Schwinn IC2 Indoor Cycling Exercise Bike

I''ll have to come back after a while using this and add info, but after about a month, I am very pleased.

Now, I was one of those folks who, back in the late 90s, was really into spinning. This bike is pretty much what I remember of the original spinning bikes.

Construction: seems pretty solid so far. Looking at the parts, the connections and so forth, I don''t see anything I expect to become a major problem in the long-term.

Computer: Useless and annoying (it cycles through the functions and you can''t pause it), but completely unnecessary. This is a spinning bike. All you need to really know is time. Get on there, push yourself, adjust the tension as needed, and watch a half-hour TV show, which leads to...

Noise: This seems, from what I''ve read, to be a big issue for other people with other bikes. At this point, it''s not for me. This is no more noisy than a normal, well-maintained bicycle is out on the road. It will not overpower music or television or anything else anymore than a $3,000 piece of equipment you find at the gym will.

User-friendliness: Can you perform basic maintenance on a bike? Then you can handle this. However, it is not light. I''d get this for my Mom only if I thought she''d never have to move it. It''s "portable" in that it has wheels, but tipping it back onto the wheels and moving it is not that simple given the placement of the fulcrum.

Assembly: Just like a real bike, essentially. So, for those who have never put together a regular bike, when you attach the peddles, one goes on clockwise and the other counter-clockwise. The seat is a little more annoying to mount than a normal seat, but not much of an issue if you''ve ever replaced a bike seat.

Comfort: Unless you have the rear-end of a touring cyclist, get yourself a new seat. That said, properly adjusting this is half the battle. Adjust it just like you would a real bike. Stand straddling the bike with the seat behind you and it should, at the highest, hit you in the lower small of your back. The seat should be angled just ever so slightly forward. The bar beneath the seat and the handlebar should be adjusted so that you can reach the handlebars without straining. After you have made all adjustments, make sure you tighten down the knobs as much as you physically can.

This is not an "exercise bike," and that''s a good thing. Exercise bikes suck. This type of equipment is as close as you will come to the experience of riding an actual bike but indoors. If I could get this or a $1,000 exercise bike, I''d get this.

Here''s the bottom line for me: This type of equipment was created to enable serious competitive cyclists to train indoor in the winter. Schwinn made the first bikes of this type. You will simply not find any other piece of exercise equipment in this price range that matches up. The equipment is pretty basic. It''s a flywheel that keeps forward momentum going and thus simulates riding a real bike with a fixed gear -even just "spinning out" with no resistance on you''ll get a workout. The resistance is a pad that touches the flywheel and that you adjust by turning a knob (only in VERY small increments). If the pad wears with time, you just turn more. This is to other exercise equipment what dumbbells are to weight machines. To build other kinds of equipment in this price range means using cheap, easily-broken substitutes for overly-complicated and high-tech mechanisms. This bike has a chain, a wheel and some peddles.

A final note: My wife discovered that her iPad fits perfectly between the mettle piece that sticks up for attaching the useless "computer" and the handlebars (with a piece of cloth on the mettle piece to protect the iPad obviously).

My husband and I are quite pleased with this bike, its very sturdy and we had no shipping issues. We''ve had it for two weeks now. As another reviewer noted its quiet and smooth. I can ride it comfortable, but so can my husband which is great because he is 6''4" and fits on this bike very comfortably(not true of all bikes!). It took 2 of us 15 minutes from bringing it in the house to riding it(including clean up of the shipping box). My Dad also bought one and put it together himself and said it took 30 minutes and he felt it was easy. One thing I love about the bike is there are no places where my 2 year old can stick his fingers into and become injured when I ride it! You do have to change the resistance manually which I could see bothering some people, but it doesn''t bother me. Its not difficult to do and you don''t have to get off the bike to do it, although you do need to slow down a bit. You have to recognize that you get what you pay for, this bike is significantly cheaper than other bikes and does not have the perks of them. The console is nice, but not fancy(again you get what you pay for here), it cycles through time, distance, RPM, speed and calorie feedback. It changes through them about every 10 seconds. Its easy to move around and adjust the seat or handle bars. I do recommend a gel seat cover for the bike seat as its not cushioned.

In short we are really happy with this bike, its great quality for the money!

Buy Schwinn IC2 Indoor Cycling Exercise Bike Now

I just got this bike last week and after a few hours of riding it I must say it is well made. The ride is smooth, not too noisy and the all construction seems very solid.

The packaging, however, is done poorly--the hand bar of the bike scratched the main frame.

I actually returned the first bike I got, but the second one had the same issue. Yet, after calling Amazon I received a nice discount (they refund my credit card) so altogether I''m happy with the purchase.

Read Best Reviews of Schwinn IC2 Indoor Cycling Exercise Bike Here

I ordered one of these Schwinn IC2''s for my wife who loves spin classes. I didn''t expect the quality you find with professional models but after returning two units I''ve given up on Schwinn.

The box arrived intact but upon opening it became evident that the foam packing was not up to the task. Most of it was crushed and there were scratches and dents in the bike. I assembled the bike anyway and instantly noticed a grinding noise. I checked the chain tension and found it was too loose. I removed the chain guard and tightened the chain but the grinding persisted. I called Schwinn customer service and they guided me through checking the chain tension to ensure it allowed about 3/8" deflection. Everything was good but the problem remained. Next they had me completely loosen both adjustment bolts and tighten one turn at a time. (I achieve the proper tension when there was about 1.9 cm between the opening and the bracket the bolt head pressed against.) This still didn''t fix the problem. At this point I noticed that the chain was wobbling horizontally as it spun, indicating a wheel misalignment or warped gear. I informed the customer service rep and she decided to send a professional to fix the bike.

This is when the real problem started. Under Schwinn''s warranty labor is covered for 90 days but unless you live in a major metropolitan area you have to pay for the technician''s house call. I wasn''t going to pay to fix a brand new bike so I opted to return the bike instead. Amazon was very helpful and a replacement bike was at my house two days later.

Unfortunately it had the same problem. When I removed the chain guard I could see that the rear gear was visibly warped. The packing foam was damaged with this unit as well but there wasn''t any damage to the chain guard, just cosmetic issues. I think the problem is Schwinn''s poor quality control.

Want Schwinn IC2 Indoor Cycling Exercise Bike Discount?

I chose this bike because I''ve lost a lot of weight and wanted to add some simple exercise to my life to help keep it off. I''d heard that Schwinn was a good brand, and this bike didn''t seem too fancy. First, prospective buyers should note that this bike has a 250 pound maximum weight limit.

PROS:

1. Comes with an electronic monitor, which takes 2 AA batteries (not included, of course), that tracks calories burned, distance, MPH, RPM and time spent cycling. It was simple to use: put in the batteries, plug it into the cord attached to the bike and start going. It comes on automatically when the bike is in use.

2. Straightforward assembly. I''m usually not the best at assembling things, but I was able to put this together by myself with no problems, in about 30 minutes. Plus, it had all the necessary tools included.

3. Resistance/tension setting for easier or more challenging pedaling, which can be adjusted while riding.

4. Heavy, solidly built frame and wheel. The bike feels completely stable.

5. Very quiet can easily hear a tv or music device over the sound.

6. Cup holder included.

CONS:

1. The seat is EXTREMELY uncomfortable. The tiny wedge feels like it has no padding at all. I am already looking for a gel-padded cover. Considering the cost of the bike, this was a big disappointment. I deducted one star just for this.

2. Though I didn''t deduct any stars for it, as a girly girl, I wish the frame were black instead of gray, so it''s not quite such an eyesore in my living room.

Unlike other reviewers, I had no issue with the packaging or delivery. The bike arrived in perfect condition, and the box was easy to open. Please see my pictures of the actual bike I received. Overall, I am satisfied with the bike but I am not certain it is worth the $400 price tag (Amazon''s discounted price as of this writing). There are many other bikes in this price range, with solid reviews. Since I only wanted this to help lose weight, it is probably more than I need for the price, and would have earned 3 stars. However, I gave it four because those that are more serious about exercising/training may be better satisfied and I honestly cannot compare it to other models that I haven''t tried.

UPDATE: I purchased a gel padded seat cover, Imitation Sheepskin Padded Bicycle Seat Cover, that was under $10 and Prime. It has helped.

2nd UPDATE: The padded cover was just not sufficient in the long run (though it may be for others). After a week, I hurt enough that I stopped using the bike altogether. I ended up buying a new seat, at a cost of $60, at a local bike shop. I was uncertain about buying online since not all seats have the same method of attaching. The new seat is wonderful, and I have been using the bike regularly. Still, it''s very disappointing to have to buy a new seat for a bike that retails at $600.

Save 30% off