Aug 10
3

Schwinn Active 20 Series Recumbent Exercise Bike

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Schwinn Active 20 Series Recumbent Exercise Bike

  • Compact recumbent exercise bike for the home with 11 workout programs
  • Grip heart rate sensors enable you to monitor your fitness level
  • Computer controlled, eddy current resistance with 8 levels
  • Workouts include six preset profiles, one manual, three heart rate control, and one target heart rate
  • 275-pound maximum user weight: measures 58.5 x 26 x 36 inches

Stay in shape with a recumbent bike that features 11 programs to keep you motivated and challenged. The BioFit¿ Seat Design features 2 position height adjustment with lumbar support for a comfortable ride.Get an excellent cardio workout at home without breaking the bank with the Schwinn Active 10 recumbent exercise bike. It features 11 preset programs, computer-controlled eddy current resistance, and a belt drive system that ensures quiet operation and a smooth ride. The grip heart rate sensors

Rating: (out of 143 reviews)

List Price: $ 299.00

Price: $ 249.00

Schwinn 240 Recumbent Exercise Bike

  • Recumbent exercise bike for the home with 16 resistance levels and 20-pound flywheel
  • 17 workout programs, including 8 course profiles, target heart rate, 2 user profiles with custom workouts
  • Telemetry-enabled, integrated grip heart rate system for easy fitness monitoring
  • Seating system with padded ergonomic seat and dual-position lumbar support
  • 300-pound maximum user weight; 5-year warranty on frame, 1 year on parts and electronics

The Schwinn® 240 recumbent bike delivers a challenging workout in a relaxed position, with dual-position lumbar support. It features BioFit™ comfort with a padded ergonomic seat and an adjustable console. BioDyne™ performance offers a perimeter-weighted flywheel for a true road feel and smooth, consistent workouts, while oversized stabilizers and levelers are built-in for a solid workout platform.Save money on monthly gym fees and get in shape at the same time with the comfortable Schwinn 2

Rating: (out of 65 reviews)

List Price: $ 599.00

Price: $ 449.00

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Posted in Recumbent Exercise Bikes by exercise-bike-training 10 Comments

10 Responses to "Schwinn Active 20 Series Recumbent Exercise Bike"

  • Ann M. Smythe says:
    August 3, 2010 at 3:36 pm
    Reply

    Review by Ann M. Smythe for Schwinn Active 20 Series Recumbent Exercise Bike
    Rating:
    I bought this bike in February in preparation for knee surgery. It was extremely easy to put together – I had it together in one hour and I am a woman. It comes with all of the tools you will need. The display is nice and large and easy to understand without the manual. I used it to recover from knee surgery and now I ride it almost every morning for 30 minutes and I can really tell the difference in my legs and in my weight in general. I mostly wanted to express how easy it was to assemble and operate. I have had no trouble with it at all. I love this bike.

  • CBidwill says:
    August 3, 2010 at 4:07 pm
    Reply

    Review by CBidwill for Schwinn Active 20 Series Recumbent Exercise Bike
    Rating:
    I’ve had this bike for about 5 weeks now and am very pleased with my purchase. I just sit in front of the TV and play PS3 for about 1-2 hours every day and burn plenty of calories. The chair is much more comfortable than our old standard exercise bike, which is paramount when using it as much as we do.

    We also looked at the more expensive, older Schwinn model. Personally, we liked this one better, and it’s 200 bucks cheaper. This one was more comfortable and also much more easily adjusted, which is nice when you have 2 people using it at very different heights. This one hasn’t been on the market as long, so I’m not sure how it’ll last over the years, but so far it’s been strong and sturdy. Still, we got a 3 year warranty (not from Amazon) just in case. Even with the warranty it’s still much cheaper than the $[...] Schwinn model.

    As for negatives, you can get a lot of resistance from this bike, but each step up is a big jump. It would have been nicer to be able to ramp up more gradually. Also, I believe the calorie burner count is too high. I have a hard time believing that I can burn almost 1000 calories in an hour (although I do get the resistance up pretty high and break a good sweat).

    All told though, this is an excellent bike at an excellent price. Highly recommend.

  • 19126 says:
    August 3, 2010 at 4:21 pm
    Reply

    Review by 19126 for Schwinn Active 20 Series Recumbent Exercise Bike
    Rating:
    I’ve had this bike for about three weeks and I really like it. The bike is sturdy and assembly is easy. There are six preset hill programs to choose from, or you can use one of the six manually levels. Instructions and use of the computer are easy as well. One of the things I like about this bike is the fitness rating option, using the “recovery” button. It monitors your heart rate for 1 minute after you stop exercising, using the pulse sensors in the handles. It monitors the rate your heart slows then gives you a fitness rating from F1 (best) to F6 (worst). I get my heart rate up as high as I can on level 2 just before I stop exercising, and then I hit the recovery button. After exercising for three weeks I’ve have dropped from F5 to F4. My resting pulse rate has dropped from 80/minute to 65. I have bad knees and hips, but this bike does not aggravate them at all. If you want to strengthen and tone your legs, just put it up to level 6 and do about 20 reps. Level 6 can’t be maintained for long, unless your a body builder. You may choose to get a more expensive bike, but I think this model will give you all you need for a good cardio workout.

  • Mighty Battlecat says:
    August 3, 2010 at 4:26 pm
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    Review by Mighty Battlecat for Schwinn Active 20 Series Recumbent Exercise Bike
    Rating:
    For the past 3 or so months all that I’ve been going to the gym for is to do some cardio on their bikes. Naturally, I was very skeptical of purchasing this bike since it is considerably smaller and with less settings, speeds and resistance levels compared to the Life Fitness bikes at my gym (LA Fitness). Also, for this price (I got it for $249) it almost seemed “too good to be true”. Key word here is “almost” as it is good enough to be true and worthwhile for what you get.

    Pros:

    1. Size. It is not as intrusive as I thought. Definitely recommend to take precise measurements before you buy this. I did, and I was very happy with the way it looks. Non invasive and not too intrusive and sleek.

    2. Quiet. The unit makes almost no noise. The only thing you hear is a quiet whisper as you turn the pedals. You also hear a very light crank sound when the unit switches between the lower and the maximum levels.

    3. Comfortable. The seat is wide enough and soft enough that I can sit on it and work out for up to 90 minutes, break a good sweat and feel comfortable the entire time.

    4. Assembly. Was relatively easy considering I did it all by myself. It took me close to an hour to get it all set up (and I am no expert).

    Cons:

    1. Resistance level. The highest resistance level is not much of a challenge (then again, this depends on your fitness level). I am sure that a pro biker will laugh at it while someone intermediate like myself will be OK with it as it provides a good cardio work out.

    2. Seat adjustment. This might be an advantage to some people depending on tastes. But the way by which you adjust the seat is by a pressure/lock type mechanism. I don’t know how this will hold out over the years but by then I might be sick of the machine and wish to replace it for something fancier.

    Conclusion:

    I gave it 4 stars because of the resistance level. But I definitely love working out on this bike, especially while I watch TV, the time flies by and I feel great after I’m done. If space and money are a concern, and if you don’t need high resistance levels, then this is for you.

  • not sure why I bother says:
    August 3, 2010 at 5:14 pm
    Reply

    Review by not sure why I bother for Schwinn Active 20 Series Recumbent Exercise Bike
    Rating:
    I really wanted to like this bike. Using a recumbent bike has always been my favorite way to burn some extra calories when I get out of shape. And I have. So I saw this Schwinn for less than $300 which was frankly quite surprising, but as they say, you get what you pay for.

    The bike assembled easily enough, the instructions weren’t difficult to follow and they even provided tools for assembly (although you’d be better off using something of your own if you have decent tools). Once assembled and powered on, I hopped on the bike to give it a spin. Initially I was impressed. The bike was sturdy, easy to adjust and once I glanced at the manual, easy to program.

    I set the bike for my age(32) and 90% target heart rate, and 40 minutes. After five minutes or so, I realized something was wrong. At this point, I had been pushing the maximum resistance the bike could give me for a couple of minutes and it couldn’t get my pulse rate over about 145. Now, if I were some fitness junky who works out all of the time, maybe I could see this, but I’m 5’11″ and 215lbs(quite chubby). I canceled the workout and tried again at 70% target heart rate and that worked better. It still had to go up to maximum to get me to THR (140), but once there it bounced up and down to keep my pulse in the target range.

    After a 40 minute workout, I noticed something else wrong. According to the machine I had burned close to 900 calories! There is positively NO WAY I could have burned much more than 1/2 of that in that time frame at my current fitness level. When I was in the Air Force 6 years ago and working out 5 times a week, I would burn about 600 calories in a 45 minute workout on a recumbent bike at the gym (same ballpark for all of the 10+ different bikes at the gym). That was when I weighed about 180lbs and was much younger.

    After a few workouts I noticed yet another problem. The bike emits a bad smell from the main compartment (and no its not BO). I don’t know if it is caused by friction from the workout or what, but it gets worse as the workout progresses. At this point, I emailed amazon for an exchange thinking the bike was defective. The exchange policy worked as well as possible for a 90lb piece of exercise equipment and I received a new bike promptly.

    Unfortunately, the new bike is exhibiting the same problems (although to a lesser extent) as the old one. The smell isn’t as pervasive, but still shows up during/after long workouts. The calorie count is slightly closer to believable, but I still think it is way off. I’m not going to send it back however, because wrestling the pieces back into the box once was all the fun I could stand, so I’m left with a slightly smelly bike that tells me I working out harder than I actually am (and will probably not be good enough to get my heart rate up if I actually get back into shape.

    For what it is worth, my parents have one of the more expensive Schwinn models (I think it is a 230 or 231) and have had no problems at all and it gave a more realistic calorie count when I rode it. Perhaps the company simply skimped a little too much on this economy model. My advice would be to recommend stepping up to one of the better models and avoid the active 20 series.

    Oh, one last thing, if you are over 6ft tall, don’t expect to be able to completely extend your leg, even with the seat all the way back. I have the seat all the way back and can just barely go through a full range of motion.

  • L. Abrams says:
    August 3, 2010 at 5:35 pm
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    Review by L. Abrams for Schwinn 240 Recumbent Exercise Bike
    Rating:
    After months of trying to decide if we should buy an exercise bike, we finally bit the bullet. We went right down to Dick’s sporting goods and even though they didn’t have one on display, they did have one int he back. We bought the Schwinn 240 due to it being one of the newest models. Some of the things we really liked better were minor, but made the difference to us. The number of different programs were higher than the other models. Being able to remember a user’s information was also a huge positive from other models where every time a different user uses the equipment you have to reset all your information. The cup holder not being under the seat but on the console made more sense and having the basket to store magazines and things just seemed neater. It took about 1.5 hours to assemble. Hint: A couple of the parts were already on the bike which was confusing when comparing to the parts list. The model is nice looking, smaller than our elliptical and easy to move around with the wheels. I haven’t had it long enough yet to know how it will hold up, but it’s very sturdy, very quiet and seems like it will last for a long time.

  • Rudolf Schmid says:
    August 3, 2010 at 6:30 pm
    Reply

    Review by Rudolf Schmid for Schwinn 240 Recumbent Exercise Bike
    Rating:
    OVERVIEW: The Schwinn 240 is an excellent recumbent exercise bike. My remarks address problems with shipping and assembly.

    FREE SHIPPING VIA PILOT: It works, but, as other reviewers have elaborated, has snags. I ordered the Schwinn 240 on 11/22. Its delivery originated in Hayward CA, 26 miles south of my home. The bike was shipped 11/23 to Phoenix AZ, apparently because Pilot is headquartered there. The bike was shipped back to Hayward, arriving 11/27, with the box damaged in transit. Delivery was scheduled 11/30 for 1:59:48 PM. The bike finally arrived about 7:30PM 11/30. Damage was only to the box.

    INSTRUCTION BOOKLETS:

    (1) The printed materials supplied are in English and French. Supposedly instructions in Spanish are available from Schwinn’s website but I could not locate them. Register the bike on Schwinn’s website in the Customer Service section.

    (2) The printed assembly and use booklets are 5.5×8.5 inches (WxL) and are printed on high quality glossy paper that may well outlast the bike. Pictures in the assembly booklet are small, only about 40% of the page; about 60% of each page is blank! The small pictures and minuscule labels are hard to read, so get out your magnifying glass. Schwinn should take a cue from IKEA, which has instructions with large diagrams printed on cheap 8.5×11-inch paper. I assembled the bike using a magnifying glass, repeatedly cursing Schwinn.

    (3) But here is the solution that I found *after* assembling the bike and on starting to peruse the equally hard-to-read use manual. Go to Schwinn’s website and download the PDFs of the assembly and use manuals (these PDFs are also available on this Amazon page!). The pages will print out on 8.5×11-inch paper with larger diagrams and print (closer to IKEA quality). The written instructions are in English (front) and French (back), so just print out the language needed.

    (4) Schwinn’s written instructions (both English and French) are woefully inadequate. Hence I offer some detailed elaborations for assembly:

    TIME REQUIRED: At least an hour to unpack the parts, organize them, clean up, and recycle the waste. Roughly two hours to assemble the bike properly plus a bit more time to make personal adjustments (seat, pedal straps, console, etc.) on the assembled bike.

    GENERAL ASSEMBLY POINTS:

    (1) The screws, washers, and other small parts come attached to two pieces of cardboard, the parts held in place by blister plastic. Carefully remove the parts and organize them in the same layout as on the cardboard. Do not discard the cardboard until after the bike is assembled.

    (2) Before each assembly step doublecheck diagrams so that you do not install a part backwards or upside down.

    (3) When connecting two parts carefully align screws with screw holes, finger tighten, and then tool-tighten alternate holes to avoid torquing a part (that is, as one would alternately tighten lug nuts when replacing a flat tire on a vehicle).

    (4) Tighten screws in a clockwise and loosen counterclockwise, or remember the ditty: Righty tighty, lefty loosey.

    EXPANDED ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS:

    (1) Attach stabilizers to main frame: This step is easier with a second person helping to align parts. The larger stabilizer goes in the rear, the smaller one, with wheels forward, goes in the front. Record the model and serial number from the bottom of the rear stabilizer before installation.

    (2) Attach side handlebars to seat frame: This step is fairly clear, though it is awkward to juggle the parts being attached. The silver heart-rate-sensors should face up.

    (3) Attach seat pads to seat frame assembly: This is also a juggling step for one person. The seat back has eight holes for the four screws. There is no explanation in the assembly manual but presumably the lower set of holes is for persons of average height whereas the upper set of holes is for very tall persons.

    (4) Slide seat assembly onto seat rail: An insert requires that the seat assembly (item 13) held in place by seven screws (these are loosely tightened) be first removed,

    (5) Connect heart rate cable to seat assembly: A simple step.

    (6) Install seat rail bracket: Note the proper orientation of seat bracket (item 10).

    (7) Install seat assembly to frame assembly: This step is easier with a second person helping to align parts. The seat bracket (item 10) goes inside the seat tube. It may have arrived temporarily but improperly installed outside the tube. The electronic cable should be completely inserted in the rear seat tube to avoid crimping the cable.

    (8) Install console mast to frame assembly: Be sure the cables are properly oriented and not inverted. Male prongs couple to female receptacles; note the tabs for orientation and push with lots of force to couple securely. I found it useful to tie a string to the handlebar ends of the cables in case they fall into the console tube (item 14) during its insertion into the flywheel base. It is easier to insert (loosely tighten) the two side screws first and then the two front screws because the latter might fall inadvertently into the chamber, in which case their retrieval would be tedious. In inserting the four rubber caps do not over-push them into the aforenoted chamber but carefully with a screwdriver put the inner flange of the rubber cap inside the hole.

    (9) Attach upright handlebar to console mast: be sure the handlebars are properly centered on the stem; otherwise the plastic cap (item 9) will not fit properly.

    (10) Attach console bracket to console mast: Stick the cables through the console bracket; remove any string. The hex bolt (item 3) and nut (item K) go through the lower pivot holes. Use the two tools depicted to tighten the hex bolt and nut so that the bracket pivots freely. The carriage bolt (item F) and plastic knob (item M) go through the upper adjustable arc opening.

    (11) Connect console cables to console: Note orientation of the tabs being connecting. Be sure the cables are securely attached,

    (12) Attach console to console bracket: Don’t waste time looking for the four screws. They are attached to the rear of the console and require removal before the required attachment.

    (13) Install pedals on crank arms: The petals and straps are labeled left (L) or right (R). Note that the left pedal is tightened counterclockwise (not the usual clockwise to tighten). The logo on the strap goes on top with the larger number of holes toward the outside. Depending on storage, one or both straps may be curved the opposite wrong way; beware.

    (14) Connect power cord: A simple step.

    (15) Attach water bottle holder to console mast: Watch orientation of parts: black piece outside with the two large holder arms facing up; red piece inside with bottom support facing down.

    (XX) Final adjustments: Doublecheck that all screws and bolts are adequately tightened. Remove the protective film from the console and sides of the flywheel container. Level bike. Adjust seat and pedal straps. Finally adjust tilt of console for maximum legibility (in my case tilted all the way forward). Program console (see use manual, which also needs more detailed instructions). WARNING: Do NOT unplug the power cord (the transformer stays warm–an energy vampire!) or else your saved settings will be lost. It would be nice if the bike had a memory feature to preserve settings as do digital cameras and other electronic devices.

  • Larry B. Hughes says:
    August 3, 2010 at 7:25 pm
    Reply

    Review by Larry B. Hughes for Schwinn 240 Recumbent Exercise Bike
    Rating:
    I did extensive research before I bought this bike. I’ve ridden it for about ten hours since assembly and am simply delighted with it. I am a good mechanic and assembled it by myself in about three hours. The assembly manual has little text, mostly illustrations; but they marginally suffice, more text would be very helpful.

    The console electronic cable going the top of the front wheel hardware has connectors at both ends — they must be connected to the proper connectors, they are not the same configuration and are not interchangeable. So beware, the bike parts I received had this cable reversed so I was unable to connect the connectors until I removed the cable and reversed its “to — from” direction.

    The text regarding the programming of a user is unsatisfactory, confusing, does not effective communicate to a reader.

    When registering the bike, you must have its serial number, the serial number is located on the bottom of the front stabilizer, record it before you assemble the bike.

    In sum, if you are looking for an outstanding recumbent exercise bike at a most reasonable price, I urge you to purchase this bike.

  • L. Trammell says:
    August 3, 2010 at 7:54 pm
    Reply

    Review by L. Trammell for Schwinn 240 Recumbent Exercise Bike
    Rating:
    After a lot of research we bought the Schwinn 240 for our family. The package arrived in good shape. My husband and son were able to assemble it in about an hour. After a few minutes of riding it my rear hurt from the seat. Also, the back seemed to lean back way too far and was not adjustable. I tried the bike several times and was very unhappy with how uncomfortable the seat was. My back and rear would begin to hurt before my legs did. My 18 year old son decided to use it and rode several days for an hour at a time. Suddenly, the console went dark and it just quit working. My husband could not see any problem. We called the manufacturer and got good service. They sent us a new console. We put it on, it worked for a little while then quit again. We asked AMAZON if we could send it back and they said yes. They sent SEVA to pick it up and gave us a refund. Their service was excellent. With the rave reviews about this bike, it’s possible we just got a lemon. Even if this bike had worked, I would have never bought it based on the seat and back although it rode very smoothly, while it lasted.

  • Anthony N. says:
    August 3, 2010 at 8:21 pm
    Reply

    Review by Anthony N. for Schwinn 240 Recumbent Exercise Bike
    Rating:
    I just purchased the Schwinn 240. It is the first exercise bike I have ever owned but have used others my friends had. This machine is light years ahead of what I’ve used before.

    After having tried other brands I settled on this one due to how well it is constructed, ease of use etc.

    I gave it 4 out of 5 stars because the instructions as to how to use it to get the most out of it SUCK! I wrote the company concerning this. It was *kind of* easy to initially set it up. (Don’t set it up for Guest if you are the primary user or it won’t save your workouts.) It is alot of guess work for me to go from going to my name then getting to the actual workout screen.

    I’m sure I’ll figure it out eventually but, why should I have to? That should be Schwinn’s responsibility to have already figured it out for me to make my life a little more simpler!

    Also, all the parts to put it together come on two pieces of card board with plastic over them to keep them in place. There are numbers etc. under each nut and bolt but none of these letters and numbers match up with the book to put the machine together. You have to figure that out for yourself by looking at the pictures in the book. Another Schwinn blunder. They could very easily have put a number under each nut and put that **same** number in the book.

    Other than these blunders, I really love the machine and am getting lots of use from it! I hope to have it many years and extend my quality of life for many years to come.

    Schwinn, get a clue. We don’t want to learn this machine by trial and error. Put together a better manual on how to use this machine. Don’t make me have to put one together for you!

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