Schwinn Airdyne Exercise Bike - Recumbent Alternative

In spite of all the more modern designs the Schwinn Airdyne exercise bike still is popular and many see it as a favorite exercise and fitness machine. In fact, stationary bikes in general have not been replaced by all the other fitness machines there are to pick from in a crowded marketplace. Stationary bikes continue to sell because they work. The Airdyne is not the only bike of it's type but is still somewhat unique in spite of other something like it. It does have somewhat of a fan club and is a searched for item both new and used.
The machine I personally use has been my ride for nearly twenty years and has been all but trouble free all that time. After all that time and many "miles" of riding the same machine the following are some observations and impressions.
The Air-Dyne design, being quite simple but durable, is likely to stay together for a long time and side-step costly repair bills. There are few expensive repair bills that should arise just because of the simple design. What you have is mostly a simple heavy design that's been around long enough to be proven. Often users first encounter these in commercial gyms since many are used that way.
Part of the advantage of the bikes is the heavy and durable construction of the machines. At about 100 pounds and of stable construction, the bikes make for a stable platform that will take the hardest use without rocking and swaying. What's more, as a stable workout platform,the machine will not likely come apart over time as many lesser bikes do. See, bikes that move around under load actually self-destruct just from the stresses of hard use and the more they get used, the worse the damage is.
In addition, the lack of electronic drives and computers means the complicated repair of such devices is absent and not something to be dealt with as a problem once the warranty expires. In fact, basic to the popularity of the AirDyne is the resistance system of the machines. Just turning the big fan faster increases the load and it's as simple as that. Turning the pedals faster and pumping the arm bars faster just makes the fan go faster and the load increases with faster fan speed. That fan takes the place of a friction band on some bikes or a magnetic resistance electronic resistance design on many modern cycles. The fan resistance is simple but effective and almost impossible to damage or harm in any way.
Another plus to the Airdyne bikes is the dual action motion of the workout. The bike is pedaled with legs and pumped with arms at the same time or separately. The two motions are synchronized by connected levers so the motion is comfortable and not odd feeling at all. That means a more balanced routine working multiple muscle groups without over-working any muscles. Of course the motions are all easy to do and that means no special skills or training are required as virtually anyone can simply get on and go to work pushing and pedaling.
A newer version of the Airdyne is the Evolution Comp model. The Evo bike design is altered to address some complaints about the standard older model Air-Dyne. One glaring weakness is all the noise generated by the fan... It isn't easy to listen to music while you ride an Air dyne. The Evolution Comp has a much smaller resistance fan plus the drive is by belt instead of chain. It doesn't generate much noise at all.
Another weakness of the Airdyne is the lack of electronics. Many electronic features of comparably priced exercise bikes are lacking on the Schwinn. But then lack of electronics means less to go wrong and that's a potential plus after all. For a simple, solid, durable design that's built to last and interesting to ride, the Schwinn Airdyne exercise bike is worth close consideration.

By: Al Freed

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