The bike has an open feel between the handlebars and the seat, which made our rides feel a tad more like being on a real bike. Adjusting the seat and handlebars took more effort than it did on some of the other bikes we tried, which is something to consider if you have more than one person in your household riding. The pedal clips, which are Look Delta–compatible, hold the Peloton cycling shoes or other appropriate bike shoes securely. (You need to buy shoes separately.) Over the years, we’ve experienced easy clip-ins and clip-outs, and we’ve also had to work hard to release our shoes from the pedals.
The Schwinn IC4 has an LCD console that displays a full suite of metrics, as well as Bluetooth connectivity, which allows the bike to connect to eight different cycling apps and a heart-rate monitor. (The bike does not have a built-in touchscreen.) We like its adaptability, functionality, and smooth ride. Regardless of the type of rider you are, Schwinn has a new Schwinn bike that fits you. Alternatively, if you are looking for a used Schwinn bike, there are plenty of vintage and used Schwinn bikes that may delight you. Since workers built the company’s first bike in 1895, you can even find antique Schwinn bicycles on eBay. “The bikes that we were building are not available from larger scale manufacturers,” he said.
Spoke Life Cycles focuses on Schwinn Cruisers because they are second to none in style and performance. Additionally, the bike itself won’t log your stats like Peloton bikes, which is why I like to track my workouts using Apple’s Activity app. I can also view stats about my Peloton workouts in the Peloton app, but there’s no compatible Schwinn app that keeps tabs on your workouts.
The Myx II Plus is an upgraded version of the now-discontinued Myx Plus, which we originally tested in 2020 and liked. A subscription to Beachbody On Demand Interactive, or BODi ($39 per month), gives you access to live and on-demand group classes. When we first tried the Myx Plus, it offered its own Myx-branded workouts and coaches. (The Myx II, which doesn’t come with the exercise equipment, is also available.) We enjoyed using the equipment and liked the convenience of having it. A Polar OH1 heart-rate monitor is also included, and you are encouraged to wear it (paired to the app) for every workout.
More than six months later, the seat hasn’t gotten any softer but I’ve gotten used to it. I find it most uncomfortable when riding for 45 minutes or longer, or during classes when I’m not out of the saddle. The Echelon Connect Bike EX-5 operates through your own tablet (set in a tablet holder), which connects the bike to the $39-per-month Echelon Fit app (iOS, Android) over Wi-Fi or via Bluetooth. It has dual-sided pedals, and the display is very similar to the Peloton Bike’s, including a leaderboard. But in our tests, the resistance knob seemed unpredictable compared with that of the Peloton Bike, since we were often unsure whether the number we saw on the display matched the resistance we felt as we pedaled.
The cadence sensor connects to apps like Spinning’s own Spinning Digital ($13 a month) and Peloton ($13 a month), the latter of which we used for the majority of our rides. Along with the cadence sensor, Spinning provides a Bluetooth arm-band heart-rate monitor. The bike accommodates riders from 4-foot-11 to 6-foot-5 and has a maximum rider weight of 275 pounds. The handlebars are wide and low and have a subtle texture and a comfortable diameter and overall feel.
During our testing, we rode the IC4 with cycling shoes compatible with its SPD clips; the bike has toe-cage pedals on the flip side for use with non-cycling shoes. According to Breeze, one of Schwinn’s biggest contributions to cycling was their wire-bead, double-tube “balloon” tire, created in 1933. Frank Schwinn said, “ The single tube type tire was just a glorified piece of endless garden hose with a valve in it. Punctures were just irreparable.” When Schwinn closed down their motorcycle operation they focused on modernizing the American bike and the tire was the first component they worked on. Frank reduced the wheel diameter from 28” to 26” and fattened the tire width from 1 1/8” to 2 1/8”. The balloon tire popularized by the Schwinns had the same wheel diameter, cross-sectional diameter and carcass construction as the tires used by the Marin County pioneers in the 1970’s.
For example, I pay a monthly subscription fee of $13 to use the Peloton app for workouts on my Schwinn IC4 bike. It’s a fairly low price to pay, considering that Peloton bike users fork over $44 a month schwinn tricycle for access to the same content. The one notable difference is that app users don’t have access to or show up on the Peloton leaderboard, which shows riders how they rank against others in the class.