Tags: Recumbent Exercise Bike, schwinn 230, Schwinn 230 Recumbent Exercise Bike, Schwinn 230 Recumbent Exercise Bike Review, Schwinn 230 Recumbent Exercise Bike Video, Schwinn 230 Video
Schwinn 230 Recumbent Exercise Bike Review
I mainly ride and talk about indoor bicycle trainers on my website but every now and then I find myself wandering off to the gym to either ride a stationary bike or recumbent bike. For example this morning at the gym I rode a Life Fitness recumbent bike. Excellent exercise bike but at around $1800 or so, it puts it out of the reach of most home riders. At the same time, I realize that some folks might want the stability of an exercise bike to ride at home versus riding their bicycle on a trainer. So, lets sit back and get comfortable on a Schwinn 230 Recumbent.
No, we are not talking about an $1800 exercise bike here. The Schwinn 230 recumbent exercise bike lists for $599 but you can often find it as low as $449 on Amazon. The price makes it comparable to some of the quality bicycle trainers being sold. Plus with the Schwinn 230 recumbent exercise bike, you can workout at home.
So What Is A Recumbent Bike?
Recumbent means lying down, although you won't exactly be lying down as you are riding the Schwinn 230 recumbent bike. While riding this exercise bike, your back will be comfortably supported by a backrest and your legs will be doing the work. Some bike riders (including exercise bike riders) have lower back issues while riding. A recumbent bike allows the strain to be taken off your lower back. Exercise bikes have been a mainstay of both gym equipment and home workout equipment over the past several decades. Unlike some fitness equipment which comes and goes, recumbent bikes are here to stay because they are not only being used us regular cyclists but also in rehab facilities. You'll get the same or better aerobic workout that you would with an outdoor bicycle, with the added benefit of not having to leave your home to exercise in inclement weather. No need to deal with traffic, potholes, or hitting that oil patch and falling off the bike as you round the corner (been there, done that, ouch!!!). For years, Schwinn and Schwinn exercise bikes have meant quality but lets see how the Schwinn 230 recumbent bike stacks up.
What Features Do You Want In An Exercise Bike?
When using an exercise bike at the gym, we've grown accustomed to features such as an adjustable seat, nice LCD monitor to look at, wattage or levels that can be increased/decreased, mile per hour or speed, total mileage, time on the bike as well as time remaining on your ride, custom riding such as hills, interval, manual, and on the better exercise bikes, a heart rate monitor. I use these features when I judge exercise bikes for home use, so lets take a look at the Schwinn 230 recumbent bike.
Schwinn 230 Recumbent Exercise Bike Features
• Comfortable recumbent seat with dual-position lumbar support and fore/aft seat slider
• Easy-to-read LCD monitor displays time, distance, speed, calories burned, and more
• Recumbent handlebars with integrated heart-rate grips; wide Bio-Fit pedals
• 16 resistance levels
• 6 preset programs and 10 profile courses
• Programs include calorie goal, BMI measurement, recovery test, results mode, quick start, and manual mode
• Workout stats include time, interval time, RPM, watts, distance, pulse, speed, calories, and resistance
• Reading rack and water bottle holder
• Transport wheels for easy movement
• 10-year frame warranty; 1-year warranty on mechanical and electrical
I think that pretty much answers the question as to whether the Schwinn 230 recumbent is feature rich... the answer is a most resounding yes!!! However we all know that just about every product made in this world has its supporters and detractors. What do users from Amazon say about the Schwinn 230 Recumbent Exercise Bike? Overall users on Amazon gave the Schwinn 230 recumbent 4.2 out of 5 stars with 289 customer reviews.
PRO:
"ASSEMBLY: in short, this was painless. There is a small booklet which explains everything step-by-step"
"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"
"I love this bike. It's well built, has an amazing range of programming for varied rides and is incredibly quiet"
"It help us to exercise and stay in shape indoors now that the weather is changing and it is not comfortable to be outdoor"
"A friend of mine assembled it for me. He's pretty handy and it took him approximately 1 hr. to put together"
"The 10 year warranty is also a plus but it seems very well constructed"
"I would recommend it to all of my friends"
"This bike gives me exactly what I have been wanting - an easy way to work exercise into my daily schedule"
"Best Exercise Bike I've Ever Owned!"
"Would definitely recommend this bike but usually don't have to. Anyone that sees it and tries it is impressed"
CON:
"Resistance Graduations could be finer"
"the owners manual instructions are not as user friendly as we wish"
"The box was a bit beat-up, but nothing inside was damaged"
"THE ONLY PROBLEM with the bike is the MONITOR HAS NO LED LIGHTS AND IS HARD TO SEE"
I also read that for those under 5'4" tall, this recumbent bike may not be a suitable purchase, although one review mentioned that she is under that height and able to use this exercise bike with no issues. Some reviews mentioned taking one hour for assembly while others complained about it taking 4.5 hours. My recommendation is to just take your time and set it up right the first time. The Schwinn 230 recumbent bike should be stable and level. While assembling, take note of the levelers which are located on the back of the bike. These levelers/knobs can rotated towards the plus sign to raise the bike or towards the minus sign to lower it.
Riding The Schwinn 230 Recumbent Bike
When you are ready to hop on this exercise bike, you can start by adjusting the seat and putting the water bottle in the holder. Notice that you can walk right in and sit on the seat versus straddling a leg over the seat like you would with an upright stationary bike. The lumbar support will help you feel comfortable on this bike. You'll feel immediately that you are laid back on this recumbent bike, rather than hunched forward. Put your feet in the large Bio-Fit pedals and pedal ever so slightly. Wow... the Schwinn 230 Recumbent Exercise Bike is smooth and very quiet. Now, decide what profile program you want to use. How about a "Ride In The Park" or perhaps a "Strength Interval"? Maybe you want to give it your all and ride "Pike's Peak"? You can set the profile programs to any of 16 different levels. Adjust the LCD so that you can see it well. Pedal away and watch your time, speed, distance, calories burned, and heart rate. Are you in the fat burning zone? Now, just sit back (ooops, you are already doing that) and enjoy the ride. Perhaps you'll watch TV or listen to your mp3 player... or maybe just use the reading rack on the exercise bike and read the fitness magazine that you just picked up at the store. Enjoy the ride!!!
My thoughts: I personally try to make it to the gym about 5 days a week. While there I ride both an upright stationary bike (Life Fitness) as well as a recumbent bike. My preference is to ride the stationary bike only because I like to ride it hunched over, profile bars style (yeah, I know I'm weird). However just yesterday I rode the recumbent bike. Why? Well, because I shoveled about 5 inches of heavy snow this weekend an my lower back was bothering me. What I've come to find out is that if you are not a gym rat or don't feel like leaving the house, the Schwinn 230 Recumbent Exercise Bike may the the perfect choice for you. Sure, you can find a whole range of exercise bikes over here on Amazon but you would be hard pressed to find such a feature rich recumbent bike with the number of positive reviews that is seen with the Schwinn 230 recumbent.
When it comes to exercise and keeping in shape in the winter, I sometimes just put the outdoor bike on the magnetic trainer. However most of the time my bike remains off the trainer and ready for outdoor use. Now, instead of going to the gym, we can easily just walk downstairs and get a nice workout on our favorite exercise bike, the Schwinn 230 recumbent.
