Schwinn Exercise Bike - Schwinn 113 Upright Exercise Bike

Schwinn 113 Upright Exercise Bike

Strengths: Board range of resistant, Many workout programs, Large back lit display and Thoughtful industrial design

Weakness: When the exercise bike changes resistance levels, there is a momentary relaxation of resistance, creaks

With the on set of winter, I sought a way to continue my out doors bicycle exercise routine indoors. Circumstances prevented me from using the gym's computer controlled magnetic variable resistance exercise cycle. During the summer, when I was unable to ride outdoors, I found that the that the gym's exercise bike provided an effective workout. The options were a bicycle trainer to be used with my...
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With the on set of winter, I sought a way to continue my out doors bicycle exercise routine indoors. Circumstances prevented me from using the gym's computer controlled magnetic variable resistance exercise cycle. During the summer, when I was unable to ride outdoors, I found that the that the gym's exercise bike provided an effective workout. The options were a bicycle trainer to be used with my road bike, a spin style stationary bike, or a upright style exercise cycle similar to the gym's. Being much less expensive however.

Before selecting the Schwinn I tried an internet search for exercise bike reviews. Unlike tread mills, there was very little information available. Perhaps in hindsight I should have purchased an exercise bike from a "top rated" tread mill manufacturer. There was a few comments on consumer product review sites mentioning that Schwinn exercise equipment was well made. Based on that I threw caution into the wind making the purchase for Schwinn's model 113. Later I learned that Schwinn was a part of Nautilus Health and Fitness group consisting of Bowflex, Stairmaster and others. Nautilus exercise equipment has been rated having "average" reliability on some sites. The bike is manufactured in China.

The first few days of use were uneventful. Upon experimenting with more aggressive resistance levels however the cycle developed an audible clunk. Of which was felt through its left pedal. Further investigations revealed that the clunk occurred only at high levels of resistance. However I found that by standing up while pedaling made it disappear temporary. Positioning my body directly over the pedals also helped. As did swapping out its platform pedals for a pair of toe clamps I had laying around helped to eliminate the clunk. Should workout using toe clamps or clipless anyway.

Before coming up with my own solutions to the problem, in search for answers I first phoned the bicycle dealer Brands Cycle and Fitness. As well as Schwinn tech support. Brands was clueless offering no help but said that they would accept its return. The person with Schwinn tech support I spoke with said that from his experience the cause in every case had to do with an incorrectly installed pedal. In this instance, the left one. Perhaps I had installed the pedal incorrectly. I thought that I had threaded into place properly. When I removed it, its threads weren't damaged. By replacing the supplied platform pedals with my own, that eliminated the clunk as the Schwinn Tech support person had recommended.

I selected the 113 for its board range of resistant, its many programs, its large back lit computer display and its thoughtful industrial design. The Schwinn offers a range of seating adjustments. Its seat post telescopes while the wide plush saddle can angles up or down. Its handle bar slides fore and aft around 2". Like wise its saddle. I'm 6' 4". Because I felt the need to be position as close to the pedals as possible. Doing so made its riding position more like riding a actual bicycle. My knees occasionally contact the underside of the handle bars. Overall the seating position good nonetheless. Despite its large saddle, pressure is placed on the genitals.

After using the exercise bike for several months I don't have any problems to report. It has performed well. I've been averaging around 25 to 30 miles daily. Its performance is very close to that of a commercial exercise bike.

By visionary8 - Jul 22, 2006