Schwinn 170 Upright Exercise Bike Review
Schwinn 170 Overview
Looking for a mid-range home exercise bike? Sometimes they can come with a pretty hefty price. However, that money is not always backed up by the product you get delivered to you. The question is, how do you figure out which upright exercise bikes offer a great package deal and which ones come with a bigger price than they are worth. That’s where we come in. We’re taking a look at the equipment out there and trying to measure which ones are worth the price tag they come with. Today’s choice is the Schwinn 170 Upright Bike. We’re going to check out what the Schwinn 170 offers and see just how much value it provides.
The first element that we’re going to examine is the price and the warranties that come with the Schwinn 170 Upright Bike. You’ll find it comfortably in the mid-range of prices, although it will still set you back a few pennies. Specifically, you’ll be able to find it for around $540. The warranties that come with Schwinn exercise bikes are typically pretty good and the same case is true here. You will get a 10 year guarantee on the frame of the bike, 1 years on the electrical parts, 2 years on the mechanical parts and even a 90 day guarantee on the labour. The shipping of the Schwinn 170 upright bike should only take about 1-2 weeks. Of course, this can be affected by other factors such as human error, weather and such. The assembly process isn’t something you should be overly concerned with. You’ve just got the majority of the bike already assembled and you just need to follow the instructions to put the rest of the parts on. Even those who aren’t particularly good at such processes will find this one to have less headaches around it.
Another key element of modern bikes (and exercise equipment in general) are the monitors that they come with. Fortunately, this monitor does quite the good job, especially in comparison to some of the other choices on the market. It is a backlit LCD screen, with a large control pad underneath. One of the highlights is the Bluetooth connections that this monitor can make. You can connect to a variety of apps like MyFitnessPal, GoogleFit and so on in order to track your statistics and data over a longer period. Those statistics that you can track include your time, speed, RPM, distance, heart Rate and calories burned. You have the option to scan through all of these statistics and even display them in both metric and English measurements. Other apps that you can connect to include the Explore the World™ app and RideSocial to get some extra levels of entertainment and views from the ride. Considering that these are features that you would expect on a much more expensive bike, it is quite impressive that they can be found here. There are a total of 29 different programs and routines that you can access in the monitor. 4 different user profiles can make up 4 different custom routines with fitness tests and other workouts available alongside. It is all quite impressive, especially for the price level. As a complete package, the Schwinn 170 upright bike’s monitor is quite a good one.
The next most important element for these bikes are the resistance settings that they come with. After all, people are looking at these bikes to get fit, no? The resistance of the Schwinn 170 upright bike is magnetic with a belt drivetrain. These two combine to make an extremely quiet workout experience. The flywheel of the Schwinn 170 weighs around 13 lbs (5.9 kg) and has a lovely 25 levels of resistance available with it. This gives you a huge range of options as you can pick specifically which resistance level you desire. That fine-tuning of the workout is available and it’s just great. The crank on the Schwinn 170 upright bike is a 3-piece crank with some straps, which is ideal. You generally want a 3-piece crank, as it has more independent parts and is better for long-term durability. One element that we aren’t particularly sure about (due to it not being officially listed) is the Schwinn 170’s Q-Factor. For those who aren’t aware, the Q-Factor is the distance between the pedals. If it is too large, you get uncomfortable while on the bike. If it is too narrow, the same thing occurs and you run the risk of injury.
When ordering one of these bikes, you generally want to know how much space it takes up and how heavy it is. Those with smaller homes will find that the Schwinn 170 upright bike takes up some space, but it isn’t the largest bike you’ve ever seen. It has a footprint that measures out to be 41.3 in (105 cm) long, 21.4 in (54 cm) wide and 55.6 in (141) tall. It weighs 58.4 lbs (26.5 kg) and can hold 300 lbs (136 kg) as a maximum weight. It is made up of a standard steel frame that you’d find most places. It can generally hold people from 5 feet (or even a little under) to those up to 6’5” can comfortably find a position onboard. There is a pretty solid floor stabilizer on the back of the Schwinn 170 cardio bike, which is quite nice. They are adjustable and will keep the bike firmly in place on the harder workouts. There are transport wheels on the front of the bike that help with mobility around the home. Though you should note that they are extremely small.
We’ll round out our examination with some of the physical elements that the Schwinn 170 upright bike has, starting with the handlebars. These handlebars are multi-grip, allowing for a couple of different hand positions depending on the workout. They are technically adjustable, but only in terms of the angle that they bend. Comfortably padded, you’ll also find that they have pulse sensors on them in order to feed more data into the monitor. The saddle of the bike is both vertically and horizontally adjustable, which is great for customization and to increase the comfortability of the bike. There are around 10 levels of vertical adjustment and 7 levels of horizontal adjustment. Everything is going well for the seat, except for the common complaint that it isn’t particularly comfortable. Even on such an otherwise good bike, you would expect some comfort from the seat, but no. Instead you might want to look into getting a gel cover or some other padding for the seat. The saddle tube of the bike is fairly thin, so you might feel a little shaking. But the stabilizers should help offset this on a bike-wide level. The pedals of Schwinn 170 stationary bike are fine. They are pretty standard non-slip pedals with adjustable straps in order to keep your feet in place. Finally, you’ve got a couple of nifty bonus features that will keep your interest on the bike for that much longer. There’s a water bottle holder that sits right beneath the main console, as well as a media tray that sits right below the main screen of the monitor. The Schwinn 170 cardio bike also has a set of MP3 speakers that you can connect to and play some music while you workout. Finally, you get a nice 3-speed fan to keep you cool You get hydration, musical stimulation, fan cooling and entertainment all in one. It’s a pretty good little end package.
Schwinn 170 Upright Bike Pros:
- The magnetic resistance and belt drive make the entire process much quieter.
- There are 25 levels of resistance, giving good variation
- The monitor has Bluetooth access to online apps
- The monitor has a wide variety of preset programs
- The monitor can track stats in both metric and English measurements
- Water bottle holder, speakers and media tray are nice bonuses
- Saddle is both vertically and horizontally adjustable
- Fairly small size, but good weight limit
- Warranties last a long while, especially the frame one
- 3-speed fan can keep you cooler
- 3-piece crank is always good to see
Schwinn 170 Upright Bike Cons:
- The saddle is not very comfortable for the price
- Durability is a bit questionable
- No resistance controls on the handlebars
Final Verdict
The Schwinn 170 upright bike is actually quite a good piece of equipment. It offers so many features that you would expect on more expensive bikes for a price that is not anywhere near that region. The monitor is the standout feature here, as it has so many programs and Bluetooth connections available that it is just brilliant. Then there is the resistance itself, which works to get anyone who climbs aboard even more fit. The only possible issues to point out come in the form of the saddle and a sometimes questionable durability level. But because the warranties are quality, you don’t have to worry about that last one too much. The Schwinn 170 is an absolute recommend.
Hi there, I'm Sayed Hamed Hosseiny, the founder and one of the authors at yourexercisebike.com (YEB). I am a former indoor cycling instructor and personal trainer with nearly 20 years of experience. With a passion for indoor cycling, I have spent years designing cycling parts, repairing, and importing exercise bikes. All the articles, tips, guides, reviews, and comparisons on YourExerciseBike.com (YEB) reflect my personal opinion and expertise in the field. I'm excited to share my knowledge with fellow exercise bike enthusiasts and help people find reliable indoor cycling information and the best exercise bike for their needs. If you have any questions or suggestion, you can contact me at sayed@yourexercisebike.com.
