Monday, October 12, 2009
Schwinn 231 Recumbent Exercise Bike Right now

I purchased this bike a couple of weeks ago and have been using it for a little over a week. The shipping was quick, and the box was sent from Bring's who reinforced the box, which was great (shipping damage is a common complaint for purchases like these).
Bike was not difficult to assemble and took me (by myself) about 2 hours at a very leisurely pace. There were a couple of small undocumented issues, such as a cable needing to be routed that was considered "pre-routed" in the instructions.
Functionally, the bike is great. It is not perfectly stable, as at a fast pace the top part (display/etc) does wobble a bit, but the base of the unit is stable which is plenty good enough for me. The seating is extremely comfortable, the computer is very good and has more functionality than I will ever use. And yes, the pedal mechanism itself is dead quiet.
The only reason I give this bike 4 stars is because of the following issues:
- For the life of me I cannot figure out how to get the pedal straps on. One side of the strap fits fine but the other side absolutely will not. I may be missing something but it seems like a manufacturing defect to me. If i'm the only one that mentions this it is probably an issue on my end :). I haven't needed the straps so it has not been an issue for me.
- As stated, there were a couple of minor issues with the instructions.
- The fan is not terribly useful, and as stated the bike does wobble a bit at high speeds.
None of the above issues detract from my use of the product but they may for some. All in all, I would recommend this bike in a heartbeat to someone else, and it is a great bike for the value. It is really convenient to have a bike at home to exercise on, and was well worth the money for me.
Also, as this is the "new" model for Schwinn, there are no reviews at the time of this writing, you can check out the reviews of the older models for general impressions of the Schwinn bikes; they are relatively accurate to my experiences with this one.Get more detail about Schwinn 231 Recumbent Exercise Bike.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Lowest Price Schwinn 231 Recumbent Exercise Bike

Even though I own an elliptical and a home gym, I still find myself sitting in my chair watching television or reading online and not exercising. As long as I'm going to engage in those activities, why not burn some calories at the same time?
I read the reviews on another model and then came across the 231. It's $100 more but it sounded like many of the issues in the other bike had been resolved. I ordered the bike through Brinks because another review mentioned better packaging.
I ordered the bike on a Saturday and received it the following Thursday! I stayed up late and put it together myself in about three hours. It took me longer than others because I was trying to attach a part wrong and it took me awhile to figure it out. It was my fault, though. I thought the directions were easy to follow and the parts were packaged in such a way that it was very easy to determine which parts were called for.
Hint: Before you put the machine together, write down the serial number which is under the rear stabilizer. It's much easier to write down BEFORE the bike is put together!
Once it was together, the right pedal made a knocking noise and vibration that I could feel in my foot. This was irritating so I called customer service and was advised to remove, clean, and retighten the pedal. It worked! A week or so later, I had some confusion about how to use the Recovery button so I called customer service again. We figured out that I was using it incorrectly -- you do it DURING a program, not once you're finished. (My elliptical does it differently.) Both times, the customer service representative was friendly and helpful and the problems were resolved.
The bike is very easy to use, from sitting down to setting the program. We haven't had to change the seat adjustment as my husband and I have the same length legs. We are also the same age but we do have to change the weight setting. Entering the info at the beginning takes just seconds. I like how the program remembers the previous settings so you don't always have to start from scratch. It even remembers the intensity level for a particular program. The fan is adjustable and I find it quite refreshing -- it blows right on my face but not so strongly that it dries out my eyes.
I removed the pedal straps -- they didn't seem necessary. The bike is very quiet -- the fan is the only part that makes noise and the occasional beeping as each interval passes. I'm just amazed at how quickly the time passes while I'm exercising. And it's a good workout, too! We both have to wipe the sweat off the seat when we're finished and we're not even working at the highest levels or going all that fast.
I'm very pleased with our purchase and strongly recommend this model!Get more detail about Schwinn 231 Recumbent Exercise Bike.
Low Price Schwinn 231 Recumbent Exercise Bike

This bike is very well made and very high tech. The instructions for assembly is not for beginners, you must have good mechanical and techinal skills. The operations for using this bike is very high tech and very difficult for beginners. The foot straps are extremely difficult to adjust and relatively useless (better to remove them). The surface area of the peddles that your foot makes contact with is too small. The fan is useless, it does not circulate noticeable air. I suggest saving a hundred bucks and purchase the Schwinn 230 model instead.Get more detail about Schwinn 231 Recumbent Exercise Bike.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Save Schwinn 231 Recumbent Exercise Bike

I've had this bike for two weeks now. I love it. It was shipped in a big box with no scratches, dings or dents. I had one problem with the Eagle express shipping but it was corrected by the delivery person on his own time (delivered to the wrong house!)
This machine is quiet. You cannot hear a sound from it. I can work out at 5:00am and not wake anyone else up in the house. (my favorite time to excercise!) I love the counters, the programs and the seat! It's very comfortable. My neighbors built this bike in under 90 minutes with no problems. The little fan is just for looks. Don't expect it to cool you off. It's almost silly. I've been trying to use the fitness test function but you have to get your heart rate up to a certain level before it kicks in. I've been unable to reach that level and am dissappointed that i can't test my current level as of yet. I may be doing something wrong so i will be contacting the company about better instructions. The display is very easy to use. Be sure and read the instructions first. It helps tremendously. I would highly recommend this bike to new users such as myself. It's a great price for such a sturdy product. Get more detail about Schwinn 231 Recumbent Exercise Bike.
Discount Schwinn 231 Recumbent Exercise Bike

My Husband was so impressed with the quality of the bike and especially the manual directions and assembly that he called the company to give positive feedback, something he never does. As for myself, my arthritic knees are less stressed as I strive for aerobic fitness and my comfort level is great. Something I did not expect from a recumbent bike. Get more detail about Schwinn 231 Recumbent Exercise Bike.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Cheapest Schwinn 231 Recumbent Exercise Bike

I purchased this bike about 2 months ago. Unfortunately, I suffered a knee injury and haven't been able to use it as much as I would have liked. It came to me very nicely packaged and all of the hardware was very nicely labeled. It only took my brother and I about an hour to put it together from start to finish. The directions were easy to follow. The bike itself it extremely quiet, no need to turn up the tv while riding. There are great programs to keep your ride enjoyable. The fan doesn't really blow that far to feel any of the air. Like previous reviewers I didn't put the pedal straps onto the bike, which doesn't seem to make much difference. It's very easy to use the computer module and the seat is very comfortable. I thoroughly enjoy it, (as much as I can at this time). Get more detail about Schwinn 231 Recumbent Exercise Bike.
Cheap Schwinn 231 Recumbent Exercise Bike

So far, the bike is very good and delivers what the ad says about the bike. It is a smooth operating cycle, which has excellent computer pre-programs setup. Building the bike wasn't hard, if you read the instructions. If you don't read the instructions letter for letter, you will make mistakes and even possibly cause the bike to malfunction or not even work. So read the instructions before building this thing.
The only gripe that I have regarding the cycle is that it for sure stinks up the room. I mean, you smell this heavy scent of mechanical awareness for days and days and days. I have had this bike for nearly two weeks and it still stinks as strong as the day I put it together. I even sprayed it with Lysol and then Febreeze and it still stinks. So I got one of those 24/7 room deoderizer plugins a couple of days ago, and it seems to be working a little. I think Schwinn should do something about the heavy smell the bike puts out. It truly is strong enough to encourage you to put it outside somewhere, but then you'll lose the urge to use it as you would if you kelp it inside. Overall, I am glad I got the bike. It is a good bike for the price and it is truly a smooth working bike, but if only Schwinn would do something about the strong heavy smell this thing puts out... Otherwise, enjoy!
Hey, I got an idea, I'll buy a nose clip! Hey Amazon, do you guys sell nose clips? You know, the kind that swimmers use?Get more detail about Schwinn 231 Recumbent Exercise Bike.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)