Buying Schwinn 231 Recumbent Exercise Bike

I had purchased a "floor model" recumbent bike from a fitness store and it was not as good as this was. I took it back and purchased the Schwinn 231 and have loved it from the start. The best part of this is was half the price of a fitness store Floor model. The programs that come with the bike are great. It is very solid and very quite. I can bike on it with almost NO noise whatsoever. This is great news to my wife who can sleep when I get up early in the morning and pedal to nowhere. Great Value. Why spend more? Get more detail about Schwinn 231 Recumbent Exercise Bike.

Buy Schwinn 231 Recumbent Exercise Bike

I'm a 64 year old fit male thanks to riding a four year old NAUTILUS NR3000 twice a week (community gym) to supplement weekend outdoor rides. I wanted one for home but couldn't afford it so I bought this SCHWINN 231 Recumbent Exercise Bike from AMAZON. This lighter weight SCHWINN 231 is also made by NAUTILUS and has similar features and functions.

PRE-PURCHASE: SCHWINN (NAUTILUS) Customer Service was exceptionally good answering all questions and helping me understand differences until I was comfortable.

ORDER: Easy and seamless like every order from AMAZON - they're the very best, most reliable source for anything they carry and sell. I chose free shipping and they shipped it the same day I placed my order.

DELIVERY: Easy and as promised - Eagle USA called me a couple days ahead to arrange a time convenient to me to deliver. They delivered on schedule and offered to place the bulky box it in the room/place of my choice.

PACKAGING: Exceptionally well packaged -- enough to protect all parts on its long trip from China to Illinois to Ohio and finally to California.

PARTS: Well organized and marked, easy to find and use. They include one-time use tools; IF you have your own, you'll prefer yours.

ASSEMBLY MANUAL: Well organized, clear, 99% easy to follow -- follow them exactly for best results with minimum frustration.

ASSEMBLY: I went slowly, step-by-step, carefully and methodically to avoid problems. It took an easy 2.5 hours and it started up perfectly the very first time -- thirty days and 15+ rides later, still working great.

USER (OPS) MANUAL: Very well organized and written - easy to understand and thoroughly explains features and proper operation. It also has basic fitness and other supplementary information.

SEAT: The seat on this bike (one of the most important features on any bike) is very comfortable, even on rides well over an hour -- more than can be said of most bikes -- one of its best features. BE SURE to adjust seat height/distance from pedals properly according to the manual for best results.

PEDALS: Great once the (over the foot) top strap is correctly adjusted for your feet; try to get it right the first time you set them as redoing them is no fun.

CONSOLE: After reading the manual once, all operations and functions are simple and intuitive - easy to read and use, visible in daylight.

HEART RATE MONITOR: Excellent once stabilized and checked against two independent, dedicated HR Monitors - bike's monitor was within +/- 1 BPM. Recommend you keep hands on the HR grip sensors - IF you take them off and HR readout goes blank, it will restart at the bottom and increment up slowly to actual HR taking up to 10 - 60 seconds to stabilize at the correct reading. Operated correctly with patience and common sense it's great.

FAN: Adequate air movement for cooler ambient temps. In warmer ambient temps, it may not move as much air as you'd like. Cerainly not a "go, no-go" issue for any serious user.

RIDE: The SCHWINN 231 is lighter than the NAUTILUS NR3000 and therefore slightly less stable; it wobbles a tiny bit during hard rides though it's good as is. It's a very quiet ride. Changing resistance or workload is smooth with minimal delay. It's worth noting again that the seat is very comfortable for rides well over an hour. The backrest's lumbar support feature is a nice, added bonus.

PROGRAM & READOUTS: I've been riding real and stationary bikes for years. This bike gives riders through advanced any level of workout they want or need once features and capabilities are fully learned and used. It reports lower "results" than other bikes - that is, for the same ride as other recumbents, the SCHWINN 231 gives lower speeds, watts expended and fewer calories burned than others. While reported results are lower, they're probably much closer to actual and a real outdoor cycle ride than others that over state results and make you feel better.

SUMMARY: I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE SCHWINN 231 RECUMBENT EXERCISE BIKE for attaining and maintaining your desired level of fitness, especially given the fine support can expect from SCHWINN FITNESS/NAUTILUS Customer Service if/when needed.

ONE LAST THOUGHT: IF you're serious about fitness, I strongly recommend two books with your SCHWINN 231 -- both available from AMAZON. Read and apply the principals as valid for stationary bikes as for real ones:

a. "The Heart Rate Monitor Book for Cyclists" by Sally Edwards and Sally Reed (full benefit from built-in heart rate monitor for best workouts)

b. "Cycling Past 50" by Joe Friel (great cycling physiology all ages)

Whatever you decide, I wish you better health through cycling.
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Purchase Schwinn 231 Recumbent Exercise Bike

Several found this hard to assemble and I just want to say that I found it very easy, and well laid out, both parts and instructions. I had no trouble at all, with the help of one other it took about 80 minutes to assemble; I feel I could have done it alone with maybe 30 minutes more. Although the box is huge, it's still smaller than a 42" plasma, and can easily be moved with a two wheeler cart. It was pretty easy to un-box, I did it myself.
I only tried the bike for a couple of minutes, but it's smooth, for sure. It feels good and I thought it was quite rigid and felt no shake of the seat platform as one reported...it's solid. I think I will be very happy with it, it even looks fun. I am happy with the purchase. Oh yeah, the fan is sweet!Get more detail about Schwinn 231 Recumbent Exercise Bike.

Order Schwinn 231 Recumbent Exercise Bike

First, Amazon had the best price ($549 w/free shipping) as well as $100 gift certificate making it a better deal than the cheaper 230 model. I ordered it Friday night and it was delivered, in good condition, Tuesday morning. It took me about 45 minutes to unpack and assemble. Assembly was very easy. Works beautifully, very quiet, comfortable & stable....well built. I haven't had a chance to try all of the programs yet but so far am very pleased.

For the guy who complained about the loose seat, I suspect that you had not tightened down the adjustment knob.

Update... After using this bike for a few weeks, I have to say that I am impressed. It gives a good, solid workout, is fairly comfortable and amazingly quiet. Also, the heart rate contacts are easily reached without effecting the intensity of your workout (as some other exrecise machines do). Get more detail about Schwinn 231 Recumbent Exercise Bike.

Where To Buy Schwinn 231 Recumbent Exercise Bike

I spend a great deal of my day standing on concrete floors at work. The Schwinn 231 Recumbent has been the best addition to our household since the birth of our son two years ago. Out of the box, it was too easy to assemble (all tools included)and parts accounted for on an easy to read pre-printed skin-packed parts list with pieces clearly labeled. Upon assembly, this bike is oh-so-quiet and friendly whether you choose to read, watch the television, talk on the phone or pull up your AirDesk(tm) and catch up on emails. A perfect no-impact way to get the blood flowing, get your heart-rate pumping, and maximize productivity. Truly a hit in our household. Get more detail about Schwinn 231 Recumbent Exercise Bike.

Shop For Schwinn 231 Recumbent Exercise Bike

Assembly instructions were clear and easy to follow. It took me and my son about 3 hours to assemble, split between 2 sessions. The bike is comfortable and sturdy, almost as sturdy as a health-club bike. Seat is easy to adjust for different user heights. Programs are easy to select. The heart rate monitor is not as responsive as you might like (it takes a while to for the displayed rate to come up to your actual heart rate), but to me this is a trivial point. I have used this nearly every day since getting it and am enjoying it very much. Get more detail about Schwinn 231 Recumbent Exercise Bike.

Schwinn 231 Recumbent Exercise Bike

We received the bike after about two weeks but we expected that. It wasn't too hard to put together but I do have to fiddle with the computer part of it to get it on straight. However, this bike receives my highest recommendation. It is nearly silent and has a variety of programs so you can vary your workout.Get more detail about Schwinn 231 Recumbent Exercise Bike.