I purchased this exercise bike in July 2023 via Amazon. It is my second Schwinn Recumbent exercise bike. Overall, I am satisfied with the purchase.

Pros:
1. The bike comes partially assembled, which is very useful.
2. The fully assembled bike is solid and can be adjusted to sit level on the floor. It can handle heavier bodies while remaining level.
3. The instructions are good and easy to follow.
4. The console (i.e., screen) comes fully assembled and only needs to be attached to the handle bars.
5. The assembly was not too difficult and took me 3.5 hours. I'm sure that others can do it faster. I could have used an extra pair of hands at two points during the assembly.
6. You can lift the rear end of the bike and move it around easily due to the two wheels built into the front stabilizer bar.

Cons:
1. The console is not lighted. I had to purchase an extra clip-on lamp to be able to read the time and distance while exercising.
2. There is no fan built into the console. I didn't realize until I started using this bike how much I would miss a fan.
3. There is no cool-down clock or timer on the console.
4. The ledge/shelf that could be used for a phone or iPod Touch is just below the data screen on the console and any item placed on the ledge will block the data readouts such time, distance, and speed while using the bike.
5. A handle on the rear stabilized bar would make it easier to lift the rear end off the floor for moving the bike.

This is an excellent exercise bike and one that provides great value for the money. This bike is very quiet, the pedaling action is smooth and the seat is good. It is very easy to assemble. I'm older now, so I paid to have the bike delivered to the room and assembled by Amazon. Amazon Delivery and Assembly service was excellent. I watched and the bike was assembled in under 30 minutes with 2 guys working simultaneously. No special tools required. Weighs less than 90 pounds and has wheels in front. Very easy to lift from the rear and move wherever you need it - my wife moves it with no problem. The only problem I have it that the pedals and pedal straps that come with the bike are too small (too narrow) for my feet! I called Schwinn / Nautilus and they did not have a solution for me - no wider pedals, no longer straps. I was willing to pay for them. I wasn't looking for something for free. I can't be the first person that called with this problem. I'm only wearing size 11 1/2 sneakers that are 4E width, not size 14 or 17 (or larger sneakers). To fix this issue, I ordered wider aluminum pedals and adapters (holes on the pedal crank are only 1/2 NOT 9/16) from Amazon and the adapters will adapt a 9/16 bicycle pedal to the 1/2 hole on the pedal crank of the machine. According to Schwinn / Nautilus, the Schwinn 270 model uses a 9/16 hole in that pedal crank, so you could get nice third-party aluminum pedals and put them on the 270 model with no problem. I suggested to Schwinn / Nautilus that they should standardize pedals and holes, to make things cheaper for them (Schwinn / Nautilus) and easier for the customer - and to get some bigger / wider pedals as an option (or alternative) at order time or as replacements to be sold after the bike is assembled and installed.

The media could not be loaded. Despite the box being badly damaged, as evidenced in the video I've shared, none of of the contents inside of the box were damaged. But really, either UPS or Amazon (whomever) really needs to apply a HANDLE WITH CARE label on these boxes containing such expensive items.

That said, assembly was very straightforward and easy. I also found a very useful youtube video called "Complete! Assemble Schwinn 270 Recumbent Exercise Bike" by Easy How To 4U, to play in the background as I read the step by step instructions and built the bike. The instructions are shockingly good, so the video isn't necessary, but it's helpful to watch just in case you are more visual. Upon completion of build, I plugged in the bike and setup User 1 (ME). I selected a program and began peddling and within 5 seconds, it went into pause mode. It was not recognizing that I was peddling. After unplugging and plugging the bike back in and encountering the same problem, I decided to open the front wheel cover to inspect the speed sensor and make sure it was connected.

You will NOT need to remove either of the peddles or peddle arms to complete this task. Just remove all of the small screws on either side of the cover and separate the two sides. Working on the LEFT side of the bike, kind of rotate the left wheel cover upward 90 degrees to work it around the left peddle arm, and then sort of thread to hole of the wheel cover thru the arm and leave it leaning up against the left peddle. This will allow you a perfect clear view of the area. The speed sensor is located on the RIGHT side of the top of the large wheel. Follow that flat black wire coming off of it downward and make sure the end is connected to the corresponding Black connector, (circled in the attached photo). Make sure it click when you connect it or it might disconnect again during reassembly. Once you've got it connected, put everything back together, plug in and click Quick Start and begin peddling. You should now see your speed being calculated and and will no longer encounter the pause at 5 seconds, unless you aren't peddling, in which case the pause will engage after 5 seconds of no activity.

The old Schwinn App is now "Explore the World" app. You can connect your phone or ipad to the app once you've opened the app, logged in and select "connect" and it should find your Schwinn 270. Click that, select a video and begin peddling. It's a pretty cool feature, though I'm sure it's much cooler in VR. But I can't imagine many people want to have headgear on their head while riding a recumbent bike.

The bike rides smoothly. Absolutely no issues or complaints with functionality, comfort after 30 minutes of cardio, or the display. Heart Monitor works well. Just make sure to give a tight grip and hold until it registers and displays your heart rate. The fan is great unless you require hurricane force winds during your cardio. I prefer to sweat. The speakers are good enough for their purpose, though I guess the bluetooth is not for connecting music, and is only for connecting to the Explore The World app. You have to use the cable provided and plug it into your phone/ipad in order to hear music thru the speakers.

I hope this review was helpful to someone. Especially the part about the speed sensor being disconnected. That part was truly annoying to have to resolve after building the entire bike. Not sure if that cable could disconnect in transit, but if it's clicked in place, it's unlikely. I think it has more to do with quality control at Schwinn and them not testing the product. I've seen many other complaints online about the exact same issue. Only in those cases, I don't believe any of those people knew it was simple solution of taking apart the front wheel cover and ensuring the cable was connected.

Anyway, overall I am very pleased with this product. It arrived a day earlier than originally scheduled, which was great. 4 Stars because of the extra work I had to do to get it functioning as it was intended.

Been using the bike for almost two weeks now. Overall, I think it's a great piece of equipment with just a few caveats mentioned below. I went with a recumbent bike for several reasons, but mainly because my knees can't hold up to the stress of a treadmill yet. I'm a fairly large individual who is needing to lose weight to make sure I'm around to see my son grow up.

First, the bike is rated for a maximum weight of 325 lbs. I'm more in the 350 range, but I decided to take a chance that the max weight is probably less than what the bike can actually support. Fortunately, I was correct in this assumption. However, if you are above the maximum weight, just know that you are using the bike at your own risk.

The main thing to understand though, is that for performing cardio exercise, the bike is great. It's quiet, doesn't draw a ton of electricity, is well made, and isn't too difficult to put together. The features all work as advertised, with some minor exceptions I'll get to in a moment.

When the bike arrived, it's in a single large cardboard box. It's somewhat heavy, although my wife and I who are every bit the opposite of body builders didn't have too much trouble moving it upstairs to it's designated spot. I did the assembly myself which took about an hour or so. Tools are included with the bike, but if you have a set of allen wrenches and a couple of decent phillips head screw drivers, you'll probably want to use those. The assembly instructions were pretty good, consisting of just diagrams.

The seat is reasonably comfortable, even given my... ahem... larger size. The built in programs seem to be pretty good, but I'm not much of an expert on how effective they are for various goals. I have been using the intervals program mainly since my goals are primarily weight loss and improved cardio fitness. Changing resistance levels is very straight forward.

One thing I highly recommend is visiting the Schwinn website and downloading the manual for the 2017 model (as mentioned by another reviewer), as there are some differences with the various features between the provided paper manual and how they actually work.

So what are the negatives?

- The built-in heart rate contacts on the side handles are flaky at best. If you want to monitor your heart rate, you'll definitely want to order the Polar T31 Non-Coded Transmitter and Belt Set . It works very well with the 270. It does occasionally give an anomalous reading where it looks like your heart rate jumps by 10 or so bpm for a moment, but other than that, it's been very useful. Just don't get a "coded" Polar chest strap as it won't work with the bike.

- The built in speakers pretty much blow, but I wasn't expecting much from them and only checked them out for the sake of this review.

- There is a small shelf that you can set your tablet or phone on to watch media while you're exercising. It blocks the main display, but I actually like that so I'm not just staring at how many minutes I have left in the workout. However, if you place a regular iPad-sized tablet a bit too far to the left, it seems to interfere with receiving the signal from a chest strap. Setting my iPhone 6 Plus there in landscape mode doesn't seem to bother it. Not a huge deal for me, but something to keep in mind.

- It would be nice if the built in fan had a little more oomph.

Lastly, for me, the calorie count is always pretty far off of what would be expected. However, as mentioned earlier, I'm am fairly over the maximum weight for the bike. When you configure your user on the bike's console, it doesn't allow you to put in a weight above 325. Obviously that would have some bearing on the calorie count being different. I've been using my Apple Watch to figure out a more accurate assessment. However, it's probably worth noting that even if my weight was exactly 325, the count given by the bike is no where near what most formulas found online would indicate. I suspect this is mainly due to not factoring in an average heart rate, but I don't know for sure.

The iPhone app is functional, if a bit rudimentary. Linking workout data to My Fitness Pal works very well, although I manually modify the calorie count on the My Fitness Pal web site.

Bottom line, however, is if you are looking for something to get yourself going on a path to better fitness or less weight, the bike is great. I actually really enjoy exercising with it. My plan is that once I've lost some of this weight and in somewhat better condition, I'll invest in a treadmill. For now, though, the bike serves my needs and I'm already seeing slight improvements in the stability of my knees and ankles. Most importantly, exercising combined with a better diet has already resulted in getting a few pounds off.

Got the Schwinn Bike, and have been using it. I love it! It's great, but has some cons.

Pros:
-Sturdy
- Easy to assemble (one guy here, and it took me about 2 hours all together to assemble)
- Great workout (haven't tried all the modes, but I like putting it in manual and riding at a consistent speed- there is definitely enough resistance to get you working)
- Heart Rate Monitor WORKS! So many of these machines have a cut rate heart rate monitor- this isn't the best, but it always matches up with my Apple Watch.
- Easy to move

Cons:
- Size spectrum- I'm 6'7, and it's definitely a bit small for me. I can make it work, but I'd say if you're 6'3 or taller, maybe look for a better fitting model
- Uncomfortable Seat- it's not bad, but it's plastic and doesn't have cushioning. I recommend a seat cover
- No back light for the screen- not a huge problem, if you have a light on but if it's darker and you want to check something I've found myself using my phones flashlight haha

Overall, for the price, it's amazing! It's not a state of the art machine you'd find in a gym, but it does the job. 100% recommend!