmill (and ones that could handle me are way too expensive), and running would be too hard on my knees at this point, so a recumbent bike seemed like a great way to work up a sweat without making my knees explode. Here's my observations from using it about ~4 days a week for the last couple of months. -No damage to the unit or packaging upon arrival. -Fairly easy to assemble. -Everything worked. -Feels sturdy. Very smooth/quiet ride. -Fan is a nice touch. -Speakers are loud -USB port has low voltage, so if you've ever noticed how your phone/tablet charges much more slowly (or not at all) when plugging it into the USB port on your computer vs. plugging into an A/C adapter, that's what this is like. I just make sure my device is charged from the get-go. -Programs are varied. I like using the heart-rate control program, setting a target heart rate, and letting the machine automatically raise the resistance until I hit the target, and lower it if it gets too intense and my heart rate gets too high. Sometimes I just set it to Interval training, let the machine raise and lower the resistance according the program, and ignore the heart rate stuff. It then gives you a 3-minute cool-down when you're done. -Resistance is changed digitally and not through a crank or dial or anything like that. The 20 levels of resistance go from nice and breezy, to oh-my-god-who-would-ever-need-it-this-hard. I can really feel it in my quads when it starts to get up past 10. -The heart rate sensors are inconsistent and a little finicky. I find sometimes they'll get a much higher reading right off the bat than what my heart rate actually is, and I'll keep adjusting my hands' positions until it picks it up correctly. Once it gets going, it seems less sporadic. This hasn't been too much of an impediment. -The seat is a little... "shallow", I guess I would put it. It's still pretty comfortable. I'm pretty big and I feel like my butt is slightly over the edge sometimes but it hasn't been a problem, even after about 40 minutes. I guess it helps in terms of getting the seat out of the way of the motion of your legs. -I haven't had any of the problems with the sliding, adjustable seat that were described in other reviews, such as wobbling. Everything stays more or less in place while all 260 lbs of me toils away on this thing. TL;DR: A very good product with some very minor issues. Pretty much exactly what I wanted.

So far it is working out great. I have only used it in the manual mode. It came in 2 days instead of the week it was promised. It was very straight forward with clear instructions on assembly. Follow the instructions and only cut out the hardware as you are ready for it. It is completely quiet!

Very fast delivery - arrived in one day instead of the expected two days. I read all the reviews before buying this bike and I would agree pretty much with what have been said. I tackled the assembly process without difficulty, although I am a woman! I am used to assemble kits, IKEA furniture, STAPLES furniture, you name it! I'm the DIY person of the houselhold. So, I would say to any woman out there who buys this bike: don't feel daunted when you see that huge box and all the pieces, you can do it all by yourself! The assembly pictograms were clear enough. You just need to follow the steps in order. I would say that the only problem I found was the screws! Either they were going in in an angle, or they wouldn't go in as if the holes were too small and then you had to force them in, or they weren't easy to screw in because there was a piece of equipment in the way, so you could only screw them in using half turns, sometimes not even that. I spent an awful amount of time with these.... The console works fine, although I need to go online to get hold of the user manual. The manual isn't included with the bike and it's one thing that would have been nice to have handy. The bike runs very smoothly and quietly. I was amazed to see a fan is also included on the console! My main concern was that the bike would be too big for me. I read a review that said short people under 5'5 would have difficulty using that bike. As I'm just under 5'4, I did worry about it thinking what if I can hardly reach the pedals!!! Didn't need to worry at all - the seat is adjustable enough to fit even shorter people than me. What the review meant, thinking about it, is that for short people, the console is even higher as they have to move the seat forward even more and they wouldn't be able to watch TV while on the bike unless the TV set is way high up like you see in fitness centres! It would have been nice if the console had been slighly lower, but it's no big deal to me as I never watch TV when using an exercise bike anyway - I read! The seat is a bit on the small side, but still OK for me. I don't find it particularly uncomfortable. I like the fact that it has so many different programs to choose from and I can't wait to try them properly. As the bike arrived yesterday, I haven't had the chance to use it much yet... All in all, a good bike that I would recommend.

I bought this bike because my two previous Schwinn recumbents were sturdy, functional and very durable. The last one finally gave out after more than 10 years of daily use so I decided to replace it with the 230. Big mistake. Assembly was a 3 hour nightmare because of the poor instructions. This is by far the most uncomfortable and unergonomic bike I have ever sat in. The hard plastic seat is not made for a human back or anything but the most well upholstered backside. Forget this if you have long legs. I do and my legs bend at about 30 degrees at full extension making riding painful nd probably dangerous for my arthritic knees. This is a horrible waste of money. I could not be more angry and disappointed. Schwinn is now a synonym for swindle.

I've only used this bike three sessions now, but it is very sturdy and easy to use. The program navigation is a little odd but easy enough to get the hang of, while the feedback is very good. The tablet holder, audio and USB ports are very handy; I've been using my Nexus7 to watch Netflix during workouts using the bike's speakers for better audio. Simple, but excellent feature. While the tablet blocks the view of the top display, heart rate, speed, distance, calories and time continue to scroll by on the lower display unimpeded. The resistance feels excellent; as a long-time cyclist I hate exercise bikes that have poor resistance, where this feels quite akin to actually peddling a bike. Seat adjustment is a breeze and fits both myself at 6'5" and my daughter at 5'4".