Schwinn Fitness Recumbent Bike Series

My first bike was a Schwinn and was my favorite. Now at 60, I decided to get a recumbent exercise bike to help me continue my weight lose journey, 40# so far, and to keep me on track when it rains and I can't get outside to walk. The box arrived in 2 days and was in perfect condition. It took me 3 hours by myself, and in no big hurry to put together, very easy if I should say so. The only thing that was difficult for me to do was trying to connect the wire connections between the fly wheel and the monitor mount. Two hands would've worked here. Once everything was put together I gave it a try. Adjusting the seat was a little hard to get it to disengage so I could slide it up and down. Once I figured it out, it got better. But I got it where it needs to be and won't be Adjusting it anymore. Today I used the rolling hills program and rode it for 30 minutes, and was sweating pretty good, after I was finished. The Pros are Noise level- no noise at all. Build quality- Excellent Stability- Excellent- at 240 lbs it didn't Move at all. Resistance levels- 1-4 are pretty much the same. 5-10 is far as I got and you could fill it getting harder everytime you went up a level. So 24 levels of resistance should do just fine. Price- well worth the $799 for the quality of Schwinn. If you are in your later years and need a great excercise recumbent bike at N affordable price, then this is the one to get.

I recently had shoulder replacement surgery. I bought this back on Black Friday so that I could exercise post surgery. I considered a lot of units like this, details on most were sparse. Normally I ride on a local Rail To Trail path. A normal ride for me would be 40 miles in a couple of hours. The facts, I am in my early 60s, 6'4" 36 in inseam, weigh between 230-and 240 with size 15 shoes. This bike does what I need while accommodating my physical size. I would like the seat to have just a little more extension. There are internal stops I may consider removing. It is stable, some small wobble when pedaling hard and quiet. Display is bright but times out at 30 minutes. I had a seat cushion on my rowing machine I am using with this. The seat is firm and may be uncomfortable if you ride it for extended lengths of time. Resistance is good, level 14 is a good workout. I do not use any of the apps, you need an iPad, but do use the canned programs. My Polar chest strap heart monitor syncs up without issue. Never used the USB port or Bluetooth. Assembly was quick and easy, get a rachet screwdriver with appropriate driver instead of the allen wrenches. I am happy with this purchase. I ride a hard program in the AM while watching the morning news and sometimes ride an easy program in the evening. You can spend more but you really don't need more, unless you are an "influencer".

Most importantly it is sturdy with a smooth mechanism. The utility of the screen is limited and assembly was involved but still a good value.

Comfortable and quiet

Another amendment to my initial review... In addition to not being able to run jrny (unless I buy another tablet) now I realize I can't connect the bluetooth without zwift, which I have to pay for monthly. In other words, I should have purchased a mickeymouse $150 bike because ALL THE BELLS AND WHISTLES THAT REALLY APPEALED IN THE HYPE DO NOT WORK UNLESS I PAY FOR THEM EVERY MONTH. I wouldn't mind paying a monthly charge if I could use jrny, which was one of the main reasons I bought this piece of crap, but I don't have the right tablet and I'll be cotton-picked if I'm going to buy anything else, given that buying this stupid bike in the first place just about broke the bank. Boy, these guys sure saw me comin'... Amending my initial review yet again: OK, part of the aggravation with this bike is on me, I will admit. I am NOT a particularly tech-savvy person. If you're interested in this bike, be sure you read every bit of fine print and go over it with someone who understands the technology bits. I selected this bike because of the JRNY software, I was excited about the video capabilities, riding with other bikers or traveling through all kinds of places. What I did not realize is that the software is not compatible with anything I already own... not with Windows, not with my Kindle. So the only screen I can use is my smart phone. Teeny-tiny screen... so I can ride through lots of places, but the video is so small I can't pick up much of any detail. Bummer. I could buy another tablet to use, but I already spent what is, to me, a TON of money. So I guess I'll just ride the old boring way... which I could have done for much less money had I understood the connectivity -- or lack thereof. What a waste of money. Amending my review, dropping two stars to one star. The bike has been sitting useless for almost two weeks waiting for a service tech. Never worked. Today I had an email from tech, they state they will have a tech here in almost TWO WEEKS MORE. Four weeks this thing is sitting here like a lump. Meanwhile my insurance won't pay for more P.T. so I'm getting no therapy... THAT'S WHY WE BOUGHT THE STUPID BIKE! Schwinn, or whoever you are, you should be embarrassed. Bike arrived, my husband set it up. Setup is challenging, but if you go step by step using the manual it can be done. Unfortunately, once done there is no power to the unit. So we called the manufacturer, they made a couple of suggestions -- still nuthin'. They were going to send out replacement cables RIGHT AWAY, they arrived about a week later. Slow boat from China? Also were given contact info for a technician. If the cables worked we were to contact the tech and tell him not to come, if they didn't work we should wait to hear from the tech to schedule an on-site visit. Still haven't heard a peep. All things considered, this bike is probably the most expensive PAPER WEIGHT I've ever purchased. Shame on you, Nautilus/Schwinn!

I took pictures of the box when delivered and the UPS man was very concerned, but despite the box being in bad shape nothing was damaged and no lost parts. I am extremely good at assembling things and this took me 3 hours at the least. I would suggest buying a 4 and 6 mm Allen wrench that you can use with a socket. It would probably save 45 minutes as the included Allen tool is very slow to use. There are several points of assembly where it’s worth re-reading and looking at pictures. Especially for the seat assembly. Anyway, once assembled it has a very nice display and is extremely quiet. It has nice canned workouts and is easy and intuitive to use. We are not interested, but there is an app you get for free for a while and then can subscribe. As described in title it is very well made and solid and the seat is very comfortable. For those of you who may not know, Schwann, Nautilus, Bowflex and Jenny are all in same company.

Anyone considering purchasing a Schwinn 290 Recumbent Cycle should read this first. Doing so might spare you the disappointment I experienced after purchasing the bike. Although the 290 is considered Schwinn’s top-tier recumbent bike many of its features fall short of what one might expect from Schwinn and especially at this price point. Despite its comfortable seating and smooth, quiet ride, the Schwinn 290 offers an extremely basic display that provides access to fifteen preset programs that only allow for minimal adjustment. The bike’s inability to track or store rider metrics complicates monitoring or recording progress. And, contrary to the lengthy promotion regarding JRNY compatibility, the application’s connectivity is exaggerated beyond the capabilities of the bike. Listed below are some of the reasons why the Schwinn 290 might not be for everybody. • The bike’s preloaded programs cannot be edited and there are no customizable workouts. The closes thing to a customizable workout is to use the bike’s manual program. The manual program does not have preprogrammed duration or intensity and you would have to make adjustments for duration and intensity as you ride. • The Schwinn 290 has no onboard memory to store workout metrics or history internally. You can use an external application but their use locks the bike’s display preventing program adjustment. Heart rate can be monitored but only through the use of a separately purchased Bluetooth strap. • Use of the JRNY application is exaggerated but can be used to track metrics. Unfortunately, once you connect to the application you can no longer access the bike’s display panel to adjust intensity. When used with the Schwinn 290, the application does not control intensity even though it claims to offer adaptive workouts. At the most, you can complete low-intensity “scenic” rides. Tracked metrics include duration, time, distance, calories, cadence and heart rate (only if you use a Bluetooth HR strap). • I also tried other fitness applications (Kinomap, Wahoo and Strava) and they all provided the same type of passive connectivity I found with the JRNY application. My recommendation is that anyone considering a recumbent bike take the time to dig into the details. I thought I had but none of what I’ve shared about the Schwinn 290 was made apparent in advertisements or widely published reviews and recommendations. I’m giving the bike three stars because too much was left out of the provided information to make a truly informed decision. If you are looking for a fully interactive piece of equipment capable of augmenting you home fitness program carefully consider your investment. I wish I had.

Works great, couldn’t be more satisfied 👍🏽

Love this bike ! Very comfortable seat and easy to use technology

Le montage était relativement simple, mais le manuel de l'utilisateur offrait des illustrations plutôt moches. Celles de la vidéo sur YouTube étaient meilleures. En outre, les éléments contenus dans la boîte ne sont pas bien identifiées, c'est un peu long. Par contre, au lieu de mettre des vis dans des contenants, on les a déjà mises après le bâti, ça simplifie beaucoup la tâche. Les instructions relatives à la console et aux applications sont minimalistes, dommage. D'autre part, la connexion avec mon casque de réalité virtuelle fut facile. J'ai vérifié que je peux me servir du vélo dans deux applications au moins. Suggestions à Schwinn : numéroter les sacs contenant des pièces et en énumérer le contenu, et mettre des dessins aussi beaux que ceux de la vidéo dans le document papier.

How often I have to tight the bolt and screws