Schwinn 231 Recumbent Bike And Others – Finding The Best Price

In summary, this is an excellent exercise bike with all the bells and whistles. A great addition to my home gym.

After trying Schwinn 270 recumbent bike at my local sporting goods store (Dick’s Sporting Goods) and liking it a lot, I was contemplating between the 270 and the 230. Basically, there are three main differences: (1) The 270 has 25 levels of resistance versus 20 levels for the 230. (2) The seat has a cushion on the 270 while the 230 has a plastic seat with holes for airflow. (3) The 270 could have up to 4 saved profiles and the 230 could have 2. A number of profiles on the 270 might be a good feature for folks who would share the bike with more than 2 people but I was only sharing with my wife so it wasn’t a big deal for me. And since the 230 is a new model (2016 vs. 2013), I decided to go with the 230 and I couldn’t be happier.

Before I talk about pros and cons, I just wanted to talk just a little bit about myself so you get a better perspective. I’m 5’9”, male, 160 lbs, in my 30s, in a relatively good shape but nothing close to a triathlon athlete or bodybuilder. I’m just a casual rider who puts in about 30-45 minutes, 2-3 times a week.

Pros:

•  The bike has a very smooth ride on all resistances. No squeak, no thump, just a smooth sound of a well-oil machine probably very close to those heavy duty commercial grade exercise bikes you see at the gym.
• Slider seat is so easy to adjust. I know for this price range, this is a requirement especially when two of us are sharing this bike adjusting back and forth.
• Sturdy! Of course a, I described above I’m not testing this bike to it max limits since I’m just an average guy with average use but so far, nothing is shaking and nothing is loose.
• Low impact on your knees and joints but you could probably say the same on all bikes and elliptical machines.
• Programs. Many programs to choose from. Some are fun while others I’m never going back to but that’s just based on my personal preference.
• Two LCD monitors. This allows me to put my iPad on top while I keep track of my workout on the bottom LCD.
• Great, knowledgeable and friendly customer service. Registering product and basic troubleshooting was easy.
• Assembly wasn’t a rocket science. It seems all the parts that you think could be assembled in the factory, they assembled in the factory so good job Schwinn. But that doesn’t mean I only spent 3 minutes putting this bike together like putting a hot pocket in a microwave. Think of the assembly process as preparing a delicious food using a slow cooker. It takes time but not difficult if you know what I mean 😉 So I would say 1-2 hours depending on your skills.

Cons:

• 2 Profiles. Now, this is not a con for me since I’m only sharing this bike with my wife but if you have 3 or more people sharing and want to save your workout results and progress, you can’t do it with this bike. The 270 allows 4 profiles just as an FYI.
• The front panel / LCD dashboard does not look like the one shown on the Amazon page. Please refer to my picture. It is less shiny and you will notice the logo on top is not red in real life. Also, the buttons are the same color as the panel but when you look at the picture on Amazon it is darker and shinier. This is definitely not a deal breaker and maybe I’m just being picky but I just wanted to note.
• Plastic seat and back. I personally haven’t had any discomfort riding on a plastic seat but I could see that this may be slightly uncomfortable if you ride more frequently. Again, this is an exercise bike, not a La-Z-Boy recliner so I expect less comfort from this bike. But then again, I could see that this could potentially be an issue.

Another note – I also purchased Supermats Heavy Duty P.V.C. Mat for Treadmills/Ski Machine (2.5-Feet x 6-Feet) to go with this bike in case you are wondering.

Update:

The Schwinn 231 recumbent bike was out of stock at Amazon at the time of updating this post, but some of the second-hand dealers or eBay may still stock the Schwinn 231 recumbent bike if you are desperate to own this particular model.

To read more about Schwinn Recumbent Bikes, click here.