Exercise Bike Ratings: Schwinn Airdyne AD4 Upright Exercise Bike

Product Details

Product Dimensions: 50 x 31 x 10 inches ; 96 pounds
Shipping Weight: 104 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
ASIN: B000E158CK
Item model number: 3550012

By : Schwinn
List Price : ~~$750.00~~
Price : $618.99
You Save : $131.01 (17%)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description
Save money on monthly gym fees and get yourself in shape at the same time with the Schwinn Airdyne upright exercise bike. The Airdyne features a smooth, air-based resistance braking system along with a pair of sturdy exercise arms. The advantage of the unique air resistance system is that it offers as much resistance as you can handle.
The Airdyne's dual-action arms help you work out your entire body.The harder you pedal, the greater the resistance. The dual-action design, meanwhile, synchronizes your arm and leg movements to simulate your natural motion, helping you work your upper and lower body at the same time. Finally, the air resistance system creates streams of cooling air while you pedal, making for a comfortable home workout.
The Airdyne includes a comprehensive computer console that provides feedback on time, distance, workload level, calories burned, calories per hour, heart rate, and RPM. As a result, it's easy to keep track of your overall fitness level. Other features include an extra-quiet chain drive system; built-in heart rate monitoring; an LCD display; an anatomically correct seat with extra padding; and a capacity of 300 pounds. The Airdyne measures 50 by 22.5 by 48 inches (L x H x W), weighs 96 pounds, and carries the following warranties: 30 years on the frame, three years on parts and electronics, and one year on labor and wear items.
About SchwinnIgnaz Schwinn and his partner Adolph Arnold incorporated Arnold, Schwinn ; Company on October 22, 1895. Within a few short years of its inception, the company had become an acknowledged technical and quality leader within the bicycle industry. Now, more than 100 years later, Schwinn has become an American icon and built some of the best-known and best-loved bicycles of all time, including the Aerocycle, Paramount, Phantom, Varsity, Sting-Ray, Krate, Homegrown, and more. The company is also a leading purveyor of home and fitness equipment, and has been an indispensable player in revolutionizing biking and fitness around the world.

Compare These Airdyne Exercise Bikes
Schwinn AD4 Airdyne
Schwinn Airdyne Evolution Comp
Schwinn AD2 Airdyne
Resistance Levels
Infinite
Infinite
Infinite
Resistance System
Air
Air
Air
Drive System
Dual-stage chain and belt drive
Dual-stage chain and belt drive
Single stage-belt drive
Number of Workout Programs
2
2
Workouts
Simultaneous upper / lower body or upper body workout only
Simultaneous upper / lower body or upper body workout only
Simultaneous upper / lower body or upper body workout only
Heart Rate
Telemetry enabled
Telemetry enabled
Display Type
LCD
LCD
LCD
Display Readouts
Time, Distance, Calories, Calories per Hour, RPM, Workload, and Heart Rate
Time, Distance, Calories, Calories per Hour, RPM, Workload, and Heart Rate
Time, Distance, Calories, RPM
Power Requirements
2 AA Batteries
2 AA Batteries
2 AA Batteries
Seat
Extra-padded, oversized
Extra-padded, oversized
Padded
Product Dimensions (L x W x H)
50 x 22.5 x 48 inches
50 x 22.5 x 48 inches
58 x 25 x 48 inches
Product Weight
96 pounds
104 pounds
96 pounds
Warranty
Frame: 30 years, Parts: 3 years, Electronics: 3 years, Labor: 1 year, Wear Items: 1 year
Frame: 30 years, Parts: 3 years, Electronics: 3 years, Labor: 1 year, Wear Items: 1 year
Frame: 5 years, Parts: 1 year, Electronics: 1 year, Labor: 90 days, Wear Items: 90 days
Max. User Weight
300 pounds
300 pounds
250 pounds

The Airdyne Exercise Bike is simply smart%2E Wind resistance is exponential%2C so the harder you pedal%2C the higher the resistance becomes%2E This naturally provides the right workout for both a novice exerciser and an elite athlete%2E

Schwinn Airdyne AD4 Upright Exercise Bike

Product Features

Upright exercise bike with unique air resistance system
Air system offers as much resistance as you can handle
Dual-action arm handles work upper and lower body
Console tracks time, distance, calories, RPM, and more
Measures 22.5 x 48 x 50 inches (W x H x D); weighs 96 pounds

Customer Reviews

The Schwinn Airdyne Upright is a classic - virtually unchanged for at least 20 years (I used them at Columbia University's gym back in college in the early 80s in essentially their current form). The lack of evolution speaks to their excellent functionality. The Airdyne differs from most exercise bikes in having a large air-resistance flywheel instead of a smaller heavier flywheel with mechanical friction or an electric magnetic resistance flywheel that needs power and the electronics head to operate it. The advantages are fourfold: 1) the larger flywheel is exceptionally smooth, 2) the air resistance is naturally graduated (i.e. the faster you pedal, the greater the wind resistance and the harder it gets to pedal). This resistance approach means you organically find your level by pacing - with no need to ever set resistance manually. 3) The air resistance flywheel kicks up wind that cools you as you work out. 4) Mechanical resistance devices tend to wear out first - becoming bumpy or uneven; magnetic resistance units become unusable if the electronics head stops working. The air resistance scheme is simpler and is built with tremendous durability. I've owned my Airdyne for 12 years and it has been perfectly reliable the whole time - and it has been moved 3 times and has taken a real beating. The Airdyne's handles are linked to the pedals, encouraging you to work out your arms at the same time. The upper body workout gets most of the arm and a good involvement of the chest and shoulders too. The unit is battleship built of stamped and welded steel - just like a Schwinn bike. The chain is enclosed for safety - and a safety lock lets you prevent things from moving when you move the unit (it moves on small integrated wheels in front). You need those wheels because the Airdyne is big and heavy. This translates to excellent stability when in use.
Is the Airdyne the perfect workout machine? There are some drawbacks: The air flow is nice - but it's noisy too. This makes it hard to watch TV or work out with others in the room. The big wind can send papers flying. The upperbody workout can be distracting from the biking rhythm. I wish there were an alternate set of handlebars that didn't move for when you just want to bear down and spin. The handlebars only allow an overhanded and underhanded grip. I wish the handles curved up at the ends so you could hold them vertically like ski poles. This would result in a more natural arm motion. The big padded seat is comfortable as bikes go - but that's not saying much. Bike exercise has the disadvantage of not being weight bearing - but this is a quibble. My heart monitor confirms you can definitely get your cardio rate up on a bike. Did I mention this unit is big and heavy? The little wheels help - but moving this bike isn't a casual exercise. Finally, despite the clear efforts at safety, ther are still places where cat's tails and children's fingers can be pinched when in use(notably where the handlebars link to the pedals with long metal bars near the bottom of the unit).
If you like to use an exercise bike to work out, and don't mind some noise and wind, the Airdyne will give you a great workout - keep you cool - and last basically for ever.
Followup 10/08: The computer on mine stopped working recently after 14 years - but it doesn't matter to me (I seldom used it anyway). The computer displayed time, rpm, distance, an arbitrary "workout level". It didn't do heart rate so I tend to use a wrist mounted heart monitor which times the workout for my anyway. I could probably buy a replacement computer but I'm not going to bother. The fact is that this bike works fine without it. Try that with any newfangled bike. This bike is like the old Nikon F camera - which mentioned in the instructions that if you accidentally dropped it in seawater you should rinse it in fresh water and then dry it with the film door opened in a an oven set at lowest temperature for an hour! That's how they used to make gear!

I bought one of these in 1988. It was already -quite- old, (probably from 1977, the first year it was made, which means the 30 year warrantee is -still- in effect!), and not well taken care of. Whatever abuse it took only made it a little dirty. It's almost 2007, and it's still working perfectly. The all-steel construction has kept it repair-free while newer machines go into the garbage. Different year models come with different monitors, so I won't go into that, but the machine itself is always the same: No shifting. The fan-resistance increases with pedaling speed. Arms and legs contribute whatever proportions of the total effort you desire, a very natural intuitive movement. For arms only, there's a foot-rest, for legs only, just hang your arms at your sides. (The Airdyne is not a bicycle, not a 'spinner', it is a thing unto itself, but unless road-bike technique is an issue, it will do more than spinning can do for your fitness.)The warrantee, or any other right to complaint, is probably voided if you stand up while pedaling, but I've been able to stand on these pedals for all these years, and the combination of arms and legs while out of the seat is the most intense workout available on a home cycle. (I did eventually get a Schwinn 'Windsprint', because it shifts to increase pedal pressure, but it doesn't 'do' arms. This is still the single best home cycle.)