An indoor spin bike is the next best thing to biking outdoors, especially on a cold, wet, rainy day. It is also a great way to get in shape and can be a great addition to your other in-home gym equipment. Riding an indoor bike with a magnetic resistance system is about the closest thing you can get to the realistic feel of a road bike without ever leaving the comfort of your own home. The Schwinn AC Performance Plus is just such a bike, and we will feature it here today in our Schwinn AC Performance Plus review.
We have also chosen a few other comparable bikes on the market, and we will review them here for you, too. That way, you can make a knowledgeable decision on which bike fits your needs best. At the end of this review, we will give our final verdict on the Schwinn AC Performance Plus.
What Is the Schwinn AC Performance Plus?
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The Schwinn AC Performance Plus is an indoor spin bike that is a popular choice amongst health clubs and home gyms alike. It has an ergonomic design that is easy to use for a variety of body shapes and sizes, and it offers a quiet, smooth, and comfortable ride. Just as you would never ride a bike outdoors that does not fit you, neither should you ride an indoor bike that doesn’t fit your body shape.
With the Schwinn AC Performance Plus, there is no need to worry. This bike is made to adjust easily and will accommodate many users. It has a wider seat that allows for a more comfortable ride but offers the added benefit of quick-adjust straps on the pedals to allow you to stand up and cycle at a higher intensity.
No matter how you prefer to ride, the ergonomically designed handlebars will support your positions and give you a solid grip.
Product Specs
The Schwinn AC Performance Plus has a six magnet resistance system which more evenly distributes braking power, and it has a 37-pound perimeter weighted flywheel disc. This Virtual Contact Resistance Technology does not allow the brake to make contact with the flywheel, eliminating friction and wear; providing a maintenance free system that does not wear out.
The bike is extremely adjustable and can accommodate just about any size or weight. It has ErgoLoop handlebars and double link pedals with SPD and adjustable toe clips which allows you to wear anything from sneakers to cleats.
The Performance Plus has a lightweight aluminum frame which is 30% lighter and can be picked up and moved easily. As an added convenience, it also features dual handlebar mounted water bottle holders.
Pricing
The indoor cycles featured in this review can be purchased from Amazon.com and range at a price of around $500.00 to $1600.00. The fluctuation in price is mainly due to the available features of the bikes.
How Others Compare to the Schwinn AC Performance Plus
| Preview | Product | Price | |
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Keiser M3i Indoor Cycle Bundle | $2,985.00 | Buy on Amazon |
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NordicTrack GX 4.7 Exercise Bike | Buy on Amazon |
We picked a few similar products available on the market to see how they compare to the Schwinn AC Performance Plus. We considered things such as ease of use, assembly time, warranty, and design quality.
- Echelon Smart Connect
- Keiser M3i
- NordicTrack GX4.7
Schwinn AC Performance Plus |
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| Price
$$$
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| Ease of Use
Schwinn not only seeks to offer an authentic road-bike experience, but they also want to make it easy for any size person to use. The seat, pedals, and toe clips are easily adjustable. We gave it a 5 Out of 5 stars |
| Assembly Time
We relied heavily on customer reviews for this rating, and the consensus is that even a novice can put this bike together. 5 out of 5 stars. |
| Design Quality
This bike is designed well from the lightweight aluminum frame to the six magnet brake system. The ergonomic handlebars, triple link pedals, and easy adjustments all deliver on the design quality. We gave it a solid 5 for design quality. |
| Warranty
Schwinn delivers on their warranty with a 10-year frame, two years mechanical, six months wear items and a 1-year labor warranty. It gets 5 stars for the warranty. |
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Pros
Cons
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| Link for Reviews and Purchase
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Echelon Smart Connect Bike |
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No products found. The Echelon Smart Connect bike is designed with 32 resistance levels, new and improved stabilization handle and seat post adjustments. The Echelon comes with a 30-day subscription to the Echelon Fit App that provides totally immersive fitness in the comfort of your own home. You can pick your own trainer and choose from an assortment of classes including yoga, stretching, and on-demand classes. This bike is designed for anyone and for every home. It has a 2.4-volt device charging USB and a precision resistance motor. |
| Price
$$$
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| Ease of Use
Set up for this bike is not hard, and the adjustments are easy, but many customers were disappointed that it did not work better without the app. This bike is made to be used along with the subscription, and there are issues with resistance if the app is not active. We gave it 4 stars for ease of use. |
| Assembly Time
Customers seem to agree that it does not take long to assemble this bike or to get the app up and running. We gave it a 5 for assembly time. |
| Design Quality |
| Warranty |
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Pros
Cons
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| Link for Reviews and Purchase
No products found. |
Keiser M3i |
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Keiser M3i Indoor Cycle Bundle
The Keiser M3i has the industry’s first V-shaped frame which enables the M3i to mimic different road bike frames, allowing seat and handlebar frames to be raised and lowered as needed. These adjustments allow for riders from 4’10” to 7 feet tall. It has Bluetooth enabled interactive cycling so that the rider can connect with the Keiser M series app and train in real time with graphs and choose from an array of workouts. Sweat is the number one enemy of indoor cycles because it can cause corrosion. The M3i is built with a rear-mounted flywheel so that the most vulnerable components are kept out of the “sweat zone”; eliminating that problem. The M3i has a simple, elegant design that is virtually maintenance free and is the only indoor bike built in the USA. |
| Price
$$$
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| Ease of Use
The Keiser is easy to adjust and has many adjustments to accommodate different size riders. There can be some issues with hooking up the app, but those are easily overcome. Overall, we gave it a 5 for ease of use. |
| Assembly Time
Most customers agreed that this bike was not hard to put together; others suggested watching videos to assist in putting it together. Connecting tablets and phones can be a bit challenging. Overall, we gave it a 4.5 out of 5 for assembly time. |
| Design Quality
The M3i has a simple, elegant design that offers a quiet ride and easy adjustments to accommodate many riders. It has a solid, well-built construction too. We gave it a 5 out of 5 stars for overall design quality. |
| Warranty
Keiser offers quite an impressive warranty: 10 years for the frame; 3 years for cylinders, displays, and process boxes; 2 years for compressor and dryer, cables, pulleys, and bearings; 1-year chrome; and 90 days for paint, seat belts, hand grips, and other rubber/plastic products. We didn’t have a 6-star rating to give them. |
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Pros
Cons
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| Link for Reviews and Purchase |
NordicTrack GX4.7 |
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NordicTrack GX 4.7 Exercise Bike
The Nordic Track GX4.7 offers an innovative step-through design that eliminates the traditional bike base, so it is easy to get off and on the bike. It has an oversized cushioned seat with lumbar support so you can relax and get the most from your workout without added stress to your back. The Nordic Track has a quick, responsive, one-touch control that will adjust your resistance almost instantly.It also has a convenient, built-in water bottle holder so you can stay hydrated during your workout. Speed, time, distance, heart rate, and calories burned are all at your fingertips with the 5-inch back-lit display. The NordicTrack GX4.7 is iFit compatible. |
| Price
$
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| Ease of Use
Most customers agreed that the Nordic Track is easy to use, the cushioned seat makes getting on and off easy, the cupholder is convenient, and the display is easy to use too. We gave it a 5 for overall ease of use. |
| Assembly Time
Putting the bike itself together did not seem to be an issue, but there were quite a few complaints about some screws needing to be re-bored before the bike could be completed. We took away a star for this on assembly time. |
| Design Quality
When you consider the walk-through design, the 5-inch screen, and one-touch features, this bike has an excellent design quality. The plastic parts, however, seem to cause issues for many customers. We took away a half star for design quality due to the plastic choices. |
| Warranty
Nordic Track offers a lifetime frame, 2-year parts, and labor for electronics. Customers reported issues with customer service and replacement of parts. We gave it a 4.5 for warranty. |
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Pros
Cons
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| Link for Reviews and Purchase |
Conclusion
As you can see, we have reviewed some excellent indoor spin cycles in our Schwinn AC Performance Plus review.
We feel that our featured indoor cycle, the Schwinn AC Performance Plus, stood out from the rest, mainly because of its unique 6-magnet brake system and the 37-pound flywheel that gives the feel of being on a real road bike. The lightweight frame that allows you to move the bike easily was also a huge plus for us because some indoor cycles take real effort to move.
Besides all the features of this bike, we also considered the fact that this cycle is popular amongst health clubs across the country. Not to mention, the very name, Schwinn, is one of the most well-known for all types of bicycles. They have been in business for well over 100 years, and this gives buyers confidence in their quality and customer service.
Overall, we gave the Schwinn our highest star rating of 5. We believe it will deliver performance, comfort, and reliability to just about any customer who uses it.
Image by marybettiniblank via Pixabay.com