What’s the Best Schwinn Exercise Bike for Your Home Gym? Here Are Our Top 4 Picks

The Schwinn IC4 Indoor Cycling Bike is our go-to pick for those who want a Peloton alternative that costs several hundred dollars less than the world’s most popular exercise bike. Listed for $999 but often available for as low as $799, we rate the IC4 a 4.5 out of 5 for value. And, unlike the Peloton bike that only allows you to use the Peloton app, you have an almost endless array of cycling apps that can be used with this bike—basically everything but iFIT.

(Read our Peloton vs Schwinn IC4 comparison for a full tale of the tape.)

GGR Everything Lead Reviewer Lindsay Scheele had plenty of positive feedback about her experience with our top-rated Schwinn exercise bike. Right off the bat, she noted how little noise the machine makes, which isn’t always the case with bikes.

“Because of the magnetic resistance it uses, it’s super quiet,” Lindsay says. “If you’re somebody who needs to be aware of the noise level of your machine, this is something to check out.”

In addition to quiet magnetic resistance, you get a hefty 40-pound flywheel and 100 levels of micro-adjustable resistance. You’ll also get a pair of 3-pound dumbbells for live or on-demand classes that involve upper-body work. 

“Having dumbbells come with this bike at this this price point isn’t typical, so that’s a unique feature,” Lindsay explains.

Earning a perfect 5-out-of-5 rating for conveniences, the IC4 includes dual water bottle holders, a USB charging station, a device holder, and dumbbell holders.

One downside is that it has a small screen that only displays basic metrics, so you’ll have to supply your own iPad or laptop to take advantage of the JRNY, Explore the World, or any other cycling app you might choose to use with this bike. 

If you have a JRNY membership, you can also connect the bike to your preferred app via Bluetooth to take advantage of the auto-resistance feature, which allows your trainer to make the resistance harder or easier. This feature can be turned off, but it’s one of the many bike features that makes this a great choice for studio cycling enthusiasts who want to workout at home. 

If you’re on a budget or don’t care much about fitness apps you could opt for the Schwinn IC3, but be aware it uses friction resistance instead of magnetic so it will be a bit louder and require some upkeep during its lifetime. 

Schwinn includes a 10-year frame warranty, a three-year parts and electronics warranty, and one-year labor warranty. In addition, the company has a better return policy than most manufacturers.

“If you aren’t satisfied with your Schwinn, you can actually return this for up to six weeks, which is pretty generous,” Lindsay explains, rating the warranty and returns a 4 out of 5.

Get more of our thoughts on this bike by reading our Schwinn IC4 review. 

It should also be noted that Schwinn’s parent company, Nautilus, produces a very similar bike: the Bowflex C6.  

The Schwinn 230 Recumbent Bike is one of the best recumbent exercise bikes for seniors or anyone else who may be looking for a more accessible stationary exercise bike. The walk-through design makes getting in and out of the seat simple for those with mobility issues, the ventilated backrest and seat keep you cool during longer rides, and it comes with 16 magnetic resistance levels. 

The bike comes with 13 built-in workout programs and an LCD display to keep track of your heart rate, total distance, speed, and calories burned, so it’s pretty basic in terms of its tech features. Also, the LCD display on this one isn’t backlit so those with eyesight issues may want to get a tablet on the media holder ASAP. On the bright side, the screen has a USB port so you can charge your devices as you ride. 

But like other Schwinn bikes, the Schwinn 230 has Bluetooth capabilities to connect to cycling apps like Zwift or the Peloton app to help diversify your riding experience. You can also connect to Polar heart rate monitors via Bluetooth as well. Overall, we rate the tech capabilities a 3 out of 5.

Although bulky, this recumbent bike only weighs 81.6 pounds, so it’s quite easy to move around your home gym if needed. It’s also highly adjustable to allow users of multiple sizes to fit comfortably into the seat. Between the seat rail slider system and ability to make fore and aft adjustments to the seat, we rate the adjustability and ergonomics a 4.5 out of 5.

We’re usually cautious about recommending products with a lot of plastic parts, as they’re more likely to break even if the item is well taken care of, but we have not run into any problems with our Schwinn 230 Recumbent Bike over the many months of testing it. 

The 300-pound weight capacity isn’t the best, but for around $600 it’s better than most at this price range, and it comes with a water bottle holder (which isn’t always the case with recumbent bikes). In addition, this bike includes a media shelf, leading to a conveniences score of 3 out of 5.

Read our full Schwinn 230 Recumbent Bike review for more information and to see how it compares to the Schwinn 270 Recumbent Bike. 

The Schwinn Airdyne AD7, otherwise known as the Schwinn Airdyne Pro, was crowned the quietest air bike in our best air bike roundup for a surprising reason: It has plastic parts. 

Most air bikes are made of metal, which can produce a lot of noise when you’re pedaling hard and pushing those handlebars, but the AD7’s construction reduces the decibels so you’re not disturbing your partner or roommates. 

“The bike is simply really well built,” says our founder, Coop Mitchell, rating the construction and durability a 4.8 out of 5. “The pedals are actual medal pedals and not plastic, so you can expect fewer problems with that than you’d might expect.”

This model was also one of the first air bikes to use a belt-drive system rather than a chain-drive not only to reduce noise levels, but also to keep maintenance to a minimum. In fact, the only sound you’ll really hear on this bike is the whooshing created by the fan blades. 

“Starting the bike is smooth and quick, and the same goes for when you’re coming to a stop for movement changes or conducting intervals,” Coop says.

While not impressive when compared to other exercise bikes, the multi-display LCD screen is easily one of the best we’ve seen on air bikes. Coop rated the monitor a 4.3 out of 5, noting that it’s reminiscent of the performance monitor on the AssaultBike.

We will say this bike is quite tough, so unless you have experience with air bikes already, you might want to look into more beginner-friendly models (our suggestion would be the AssaultBike Classic). But if you’re looking for a full-body workout that will tax your upper- and lower-body muscles, then Schwinn is a great choice. 

While it’s one of the more expensive air bikes on the market, it is one that we think is well worth the cost. So, despite carrying a price tag of around $1,000, we rate the value a 4 out of 5.

Get our full thoughts on this bike by reading our Schwinn Airdyne AD7 review. 

The Schwinn 170 Upright Bike is the only Schwinn exercise bike on this list that we haven’t personally tested, but based on our years of experience of testing and reviewing exercise equipment, we like what we see. 

The $550 price tag might seem a bit high for an upright bike until you realize that this bike has more than meets the eye. Bluetooth connectivity isn’t typically found on bikes in this price range, but with the Schwinn 170 you can connect to multiple cycling apps to take advantage of cycling classes and to keep track of your progress. 

It also has an impressive 25 levels of resistance, which according to customer reviews is whisper-quiet, 29 built-in workout programs, and a 300-pound weight capacity. We like to see at least a few built-in workout programs, so having nearly 30 easily helps the Schwinn 170 earn a perfect 5-out-of-5 rating for dynamic programming.

All of this makes the Schwinn 170 the best Schwinn exercise bike when it comes to value, earning a 5 out of 5 in this category. The adjustable seat allows users from 5 feet to 6 feet, 4 inches tall to feel comfortable at all points of their ride. We also appreciate that this bike is pretty easy to move, as it only weighs 58.4 pounds and comes with built-in transport wheels. As a result, we give it a 5-out-of-5 rating for footprint and portability.

There are two backlit LCD displays to keep track of all your metrics, but the only downside is the tablet holder is built into those displays, so anything you place there will cover up those screens (which also has a charging port). That’s not the biggest problem in the world, but unless your cycling app tracks your metrics in real time, you won’t be able to see them until your ride is over. Overall, the tech capabilities won’t blow you away, but they’re better than average, earning a score of 3.5 out of 5 from our team.

Get our full breakdown of this bike in our Schwinn 170 Upright Bike review.