Schwinn Upright Exercise Bikes Reviews + Comparisons

Sayed May 31, 2022 0

Schwinn-Upright-Exercise-Bikes-Reviews-and-Comparisons

When thinking about at-home exercise bikes, you are probably picturing the upright type. These are ones that you sit upright on (unsurprisingly) and often have magnetic or friction resistance systems. You generally want quality bikes, but their prices can most certainly climb to some absurd numbers. So we have decided to take a look at some of the cheaper options from one of the better manufacturers: Schwinn.

Most of the bikes that we’re going to take a look at today don’t have any sort of special name or tag that they come with, except for one. However, they are still easier to tell apart than Sunny Health & Fitness bikes. We have the Schwinn 170 upright bike, the 130 upright bike, the 130 “My20” upright bike and the A10 upright bike.

Comparisons of Schwinn 170, 130, 130 MY20, and A10 Exerciser Bikes

Schwinn-170-Review — **Schwinn 170 Upright Exercise Bike**

Schwinn-130-Upright-Exercise-Bike-Review — **Schwinn 170 Upright Exercise Bike**

Technical Information of Schwinn Upright Bikes

Schwinn Upright Bikes Technical Information Compared

Name	Capacity	Weight	Width	Length	Height	Fit
Schwinn 170	300 lbs (136 kg)	58.4 lbs (26.5 kg)	21.4 in (54 cm)	41.3 in (105 cm)	55.6 in (141)	5’0″ and 6’5″ (153 – 196 cm)
Schwinn 130	300 lbs (136 kg)	58.4 lbs (26.5 kg)	21.4 in (54 cm)	41.3 in (105 cm)	54.5 in (138.4 cm)	5’0″ and 6’5″ (153 – 196 cm)
Schwinn 130 MY20	300 lbs (136 kg)	70 lbs (31.7 kg)	22 in (56 cm)	41.3 in (105 cm)	58 in (147 cm)	5’0″ and 6’5″ (153 – 196 cm)
Schwinn A10	275 lbs (124.7 kg)	62.7 lbs (28.4 kg)	19 in (48 cm)	27 in (67 cm)	50 in (126 cm)	5’0″ and 6’5″ (153 – 196 cm)

The first piece of these Schwinn Fitness indoor bikes that we are going to look at is one of the most fundamental: the technical information that they are actually made of. Schwinn is typically known for their quality in the building of their products. The same is generally true here, with one crucial exception – the Schwinn 170 cardio bike.

In terms of the physical footprint and size that the 170 takes up, it isn’t actually that bad. It measures out to be 41.3 in (105 cm) long, 21.4 in (54 cm) wide and 55.6 in (141) tall. It is actually tied for the lightest weight of these bikes, weighing 58.4 lbs (26.5 kg). Despite that, it can still hold a maximum weight of 300 lbs (136 kg). The biggest issue with the Schwinn 170 exercise bike is that some of the elements in the bike are not made for the longer term. Its durability just doesn’t match up to the others.

The size and build of the Schwinn 130 home exercise bike is nearly identical to the 170 and it lacks the same durability flaws. It weighs the same 58.4 lbs (26.5 kg) and can hold the same 300 lbs (136 kg). The footprint of the 130 measures out to be 41.3 in (105 cm) long, 21.4 in (54 cm) wide and 54.5 in (138.4 cm) tall.

The My20 version of the Schwinn 130 cardio bike is actually a bit larger and quite a bit heavier than the regular version. It measures out to be 41 in (104 cm) long, 22 in (56 cm) wide and 58 in (147 cm) tall. It weighs 70 lbs (31.7 kg) and can still hold the same 300 lbs (136 kg) that the previous three can.

Then there’s the Schwinn A10 stationary bike. It is by far the smallest and most basic of the bikes, but it still actually weighs more than the 170 and 130. It measures out to be 27 in (67 cm) long, 19 in (48 cm) wide and 50 in (126 cm) tall. It weighs approximately 62.7 lbs (28.4 kg) and can hold a slightly smaller maximum weight of 275 lbs (124.7 kg).

All of these Schwinn upright exercise bikes have a pretty standard steel frame. While the heights they can comfortably fit on them is not specified, it generally seems that people from 5 feet (or even a little under) to those up to 6’5” can comfortably find a position onboard.

Drivetrain, Resistance, Flywheel & Pedals

Schwinn Upright Bikes Drivetrain, Resistance, Flywheel & Pedals

Name	Drivetrain	Pedals	Resistance	Crank	Flywheel
Schwinn 170	Belt	Non-slip w/ straps	25 Levels Magnetic	3-piece	13 lbs (5.9 kg)
Schwinn 130	Belt	Oversized w/ straps	16 Levels Magnetic	1-piece	13 lbs (5.9 kg)
Schwinn 130 MY20	Belt	Plastic w/ straps	16 Levels Magnetic	3-piece	13 lbs (5.9 kg)
Schwinn A10	Belt	Oversized w/ straps	8 Levels Magnetic	1-piece	10 lbs (4.5 kg)

Of course, one of the other core elements that make up these Schwinn Fitness exercise bikes are resistance systems, drivetrains and pedals that they provide. They all share general characteristics, but they do have elements that set them apart.

We’ll start with what all of these Schwinn upright bikes share. They are all magnetic resistance bikes that use a belt drivetrain. This makes for a fairly quiet ride and not a lot of maintenance required. Each of the cranks of the pedals (except for the My20) are 1-piece, which is unfortunate. They are inferior to 3-piece cranks, as they are more likely to all break in one incident rather than be independent of one another.

The pedals of these Schwinn cardio bikes are another element that are all pretty similar to one another. None of them particularly do anything special and are all just basic pedals with straps to keep your feet in place. This is fairly normal of cheaper bikes, so we weren’t honestly expecting much else. The Q-Factor of the Schwinn bikes are unknown, which is unfortunate. For those who are unaware, the Q-Factor is the distance between the pedals. If it is too wide, you’ll become quite uncomfortable. If it is too narrow, the same will happen and you even risk injury. The Q-Factor is not a common complaint with any of these Schwinn stationary bikes, so we don’t think it is an issue that you should worry that much about.

What is different about each bike is the flywheel weight and levels of resistance that it can use. Generally, the cheaper of a bike you get, the less resistance levels you get. The Schwinn 170 upright bike has 25 levels, both versions of the Schwinn 130 bikes have 16 levels and the Schwinn A10 upright bike has 8 levels. We don’t know the specific flywheel weight of the My20 bike or the A10, but we know that both the 170 and 130 have a flywheel that weighs 13 lbs (5.9 kg).

Schwinn Bike Handlebars and Saddles

Schwinn Upright Bikes Handlebars and Saddles

Name	ElbowPads	Controls	Adjustment	Seat	Pulse
Schwinn 170	Yes	No controls on the handlebars	Angle Adjustable	Horizontally & Vertically Adjustable	Yes
Schwinn 130	No	No controls on the handlebars	Angle Adjustable	Vertically Adjustable	Yes
Schwinn 130 MY20	No	No controls on the handlebars	Angle Adjustable	Vertically Adjustable	Yes
Schwinn A10	No	No controls on the handlebars	Angle Fixed	Vertically Adjustable	Yes

The handlebars and seating of these Schwinn bikes are another element that they all share similarities between. Each of the handlebars are foam padded and multi grip above the console. Although they are not adjustable in terms of height or width, you can change the angle of them. The foam padding on each also makes it nice to hold onto during the workout.

The seating for each is less enjoyable. On almost all of these Schwinn home exercise bikes, the seat can only be vertically adjusted through about 10 different levels. The only exception here is the Schwinn 170, which has both vertical and horizontal adjustments. Yet, even on this more advanced bike, the seat is not actually that comfortable. For all of these Schwinn upirght bikes, you might want to invest in a cover or even a new seat just to increase your comfort. Otherwise there isn’t that much to say about these seats and handlebars.

Schwinn 170, 130, and 110 Monitors

Schwinn Upright Bikes Monitors

Name	Monitor	Bluetooth	Statistics	Programs	Apps
Schwinn 170	Backlit LCD Monitor	Yes	Time, speed, RPM, distance, heart Rate and calories	29	Explore the World app
Schwinn 130	Non-LCD Monitor	No	Time, speed, RPM, heart rate, distance, and calories	13	None
Schwinn 130 MY20	Non-LCD Monitor	Yes	Time, distance, speed, RPM, calories burned, and heart rate.	13	Explore the World app
Schwinn A10	Non-LCD Monitor	No	Time, speed, RPM, distance, calories and heart rate.	7	None

We now get to one of the most important parts of modern upright bikes: the monitors. Because these are cheaper bikes, they generally will have less impressive monitors. This is mostly not the case with these Schwinn bikes, with the only exception being the Schwinn A10. But we’ll start with the Schwinn 170. It has a backlit LCD screen with Bluetooth connectivity and 29 different workout programs. You can connect to apps like MyFitnessPal, GoogleFit and more to transfer data from your workouts. This data comes in the form of stats like your time, speed, RPM, distance, heart Rate and calories burned.

The Schwinn 130 and Schwinn “130 My20” have identical monitors. They both have Bluetooth connectivity, 13 preset programs and can track stats like your time, speed, RPM, distance, heart Rate and calories burned. They can scan through those stats and display them in metric measurements as well.

Finally, there is the Schwinn A10. It is the only monitor without the ability to connect to apps via Bluetooth and only has 7 preset workout programs. However, it can still track stats like your time, speed, RPM, distance, calories and heart rate (via handlebars).

Schwinn Uprights Prices and Warranties

Schwinn Upright Bikes Prices and Warranties

Name	Price	Frame	Electronics	Parts	Labour
Schwinn 170	$540	10 Years	1 Year	2 Years	90 Days
Schwinn 130	$520-350	10 Years	1 Year	2 Years	90 Days
Schwinn 130 MY20	$400-350	10 Years	1 Year	2 Years	90 Days
Schwinn A10	$230	3 Years	1 Year	1 Year	60 Days

As we’ve mentioned multiple times by this point, these are cheaper bikes. However, Schwinn seems to be one of those companies that will always put guarantees behind their product. On the Schwinn 180 cardio bike and both versions of the 130 you will find a 10 year warranty on the frame, 1 year on the electronics, 2 years on the mechanical parts and 90 days on the labour. Only on the Schwinn A10 will you find a worse warranty, although it still isn’t as bad as you might find elsewhere. You get 3 years on the frame, 1 year on all parts and 60 days on the labour.

As for the pricing that you’ll find these Schwinn exercise bikes coming with, they are actually fairly consistent. There isn’t a whole lot of variation, although there is one more exception. The Schwinn 130 ranges between $520 and $350, which is a fairly large variation. Clearly the lower you can get it, the better. Otherwise, all the prices are fairly consistent. The Schwinn A10 cardio bike sits consistently at $230, the 170 at $540 and the 130 “My20” between $400 and $350.

Other Notable Parts of Schwinn Upright Bikes

Name	Holder	Shelf	Speakers	Fan	Box
Schwinn 170	With bottle holder	Yes	Yes	Yes	41" L x 12"W x 23"H
Schwinn 130	With bottle holder	Yes	Yes	Yes	41" L x 12"W x 23"H
Schwinn 130 MY20	With bottle holder	Yes	No	No	41" L x 12"W x 23"H
Schwinn A10	With bottle holder	Yes	Yes	No	39" L x 12"W x 22"H

This is the penultimate part of the review where we check if these Schwinn stationary bikes have the little features that are nice, but don’t really affect the overall rating. Fortunately, most of these bikes are well-equipped with all these features.

All of them have both media trays and water bottle holders, although the media trays can block the monitors on the bikes. The Schwinn 170, 130 and A10 all have MP3 speakers. Interestingly enough, all of these Schwinn upright bikes have transport wheels to help with mobility except for the A10.

What We Think of Schwinn Exercise Bikes

You will normally find some pretty large issues with all sorts of bikes in this price range. However, while these Schwinn upright bikes are most certainly not perfect, they do represent a good amount of value. They each have a good level of resistance that offers good challenge and is quiet due to the belt drive. The monitors are also all quality, even with the least impressive still being more than some other upright bikes offer. The long warranties are even better, especially when looking at some of the durability issues of the Schwinn 170. The one major complaint about these bikes come in the form of the comfortability of the seats. You do have to beware that and might want to invest in a seat cover to make up for this flaw. We would have to say that the Schwinn 170 is the superior model of these four bikes, but they all represent a good deal.

That concludes our review of these Schwinn upright bikes. Hopefully we have informed you of their strengths and weaknesses. Armed with your new knowledge, hopefully you can go out and use these to your advantage. Now get out there and get cycling!

Sayed

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.