It’s possible spend hours in the well-padded gel saddle and tackling classes or sessions in excess of an hour is easily done. Granted, it won’t feel exactly like your road bike, so those looking to get big distance training in might be better off attaching their actual bike to a turbo trainer instead. It lacks the finesse of something like a Wattbike Trainer, Wattbike Atom and Wahoo schwinn spin bike Kickr Bike due to its spin class-style handlebars. Rather than the typical drop bars found on a race bike, you are instead presented with two enormous bull horns that curve upwards. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to practice your Tour de France tucked aero pose, but it does make it easier to get out of the saddle and find a nice relaxed position for the hands and wrists.
Schwinn is a big player in the home fitness market and the IC4 is the top of the line model in their range of indoor cycling bikes. In addition to its sturdy build, 40 lb weighted flywheel, and 100 levels of magnetic resistance, it is a smart bike with connected features. With more and more people exercising from home and latching onto the interactive at-home studio and virtual cycling trend, we felt this was a compelling model worthy of testing. We found the IC4 to provide an excellent workout, a high level of comfort, and functionality with popular apps like Zwift, Peloton, and JRNY (it comes with a 1-year JRNY membership). We also think it’s a great value since it retails for significantly less than many of the other connected bikes on the market.
The resistance dial is fairly accurate and offers increments from in single digit clicks. These can be difficult to achieve in exact amounts, but a slight twist usually only sees the figure jump by three or four at a time, which should be accurate enough to keep up with a Peloton class. I’ve not been able to try the Peloton Bike and this Schwinn IC8 back-to-back, but the resistance units used suggest it replicates those barked out by fitness instructors on the Peloton app. The handlebars also have two bottle cages on them and, if you wanted to, cradles for 1.5kg dumbbells. I like a nice close bike fit so it’s easily overcome by just adjusting the handlebars slightly further away from you.
The ACTIVE Reviews Team is made up of fitness experts that include athletes, coaches, and certified trainers who bring years of knowledge and experience to each review. More importantly, each member of our team is a fitness enthusiast. Therefore, we strive to bring you products that we trust and would personally use. Schwinn’s IC4 Indoor Cycling Bike comes with a Bluetooth-enabled heart rate tracker, a pair of three-pound weights, built-in media rack, and USB charging port.
It’s a fairly low price to pay, considering that Peloton bike users fork over $40 a month 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. Indoor cycling bikes are designed to replicate what it’s like to ride a bike outdoors, and they’re the ones that have exploded in popularity in recent years.
Busy roads, unpredictable weather, time constraints in your schedule—there are plenty of reasons why riding inside might sometimes be the safer or more convenient choice. The Schwinn® IC3 is a low impact, cardio-kicking indoor cycling bike designed with the serious cyclist in mind. The heart rate monitor and Bluetooth connectivity are enjoyable and easy to use. This bike has adjustable features such as the seat and handlebars that make it feel personalized to the user. Schwinn brand has the most popular and efficient pieces of exercise bikes.