If you’re already highly motivated you may not need the added inspiration that live streaming, on-demand, or virtual training can provide, but we think it’s really nice to have the option. Unlike the more expensive competition, the IC4 does not come with a high-tech console for streaming workouts, you’ll have to use one that you already have or purchase one for that purpose. It does have a device holder where you can dock your device for easy viewing, and it has a USB port to keep it charged while you ride.
But as someone who just discovered Peloton and spin in general, I’ve found it to be a game-changer. Whether I’m biking to an episode of Bridgerton or to a 20-minute Beyoncé ride, I still end up working up a good sweat — and having a pretty good time. Like a lot of hot home-fitness equipment, the IC4 isn’t easy to buy at the moment. You can order directly from Schwinn, but the wait time is dragging out into months despite the company’s increasing its factory capacity by 500 percent. I snagged mine on Amazon for $799, thanks to a Facebook tip, but I haven’t seen the IC4 available there for weeks.
Over the last two years, we’ve seen significant reader interest in all things indoor exercise bikes, and it’s with good reason. In December, Apple launched Fitness+, an app offering various on-demand fitness classes, focused on spinning, treadmills and rowing, among others. The monthly Apple service costs $10 per month compared to Peloton’s $13 monthly digital app membership. In July, Peloton also launched a new video-game mode, Lanebreak, on its bikes, where users try to steer their bikes around virtual obstacles. Schwinn is an iconic American company that been around for more than a century. In 1966, Schwinn virtually started the at-home fitness craze with the revolutionary Exerciser bike.
And since 1965, Schwinn has also built indoor bikes for cardio health and muscle training. Prefer the feeling of shifting gears outside to increasing or decreasing the resistance on an indoor bike? Schwinn has diversified business interests which also includes the Schwinn home fitness products, and here you will find the recumbent and upright bikes, elliptical trainers and the treadmills. They also have indoor equipment such as the rowers, airdyne and the classic cruiser.
Unless I’m taking a live class, I prefer to preload my Peloton workouts before riding and recommend you do the same. I experience occasional buffering issues with the Peloton iOS app (and trust me, you don’t want to run into that during the middle of a heavy climb) but preloading classes before starting fixed this issue for me. The answer to this is a touch more open-ended, because the IC4 can satisfy quite a few needs on a budget. The self-motivated on-road cyclists will be plenty satisfied here, as the bike is very well constructed and stable. With the IC4 you can also grab your tablet or iPad, and link up to apps like Zwift, and even the Peloton app for a similar experience to the Peloton on a smaller screen.
I believe the IC4 has a lot going for it and is a great way to get the Peloton experience on a cheaper budget. I like the shape and long length of the handlebars because they support you both in and out of the saddle. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons advises beginners to build up physical activity slowly and gradually at first, increasing exercise intensity and duration as their fitness improves. Cycling is a low impact exercise, which means that it is easier on the joints than other forms of exercise, such as jogging and high intensity interval training . For instance, a 2016 study found that cycling can reduce a person’s risk of type 2 diabetes, while a 2017 study identified an association between cycle commuting and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
Compared with the Echelon EX-3, the IC4 is slightly larger, though it offers a higher weight capacity. While all the bikes are similarly priced, the Schwinn IC4 is the only option that includes free shipping. It also offers the greatest number of resistance levels and longest warranty period. Still, mongoose bicycles the IC4 comes with plenty of extras, including a pair of 3-pound (1.4-kg) dumbbells, a Bluetooth heart rate armband, dual water bottle holders, ergonomic handgrips, a USB charging station, and Bluetooth connectivity. The Schwinn IC4 is the newest indoor cycling bike offered by Schwinn Fitness.
To do this, increase the resistance for a certain period of time before going back down to a lower exertion level. One of the thing to note that riders have with the Schwinn IC3 Indoor Cycling Bike is that it might not be ideal for those who are very tall. The seat is fully adjustable but even so, one reviewer said that at 6’3, he had a tough time riding the bike.
The large, rubber-coated multi-position handlebar also provides a huge range of hand positions to suit your riding style or preference. I’ve been spinning since the small gym I went to got its first Schwinn Johnny G spin bike in the mid-’90s. I’ve ridden bikes to nowhere an average of twice a week ever since, from huffy beach cruiser rusty old ones in church basements to the bikes in $40 SoulCycle classes. Pre-pandemic, I was doing most of my spinning on a free communal Peloton bike in my building’s workout room. When that was no longer an option, I tried a handful of apps and streamed classes in things like strength training and yoga.
This bike is much less expensive than the big-name home-studio competition, yet it provides a similarly excellent exercise quality with connectivity that makes it compatible with the most popular training apps. If you’ve been wanting to join in on the at-home studio cycling craze but the price of the competition seems too high, we feel this is a more affordable option to consider. With a 10-year frame, 3-year mechanical and electrical parts, and a 1-year labor warranty, it’s also clear that this product is intended to stand the test of time. The IC4 is built around a beefy steel frame that is impressively stable, even under the hardest of out of the saddle pedaling efforts. The frame supports a belt-driven 40 lb weighted flywheel which has 100 levels of magnetic resistance. With so many levels of resistance, you can micro-adjust it to exactly the level you want during your workout, and there is ample range for riders of all fitness levels.