Customer Reviews

Schwinn 150 Upright Exercise Bike

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was an owner of the Schwinn 140 Upright Exercise Bike, and like many others had it fail me when the pedals one day lost all tension. That bike was squeaky, the display was problematic, and it had severe longevity issues. And if you would like to hear about the ridiculous "self-repair" that Nautilus/Schwinn warranty forces upon the customer, read the many negative reviews of that bike.

This new one was offered to me for free through the Amazon Vine program. Right out of the box, I noticed that the Schwinn 150 is basically the Schwinn 140 rebranded with nearly all the same components save the computer module. Even the mounts for the obsolete bottle holder are still present on the neck, as it has now been incorporated into the computer console.

ASSEMBLY: Unfortunately, the very first piece to piece together, the front stabilizer, is defective. The end caps which contain the wheels (necessary to move the unit) do not have screw holes bored in them as illustrated in the manual. I finally just jammed the screws in their myself but let's hope they don't start tearing into the plastic and making problems down the road. Really unacceptable. Putting on the pedals and seat is relatively straightforward however.

There are also still major problems with the attachment of the computer module to the neck and the body of the bike due to the moderately rigid cable being substantially too long. DO NOT bolt on the neck completely until you have stuffed it into the body or else you will just have to remove them to position the display properly. It basically involves a lot of wiggling back and forth until the whole assembly fits together, but it can be done with time and patience. It's annoying, and one has to be very careful not to damage the delicate wires on either end for fear of disabling the unit.

PERFORMANCE: Here is where things seem to have improved. The seat is not nearly as creaky as on the 140, and the display is easier to view from different angles. It is also nice having the bottle holder located higher and the addition of the fan is a nice little touch, although I will be using a much larger auxiliary one. Overall the pedaling seems to be smoother as well. You can get a good workout from this bike... while it functions.

Alas, from what I can tell the bike still has the same guts and the sound of the little whizzy motor that "switches gears" appears to be the same mechanism which is prone to premature failure. Only time will tell if this bike will last, but from what I read in the warranty, the terms and conditions have not changed since the 140 -- which means that fixing it could be a major headache -- if even possible after the 90 day parts and labor guarantee.

BOTTOM LINE: Shop around for a better bike.

In reviewing this Schwinn 150 exercise bike, I am basically comparing it to a Nautilus U514 exercise bike that we purchased on Amazon just a few months ago.

Even though this exercise bike is labeled a Schwinn, the inside of the box had the name Nautilus. I was encouraged by this, but it was short lived, as we learned after assembling and using this exercise bike.

The Schwinn 150 Upright Exercise Bike is made for larger bodied persons, and there are some advantages that come with that feature. The seat is larger than most exercise bikes, and that's a real plus when it comes to having a comfortable ride. The bike also has larger pedals, and for me, an average sized woman, this is uncomfortable. My feet literally fall through the stirrups, so I have to wear large shoes to keep them on the pedals when riding this bike. (Yes, the straps are adjustable, but it's cheap plastic strapping that isn't going to hold up after much use).

There are some nice features with the Schwinn 150, like an MP3 player port with speakers, and a book holder.

When comparing it to my Nautilus U514, which is a few bucks cheaper, there really isn't a comparison when it comes to quality. The Nautilus is better, in my opinion. The Schwinn has twice the preset programs, but otherwise, the panel features are very similar. The fan on the Schwinn has the quality of a dollar-store toy, while the Nautilus bike has a high-powered fan that actually puts out some air.

The Nautilus bike looks and feels better. It's solid and quality made. The Schwinn, though costing more, feels cheap and does not look like it is built to last. I also have a hard time adjusting the seat level.

Hands down the Nautilus U514 exercise bike wins this comparison.

I've had a 120 for about a year and it's held up pretty well so far. After seeing this one up for grabs on the Vine program I jumped at the chance to try the next model up.

Schwinn still hasn't figured out how to pack these things so they don't destroy their own boxes in transit, but luckily, all the parts were present and accounted for this time despite the fact that the box looked like it'd fallen off a train.

Assembly was generally more straightforward than it was with the 120, but the very first step--affixing the end caps to the front stabilizer--involves pressing some tiny, sharp screws down into a metal tube that wants to roll in order to penetrate the plastic. If you don't want to spend the night holding a bandaged hand over your head, wear gloves or pre-drill through the plastic. There's really no excuse for this.

Getting the console on was the only other thing I had any trouble with. It's really not that difficult of a process, but the illustrations in the instructions are quite poor, and there is no accompanying text to walk you through where the cables are supposed to thread through. Expect to re-do your work here at least once before you get it right.

In actual use, I do like it better than the 120. Being able to slide the seat forward or back a bit makes a huge difference for me, and the display is easier to read--both visually and in terms of comprehensibility. I still wish it had a simple tension adjustment knob and a timer instead of all the fancy nonsense they think they need to cram onto bike displays, but whattyagonnado?

The drink holder is a nice touch, but the fan is an absolute joke. It makes a lot of noise but barely moves any air, and it doesn't really even blow on you unless you move your face right up to the console. Nice try, but why bother?

Internally, I'm sure it's exactly the same as the previous models. Some have had catastrophic failures, but mine's been OK. It's smooth and virtually silent, and offers a pretty nice ride for the price. I wouldn't suggest that anyone trash an older model just to upgrade, but I'd recommend it to city dwellers looking to buy.

Using this bike for a while now, I feel comfortable giving potential buyers a fairly complete picture of what this exercise bike will, and will not, give you.

As far as I am aware, there are 2 different kinds of exercise bikes--one that is upright--like this one--and another that almost makes an even plane with you seated, and the pedals out in front--the recumbent. The latter was what I used most when going to the gym. With the recumbent you get an even workout between your quads, hamstrings, and butt. All of these are worked and sore after you do a workout. This Schwinn upright is a little different.

The trade-off between the recumbent bikes and this Schwinn upright is that you are getting a realistic biking experience and sacrificing a few muscle groups, which are not worked as much as when on the recumbent. Because you are upright and seated, the quads will get worked the most, hamstrings the least, and the butt moderately. To extrapolate very subjective percentages of these muscle groups,

[---I would say these values accurately represent what gets worked---]:

Quads (these hurt the most during the work out) - 75%

Hamstrings - 5%

Butt - 20%

[---The only real differences between riding a real bike and the Schwinn 150 are---]:

1. No need to maintain balance,
2. Cannot really stand and pedal--which would allow more of the hamstrings and butt to be worked,
3. You are not subject to the elements and Sun,
4. No sticking bike chain (the Schwinn pedal motion is as smooth as you could hope for), and
5. The scenary.

As you see there are drawbacks to not riding the real thing, and improvements on the real experience by owning this exercise bike. I will say that the Schwinn 150 does an outstanding job at simulating the exact experience of riding a bike where you stay seated the whole time. If this is what you are looking for, I can tell you that this Schwinn does that perfectly. It is up to you to decide if it is worth the purchase or not.

[---What The Schwinn 150 Does Right---]

As far as the most basic of operations--pedaling, noise, adjustments, tension--this bike performs flawlessly. You can customize workouts so that it automatically adjusts levels whenever you wish. The bike is as quiet as dead silent can get. You hear *nothing* outside of your clothes brushing back and forth. Using this twice daily for almost a month, the bike has not gotten any louder, and the level of tension makes no difference on the noise or pedaling fluidity.

The smoothness of the biking is exceptional--being extremely easy to pedal (should you have the strength at the high levels). The pedals themselves are ridged, but do not have the normal biking `spikes' to keep your feet in place. I usually bike bare-footed even though the manual recommends shoes, and cannot speak for your specific feet but; the bike will not be a reason for discomfort if you choose to bike barefooted, for the surface of the pedal is not obtrusively rough.

The tension can be as light as you want or as hard as a resistance as needed to give your muscles plenty of difficulty to maintain a steady pace. I am a male, 6'1" and 190 pounds and, for a 15 minute workout, starting at tension 6 and going no higher than 9 I have a slight sweat and heavy breathing with a workout pulse of 140. This bike will go up to 16 which is pretty rough, to say the least, if you are doing it for even a short period of time. Within even a week, my legs and butt are firm and quads have become more defined. I also feel a lot stronger walking around for longer periods of time, and playing sports has become much easier. This gives a good workout if you want it too.

As you can see from above, this bike allows your pulse to be taken--by gripping the metal plates in the middle of the handlebars. The only downside is that you cannot move your hands, and it takes a while for the readout to `catch up' to your heart rate before it accurately displays the correct pulse.
The seat height is, I am confident to say, pretty universal in that it can be adjusted for all sizes of people--from short to long legs.

The bike parts are made mostly of solid metal, where the only plastic is on the console itself--which looks and feels pretty cheap, though it works well enough for its purposes. It is not a cheap looking, or feeling, bike. The best scenario would have this bike on a level, hard surface but I have some good news for those whose only good spot is on carpet. It works just fine. How do I know? My bike is set up on carpet, and has only been on carpet. It does not tilt or sway at all regardless of how fast I pedal or if I choose to stand up every now and then. Moreover, with me weighing 190 pounds and other people who have been on this bike weighing close to 230, I can say that weight does not factor in much on how the bike handles itself. Note that the listed max weight for this bike is 275 pounds.

[---Where This Bike Goes Flat---]

The install is easy enough, but the difficulty is in the use of the included tools. They are small and very uncomfortable to use--especially when trying to tighten down bolts that really need to be extremely tight to ensure a solid platform to workout on. I even had to drill a couple of holes, which were missing from the factory, in the base wheels so that the screws would properly secure to them. Not a big deal, but may be a headache for someone not knowing what to do in that case. I recommend these tools to make the assembly go much easier, and to ensure a very tight, and solid frame:

A Socket Wrench Crescent RD12BK 3/8-Inch Ratcheting Socket Wrench with a 13mm Socket
A Multi-bit Screwdriver Stanley 66-358 Stanley Stubby Ratcheting MultiBit Screwdriver with a 6mm Hex Bit.

*I am not recommending the above brands, just giving you an idea what the item is if you do not already know*

The manual says that you need 2 people to put this bike together. I assembled it by myself. To put it bluntly:

`You can assemble this bike by yourself if you have no problem lifting and moving a 70 pound bike frame around.'

There are 2 or 3 times where you need someone to help, if you cannot lift the 70 pound frame: 1. Taking it out of the shipping box, 2. Moving the bike frame to where you can assemble it, and 3. After completing the assembly, wheeling the bike to its final spot--which can be fit easily enough through a doorframe--and getting it up or down stairs. The total bike weight is around 85 pounds.

The seat is uncomfortable at first. This is not necessarily a big deal to me, as I am tolerant in this regard. However, others who have used this have told me the seat is very uncomfortable. It is a very wide typical bicycle seat, though it can be easily swapped out for any bike seat that you many want to add--just like a normal bicycle. Also, because of the width, it pinches my leg up near the groin which can be annoying, though adjusting the seat down will help it some but I then lose leverage.

The readout is hard to read because the digital readouts conflict with the LCD display. Hard to describe but I will try. You know when you tilt an alarm clock with a digital read out up or down in a certain way when it is turned on so that you can see the 88:88 in the background of the number? The LCD readout on this Schwinn bike is like that all of the time, at any angle. This is very annoying, and turning the brightness down does nothing to help. It is readable, of course, but strains the eye a bit.

The `fan', if you can call it that. When you turn the `fan' on, it makes an obvious buzzing sound as whatever it inside is churning around. Why it even makes an effort to turn at all is beyond me, because feeling the air it produces is as fruitless as waving your hand back and forth as fast as you can in front of your face for the "breeze" it makes. The latter is better than the force of the air from the fan at the highest setting. Oh, there is air being pushed out, but it points almost directly up towards the ceiling. There is no way to feel it while you are riding unless you're bending over with your face smashed against the vent. It would have been helpful to include an adjusting type of vent--as in a car--to direct it towards you. No amount of adjustment to the console changes anything. Nevertheless, assume this bike does not come with a fan, because you will not be using it.

As you can see there are many positives where the bike is expected to perform and a few negatives in areas most people could careless about. What is important is that if you want the experience of riding a bike--burning calories, getting the heart rate up, sweating a little or a lot, doing as little or as much cardio as you can handle--all in the comfort of your home without getting out in the many changes of weather, the Sun, or away from people, the Schwinn 150 does it. You really could not ask much more of a bike simulator than this bike.

I initially purchased the Schwinn 140 Upright Bike, however, due to several issues, including the console mast being bent (caused by the damaged packaging) and defective CHR pads, I decided to return it and wait for the 150 to be sold on Amazon. I have had the Schwinn 150 for almost a month now, and being far from pleased with it, I returned the bike today.

When I first got the Schwinn 150, I was really pleased with the packaging. The way the 150 is packaged seems to be the same as the 140, however, the box seems to be much sturdier, and unlike the 140, it actually wasn't falling apart when I received the bike. Putting the bike together was not too difficult, partially because I had done it once before, and took me about an hour.

One of the first things I noticed right off the bat was that, as with the 140, the console mast of the 150 was slightly bent as well, causing the handlebars and console to lean to the left. However, the manual for the 150 had been updated with a page addressing the issue, telling you to adjust the screws and bolts in order to get it straight, which did nothing for me, and after several attempts I gave up thinking I'd just live with it. But, as I had realized with the 140, the problem is that with the console leaning to the left is that you have to reach farther with one arm to grab the handlebars which isn't ideal. I've uploaded a photo to the product images of the issue.

One thing that I was really pleased with though, was how smooth the bike initially was, you could barely here a thing when pedaling. However, I wrote initially for a reason, just after a few days the bike started to become noisy and the pedaling was no longer as smooth as before. One other minor thing I noticed was that the magazine stand rattles a bit when you exercise, but it's not a huge deal.

As far as the speakers go, they're pretty mediocre, as expected, and the fan is rather useless as you can't adjust the angle of the airflow. The seat is a bit hard at first, but after using it a few days it becomes pretty comfortable. The screen is decent, but remember to pull the plastic off slowly when unboxing the bike, as the plastic on the screen will leave scratches if pulled too quickly. Having the cup holder in the console is a nice addition, as the cup holder on the 140 was right under the console on the console mast, so you could only fit small sized bottles.

It's also important to note that although the bike is adequate for taller people, you do get pretty close to touching the handlebars with your legs. I'm 6'1" and with the seat the furthest back and the console at the highest height, I do touch the handlebars occasionally.

Overall I am pretty disappointed with the Schwinn 150, thus causing me to return it. With the bent console mast, noisiness, pedaling, and mediocre add-ons (fan, speakers, etc.), it was not worth keeping. That said, if the bike would have come without the issues listed above, I might have kept it. However, since I've had a bad experience with Schwinn twice now, I am going to look for another bike. As another reviewer put it, you get what you pay for. If you want a good exercise bike then you need to invest at least twice as much money.

I had read many reviews on last years model and they all seemed very positive, so when I began looking at the 150 but could not find any reviews at all I decided to take a leap of faith (assuming the product had only gotten better). I am glad I did!

Assembly was fairly easy. Took me less than an hour. I do recommend having a 2nd person there (my wife helped me out) but it is possible to do it alone.

I have used the bike at least a dozen times so far. The seat isnt very comfortable but otherwise it is a joy to ride. I am 6-1 and my knees come close to hitting the handle bars, so taller riders might want to try it before they buy it.

The electronics do what they say they will and even keep a history of all my work outs.

I gave this product 5 stars and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for an economical and compact cardio machine. It rivals the more expensive machines found at my local gym.

Ordered from Amazon and got right away.

Very easy to build, instructions could show better close ups but still an easy build, came with all tools necessary.

I waited to get the newer one for the fan and hopping the seat would be softer since I saw a lot of complaints on the 140.

The fan is kind of useless for me, I have the screen almost at the lowest setting so I can look over it and watch tv so it blows almost straight up.

Also if you look very close at the picture it only takes up the middle three slots, the rest are just decorative, so it is really a very tiny area that blows air.

The crank had plugs on the end with chrome plated plastic and one had the chrome peeling when I unpacked it, but not a big deal.

Its my first time on an exercise bike and when I took the seat out of the package it seemed so soft I couldn't imagine anyone having a complaint but after 45 minutes or so it is a pain in the posterior.

Operation is smooth and quiet.

Display is easy to read unless you have it all the way down when the viewing angle makes it appear that all lights are lit.

Its really light and easy to move.

I wish I could lower the seat another inch or so I'm about 5'7.

Ive been biking about 20 miles a day on it for about a week and really like it.

I logged on to Amazon now to shop for a gel seat cover.

If I had not bought one yet, having put one together and tried it, I wouldn't hesitate to order one.

Like a few other people, I was offered this bike to compare to the Nautilus US14 that I purchased about 6 months ago, with no incentive to pick one over the other in my review. Bottom line up front is that I have switched to using the Schwinn.

The bikes are *very similar* in terms of overall quality. For me, I am 5'10 and the Schwinn is overall just a much more comfortable bike. I waited for 10 days of use before writing this review so that I could make sure this was true because sometimes soreness kicks in after a few days. The Nautilus had been great in all ways except the seat was awkward and I got sore - no matter how many times I adjusted it in every way, I was always very uncomfortable after 30 minutes or more of use. I bought seat gel covers, and still - nothing helped. The overall ergonomics are off. If you read some of the reviews for Nautilus, others will say the same thing. I had someone tell me I should go for shorter workouts that were more intense to avoid the discomfort, but I think that that's not an acceptable solution. Now, I know this is not a review for the NautilusUS14, but I think it's fair that many people considering this Schwinn would also consider the Nautilus since they are in the same class and around the same price. And I have extra appreciation for the overall comfort of the Schwinn with something to compare it to. The seat is large and comfortable and the adjustments are easy to use and guarantee you nearly any configuration you would like.

So the Schwinn wins for comfort which is a huge deal to me. My biggest issues with the Schwinn were 1) the annoying assembly that had me frustrated and bleeding because of awkward screws and sharp edges 2) the weak fan. Other than that, I have no complaints. The programs are great and the quality is solid. The comfort is better than any bike (other than a recumbent bike) I've used before.

Here's how they score against each other.

Assembly: Nautilus B Schwinn C-
Seat Comfort: Nautilus D Schwinn A
Programs: Nautilus A Schwinn A+
Fan: Nautilus B+ Schwinn C-

Winner: Schwinn

In my opinion, this is a good choice for an exercise bike and I'd recommend it to friends and family.

I have to admit - I was looking for an exercise bike that would somehow allow me to mount my iPad. I need to be able to watch movies, tv shows, listen to music, etc. in order to not fall into boredom. This bike's computer has an arm that extends up, allowing you to prop up a magazine, book, etc. It's the perfect width to hold an iPad in landscape orientation, and still holds it properly in portrait. There's also a 1/8" speaker connection which outputs the audio to two built-in speakers right on the bike's computer. You'll need a 1/8" to 1/8" cable to use this feature.

Assembly took over an hour, making sure all connections and screws were secure.

As far as the exercise portion of the bike - no complaints at all. The built in modes are very convenient, and the user tracking information is nice to see my progress. The heart sensors seem accurate when compared to a recent stress test.

I've been using this bike for a few weeks now. My first piece of advice: make sure you don't overpay for it! It is a good starter bike, but only when if it is below three hundred and fifty dollars or so.

I was able to put it together myself, although it was a struggle at times. The included instructions were okay, but the pieces like the screws, nuts, and bolts were in this shrink-wrapped-like thing that made it difficult to get pieces out of easily without losing the part identifiers (A, B, C). So you have to try to take one part out at a time as you need it. It took me a little less than 2 hours to assemble by myself.

As you are assembling, you start to realize what kind of quality you are dealing with. First, there is a lot of what I would refer to as "fake metal" going on. The main large piece by the petals is all plastic, painted so it looks like metal. The pole for the chair, the main arm in the front, and the two stabilizing bars at the bottom are metal, but the paint flakes and scratches very easily. You'll also notice flaking of the paint on some of the bolts when you go to adjust them. For example, the bolts under the seat are painted black, so when you go to tighten them the paint flakes off all over. I suggest installing a lot of the parts on top of some of the pieces of the cardboard box this comes in so it will make for easier cleanup of paint flakes.

The computer housing is made of plastic, but the computer has a bunch of nice features for multiple users and different terrains. It also looks nice since the display is multi-colored. Don't think for a second that the fan on it will do anything of value though, even at the highest setting.

The ride is pretty smooth assuming you put everything together correctly and tightly. At first, mine was making some clunking noises while peddling and then I realized I needed to tighten a few parts on the pedals more and then it was ok. The ride is not too loud at all, but definitely not the quietest bike I've used.

The seat is THE WORST. When you first feel it, you will probably think it will be quite comfortable like I did at first. But after riding a few minutes, and trying to improve things by changing the angle and height, I found that it was just way too big and didn't accommodate males well. I went to a local outdoor sports store and picked up a new, narrower cycling seat designed for men and it is much more comfortable now.

For the most part, this is a good first bike to have at home if you don't already have one. Just make sure you are getting a good deal on it, and don't have overly high expectations. It should last a few years as long as you take care of it and as long as the computer doesn't fail.