Customer Reviews

Schwinn 230 Recumbent Exercise Bike

5 star:		(216)
4 star:		(66)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

CHOICE: I was looking for an indoor exercise machine that I would love to use on a daily basis, while taking in a show or read. Many reviewers of the upright Schwinn bike complained about discomfort, and owning a top-shelf Cycleops fluid trainer I know what that means, so the upright bike was not an option to me. I also passed on an elliptical machine because the bobbing would probably make it strenuous to watch TV and interfere with my motivation. So, having decided on wanting a recumbent bike, I picked this model even though there were no reviews at the time. I believe the #213 bike Schwinn 213 Recumbent Exercise Bike to be the older model of this (even though Schwinn ships both models currently), and it has gotten mostly good reviews.

SHIPPING: a lot of people had major problems when they ordered the #213 bike via Amazon (read the reviews, sort by lowest). I took the plunge anyway, hoping that my Amazon Prime membership would kick in (faster shipping often means less damage). The system gave me odd and changing dates all over the place (will ship in 2 days out, expected arrival one week out, ..) and there was only 1 shipping option (Standard). However, the bike was delivered via UPS within two days like I had hoped. The box was a bit "roughed up", held together with straps and it even had a small hole on one corner. Also, on the inside, some styrofam was broken; obviously the thing was dropped at least once. I wouldn't call it damaged though, and all parts ended up ok. Incidentally, I live in a non-elevator building, and to get the bike to my 5th floor apartment, I took it apart in the lobby, then walked up the stairs about five times with the parts. That worked fine, except for the fact that the bottom- piece was really heavy, but hey, it's about exercise :)

ASSEMBLY: in short, this was painless. There is a small booklet which explains everything step-by-step. Some pages look complicated because of the exploded parts illustration, but they're not - just read the simple instructions instead of focusing on the picture. All the tools and screws were included in a blister pack, and labeled correctly. The only small mistake I made was to forcibly connect the computer cable the wrong way (hint: the plugs are NOT the same on both ends, even though they look alike). I think it took me a leisurely 60-90 minutes to assemble the bike; if you have help or you mean it, you could do it in less.

BUILD: first of all, the bike looks better than I expected. More futuristic than industrial, and not all that ugly in my living room. Some parts feel a little cheap to the touch; for example, the front flywheel is housed in plastic which chips and cracks easily, the bike computer weighs nothing and has these foil buttons, and the "bio-whatever seat with lumbar" is entirely made out of foam, and nothing is adjustable on it either. I guess "lumbar" is not the same as "lumbar control", as in a car seat.

WORKOUT: this bike is *silent*. I couldn't believe it, coming from the Cycleops trainer, but the only sound I hear is my workout pants swishing- absolutely great to watch TV. When I pedal, the bike wobbles a little, which at higher intensities makes it more difficult to read a book that you put in front of the bike computer (there is a bracket to do just that). However, I must admit that the seat really is comfy, and it would be no problem to actually hold a book while working out. The bike computer has a few programs as expected (ride in the park, interval, plateau, etc.) plus manual mode and a somewhat useless BMI calculator. It retains the weight, age, and time you entered last time which is a convenient plus over gym machines. The range of resistance is great, from virtually none to definitely hard to push. The heart rate sensors, as I expected from reading the reviews on the 213 model, don't work very well: it takes about 40 seconds to display a realistic number once you touch the sensors. This is something that my Polar wrist watch does much faster (not to mention wirelessly and pc-downloadable, but of course at a price), so I use the Polar.

NITPICKS AND RECOMMENDATION: It would have been fantastic if the bike computer had a Polar telemetry option like most of the machines in gyms now do. Also, it would be great if the front tube could be folded back when not in use, because then I could hide the machine behind the sofa. But all in all, I am extremely satisfied with my purchase and would recommend this bike to others. I use it every day.

This recumbent bike does not have all the bells and whistles, but is a solidly built product at a great price. The computer that came with it had enough functions to make my workouts interesting enough, and this bike really excels at providing a very smooth and almost inaudibly quiet ride. Perfect for watching television or movies.

Assembly was straightforward and well documented with the exception of having to understand an insert that amended how a cable was threaded.

One caveat that prevented me from giving this product five stars is that the minimum distance setting between the seat and the pedals is still too large, and riders who are 5'4" and under will have trouble pedaling this bike.

I love this bike. It's well built, has an amazing range of programming for varied rides and is incredibly quiet. I've had mine for about three weeks and I've never used an exercise product as willingly as I ride this bike. I might actually get into shape. This is definitely not just another dust-collecting sweater rack for the TV room.

If I have any complaints, they are that the display doesn't have a backlight and the bike needs to be assembled when it arrives which took me about two hours. As a note: assemble the entire display stand (the front "handlebars" part) BEFORE you attach it to the base. The instructions say the other way around and it's a pain fishing the wires up through the tube and out the top.

My complaints are minor, my rating for the bike as a whole is five out of five.

When looking for a recumbent bike, I went to a couple of sports stores (Dicks, Sports Authority) and tried many of them.

Schwinn to me was a low end entry level bicycle company that had been around for eons.

I sat on everyone of them except the schwinn.

Soon I found myself sitting on a bike seat talking to a sales associate. I was surprised at the sturdiness and the seat comfort. Little did I know I was sitting on the Schwinn 230.

I was very impressed with the overall design, comfort and price in comparison to several on display and that I tried for well over a thousand on up to almost $2000.00.

I read the reveues and some complained about the difficulty in assembly.

Then if that was the case, there were either some very inept folks putting these together or the instructions were improved. Assembly was very simple, easy, and timely with great instruction and well marked pieces.

I am close to 250 pounds, my wife is a size 4. We both comfortably fit on this.

It is surprisingly, yes, surprisingly well made, designed, and sturdy.

You can pay less and get less quality. You can pay more, and get considerably less for the money.

Happy to report I had NO problems with shipping (UPS) from distributor - arrived promptly, all parts intact, and fully functional.
This is my first experience with a recumbent following PT for my knees and I couldn't be happier with every aspect of the bike. It is easy on the back, has lots of features that make it a real "10": step-through allows us seniors or anyone folks to access the seat and rise off the machine without tripping on a clumsy crossbar; Totally silent flywheel which allows conversation or watching TV without even turning up the volume (which was not the case with my older upright exercise Schwinn bike); assembly was a breeze because of the great fit and finish of all hardware (OK, so being 62 and female, I am allowed some wrong moves in following the directions, but it wasn't Schwinn's fault that it took me about 3.0 hrs to assemble); and the best feature is that it looks good too! Recommend it highly - easily adjustable for my height of 5'2". Features I would like to see added on next model: lighted monitor panel; memory for recall of previous sessions.

After looking over several recumbents in the stores and online, my husband and I decided on the Schwinn 230.

Why a recumbent?
We chose a recumbent for the comfort factor. They are easier on your back (and we both tend to have problems with our backs) and just more comfortable than an upright.

Why this model?
After trying several other bikes (and I am suggesting that you actually try them before ordering online), the Schwinn had the features we wanted with the comfort we needed. Some things to note:
1. Pre-programmed "courses." Because I am a couch potato, I've been doing "Ride in the Park" at level 1. You can change the resistance or the course to one more challenging. A block graphic on the console will show when you are riding a straight road and when you are approaching a hill. You'll actually hear the bike adjust and feel the resistance on the pedals increase as you approach that "hill." It really gets your heart pumping!
2. The console also allows you to select how long you will be riding, scan between calories burned and speed, and montior you heart-rate, which it pulls from the handlebars you are holding.
3. Assembly is required and it took a little more than an hour. The booklet walks you through it step-by-step. I believe there were 13 steps in total and there were points where it was helpful to have an assistant. All parts and tools were included for assembly.
4. There is a water bottle holder under the seat. This was not necessary for us, but some people may be interested. I think it is in a slightly awkward place as you need to feel along the left underside of the seat to get it, but that is a minor concern.
5. Pedal straps are adjustable, but it is very tough to do. Once we got them set, we realized we should have made them larger for my husband's feet and we're having a difficult time re-adjusting them.

All in all, we both enjoy the bike and would recommend it.

I have nothing but praise for this product considering its low price and high quality. The bike came quickly and intact, and the sturdy packaging with lots of foam prevented any damage.

Instructions are easy to follow and surprisingly, very few screws and nuts are required to assemble it. Cheesy tools are included (an allen wrench included just barely made it through the assembly) but its nice to have everything included in one package.

The only defect found was that a pre-drilled screw hole for the plastic water-bottle holder under the seat was not aligned correctly and I couldn't insert 1 of 5 screws.

It's really really quiet, but there's a short little chirping noise when the fly wheel "downshifts" from say a "4" intensity setting to a "1" setting during the pre-programmed work outs. The shifts between intensity setting are otherwise very smooth. The seat adjustment is easy to use, my 11 year old has no problem adjusting the seat to his comfort level. The display panel is also very easy to use.

I only had the bike for a few days, but from reading mixed reviews about other recumbents, I think so far the 230 is a terrific product at a great price.

In general, I like either upright and recumbent bikes, but I do like the easy, step-through design that this particular recumbent model has. The machine arrived more quickly than I expected (free shipping + heavy item, so I figured a long time but it took only a few days), and it arrived in good condition. All parts were present and the assembly instructions were generally clear. Assembly took a few hours, not bad but not 5-minutes, and all tools and parts were provided.

Stationary exercise bikes are not trendy these days, but they do provide a great aerobic exercise and good lower body exercise while having no shock or impact to hurt joints. The quiet upper body enables one to read or watch TV while exercising, so time flies quickly. (I also do rowing, free weights, and some Pilates, so the lack of upper body resistance exercise is not important to me.)

Using it is easy, it's pretty solid, especially for one that is not a $2,000 health club model, and it's deadly quiet, which is nice in general but enables watching TV or listening to music while exercising if you like. The LCD display is perfectly adequate, but the backlit ones (e.g., the Schwinn model 231, etc.) is nicer, albeit more expensive. (Sears Roebuck sells a slightly different version of the 230, with a better, backlit display that's probably from the 231, called the Schwinn SR23 but for $50 more.) The Sears version had nice, wide pedals that are good for larger people, Schwinn phone support said the 230 would come with the same ones and the Amazon description says "wide" pedals, but the ones that came with it are "normal", okay but not "wide", so until I can swap them I use them sans straps.

Bottom line: I'm very happy with the machine: smooth and quiet, wide range of programs and resistance, good position and feel (I'm 6' 4"), wide range of adjustment, easy to use, and a very reasonable price. [I would recommend finding one in a store and using it before buying; I tried about 10 different bikes made by maybe 5 different companies and the only ones that felt comfortable and "right" to me were this one and some $1,700 machines. Trust me, you don't want to spend $350, a few hours assembling it, and then find that it's not for you and have to ship the thing back! Exercise bikes are not all the same and you should try one out, not just buy based on specs or recommendations.] But, I'm very happy and would recommend this model to almost anyone.

UPDATE: I'm updating after having this bike for almost two years now. It's still quiet and works well. The built-in pulse monitoring is accurate but takes a long time to converge to the correct reading every time you take your hands off the grips, a pain so I use my own (Polar) HRM which seems to take only a few seconds to close in on the correct pulse rate. Also, I called Schwinn about the pedals not being the wide ones I was told to expect, and they shipped me the wide ones, free, very nice and much appreciated. I have no idea why anyone would spend $1,500 and up for "hotel"/"health club" models, certainly not for personal use, maybe not even for a hotel or healt club. It has a dumb heart rate monitor but otherwise is a good machine that I continue to recommend.

I have moderate osteoarthritis of the knees, and I bought this exerciser specifically to strengthen my leg muscles. My goals are to increase my knee strength so that I will have easier rehab if I eventually need replacement surgery, and to possibly delay or eliminate the need for such surgery. So far, so good.

The Schwinn exercise bike was very easy to assemble, and it works like a charm. I generally set a manual program, where I input the resistance level I want, the exercise time and my weight, and there is a very useful readout at the end of each workout. And pulse rate monitoring during the workout is easy with the grip sensors.

And what is great is that the exerciser is absolutely smooth and silent. You can easily read or watch TV while exercising. That's very different from a Schwinn Air Dyne aerobic exerciser that I also own. It is very noisy, and it doesn't do an effective job of knee muscle strengthening but is instead more of a whole body exerciser.

I'm very pleased with this purchase. The Schwinn 230 is an excellent piece of exercise equipment that is priced very well.

The bike arrived quickly after I ordered it from Amazon, and my husband and I were horrified by the packaging. The box the bike came in was banged up and dirty, and taking the various pieces of the bike out of the box made a huge mess. Fortunately, those are the only bad things I have to say about this product. The bike was easy to assemble, and it only took my husband about an hour and a half to put it together. The only part he had a little trouble with was the LCD screen, and I had to help make sure it was aligned correctly before my husband screwed it into the rest of the bike.

As for the machine itself, I'm very impressed. The bike offers multiple resistance levels and preset programs. The seat and pedals are very comfortable, and the bike has extra features including a water bottle holder and magazine rack, which I also use to clip my iPod to. There are wheels attached to the bike which make it very easy to move the machine from one side of the room to another. As far as the workout is concerned, the bike is very quiet and also incredibly sturdy. The LCD screen and programs are easy to navigate through, and the resistance is excellent. So far the only problem I've noticed is the heart rate sensor, which doesn't seem to be accurate, but I don't think that's a big deal (at least for me).

Overall, I am very happy with this bike. It works just as well as the thousand-dollar bikes you'll find at the gym, and it's relatively compact and doesn't take up a lot of space in my home. I definitely recommend the Schwinn 230.