Schwinn 230 vs Schwinn 270 – How They Compare And Match Up

In this Schwinn 230 vs Schwinn 270 compare and contrast post they are put up against each other to explain how these two recumbent exercise bikes differ to help to answer the big question as to whether the difference in price is really justified.

At first look these bikes look remarkably similar. Which is to be expected as they made by the same company and do have many of the same parts.

The only obvious differences when you look and compare them at first is the price and the seat – with the Schwinn 270 being more and its seat being padded.

But there are some other differences to think about with the Schwinn 270 with the console having more functionality.

Both bikes get high ratings from customers on the whole – the overall score is very similar which can make it difficult to choose between the two.

Before getting into just how they differ here is a quick overview of these 2 recumbent exercise bike:

Schwinn 230 Recumbent Bike

This best selling mid priced exercise bike comes with a number of good additional features.

It has quiet magnetic resistance with 20 marked levels and a perimeter weight flywheel to provide a smooth pedaling experience reducing impact on the joints.

The console allows you to play your music and movies through 2 speakers, there is a 3 speed fan to help keep you cool. a media shelf for your electronics and water bottle holder.

It has 22 different workout programs including a quick start program and one you can set for yourself to provide plenty of variety for your exercising.

It can be adjusted for a range of heights between 4ft 11 and 6 ft 3 ins. The seat is reasonably comfortable and along with the backrest it provides good support for the back.

Customers overall rate the bike highly and find it a good quality bike, especially for the price, that they find they actually use and get good results using it too.
Read the full review here

Schwinn 270 Recumbent Bike

This bike has a number of great features for providing comfortable and effective low impact exercise in your home.

The padded oversized seat and backrest provide a comfortable riding position and support your back.

It has 25 magnetic resistance levels that go up in small increments. The riding motion is fluid with little impact making it gentle on the joints.

It comes with all the same accessories as the 230.

The bike has a total of 29 different workout programs that can be set and to be used by people of all abilities. You can also to set your own workouts.

It can accommodate 4 different user profiles to track and monitor progress individually.

It’s a quiet bike so can be used while watching TV or even when others are sleeping as it won’t disturb them. The loudest noise is likely to be your breathing

Customers like the console, the sturdiness, the low impact and quietness of the bike as they work on their cardio fitness goals.
See the complete review here

The Differences – The Facts And Explanation

Here are the important differences between these 2 recumbent exercise bikes

Workout Programs. The Scnwinn 270 has 7 more programs for a total of 29. It has 3 more profile programs (pre-programmed workouts), a customizable heart rate % program, a recovery test (how quick you recover from a workout) and 2 additional user defined workout (you set these up yourself – there 1 per user).

Resistance Levels. The Schwinn 270 has 25 resistance levels which is 5 more than the Schwinn 230. It doesn’t give you any more overall resistance it just goes up/down in smaller increments.

Heart Rate Monitor. The Schwinn 270 as well as hand pulse sensors is compatible with uncoded Polar heart rate straps (needs to be bought separately). The Schwinn 230’s heart rate monitoring only works with the hand pulse sensors.

Hand pulse sensors have a tendency not to be accurate or provide a consistent reading of your heart rate. This makes it difficult to use for staying within heart rate zones or using the heart rate programs. This is something common with all bikes that have these sensors.

Some people do get them to work satisfactorily but many struggle.

Seat. The Schwinn 270 has a padded seat that makes it a little more comfortable than the plastic molded seat of the Schwinn 230. It isn’t made of breathable material and can get a little hot compared to the Schwinn 230 that has holes that allow air to circulate.

User Profiles. The Schwinn 270 gives you up to 4 user profiles you can customize for each user whereas the 230 has a maximum of 2. These help with monitoring, analyzing and storing your workouts by individual. These are the only profiles available – if you have a guest user they will be assigned to the last user profile that was used and their workout added to that user unless you change it.

Cranks. The Schwinn 270 has a 3 piece crank and the Schwinn 230 has one piece crank.
As you’d expect from the name the 3 piece crank is 3 pieces – 2 crank arms (the arms that hold the pedals) and a spindle, whereas 1 piece it is all made as one piece.

A 3 piece crank is usually stronger and can take more pedaling for longer periods. Having noted that, to date there hasn’t been any difference in customer experience as to one lasting longer than the other. The only time it make a difference is if you are using the bike at the top resistance levels for extended periods and then you’d expect the Schwinn 270 crank to outlast the Schwinn 230 (but there have not been any reported problems with the cranks that I’ve come across).

Pedal Thread. If you are thinking on changing the pedals then the Schwinn 270 thread is 9/16 ins and the Schwinn 230 is 1/2 in thread.

Pedals. The Schwinn 270 pedals are oversized giving more surface area to grip and accommodating larger shoe size than the Schwinn 230 standard size pedals.

Bike Weight. The Schwinn 270 is 5 lbs heavier at 86.6 lbs. Both bikes have transport wheels which hold most of the weight making it much easier to move the bike around.

What About The Price

When I checked the Schwinn 230 was cheaper than the Schwinn 270.

Which One Should I Buy?

These are both very good bikes to get low impact exercise. For me the 3 differences that make the most difference are the seat, the heart rate monitoring and the user profiles.

If there are more than 2 of you using bike and you want to track your workouts and progress then the Schwinn 270 is the better option. It does also come with the better seat and the option to use the more accurate heart rate strap for monitoring heart rate and training in your most effective heart rate zone. It also has more workout programs to give variety to your workouts.

The other reason to choose the Schwinn 270 is if you want to be using your heart rate zones for optimum training for you age and fitness levels. You do need to buy the heart rate strap separately but this gives you a more accurate and consistent reading than the hand pulse sensors (this is common with all bikes). You could do this (use a heart rate strap) with the Schwinn 230 but you’d need to monitor your heart rate separately to your workout.

Side By Side Comparison

The table below shows the Schwinn 230 and 270 features, specifications and dimensions next to each other line by line. It helps to give a full picture of the two but as you’d expect many of the categories compared the bikes are the same.

Feature	Schwinn 230	Schwinn 270
Resistance Type	Magnetic	Magnetic
Resistance Levels	20	25
Pedals	Straps	Straps
Weighted Flywheel	13 lbs	13 lbs
Bike Weight	81.6 lbs	86.6 lbs
Max User Weight	300 lbs	300 lbs
Min User Height	4 ft 11 ins	4 ft 11 ins
Max User Height	6ft 3 ins	6 ft 3 ins
Handlebars Adjustability	No	No
Seat Adjustability	Horizontal	Horizontal
Use Dimensions	Height 50 ins Width 28 ins Length 64 ins	Height 50 ins Width 27 ins Length 64 ins
Drive Type	Flywheel	Flywheel
Accessories	Water bottle holder Electronics ledge 3 speed fan Speakers	Water bottle holder Electronics ledge 3 speed fan Speakers
Console	Yes	Yes
Heart Rate Sensors	Yes	Yes
Frame Construction	Steel	Steel
Transport Wheels	Yes	Yes
Quiet	Yes	Yes
Back Support	Yes	Yes
Pre-Set Programs	22	29
Pedal Size	Standard	Over-sized
Crank	1 piece	3 piece
Seat Padded	No	Yes
Heart Rate Sensor Type	Hand Pulse	Hand Pulse Strap Compatible

I hope you know have the information you needed to be able to make a decision between the two as to which is the right one for you. It would be great to know what your thoughts are about the bikes.