Schwinn Airdyne Bikes Reviews and Comparisons: Better Alternatives?

Schwinn is one of the biggest names in the field of exercise bikes. They make all sorts of gear that will allow people to get and stay fit at home (and at the gym when those are actually open and free of any pandemic). They, quite literally, make up a large portion of the current indoor and outdoor bike market that you would be able to find. However, one of the areas where Schwinn is sometimes overlooked is its ability to make air resistance bikes. That is precisely what we are going to look at today in this Schwinn Airdyne air bikes review.

We’ll be examining all of the Schwinn Airdyne air resistance bikes and comparing their individual components against one another in order to see which one comes out on top. These will range from the basic build of the bikes to the monitors and other parts that they have.

Then we’ll look at the pricing that these Schwinn air bikes will make you pay and the warranties that protect them before finishing with our honest thoughts on which one offers the best value for your money. And at the end showing you alternative air bikes from other brands. So, with all of that out of the way, let’s hop right into our Schwinn Airdyne bike comparison!

• Schwinn Airdyne AD Pro Review
• Schwinn Airdyne AD7 Review
• Schwinn Airdyne AD6 Review
• Schwinn Airdyne AD2 Review

Schwinn Airdyne Bikes Comparison

Name	Schwinn Fitness AD7 Airdyne Bike	Schwinn Fitness AD6 Airdyne Bike	Schwinn Fitness AD2 Airdyne Bike
Image
Flywheel	Large fan	Small fan	Small fan
Workouts	9 Preset workouts	None	None
Capacity	350 lbs (fit 5.1 to 6.5)	300 lbs (fit 5.3 to 6.1)	250 lbs (fit 5.3 to 6.1)
Dimensions	26" W x 53 L x 53 H 113 lbs (51.3 kg)	25 "W x 49 L x 50 H 112 lbs (51 kg)	25" W x 46 L x 50 H 96 lbs (44 kg)
Pedals	MTB Flat	Caged	Caged
Crank	3-Piece Thick-Heavy Duty	3-Piece Light	3-Piece Light
Handlebars	Multi-Grip	Single-Grip	Single-Grip
Seat adjustment	Vertically & Horizontally Adjustment	Only Vertically Adjustment	Only Vertically Adjustment
Seat quality	Extra Padded Comfy Seat	Basic Seat	Basic Seat
Console	Large Dual-Display	Small Single-Display	Small Single-Display
Shelves	Phone and bottle holder	Only bottle holder	None
Extras	Heavy-Duty, wide-base	Light-Use, narrow-base	Light-Use, narrow-base
Footrest	No-slip triangle w/ stainless steel	Basic Round Steel	Basic Round Plastic
HRM	Non-coded 4.5kHz - 5.5kHz range	Non-coded 4.5kHz - 5.5kHz range	None
Knobs	Durable Adjustment Knobs	Light Adjustment Basic Knob	Light Adjustment Basic Knob
Posts	Durable Stainless Steel Seat Posts	Basic Seat Posts	Basic Seat Posts

Schwinn AD Pro Airdyne Exercise Bike

Schwinn AD Pro Airdyne Exercise Bike

out of stock

as of May 31, 2023 3:07 am

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Schwinn AD7 Airdyne Exercise Bike

Schwinn AD7 Airdyne Exercise Bike

$1,099.00

in stock

2 new from $1,099.00

1 used from $886.56

as of May 31, 2023 3:07 am

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Schwinn AD6 Airdyne Exercise Bike

Schwinn AD6 Airdyne Exercise Bike

$541.40

$599.99

in stock

3 new from $541.40

2 used from $478.93

as of May 31, 2023 3:07 am

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Schwinn AD2 Airdyne Exercise Bike

Schwinn AD2 Airdyne Exercise Bike

out of stock

as of May 31, 2023 3:07 am

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Last updated on May 31, 2023 3:07 am

Schwinn Air Bikes Comparisons (AD Pro vs AD7 vs AD6 vs AD2)

AriDyne Bikes Technical Information

The first part of this Schwinn Airdyne air bike review will consist of the technical information that comes with these Schwinn fan resistance bikes. This includes the size, material and weight of the various bikes, since this will be one of the first considerations you’ll want to make when looking for one of these bikes. If a bike is too big for your home, then that automatically rules it out, no matter how good the value is.

You should note that none of these Schwinn Airdyne air bikes are tiny. The smallest among them comes in the form of the AD Airdyne Pro, although this one also weighs a decent amount. It’s footprint measures to be 42 inches (106 cm) long, 20 inches (50 cm) wide and 52 inches (132 cm). It weighs 113 lbs (51.3 kg) and can hold a maximum weight of 350 lbs (159 kg).

On the flip side, the largest of these Airdyne bikes is the AD7. It measures out to be 53 inches (134.6 cm) long, 26.5 inches (67.3 cm) wide and 53 inches (134.6 cm) tall. It also weighs 113 lbs (51.3 kg) and can hold a maximum weight of 350 lbs (159 kg).

The AD6 Airdyne is somewhat smaller than the AD7, but still larger than the Pro. The length of the bike measures out to be 49.7 inches (126 cm) long, 25.7 inches (65 cm) wide and 50.9 inches (129 cm) tall. It weighs only slightly less than the previous two bikes at 112 lbs (51 kg) and can hold a maximum weight of 300 lbs (136 kg).

Finally, there’s the AD2 Airdyne. It’s footprint is still larger than the Pro, but smaller than the rest. It is also the lightest of these bikes, but that means it also holds the least weight. It measures out to be 46 inches (117 cm) long, 25 inches (64 cm) wide and 50 inches (127 cm) tall. It weighs 96 lbs (44 kg) and can hold a maximum weight of 250 lbs (113 kg).

All of these Schwinn air resistance workout bikes are made with a steel frame and will be stable for the majority of users, especially the AD7 and the AD Pro because they have large feet levelers and sturdy wide stabilizers (if you look closely at the images of the feet levelers and stabilizer bars of these four Schwinn AirDyne home bikes you will see the difference). Overall we’re pleased to announce that there are no major issues with the technical details of these Schwinn Airdyne bikes!

Drivetrain, Resistance, Flywheel & Pedals

Up next, we’re going to look at what makes these Schwinn AirDyne stationary bikes go. The drivetrains, resistance types and levels (if they have them), the flywheel (or fans in this case) and the pedals that are available are all crucial elements of how well these bikes work. Normally we would also go over the Q-Factors of all of these Airdyne bikes as well, but those are annoyingly not listed anywhere. For those who are unaware, the Q-Factor is the distance between the pedals. If the distance is too wide, it can lead to discomfort, while if the distance is too narrow, it can lead to the same or even injury. However, considering that there aren’t any widespread complaints about this distance of the pedals, we’d say that they are doing OK in that department.

Unsurprisingly, these Schwinn air exercise bikes are all powered by fans. The only one that we could get an accurate blade count or size for was the Pro Airdyne, as it has a 26 blade fan. Since there is no sort of magnetic or physical resistance element in any of these bikes, that means that the resistance type is dynamic in all of the Schwinn Airdyne bikes. You will only get as much resistance as you are willing to put in. The faster you pedal, the more those fans provide resistance.

Similarly, all of the Schwinn Airdyne air resistance bikes come with the same type of drivetrain. You won’t find any loud, rattling chains here, as there are only belt drivetrains onboard these machines. That’s rather good, as it means that you will have to do significantly less maintenance in the long term. It also means that you won’t be finding the bikes to be overly loud either. Since they are still air bikes that are operated by a fan at the end of the day, they will still be louder than those run by magnets. However, without the chain drivetrain, they will most certainly lower in volume.

In terms of the pedals, there isn’t a whole lot of innovation here. The Airdyne AD 2 and AD6 both have the same sort of pedals, being fitted with adjustable straps to keep your foot in place. Then there’s the AD7 and AD Pro, which also have the same sort of pedals as each other. They are non-slip, which is all that is mentioned. There aren’t any straps here, so if you require those to stay in place, you might have to invest in finding your own.

Overall, the Schwinn Airdyne air bikes provide a good challenge regardless of which one you pick. They are all fairly similar in terms of their basic builds and challenge systems, with the quietness of the belt drivetrains being much appreciated across the models. The dynamic air resistance also makes them great for high intensity interval training (HIIT) programs.

AirDyne Bikes Handlebars and Saddles

Now we’re going to look at the elements that you’re going to be physically interacting with the most on these Schwinn Airdyne air resistance bikes. The handlebars and seats are quite important and can really make the difference between one that makes the user comfortable and one that makes cycling an experience that you dread.

The first thing to note is that all of these Airdyne bikes have bikes that are dual action. They move back and forth as the pedals do, allowing the user to get some upper body workouts alongside the one that their lower body is getting from the bike. These handlebars move as the pedals do, so you cannot move them independent of each other. Only one of these handlebar pairs is adjustable and that is the one that comes with the AD6 Airdyne.

The seating on the Schwinn air workout bikes might be one of the more praised features, but that doesn’t make them perfect. On the AD6, the biggest complaint is that the seat can only be adjusted vertically. This means that it is less customizable for users and that is never a positive. Fortunately, all of the other Schwinn Airdyne bikes have seats that are adjustable both vertically and horizontally, giving the users some more flexibility in who can comfortably use them. The only other major complaint with the seats of these bikes is that the AD7 has a bit of a smaller seat, which might lead to some discomfort for larger users.

We would normally list how many seat adjustments that these Schwinn air resistance exercise bikes have, but those are not listed anywhere, which is somewhat annoying. But otherwise there isn’t a whole lot else to say about these seats. Outside of a couple isolated cases, they do the job and are durable and comfortable for the majority of people.

Schwinn Fitness Air-Dyne Bikes Monitors

One of the features that makes modern exercise bikes different from those in the past (and increases the price) is the monitor. These LCD monitors can offer a variety of different features that makes the Airdyne air bike feel new and challenging every time you climb onboard. On all of these Schwinn fan exercise bikes, there is a scan mode that lets you look through them all, as well as a mode that converts all statistics into metric measurements, which is much appreciated.

We’ll start with the most simple of these monitors. The AD2 Airdyne’s monitor will do the job that’s asked of it, but not much more. There isn’t any sort of Bluetooth or ANT+ connection that’s available, nor are there any preset programs that you can access for new challenges. The statistics that are tracked on this monitor include your time, distance, estimated calories burned, the RPM and speed. While it’s more than some monitors of other bikes, it still isn’t a lot. The fact that the monitor also isn’t at eye-level is also somewhat irritating, though it certainly isn’t the worst offense.

The monitor of the AD6 Airdyne has the same issue as the AD2 where it does not have any preset programs available for you to challenge yourself with. However, it tracks the same statistics in addition to have the ability to connect with a chest strap and track your pulse. There’s also a “RevMeter” at the top of the screen, making it perfect for those who want to track their interval training.

The monitor of the AD7 Airdyne is the first one that we’re running into that has a set of preset programs on it. It also has a rather large monitor, although it isn’t backlit (so using it at 2 in the morning would be quite challenging). There are 9 preset programs available, with interval training being the most appealing of them. Once again, the monitor can track the time, distance, estimated calories, RPM, and pulse when it connects to a chest strap.

Finally, we have the Airdyne Pro monitor. Once again, there are 9 preset programs available to switch through in order to get some fitness accomplished. You can still track your time, calories, distance, RPM, watts and so on. The screen itself is rather large and makes it easy to read. The biggest complaint that most people seem to have about this console is that, for the price (more on that below), it should offer more.

There isn’t a whole lot to complain about with these bike monitors. They all do the job fairly well and display statistics that you would expect them to. While it would also be nice if all of them had at least some type of preset programs, we’re not really surprised that they don’t all have them.

Schwinn Air Bikes Prices and Warranties

One of the most important considerations to keep in mind when looking at these Schwinn Airdyne bikes are the prices and guarantees that they come with. After all, the more expensive the bike, the longer you expect it to last and the more features you want it to have.

The AD2 Airdyne costs right around $400. That’s because there isn’t a whole lot that comes with this bike, and some might even argue that this price is still too high for what it offers. The warranties that come with this Schwinn air resistance bike are decent at best, although they could be better. You get 5 years on the frame, 1 year on the electronics, 1 year on the parts (with 90 days on the wearable parts) and 90 days on the labour.

The AD6 costs $600, which is a fair price. The warranty has also improved, with 10 years being attached to the frame, 1 year to the electronics, 2 years to the various parts and 6 months of the labor. There isn’t a whole lot to complain about this package.

While the AD7 might cost a hefty $800, it does do plenty to earn that price. There’s a reason why it is generally considered to be the best of these Airdyne bikes. It comes with a decent warranty list as well. You get 10 years on the frame, 2 years on the electronics, 2 years on the parts and 6 months on the labor. We’d like a bit more on the labor front, but generally, you’re not going to get a whole lot more.

Finally, there’s the Airdyne Pro. This bike costs a hefty $1000 and has an identical warranty to the AD7. This is a pretty good amount of cash to drop on some bike that doesn’t provide that much more than the AD7, which makes justifying the price a bit harder.

Other Notable Parts of Schwinn Air Resistance Bikes

Here’s the last part before our final verdict, where we just go over some of the smaller elements that don’t really fit elsewhere. All of these Schwinn Airdyne bikes have foot rests on the outside of their fans, allowing for you to focus on the upper body portion of your exercise or simply give your legs a break.

All of these Schwinn air resistance stationary bikes except for the AD2 have water bottle holders, which is a nice addition. Staying hydrated is always a worthy cause during working out, and have accessories that assist you with that is certainly a plus.

On the other hand, the only bikes with any sort of media tray or holding spot are the AD7 and AD Pro. These are spots that you can put a phone or a tablet or something of the like to keep entertained or simply storage purposes during workouts. Nothing too crucial, but it’s nice to have nonetheless.

Our Thoughts on Schwinn Airdyne Exercise Bikes

And now we’ve reached the point where we give you our honest thoughts on which of these Schwinn air resistance bikes takes the top spot in terms of general value for the cost. The best value that you are going to get out of these bikes is most likely coming from the Schwinn AD7 air bike (even better value than the Assault air bikes). While the seat might be a bit uncomfortable for some and the monitor might seem a tiny bit dated, these are extremely minor nitpicks that can be fixed quite easily. For those who want to go cheaper, the AD6 also provides a good experience, although that seat that’s only vertically adjustable is pretty annoying. Otherwise, it too offers a good experience for $200 less.

The problems with the two extreme ends of these bike spectrums are opposite of one another. The AD Pro doesn’t offer enough to justify the price (it needs more modern features like extensive Bluetooth connections and other cool programs in the monitor), while the AD2 doesn’t offer enough. They are both still fine air exercise bikes, but the cost just doesn’t fit the offer.

That concludes our Schwinn Airdyne review! As always, we recommend you doing some of your own research in order to find which bike would fit your situation the best. We just present the facts and follow it up with our opinion based on our personal experience with these bikes and brands. Before ending the Schwinn Airdyne air bike reviews and comparisons, I am going to talk about a few alternative air bikes that you can buy if you are not interested in Schwinn air bikes.

Schwinn Air Bikes Alternatives

Schwinn is a great brand and I really like the AD7 (not a big fan of other models to be honest), but if you’re looking for a cheaper alternative to Schwinn airdyne exercise bike, especially the AD7 Airdyne, there are a few options out there that I would suggest.

One of the major players in the air bike industry is Assault-Fitness with three extremely durable air exercise bikes; Classic, Pro, and Elite models. The Assault Classic model is the cheapest and doesn’t compromise on quality. You can save around $250 if you buy the Classic instead of Schwinn AD7. I personally would stick with the AD7 but if your budget is less, it’s a good alternative.

Another option is the Sunny Health and Fitness Tornado, which is a high-quality air bike that’s very affordable. The bike is okay, but I don’t love the brand, Sunny Health and Fitness because it offers very little warranty. For air bike Tornado, they give 3 months warranty which is really poor. So, keep that in mind if you decide to go with this option.

Finally, the Marcy air bike 1 model is a great option if you’re looking for a cheaper Schwinn air dyne bike alternative. It doesn’t have a huge screen like Schwinn AD7 but it does have a basic console to see workouts.

I really think Marcy offers the best value if your budget goes below $500. It’s very durable, feels pretty solid, and has an adjustable seat. You really can’t go wrong at the $399 price tag with Marcy Air1 HIIT stationary bike.

All of these options are great choices if you’re looking for an alternative to Schwinn airdyne exercise bikes. But if you can afford it, get yourself the Schwinn AirDyne AD7 which has 26 fan blades (more than all the other Schwinn air dyne bikes).

Sayed Hosseiny

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.

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