Schwinn 230 Recumbent Bike Review: pros, cons, cost, and more

Schwinn are a brand that has been around for over a century, and they’ve been making fitness gear for our homes for over 50 years; they’re a company with more experience than most. I’ve been reviewing their gear for many years and have always been impressed with the quality for the price point.

But recently, the brand was taken over by Nautilus, and the Schwinn brand started to slip a little; their ellipticals weren’t getting updated, and things just didn’t look so rosy.

Also, the Schwinn 230 now comes with a new fitness app boasting 100 global routes, and you get wireless heart rate monitoring, a really useful feature that allows you to monitor your heart rate accurately, and of course, the quality of the bike hasn’t suffered its the same sturdy recumbent bike it always was.

It’s undoubtedly a recumbent bike still worth taking seriously, so in today’s review, I want to take a close look at everything the Schwinn recumbent bike has to offer.

Also, at the end of the review, I want to compare the Schwinn 230 to one of its closest rivals, the Xterra SB2.5r, as it will be interesting to see how they match up.

First, a quick look at the Schwinn 230 product specs!

Why Do We Like The Schwinn 230 Recumbent Bike?

A lot of people will choose the Schwinn 230 because it comes with a Schwinn badge on the side. They trust the brand and know they’ll get quality for their money. And this is still true; the 230 offers a reasonably sturdy build. If you take a look at how much the bike weighs, then you’ll get a good idea of the quality of the recumbent bike.

A commercial-grade recumbent bike weighs around 150lb, and a budget recumbent bike weighs 50-60lb. The Schwinn 230 weighs 80lb which is about right for the price.

The Schwinn 230 isn’t one of those cheap, low-quality recumbents made from lightweight parts. It does have some weight to it. It’s better than low-cost bikes but still a long way off commercial grade.

Strudy For Price Point

Also, the weight of a recumbent bike will determine how sturdy the machine feels. Lightweight bikes feel cheap and unstable, so you want to avoid the 50lb recumbent bikes.

The Schwinn 230, although not a heavy solid bike, is still a 3rd heavier than the budget bikes, and that extra weight will really help with stability. Also, the design of the Schwinn 230 is fairly low profile, which is something else that will aid stability.

And lastly, a really handy feature Schwinn included with the 230 recumbent is the adjustable levelers built into the rear stabilizers. An excellent stability feature for those with uneven floors, as you can adjust the levelers independently to keep the recumbent bike stable.

So yes, what I liked most about the Schwinn 230 is that the build quality is still there, and it’s sturdy too, thanks to the 80lb build, the low profile design, and those very useful adjustable levelers.

Click here to check price of Scwhinn 230 on Amazon

The Seat is Slightly Disappointing

The seat is one of the most important features of a recumbent bike, especially if you’re going to sit on this thing for an hour or so a few times a week; it needs to be comfy. And for some reason, Schwinn forgot about padding for the seat.

I don’t understand why Schwinn hasn’t padded the seat of this bike. It’s crazy not to use padding on a recumbent bike seat; one of the main benefits of exercising on a recumbent bike is the comfort they provide; Schwinn got it very wrong here.

However, you could buy a seat cushion, which will help; I know GREAN makes some excellent gel seat cushions. Still, this shouldn’t be something extra you have to pay for.

For the rest of the seat, the design is great, it’s contoured, and the backrest is vented, which is important as it will allow the air to flow and will reduce sweating. And most importantly, the seat is adjustable, so you should easily be able to find the right seat positions to suit your size. With a height range of 5’2″ to 6’4″.

Overall, a decent adjustable recumbent seat just lacks the padding for comfort.

Impressive Monitor With Workout Programs and App

Schwinn always does great with their monitors, and the 230 monitor is no exception. Its features include 13 workout programs and access to the Explore The World app, which includes over 100 global routes. It’s always good to own a recumbent with workout programs because they keep you challenged and coming back for more.

And you can use their new Explore The World app without paying any money. There are a few global routes to try for free, and it will allow you to download all your workout stats. And set goals.

If you want to add more global routes to the Explore The World app, I think they cost about $1.50 per route, which is pretty cheap, and they’re great fun and keep you entertained.

Also, I was pleased to see Schwinn have added wireless heart rate monitoring, this is a much more accurate way to measure your heart rate than the handlebar pulse sensors, and it’s a really handy feature for those who love to work out in their chosen heart rate zone.

What’s most important is that this monitor is easy to use, you get the large quick touch buttons which save time, and there’s nothing over complicated. You can select anything you need with a touch of a button.

Lastly, the monitor tracks all your vital workout stats like time, distance, speed, and calories, and you can view them easily on the 5″ LCD. The only drawback I found with this monitor is that the screen isn’t backlit, which makes it hard to read in low light conditions.

16 Levels of Frictionless Resistance

The Schwinn 230 utilizes a magnet for its 16 levels of resistance. Schwinn terms this resistance as eddy current resistance, which is just a fancy name for magnetic resistance.

Magnetic resistance is starting to become the number 1 choice of resistance for home and commercial cardio machines, and there’s a good reason why:

It’s frictionless, which means it’s whisper-quiet in operation. You can exercise without being disturbed by the sound of the machine, something that was almost impossible with air resistance.

Watch TV Without Being Disturbed By The Sound of The Machine

If you have been looking for a super quiet cardio machine that will not disturb you and others around you, or you like watching TV while you exercise, opting for magnetic will always be the best choice.

And because magnetic resistance is constant i.e., the resistance strength only changes when you manually select another level, you have the option to pedal slowly at high resistance; again, this is impossible with air resistance which only gets stronger when you pedal faster.

How Smooth Does it Feel?

The weight of a recumbent bike’s flywheel is one of the main factors determining how smooth the pedaling motion will feel. The Schwinn 230 boasts a 17lb premier weighted flywheel, which is a medium-weight flywheel, so it’s pretty impressive for the price point. There is enough weight there to keep everything feeling smooth and consistent.

You won’t quite get that premium feel of the commercial recumbent bikes that boast the 30lb flywheels, but because the Schwinn 230 flywheel is also premier weighted, it does feel smooth, and many users have praised how smooth the 230 feels when exercising.

Also, the flywheel’s weight plays a large part in the strength of resistance, especially in those upper levels. Most budget recumbents come with flywheels weighing anywhere from 5lb to 10lb, so they are best suited to beginners. The 230 boasts almost twice that weight, so resistance is strong. Strong enough for most fitness levels.

How Many Calories Will I Burn?

Recumbent bikes are very similar to upright bikes in that they work the same large muscle groups in your legs, like your glutes and hamstrings.

And because these muscle groups are so large, they have a high caloric output requirement, so at moderate intensity, a 150lb man or woman can expect to burn 220 calories per 30-minute session, making the recumbent bike one of the best cardio machines for losing that unwanted belly fat.

Assembly

I haven’t heard any serious issues with getting the 230 up and assembled, with many users getting the job done in around one and a half hours. Still, it’s quite a heavy machine, so you might want to ask a family member or friend to help you move the box and get the bike in place. Schwinn provides all the tools for the job and a fully illustrated assembly manual.

Alternative

Xterra Fitness SB2.5r Recumbent Bike

Xterra are a company that manages to keep prices down and still deliver on quality. They’ve been around for years and are the main rivals to companies like Schwinn and Nautilus.

The reason I wanted to show you the Xterra SB2.5r is that it offers so much bang for your buck, and it’s over $100 less than the Scwhiin.

So to start, this recumbent bike weighs 108lb assembled. That’s a heavy recumbent bike, especially for a machine that costs under $500. It’s almost heavy duty which is rare in this price range. It’s a sturdy, well-made, recumbent bike.

The seat is contoured and padded. It’s a wide comfy seat with ten positions and a height range similar to the Scwhinn 230. And the monitor is almost as impressive as the Schwinn monitor, boasting 24 resistance levels and 24 built-in workout programs, but there are no advanced features like wireless heart rate monitoring.

Still, perhaps what’s most impressive about Xterra’s recumbent bike is that it comes with a 22lb flywheel; this is the sort of weight I expect to see on the mid-level recumbents that cost twice as much as the Xterra SB2.5r. A flywheel this heavy will ensure an extra smooth pedaling motion.

Overall this is an excellent low-cost recumbent from Xterra that punches way above its price tag and the best alternative to the 230 if you don’t want to spend over $500 on a recumbent bike.

To Sum Up

The Schwinn Recumbent bikes continue to be some of the best on the market. I feel the 230 stands out because it boasts almost the same features as its bigger brother, the 270, and the same frame, but it comes in at a much lower price.

The 230 recumbent bike is a good all-rounder. The monitor is impressive, you have a sturdy build, and the walk-through makes it very easy to get on and off the bike; there isn’t anything that really holds back the Scwhinn recumbent bike. Even the pedaling motion is nice and smooth, thanks to that premier weighted flywheel.

The lack of a padded seat is an issue, it’s not a deal breaker as you can buy a gel cushion for it, but at this price, you expect your recumbent bike to come with a padded seat.

Schwinn 230 Recumbent Bike FAQs

How Much Does The Schwinn 230 Recumbent bike Weigh?

The Schwinn 230 recumbent bike package weight is 110lb/50kg and 80lb/36kg assembled.

How Noisey is the Schwinn 230 Recumbent Bike?

The Schwinn 230 uses a magnetic resistance system and a belt drive system. This is the quietest combination for a recumbent bike with a noise level of just 30DB. You can watch TV or listen to music without being disturbed by the sound of the machine.

How Long Does The Schwinn 230 Take To Assemble?

The average build time for the Schwinn 230 recumbent bike is one and a half hours. Most users found assembly relatively easy and said the instruction manual was very clear.

Do You Need an Electric Connection For The Schwinn 230 Recumbent Bike?

The electric connection powers the monitor for resistance levels and workout programs. You will need a 110 outlet.