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Wednesday, July 16th
Schwinn, renowned for its bicycle expertise, is part of the Nautilus family, a well-established name in home exercise equipment, particularly bikes. Schwinn's models are reasonably priced, but they might lack some of the extra features found in pricier brands.
2 types of bikes, 4 models available
There are currently two kinds of exercise bikes offered by Schwinn: Airdyne and upright. Between these types, there are 4 different models available on the site. At the time of this review, all four were available for purchase. One thing to keep in mind is that none of the Schwinn models have a touchscreen, so if that feature is a must-have for you, you might need to search other brands instead.
Equipment overview:
Basic model: IC3 Indoor Cycling Bike
The IC3 is the lowest-cost model at Schwinn. This bike costs $699, which is extremely competitive in this industry. The Schwinn IC3 is an indoor cycling exercise bike tailor-made for dedicated cyclists. Whether it's the weather or a hectic schedule pushing your workout indoors, the IC3 delivers a high-energy, low-impact training experience that simulates riding through rolling hills. Packed with features like a spacious LCD console, wireless heart rate monitoring, a 40-pound flywheel, and adjustable resistance, this bike provides excellent value for serious cyclists. You also get an adjustable seat and handlebars, various grip positions, and comprehensive metrics monitoring, including heart rate, time, distance, calories, and RPMs. While it is built for pro cyclists, you can still use it to work out, but if you're looking for a fitness-focused machine rather than a true indoor cycling bike, you may want to shop elsewhere.
Top-tier model: Airdyne AD7
The Airdyne AD7 is the most expensive bike available from Schwinn. It costs $1,099, which is still much less expensive than even starter models at other brands. The Schwinn Airdyne AD7 Bike is designed as a fitness model. Whether you're elevating your HIIT workouts or seeking the ultimate total body cardio exercise, the AD7 offers versatile and demanding fitness sessions. With a single-stage direct drive system, you get efficient power transfer and minimal maintenance. The AD7 is made for workout enthusiasts of all levels. The bike offers Telemetric heart rate technology for real-time heart rate measurement and helps you stay informed with the multi-display LCD console featuring readouts for Calories, Watts, Time, Distance, Speed, RPM, and Heart Rate. The optimized fan delivers high resistance with reduced noise. However, we were disappointed to see that none of the options from Schwinn offered high-end technology integration or even touchscreens on the bikes. So if you're a techie, this brand might not be for you.
Free shipping during promo periods
Complimentary shipping isn't a surefire deal with Schwinn. At the time of this review, all Schwinn models provided free shipping, but that was a limited-time offer that concluded the subsequent week. We were researching during a seasonal promotion as well, which also affected the free shipping options. Typically, shipping comes to approximately $199 within the contiguous 48 states. Therefore, if you plan on purchasing from Schwinn, it's better to time your purchase to coincide with a shipping promotion to help you keep costs down.
Several complaints about bikes specifically
Schwinn falls under the umbrella of the parent company Nautilus, which made it harder to find details about Schwinn's reputation. Unfortunately, Nautilus doesn't have a comprehensive page on the Better Business Bureau, and there's no page for Schwinn either. The primary source of information regarding Schwinn's reputation comes from third-party review sites, and the feedback isn't particularly positive. On average, these sites rated Schwinn at just 2.3 out of 5 stars. While several negative reviews pertain to Schwinn's bikes, some customers expressed frustration with the customer service team, citing difficulties in resolving product-related issues. Given that bikes are the key product from this brand under review, the fact that many reviews focus on issues with Schwinn's bikes in particular was a bit of a red flag.
Not a win for Schwinn
Unfortunately, Schwinn doesn't come out on top. Considering their bare-bones approach to exercise bikes and the regular complaints about the exercise bikes specifically from customer reviews, we can't rate Schwinn very highly. When you consider that there are lower-priced bikes from other brands that have more features than the Schwinn models and multiple brands offer free shipping as a rule (not the exception), Schwinn falls behind pretty far.
If you're looking for a versatile machine easily accessible for a home gym, exercise bikes are a top choice. Exercise bikes offer motion that's ideal for individuals with sensitive joints, sore backs, bad knees (shout out to the crunchy knees gang), or other conditions that make high-impact exercises hard or impossible to do.
On top of being low-impact, one of the popular points for exercise bikes is the all-season approach. Picture this: you get to sweat it out whenever it suits you. No gym crowds, and no clock-watching. Convenience is your new fitness buddy. Plus, no more worrying about how you look or comparing yourself to others. Or whether the sweaty guy before you wiped down the bike seat (ew!). Basically, you get all the pros of a spin class without any of the ick of a public gym.
For athletes (especially you biking enthusiasts) who don't want to lose their form during the winter, nabbing an exercise bike can change your winter fitness regimen to more closely fit your regular training. But if you're not a tri-athlete (like many of us aren't), having an exercise bike at home is still a huge plus.
As you start browsing the different exercise bike brands, you'll realize that there's a lot of variety to choose from. Many modern exercise bikes come with cool features like built-in screens for virtual classes, fitness app hook-ups, and even virtual outdoor rides. So, exercise bikes aren't like one of those creaky metal contraptions from your grandma's basement anymore. They've got all the bells and whistles to upgrade your workout.
Imagine pedaling through scenic routes without leaving your living room or gamified paths to keep you engaged. These bikes aren't just tools; they're like your personal fitness sidekick, cheering you on and giving you all the stats you need to track your growth and celebrate your fitness level-ups. There are even exercise bikes designed to fit under your desk or that feature a built-in tabletop/desk, so you can work and work out at the same time.
But there's a lot to look at when you're shopping for the perfect exercise bike. Starting your search for the right exercise bike can be overwhelming. Studio style? Recumbent? Touchscreen or basic console? Fortunately, we've gone through the best options out there and put together some criteria to help you narrow down your choices and find a bike that suits you.
To make sure that your fitness journey takes off, Top Consumer Reviews has reviewed and ranked the best exercise bike brands available online today. We hope this will help you curate your perfect home gym and get back to the ride of your life on your new exercise bike. Pedal on, friend!
Select any 2 Exercise Bikes to compare them head to head