Compare These Recumbent Exercise Bikes |
| Schwinn Active Series 20 | Schwinn 220 | Schwinn 230 | Schwinn 240 | Nautilus R514 | | Resistance Levels | 8 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | | Resistance System | Magnetic Eddy Current Brake | Magnetic Eddy Current Brake | Magnetic Eddy Current Brake | Magnetic Eddy Current Brake | Magnetic Eddy Current Brake | | Number of Programs | 11 | 12 | 6 preset, 10 courses | 17 | 17 | | Heart Rate Monitor | Grip Heart Rate Sensor | Grip Heart Rate Sensor | Grip Heart Rate Sensor | Grip Heart Rate Sensor | Polar heart rate system with chest strap | | Display Type | LCD | LCD | LCD | LCD | LCD | | Display Readout | Time, distance, pulse, watts, speed, calories, RPM | Time, distance, pulse, watts, speed, calories, resistance | Time, interval time, RPM, watts, distance, pulse, speed, calories, and resistance | Time, interval time, RPM, watts, distance, pulse, speed, calories, resistance | Time, interval time, RPM, watts, distance, pulse, speed, calories, resistance | | Dimensions | 58.5 x 26 x 36 inches (L x W x H) | 56 x 25 x 38 inches (L x W x H) | 63 x 25 x 46 inches (L x W x H) | 63 x 25 x 46 inches (L x W x H) | 67 x 25 x 52 inches (L x W x H) | | Product Weight | 58 pounds | 97 pounds | 103 pounds | 117 pounds | 119 pounds | | Weight Capacity | 275 pounds | 300 pounds | 300 pounds | 300 pounds | 300 pounds | | Warranty | Frame: 3 years, non-expandable mechanical and electric parts: 6 months | Frame: 5 years, mechanical and electric: 1 year, wear parts: 90 days | Frame: 10 years, mechanical and electric: 1 year, wear items: 6 months, labor: 90 days | Frame: 5 years, mechanical and electric: 1 year, wear parts: 90 days | Frame: 10 years, mechanical: 2 years, electric: 1 year, wear parts: 6 months | | Other Features | Transport wheels, fore / aft seat adjustment | Reading rack, rear stabilizers, transport wheels, switchable from miles to kilometers, fore / aft seat adjustment | Reading rack, water bottle holder, rear stabilizers, transport wheels, switchable from miles to kilometers, fore / aft seat adjustment, oversized pedals | Reading rack, water bottle holder, rear stabilizers, transport wheels, switchable from miles to kilometers, fore /aft seat adjustment, oversized deluxe pedals | Reading rack, water bottle holder, fan, rear stabilizer frame levelers, transport wheels, fore / aft seat adjustment, oversized pedals, oversized saddle | |
It's solid, sturdy and heavy, but the handle/rollers make it easy to move around the room.
The pedals are comfy, though I did have to rotate the shorter front handles all the way to the back to get them out of the way of my knees (I'm short--this may not happen if you're tall). Both the seat proper and the back of the seat are comfortable--even after an hour, my butt's not numb.
The heart monitor easily takes an accurate read (this was seldom true on my cheapie bike), the programs are good, and you can save multiple user profiles. The basket is handy for accessories and magazines (or if you're me, your knitting). It's easily adjustable for height. I'm very out of shape, but I was getting a nice workout at only about 25% of the full resistance, so I think the machine will grow with me.
I took off one star because the interface is not great. It's very complicated and not overly intuitive. On-screen instructions or better labeling would be easy to add and would make a big difference. I haven't belonged to a gym in a decade, but even then the interfaces were immediately obvious, so improving this one shouldn't have been rocket science. Since the programming is one of the standout features of a machine like this, and what separates it from the cheaper versions, they should have put more thought into it.
And the little fan in it is also utterly useless. It moves less air than a hand fan would. I'm short and could barely feel it on the highest speed, so someone with long legs wouldn't feel anything.
The instructions are VERY EASY TO FOLLOW, but assembly still takes quite a long time. I spent close to 2 hours unpacking it, reading the instructions & assembling it by myself (I'm a short woman with average strength). Every step was quite clear and I didn't run into any problems. And the machine comes with all of the tools you need for assembly, which is very cool.
I feel like this really is worth its price. However, I probably wouldn't make the investment until I'd used a cheaper model regularly and was sure it wouldn't just become another clothes rack (if fact, when my boyfriend saw it, he said, "Wow, that clothes rack is WAY nicer than your old one.")
Overall, a well-built, quality machine--but for the price it really should have a better user interface. (If a $10 phone can do it, a $700 exercycle should be able to.)