Customer Reviews

Schwinn 231 Recumbent Exercise Bike

5 star:		(80)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I'm a 64 year old fit male thanks to riding a four year old NAUTILUS NR3000 twice a week (community gym) to supplement weekend outdoor rides. I wanted one for home but couldn't afford it so I bought this SCHWINN 231 Recumbent Exercise Bike from AMAZON. This lighter weight SCHWINN 231 is also made by NAUTILUS and has similar features and functions.

PRE-PURCHASE: SCHWINN (NAUTILUS) Customer Service was exceptionally good answering all questions and helping me understand differences until I was comfortable.

ORDER: Easy and seamless like every order from AMAZON - they're the very best, most reliable source for anything they carry and sell. I chose free shipping and they shipped it the same day I placed my order.

DELIVERY: Easy and as promised - Eagle USA called me a couple days ahead to arrange a time convenient to me to deliver. They delivered on schedule and offered to place the bulky box it in the room/place of my choice.

PACKAGING: Exceptionally well packaged -- enough to protect all parts on its long trip from China to Illinois to Ohio and finally to California.

PARTS: Well organized and marked, easy to find and use. They include one-time use tools; IF you have your own, you'll prefer yours.

ASSEMBLY MANUAL: Well organized, clear, 99% easy to follow -- follow them exactly for best results with minimum frustration.

ASSEMBLY: I went slowly, step-by-step, carefully and methodically to avoid problems. It took an easy 2.5 hours and it started up perfectly the very first time -- thirty days and 15+ rides later, still working great.

USER (OPS) MANUAL: Very well organized and written - easy to understand and thoroughly explains features and proper operation. It also has basic fitness and other supplementary information.

SEAT: The seat on this bike (one of the most important features on any bike) is very comfortable, even on rides well over an hour -- more than can be said of most bikes -- one of its best features. BE SURE to adjust seat height/distance from pedals properly according to the manual for best results.

PEDALS: Great once the (over the foot) top strap is correctly adjusted for your feet; try to get it right the first time you set them as redoing them is no fun.

CONSOLE: After reading the manual once, all operations and functions are simple and intuitive - easy to read and use, visible in daylight.

HEART RATE MONITOR: Excellent once stabilized and checked against two independent, dedicated HR Monitors - bike's monitor was within +/- 1 BPM. Recommend you keep hands on the HR grip sensors - IF you take them off and HR readout goes blank, it will restart at the bottom and increment up slowly to actual HR taking up to 10 - 60 seconds to stabilize at the correct reading. Operated correctly with patience and common sense it's great.

FAN: Adequate air movement for cooler ambient temps. In warmer ambient temps, it may not move as much air as you'd like. Cerainly not a "go, no-go" issue for any serious user.

RIDE: The SCHWINN 231 is lighter than the NAUTILUS NR3000 and therefore slightly less stable; it wobbles a tiny bit during hard rides though it's good as is. It's a very quiet ride. Changing resistance or workload is smooth with minimal delay. It's worth noting again that the seat is very comfortable for rides well over an hour. The backrest's lumbar support feature is a nice, added bonus.

PROGRAM & READOUTS: I've been riding real and stationary bikes for years. This bike gives riders through advanced any level of workout they want or need once features and capabilities are fully learned and used. It reports lower "results" than other bikes - that is, for the same ride as other recumbents, the SCHWINN 231 gives lower speeds, watts expended and fewer calories burned than others. While reported results are lower, they're probably much closer to actual and a real outdoor cycle ride than others that over state results and make you feel better.

SUMMARY: I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE SCHWINN 231 RECUMBENT EXERCISE BIKE for attaining and maintaining your desired level of fitness, especially given the fine support can expect from SCHWINN FITNESS/NAUTILUS Customer Service if/when needed.

ONE LAST THOUGHT: IF you're serious about fitness, I strongly recommend two books with your SCHWINN 231 -- both available from AMAZON. Read and apply the principals as valid for stationary bikes as for real ones:

a. "The Heart Rate Monitor Book for Cyclists" by Sally Edwards and Sally Reed (full benefit from built-in heart rate monitor for best workouts)

b. "Cycling Past 50" by Joe Friel (great cycling physiology all ages)

Whatever you decide, I wish you better health through cycling.

Even though I own an elliptical and a home gym, I still find myself sitting in my chair watching television or reading online and not exercising. As long as I'm going to engage in those activities, why not burn some calories at the same time?

I read the reviews on another model and then came across the 231. It's $100 more but it sounded like many of the issues in the other bike had been resolved. I ordered the bike through Brinks because another review mentioned better packaging.

I ordered the bike on a Saturday and received it the following Thursday! I stayed up late and put it together myself in about three hours. It took me longer than others because I was trying to attach a part wrong and it took me awhile to figure it out. It was my fault, though. I thought the directions were easy to follow and the parts were packaged in such a way that it was very easy to determine which parts were called for.

Hint: Before you put the machine together, write down the serial number which is under the rear stabilizer. It's much easier to write down BEFORE the bike is put together!

Once it was together, the right pedal made a knocking noise and vibration that I could feel in my foot. This was irritating so I called customer service and was advised to remove, clean, and retighten the pedal. It worked! A week or so later, I had some confusion about how to use the Recovery button so I called customer service again. We figured out that I was using it incorrectly -- you do it DURING a program, not once you're finished. (My elliptical does it differently.) Both times, the customer service representative was friendly and helpful and the problems were resolved.

The bike is very easy to use, from sitting down to setting the program. We haven't had to change the seat adjustment as my husband and I have the same length legs. We are also the same age but we do have to change the weight setting. Entering the info at the beginning takes just seconds. I like how the program remembers the previous settings so you don't always have to start from scratch. It even remembers the intensity level for a particular program. The fan is adjustable and I find it quite refreshing -- it blows right on my face but not so strongly that it dries out my eyes.

I removed the pedal straps -- they didn't seem necessary. The bike is very quiet -- the fan is the only part that makes noise and the occasional beeping as each interval passes. I'm just amazed at how quickly the time passes while I'm exercising. And it's a good workout, too! We both have to wipe the sweat off the seat when we're finished and we're not even working at the highest levels or going all that fast.

I'm very pleased with our purchase and strongly recommend this model!

I noticed quite few reviewers wondering if the 231 is worth the extra $100 above the 230. My answer is yes. (With or without the current $100+$100 promotion, the 231 is no doubt the best choice.)

First, I was planning to buy a recumbent bike and I have been doing a lot of research about these two bikes. I went to every sport store to try and ride both. I searched all the details from the Schwinn site in addition to reading the labels from the actual bikes. I can claim that I spent total of more than two hours actually riding the two bikes and testing the consoles. Of course I already ordered the 231 and should receive it in 10 days.

So, what is the difference between them? You ask.

The flywheel:
In 230, it is it 20 lb flywheel.
In the 231, it is 22 lb flywheel. The two extra pounds give more realistic ride with no skipping especially for taller people or people with stronger legs.
Big + for 231. (Not true anymore .... See update below)

Heart Rate Controlled programs:
The 230 lacks this important feature. This feature can keep you in your target heart rate area which will lead to better weight loss or endurance level.
The 231 include 3 programs with this feature.
Big + for 231.

Total Programs:
12 for 230 and 23 for the 231. The 231 includes 3 Heart Rate, 2 Custom, 4 Profile, Time Trial w/pacer, Fitness Test. All this in addition to whatever is in the 230.

Seat:
231: BioFit® Comfort seat with micro adjustable lumbar support positioning. You have a knob in the back of the seat to adjust the lumbar support.
230: No adjustment.
Also, in 231, the back of the seat includes a magazine rack.

Pedals:
231: Wide Comfort Schwinn pedals. Nice and fits shoes easily.
230: Narrow ones that are useless with the straps attached.

Console viewing angle:
231: 3 position console viewing angle adjustment. This helps you to see the console much better. You can also lower it to view TV or raise it to read your emails from you laptop. It is really not that helpful other than for easier viewing of the console.
230: Fixed.

Console:
231: Blue back light. Easier to read and more futuristic look.
230: Regular black LCD on gray. Really hard to read.

Fan:
231: has a nice integrated fan
230: No fan.

Frame:
231 106 lbs. More stable. The frame is 4 inches longer than the 230 which may be annoying to an already big home bike. These four inches will allow for even taller riders on the expense of stability.
230: 101 lbs. Still pretty stable (more stable than 231 on thick carpets or thick mats).

Those are what I managed to find so far. I will update the review if I find more

So, do you still think that the $100 is un-justified???

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE 3/15/08

Well, I received my bike two weeks ago. Assembly was relatively easy and straight forward. The bike looks much bigger in my living room than when I saw it in display rooms at local sports stores. It still looks fabulous though.

First impression is great. I will not talk about how great this bike is as most other reports already said so.

I will just let you know what to expect on the other side.

1- First thing I noticed is that the fan is not working. I connected it directly to the power adapter and it worked fine hence the problem is in the console. I called customer service and they were the best. They first refused to send me a new console till I try a new fan that I got within two days from my phone call. Of course it didn't work and I am waiting now for a new console which is in backorder for the next 3 weeks. No big deal as I don't really need the fan in Massachusetts's winter anyway.

2- I noticed that that bike was wobbly. I know the reason, it is the thick mat that I have over the thick carpel in my room. I simply placed a nice 2x5 foot piece of solid pine wood under the bike and over the black mat. That was the best think I did as the bike got really stable while the carpet is still protected with the thick mat. It also reduced the black color from the mat and lightened the room a lot. I got the wood from Lowe's store.

3- This is got me REALLY UPSIT. As one commenter on this review pointed out that he ordered the bike and found a sticker saying the flywheel is only 20LBs instead of the 22LBs I mentioned on my review above. I found that the sticker on my bike says the same. I felt tricked. I called Schwinn customer services to see what is going on... Again they were super nice and professional. They started to search for the problem and contacted their bike experts. Few days later, they got back to me and said that the 22LBs in Schwinn's home page is only a TYPOgraphical error. They claim that all Shwinn's products use 20 Lbs. flywheels. They didn't explain the bike I saw at Sears with sticker of 22LBs. I went back to Sears to get a picture of the bike but the bike was gone. I assume they should fix their home page soon.

I really love this bike and would give it five starts if I can again. The flywheel incident did upset me a bit but now I got used to it. I don't think it is a big deal anyway. The Heart beat controlled programs, adjustable ergo seat with shelf, bigger paddles and blue backlit console still makes it much better than the 230. I personally benifited from the longer body as I needed to move the seat extra two more inches than the 230 can give.

MORE COMMENTS and replies for other reviews:

- Paddles are wide and easy to adjust. Adjustment is to be done from the inner side of the paddle. It is easy to remove the strap from the inside for adjustments. If you try it from outside, then you will see all troubles other reviewers are seeing.

- If seat is squeaky then tighten screws underneath it.You also may want to add a drop of lubricant or oil between the metal vertical rod (that carries the Chrome bar) and the black plastic shell. This will eleminate noises from under the seat.

- If you cleaned the chrome bar that holds the seat, you may need to add a drop of silicon lubricant on the top of it. This will make it move easier and eliminate any minor noises.

- Remember to write the serial number on a piece of paper before you assemble the rear stabilizer rod. It will really help you as reading this number is really tough once the bike is assembled. Thanks for other reviewer who mentioned this as it really helped me :-)

As far as the comfort and feel of this bike, we are very happy. That is, when it is working! I will start with the statement that Schwinn customer support has been very easy to work with.
Item 1: The bike came in an undamaged box (wet though, in the middle of a snow storm) which we accepted. After we broke down the box to get it out we discovered that the front shroud was damaged. This was not discovered until we were almost done unpacking it. Schwinn sent us new parts. Wrong parts. They sent us more new parts. Still wrong. On the third try they got it right (sort of). There was a color change and the silver and black color scheme is reversed. That is why we had to change both sides even though one side was damaged. They were a very big job to change because we had to remove the pedals with a wheel puller.
Item 2: The blood pressure monitor quit working. They sent us complete new handle bars which contained the wiring. Works fine now.
Item 3: The transformer just died so the bike has no power. They are shipping us a new one.

I would like to restate that customer support is very good. The bike is registered so they can look up and see it is under warranty. However, If I had realized that Schwinn is no longer an American Co. and the bike was made in China, I may have shopped around some more. I really feel that we got a lemon since it came damaged and this is our second repair in 6 months.

I purchased this bike a couple of weeks ago and have been using it for a little over a week. The shipping was quick, and the box was sent from Bring's who reinforced the box, which was great (shipping damage is a common complaint for purchases like these).

Bike was not difficult to assemble and took me (by myself) about 2 hours at a very leisurely pace. There were a couple of small undocumented issues, such as a cable needing to be routed that was considered "pre-routed" in the instructions.

Functionally, the bike is great. It is not perfectly stable, as at a fast pace the top part (display/etc) does wobble a bit, but the base of the unit is stable which is plenty good enough for me. The seating is extremely comfortable, the computer is very good and has more functionality than I will ever use. And yes, the pedal mechanism itself is dead quiet.

The only reason I give this bike 4 stars is because of the following issues:

- For the life of me I cannot figure out how to get the pedal straps on. One side of the strap fits fine but the other side absolutely will not. I may be missing something but it seems like a manufacturing defect to me. If i'm the only one that mentions this it is probably an issue on my end :). I haven't needed the straps so it has not been an issue for me.

- As stated, there were a couple of minor issues with the instructions.

- The fan is not terribly useful, and as stated the bike does wobble a bit at high speeds.

None of the above issues detract from my use of the product but they may for some. All in all, I would recommend this bike in a heartbeat to someone else, and it is a great bike for the value. It is really convenient to have a bike at home to exercise on, and was well worth the money for me.

Also, as this is the "new" model for Schwinn, there are no reviews at the time of this writing, you can check out the reviews of the older models for general impressions of the Schwinn bikes; they are relatively accurate to my experiences with this one.

My Husband was so impressed with the quality of the bike and especially the manual directions and assembly that he called the company to give positive feedback, something he never does. As for myself, my arthritic knees are less stressed as I strive for aerobic fitness and my comfort level is great. Something I did not expect from a recumbent bike.

I've had this bike for two weeks now. I love it. It was shipped in a big box with no scratches, dings or dents. I had one problem with the Eagle express shipping but it was corrected by the delivery person on his own time (delivered to the wrong house!)

This machine is quiet. You cannot hear a sound from it. I can work out at 5:00am and not wake anyone else up in the house. (my favorite time to excercise!) I love the counters, the programs and the seat! It's very comfortable. My neighbors built this bike in under 90 minutes with no problems. The little fan is just for looks. Don't expect it to cool you off. It's almost silly. I've been trying to use the fitness test function but you have to get your heart rate up to a certain level before it kicks in. I've been unable to reach that level and am dissappointed that i can't test my current level as of yet. I may be doing something wrong so i will be contacting the company about better instructions. The display is very easy to use. Be sure and read the instructions first. It helps tremendously. I would highly recommend this bike to new users such as myself. It's a great price for such a sturdy product.

I was searching for an exercise bike and tried a few in the local stores, but they all seemed very cheap and unstable. Then there were the stores that had fantastic exercise bikes, but were all above $1200. I decided to search online and quickly came across the Schwinn 231. I'm very glad I came to Amazon and found these reviews. After reading all the reviews, I decided this was the bike for me.

The first glitch was Amazon not passing my phone number to the shipper. Amazon has my number on record, but the shipper never got it. So my bike actually sat for two days in their warehouse before they could get a hold of me. They emailed Amazon who then emailed me and provided their number. It would also have been nice to be sent the shipper's phone number as soon as they knew who the shipper was. Once they had my number they delivered the next day. The shipper was ABF, and even though I was told this would be a curbside delivery only, the driver brought it right into my garage. The side of the box (just above where the computer panel is packed) was torn and punched in. The delivery driver helped me unpack all the parts to make sure nothing was broken (great guy!) and then I signed for it.

I assembled this myself in less than 90 minutes. It's really a piece of cake, the manual is written very well and the bolts and nuts are clearly identified. I wasn't short any parts, and none were left over. The only annoying part of the build was you have to remove the back seat panel after you have installed the seat onto the frame rail, due to the fact that it hides a wiring block that you need a step later. Just a couple minutes of extra work there.

The only thing that could be difficult for one person to do by themselves is when you are attaching the seat frame and rail back onto the bike frame, you have to reconnect a wire and stuff it into the frame, before you can set the whole assembly down. You could just as easily build the bike on its side to this point and then tilt it upright when done.

The only defect in my bike is the fan didn't work, which is very common. I called Nautilus' support line and they placed an order for a replacement part in just a few minutes. They just got a delivery of back ordered fans and I was told they are going into Q&A right now before they will be shipped. My bike didn't suffer from the smelly seat issue that many had, nor do my pedals or the fly wheel make any clunking sounds. The foot straps are easy to install, I don't understand why others had issues with this.

I think the bike rides really nicely. The resistance at level 16 is fantastic. I only wish Schwinn had a way for you to harness that power you generate when pedaling. There is a little bit of frame creaking when in use (but then I have a spare tire), and only the slightest amount of wobble on carpet. The bike is otherwise very stable and very quiet. I wish it was easier to adjust the seat distance (when you have more than one person using it). I like the water bottle holder under the seat. I also wish the support column for the computer angled forward a lot more, and possibly telescoped out to get the panel closer.

I highly recommend this bike based on its quality and appearance. I used the free shipping method and it arrived in 10 days (could have been 8).

Thanks Amazon for a great deal!

This is a superbly-engineered and exceptionally well-built machine: silent; unbelievably smooth; comfortable; and, rock steady even for a 6'5", 255 lb rider like myself. It comes with a glossy assembly manual that clearly illustrates each step of the process, and indexes the components to their fasteners. The 2.5 hours mentioned by others for assembly is accurate if only one person does it (with occasional help from another,) and much of this involves cutting fasteners off their vacuum-sealed, very well-indexed packing! The 43-page glossy operations manual included is also clear and well-written, and includes helpful sections on fitness. This is a great value, particularly with the current $100 discount. Highly recommended!

I had purchased a "floor model" recumbent bike from a fitness store and it was not as good as this was. I took it back and purchased the Schwinn 231 and have loved it from the start. The best part of this is was half the price of a fitness store Floor model. The programs that come with the bike are great. It is very solid and very quite. I can bike on it with almost NO noise whatsoever. This is great news to my wife who can sleep when I get up early in the morning and pedal to nowhere. Great Value. Why spend more?