Buy Schwinn 231 Recumbent Exercise Bike

I was searching for an exercise bike and tried a few in the local stores, but they all seemed very cheap and unstable. Then there were the stores that had fantastic exercise bikes, but were all above $1200. I decided to search online and quickly came across the Schwinn 231. I'm very glad I came to Amazon and found these reviews. After reading all the reviews, I decided this was the bike for me.

The first glitch was Amazon not passing my phone number to the shipper. Amazon has my number on record, but the shipper never got it. So my bike actually sat for two days in their warehouse before they could get a hold of me. They emailed Amazon who then emailed me and provided their number. It would also have been nice to be sent the shipper's phone number as soon as they knew who the shipper was. Once they had my number they delivered the next day. The shipper was ABF, and even though I was told this would be a curbside delivery only, the driver brought it right into my garage. The side of the box (just above where the computer panel is packed) was torn and punched in. The delivery driver helped me unpack all the parts to make sure nothing was broken (great guy!) and then I signed for it.

I assembled this myself in less than 90 minutes. It's really a piece of cake, the manual is written very well and the bolts and nuts are clearly identified. I wasn't short any parts, and none were left over. The only annoying part of the build was you have to remove the back seat panel after you have installed the seat onto the frame rail, due to the fact that it hides a wiring block that you need a step later. Just a couple minutes of extra work there.

The only thing that could be difficult for one person to do by themselves is when you are attaching the seat frame and rail back onto the bike frame, you have to reconnect a wire and stuff it into the frame, before you can set the whole assembly down. You could just as easily build the bike on its side to this point and then tilt it upright when done.

The only defect in my bike is the fan didn't work, which is very common. I called Nautilus' support line and they placed an order for a replacement part in just a few minutes. They just got a delivery of back ordered fans and I was told they are going into Q&A right now before they will be shipped. My bike didn't suffer from the smelly seat issue that many had, nor do my pedals or the fly wheel make any clunking sounds. The foot straps are easy to install, I don't understand why others had issues with this.

I think the bike rides really nicely. The resistance at level 16 is fantastic. I only wish Schwinn had a way for you to harness that power you generate when pedaling. There is a little bit of frame creaking when in use (but then I have a spare tire), and only the slightest amount of wobble on carpet. The bike is otherwise very stable and very quiet. I wish it was easier to adjust the seat distance (when you have more than one person using it). I like the water bottle holder under the seat. I also wish the support column for the computer angled forward a lot more, and possibly telescoped out to get the panel closer.

I highly recommend this bike based on its quality and appearance. I used the free shipping method and it arrived in 10 days (could have been 8).

Thanks Amazon for a great deal!Get more detail about Schwinn 231 Recumbent Exercise Bike.