Saturday, April 18, 2020

Schwinn 240 Recumbent Exercise Bike Review

My best stationary bike (I can’t mention it by name) is 3 years old and frankly it’s time for an upgrade since the exercise bikes in the sub $500 category have made great strides in the past few years in build quality, performance and features. There are a ton of recumbent bikes to choose from but I decided to go with the top bike in this class: the new Schwinn 240 Recumbent Exercise Bike.
Please Note: The 240 is sometimes out of stock on Amazon at certain times of the year. If that is the case, the Schwinn 250 is an excellent alternative and virtually identical with a few extra features. It may be replacing the 240. 
The 240 is the model that replaced the Schwinn 231 recumbent which was highly recommended by many reviewers including Consumer Reports Magazine. Schwinn has another winner on their hands with the Schwinn 240 Recumbent bike which has to be one of the best values in the stationary bike game.
When it comes to exercise equipment, you get what you pay for. Don’t expect a bike with a street price of around $400 to be the equal of a $2000 model. That being said, the build quality, ruggedness, comfort, performance and quiet noise level of the Schwinn 240 is far better than what was available in this price range even a few short years ago.
The Schwinn 240 is such a hit that it is already in the Top 100 of all exercise products on Amazon (and the top selling excercise bike overall) and has an amazing 4.5 star average customer review.  This is pretty much unheard of for the category. What it means is that the vast majority of people who buy this Schwinn exercise bike are not just happy with their choice, they’re thrilled. For most people, the Schwinn 240 exercise bike is the perfect choice for home use. It is compact, reliable and most importantly, gives a great workout.
Let’s take a look at some of the features that make this Schwinn Recumbent exercise bike a great choice:
Comfort and Quality
When you hop on an exercise bike the first thing you’ll notice is the comfort level and the Schwinn does not disappoint. It has a nicely padded, comfortable, wide, ergonomic seat and dual position lumbar support  This is one of the reasons I prefer a recumbent bike over an upright. The seats are almost always more comfortable than on an upright especially if you have back problems like I do. This Schwinn has a large range of adjustment, not just of the seat position but also the handlebars and console. It’s easy to get this bike to fit you just right.
Stability is very important in an exercise bike. You don’t want to be rocking around because you will be reluctant to push yourself and, hey, what a downer… An unstable bike feels cheap and ready to fall apart. This is one of the reasons I’m getting rid of the old bike. It makes me feel cheap to be working out on a flimsy machine. The Schwinn 240 has very good stability because of its over-sized stabilizers and levelers (especially important if your floor is not perfectly level). The bike feels rock solid and well constructed. It can accommodate a user up to 300 pounds!  The Schwinn is also very quiet which not only increases your riding pleasure but means you can watch TV or listen to music without blasting your ears.
Smooth and Consistent
A big indicator of quality and something that makes a bike a pleasure to use is the smoothness of the ride: you want it to be  natural and consistent – just like a real bike. The Schwinn beats my old bike hands down. The secret to this is the 20-pound perimeter-weighted flywheel on the Schwinn 240.  The bigger the wheel, the better. This is a big step up from the Schwinn 220 which only has a 13.2 pound flywheel. The 240 is noticeably smoother and feels more like a real bike. This feature alone helps to give the bike a premium feel and considering the street price difference is only about $50, it’s worth it to choose the Schwinn 240 Recumbent Exercise Bike.
Please Note: The 240 is sometimes out of stock on Amazon at certain times of the year. If that is the case, the Schwinn 250 is an excellent alternative and virtually identical with a few extra features and seems to be replacing the 240. 
16 Resistance Levels – The More The Merrier
On my old bike, there were only 6 levels of resistance which means the steps between levels are too great. When Level 3 feels too easy and you punch it up to Level 4, you can be shocked at how hard it is and you have to go back to Level 3. Obviously, you aren’t going to get the optimum workout. For me, I could handle Level 5 but Level 6 was a joke – virtually impossible. Having 16 Levels of resistance means you can gradually increase the resistance and never feel like you are doing less work than you should be –  ensuring maximum benefit. This is a big plus for this bike.
Huge Variety of Programs – And it Remembers!
The Schwinn 240 has a gorgeous back-lit LCD Console
A secret known well to personal trainers is that your body adapts to routine and becomes more efficient every time. This is bad for exercise because it means that you expend less effort and therefore get less benefit as your body adjusts. It’s important to change routines every week or two to overcome this natural adaptation. The Schwinn 240 Recumbent is programmed with 17 workout programs including 8 course profiles, target heart rate, and can be stored with 2 user profiles with custom workouts.  Compare this to the 4-5 programs of many bikes and you can see the benefits. Not only does it offer fresh challenges to your body but a variety of programs makes it a lot more fun and less monotonous. I recommend switching programs every week to get the most out of this flexibility.
A big problem for people working out at home without a personal trainer is recording progress.  Personal trainers usually carry a clipboard and record the time and level of every exercise to make sure that their clients are progressing. Who does that at home? Very few people I think. I take working out seriously but even I find myself wondering, “Last week did I do 30 minutes on Level 4 or was it only Level 3?”  Schwinn Advantage Workout Tracking allows you to keep track of your workouts and your progress ( and it works for 2 people!).  Again, this is an unexpected feature on a bike in this price range. Seeing your progress not only ensures you are getting the best workout but it’s big motivator. You’ll stick with it when you see how quickly you are improving in a short time. It’s a huge boost.  Another nice touch is the gorgeous back-lit LCD display -definitely top of the class.
Heart-rate Flexibility
I’m perfectly happy using the standard grip heart-rate monitors that come with this bike but some people have reasons (sweaty hands anyone?) to prefer wearing a heart-rate strap around their chest instead. I suppose it is more accurate and of course, some people don’t want to keep their hands on the grips especially if they’re reading while riding. The Schwinn 240 is  ”telemetry-enabled” which means that you can use your own chest strap if it is compatible. It’s pretty funny when I read some other schwinn exercise bike reviews and they rave about the telemetry heart-rate monitor and the strap. I guess they never opened the carton because the strap IS NOT INCLUDED.  I have yet to see a bike in this price range that includes a telemetry strap. I have never used a telemetry strap because I find the hand grips work just fine. But the option is there. If  you prefer to have a chest strap go for it. Buy a compatible one for about $50 and you are off to the races. At least you the option which most bikes in this price range don’t have. Please note the Schwinn 250 DOES come with a strap. 
Do I have to Put it Together?!?
Well, if you want to save money then any stationary bike you buy will require some assembly. It takes about 45 minutes for someone good with their hands to put it together. If you are not so sure, get a friend or family member to help you. It should not take more than an hour and a bit, regardless. The nice thing is that Schwinn includes all the tools you need in the box. If you have problems with assembly, Schwinn is known for their great customer service. You can just give them a call and they will walk you through the problem you are having. This is one of the advantages to dealing with a big well established company. They take customer service seriously. And they have a good warranty too: 5 years on the frame and 1 year on parts and electronics.
A Few Extra Touches…
So we’ve seen all the things that make this bike a very good value and certainly a great choice for a home bike. There are also some added features that really make the Schwinn a great value: convenience features.
Water bottle holder. Most bikes in this class don’t have a water bottle holder. My old bike didn’t and I had to have a glass beside me on the carpet. Yes, I spilled it often. So a water bottle holder comes in handy, and another nice touch is the placement which is up and out of the way on the center pipe.
Reading rack to rest your magazine, ipad, or book on. Goes without saying.
Magazine storage under the seat. Cuts down on the clutter.
Oversized comfortable pedals. ’nuff said. Another “quality” thing.
What are others saying?
I like to go over and read the customer reviews on Amazon before I buy anything and as I mentioned at the top, this stationary bike has stellar customer feedback.  It’s average rating is 4.5 out of 5 stars. It is the top-selling exercise bike on Amazon. If you want to see actual customer reviews head on over to Amazon and take a look.
What’s the Bottom Line?
This is the best choice of stationary bike in the Under $500 category. (You should be able to get it for $400-450) It performs well, it’s solidly built, quiet, has more features than you can expect in this class, and should give many years of service. If there is one drawback it is that it has to be plugged in: you need to have access to an electrical outlet. Not a big deal for me.
Where Can I Buy the Schwinn 240 Recumbent Exercise Bike?
Direct from Schwinn it’s over $500 with shipping, but you can buy this bike at Amazon where they currently have free shipping and it’s about $100 less at Amazon. From what I can tell comparing online merchants Amazon currently has the best deal because of the free shipping.
Where Can I read other reviews?
The best place for reviews from people who have actually bought the Schwinn 420 is Amazon.
Please Note: The 240 is sometimes out of stock on Amazon at certain times of the year. If that is the case, the Schwinn 250 is an excellent alternative and virtually identical with a few extra features and is replacing the 240 going forward

1 comment:

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