Schwinn Fitness Elliptical Machine

I would deduct 1.2 points for packaging, and some issues with the user manual, and one of the features I miss on the display. The shipment arrived on time but the box was busted up pretty badly. I could not rescue it. The Amazon Driver stayed near by while I inspected the contents to make sure nothing was damaged inside, then he helped me place it in my entryway after I established that nothing was wrong the machine itself or the internal packaging. I am over 70 years old and found no problems assembling the machine by myself, although I did take all afternoon to do so. The user manual was fairly well designed except that some of the detail images were way too small for my old eyes to pick up 'details'. For that reason I deducted .03 points from the overall score, (BIGGER DETAIL IMAGES PLEASE). You don't need any extra tools to assemble this. They are all included with the clearly labeled hardware. With a little planning this can be easily assembled by one person. As I said, I am over 70 years old, I have a bad back, and I had no issues assembling it. The heaviest part to move is the main flywheel assembly, and even with a bad back I was able to pick it up and carry it into the living room for assembly, and in it's permanent location. Another option I considered to move it would be to tilt the assembly onto an old beach towel and pull it across the floor to the location to assemble, but, as I mentioned, it was light enough for me to carry a short distance (about 14 feet). I have been using it for a week now and have only one complaint - it does not have a step counter. The machine is very sturdy and supports the 230 lbs of my body weight without issue or noise. It is smooth and very quiet compared to my cubi I have been using. I also like the customizable display options for each user. Before purchasing the 470 my wife and I read a review online. The reviewer noted that the machine's lowest resistance level was still much higher than other machines. I have no other experience with ellipticals, but my wife does and she confirms that it is harder than those she uses at the gym. That being said, after a week both she and I have improved our endurance and I can now do 30 minutes non stop at the lowest sittings, She was spending 30 minutes on the elliptical at the gym and it took her three days to get to 30 minutes. Neither of us has tried any of the default programs yet. We still need to get in better shape. My greatest complaint is the packaging. I think the packaging they use is more suitable for delivery to a department store or fitness store, not to a residence where the deliver van has to be loaded with objects of various sizes and weights. The riggers of transporting a large item like this requires stronger materials. The carboard box was the consistency of dry bread. It practically fell apart in my hands. The Styrofoam survived the shipping, but not the unpacking. Beads of Styrofoam popped out all over the place no matter how carefully I removed parts or tape. It was a total mess to clean up and accounts for most of my assembly time. For that reason I would deduct .17 from the total score. Overall it is a great machine for the price and I'm getting back tone in muscles I rarely use any more, even after only a week. It's a great bargain.

I chose this machine because I am a gym rat and they have been closed and it seems they will remain so for a while. It's not cheap, but I can't necessarily afford a whole new wardrobe if I gain 10-20 pounds in the next few weeks, either. Heart attacks and diabetes aren't cheap, either. It seems like a lot of these are going out of stock, so I'd suggest ordering one sooner rather than later if you're a real gym nut. Who knows if this pandemic will keep resurfacing in the next few months... The machine I got was assembled in 2017, so I wasn't worried about contagion from the country of manufacture. A while back I checked out a few models in a sporting goods store and noticed the Schwinn ellipticals seemed to have a nice stride and seemed sturdier than the other models within the under 1k price range. No matter what machine you buy, it's going to be bulky and in the way, so it might as well be sturdy. Many "economical" home use ellipticals have a really short stride that make my knees and shins hurt, seem flimsy, and many of them have super low weight limits which make them limiting if you share them with others or ever need to re-sell them due to a move, etc... My gym preferences are the cybex and the elliptical the precor rear drive elliptical. This model seems to resemble those machines to me in terms of how I feel when I work out. I gave this five stars with the knowledge that this is NOT supposed the kind of high-end machine you'd find at the gym that usually cost several thousand dollars. This is a home-use piece of equipment, so it won't have a fancy computerized touch-screen display. I DO notice that you can step off the machine for a few seconds and grab a bottle of water without it "timing out" on you, which I think is great, and I also love the little fan the display comes with. It's very easy to set a phone/ipad/drink /towel on the machine while working out. I'm a short small-statured woman. I was able to assemble this myself within a few hours, although it was a bit difficult at times. I have a big bruise on my big toe to prove it. (You might want to wear heavy boots while putting it together!) It's not super lightweight, so I'd recommend assembling it in the room you plan to keep it in. If you have someone to help you, I'd recommend having a second person on hand to assist sliding the pedals on and to help keep the display in place while you screw it in. When sliding the handle bars onto the machine, I wished I had access to a pair of stronger arms, but I still managed. I think the hardest part was placing the pedals on because you need to have them at the perfect angle to slide them onto the machine. Don't discard any plastic wrap with lubricant, because you might need it when you assemble certain pieces. You don't have to be a part time handyman to put this together-- just keep the nuts and bolts in orderly piles and make sure you use the correct ones. You can still manage to assemble this on your own as long as you can follow instructions to a T, don't mind cursing a bit, have some pillows handy, and don't have to move the largest piece onto a different floor in the house. Having wood floors I was able to push the biggest piece into the room I wanted to assemble it in. Although it was a pain, I'm glad I assembled it on my own, as I imagine if something "goes wrong" I'll be able to pinpoint the issue in the future. The machine is super quiet and it comes with the adapter so you can plug it into the wall. Keeping certain components lubricated and free of dust will probably help avoid any squeaks or weird noises, but that's why cleaning people who work at the gym constantly vacuum and clean off the equipment. I imagine if you don't follow the assembly instructions perfectly, and don't tighten the bolts perfectly, you might have noise problems. The machine rocked and jiggled a little at first, but I realized I had accidentally omitted the washers when I screwed on the display. I popped the top off, unscrewed that part and fixed the problem, and now it doesn't rock or jiggle at all. Follow the instructions to a T. Keep the instructions and tools and leftover nuts and bolts. The only weird issue I've noticed is that the calorie counter seems really off-- it seems to underestimate the amount of calories burned considering how much I'm exerting myself. This sets my OCD off a little, however, I notice that many kinds of extremely expensive cardio equipment in the gym will give me different numbers. The experience I have while I'm exercising leads me to believe that I'm still getting a great workout even without the calorie count being precise-- even with the resistance level and incline fairly low, it doesn't feel "too easy". I also feel no bizarre aches and pains as I would with a badly functioning/designed elliptical. The design of the handlebars is great in that shorter folks can easily grasp them because the center parts of the handles curve inwards toward the user. Ellipticals you find at the gym often have handle bars often seem poorly designed for people with shorter arms. I can easily grab these without leaning forward too much. I'm 5'3", so slightly smaller than the average woman. I can't answer for how well a tall person would like the design, but the weight limit seems higher than many home style ellipticals and the foot pedals seem large enough to handle a person with a large footprint. Like I said before, the stride length seems much better than most home ellipticals. If you're super tall, you might want to get the more expensive models that have longer than a 20" stride. If you're tall, I'd check out the reviews of other tall folks before making a final decision. Edit: It's been a year since I bought this, and haven't had any major issues yet. Biggest gripe is that the calorie counter seems to underestimate the workout I feel I'm doing. I wish the stride were longer, but as it's not one of those industrial grade machines, I wasn't expecting it to be great. I definitely suggest remembering to grease the components periodically, and making sure you vacuum the machine to remove dust. Edit: I really hope they “fix” the low calorie count issue so many people point out. I’m drenched in sweat, on here for almost an hour, and have only burned about 300 calories? Makes me feel like a loser and a failure, because I’ve drank two bottles of water already and I feel like I can’t push any fügtet. On the expensive gym elliptical machines, I would have been past 500 calories burnt by now for the sweat and soreness I feel.

I was looking seriously at a Proform HIIT machine to improve the year round workout and reduce the impact to joints. I came across the Schwinn 411 while watching a youTube review for best elliptical machines (which also included the Proform) I've never been too fond of ellipticals as the stride always seemed to be awkward at times, sort of forcing a particular gait from the user to fit its engineered motion. Yes, I know how that sounds. Running outside and on full size treadmills however has passed as the years have added up. As it is a compact machine and that's important for my space a user needs to understand this; it will not allow for a 6 foot tall long stride user to fully extend and that might be a turn off. As I'm not that guy the shorter stride coupled with the arm resistance makes for a great combo. BUT it is a small machine, I feel no matter what the max capacity the specs call for if you're 6'4" and 260, do not get this machine. Assembly is not too bad at all (go back to youTube) its light enough to go solo but all the parts do feel quite sturdy and milled with a decent amount of QA tolerance. Its not a Swiss watch. It is really quiet. The most noise is truly the rollers on the tracks and some of the arm joints in rotation while in use. Allowing for TV music etc to be on with minimal volume. Let's be honest, this from an apps or streaming fitness guru membership and built in HD screens-- IS NOT on this machine. That's actually the other thing I wanted... none of the extra total crap circuit boards or built in 'tablets' can fail and totally ruin an otherwise good piece of equipment. So yes, it might not easily fully integrate with the smart appendage we all have now; but then again if you can't self-motivate for 5-15 min each day without a coach from Hawaii, I dare say no equipment is truly going to help. This reflects in the cost, given its size and the build quality (thus far) and minus the other overhead that one may not desire I find it to be a relative bargain.

I purchased a Schwinn Elliptical 3 weeks ago, managed to put it together, not easy, but par for the course for something with so many moving parts. It worked fine for a few days, then started to make a rattling noise, like an empty spray paint can. There were other minor noises that came and went, as other reviewers have noted, but this was different. It got progressively worse and consistent (unless i used the elliptical backwards!). And when it did work (forward) for those 2 uses, it was good—good ergonomics (tho a bit on the small side, more suited for my 5' partner), and the resistance was difficult enough (whereas, i previously had a Sole elliptical, whose hardest resistance level wasn't that hard for me). I called Customer Support, they were friendly and easy to get a hold of, but basically, if something goes wrong with your Schwinn elliptical, you're on your own. They sent me a crank puller, but no instructions with it, so i had to google around to find similar advice on how to do this on similar machines. And yes, i did call Schwinn (multiple times) and they sent instructions, but they weren't helpful. At one point they told me to take a picture of what i was having a problem with and they'd get back to me in 48 hours, but there was nothing to take a photo of, it was just that i didn't understand the instructions. Oh, i should also mention that you'll need all sorts of additional tools to work this crank puller, so i had to go and buy things like a monkey wrench. Eventually i got the shroud off and determined there was a busted bearing in the flywheel (by "listening" with a screwdriver pressed against the axle, like a stethoscope) which i expected all along. When i told the first customer service agent this, he was like "whoa, let's not jump the gun here" I can understand they don't want customers mis-diagnosing things, but he seemed irked that i knew what a flywheel was, like i was doing his job for him. But there's only so much you can tell by listening to the sound on the phone, and Schwinn/Bowflex/Nautilus doesn't provide a technician unless something's actually wrong, and then they only provide a tech for one visit, so you better use that visit to fix it, not diagnose it. And this all needs to happen with the first 90 days. So once we determined it was the flywheel, they sent a new one (which is taking over a week, even though i asked if they could expedite it), and they scheduled my allotted tech visit for a week after that. So it's been almost a month since i've had this elliptical that is laying in parts on my basement floor, and i only got to use it on the first few days. And the replacement part and tech won't be here for another week. And then i'll have to put this thing back together again and hope it works, otherwise i'll really be screwed as they won't allow another tech visit and i'm getting up to my 90 days at which point they don't support you at all. Oh well, at least i got some exercise taking it apart and putting it back together! I should mention that for comparison sake, i had a Sole Elliptical before this, it was equally challenging to assemble (particularly since the instructions were in Italian (i was living in Italy)) and the same thing happened, it stopped working after a few uses. But Sole at least sent out a technician to fix it, granted the problem was electrical, in the console, and granted that the Sole was twice as expensive as the Schwinn. So you get what you pay for. Seriously tho, be aware of this basic lack of tech support when getting this, fine if you have a degree in mechanical engineering, but if you're not technically inclined consider yourself warned. UPDATE (May 22): After waiting 2 weeks for the scheduled technician, they didn't show up. So I guess i'll have to figure out how to fix it myself. This seems borderline illegal that they can sell a broken product and provide no support to fix it. Seriously think twice before buying a Schwinn (or Nautilus, or Bowflex, since they are all the same company).

Best elliptical I have ever owned (3 of them). Easy to put together, probably 2 hours or 3 if you go slow. Basic mechanical skills needed and the instructions are perfect. The machine is smooth and quiet. The controls are easy to operate. It is a rugged machine and well worth the cost. I am sure it will last for many years.

For the most part I have been happy with this elliptical. It was not easy to assemble, but I got through it. When I did I made a point to add extra silicone grease to all the moving parts I assembled because I know these tend to get noisy. Also I have no issue with it's resistance as I'm a seasoned elliptical user and it's default setting and even higher resistance are just fine. Also love the small footprint of the device and it's stride as I'm fairly tall and need a good stride. It's fairly sturdy as well and no issue with the frame quality. My main issue is simply put, clicking! My goal with this elliptical was to have a unit that is quiet for my daily workout! Now I don't mean a little squeaking here and there with the rails, that's easy to remedy, but it's with the mechanics of it. It just seems no hardware maker actually cares about their equipment being quiet much past a year or two. So about 2 years into owning this, of course past it's warranty, it's starting developing a clicking noise that comes from inside the flywheel mechanism. I have not attempted to repair as I was hoping that I would not need to even open this part and/or start covering it in grease, but seems I have no choice. But I've learned from experience that once an elliptical starts making noise like this, it's days are numbered. I should not have to spend $700 every two years for something that gets used 30 minutes a day every week! Maybe I'll get lucky and figure it out, but beware if you buy this. This issue seems to be common amongst other reviewers. Updating my review due to realizing that pulling out the moving joints and regreasing them seemed to solve the issue. Still frustrating to have to deal with this, but not unsolvable fortunately. Flywheel assembly had no issues although I thought originally that's where it was.

Differences between the 430, 430(2016), 470, and MY17 470: 430: base model (2 user profiles, upload data to thumb drive for connectivity to SchwinnConnect.com, manual incline) 430 (2016): updated console (looks only I think) 470: 4 user profiles + 7 additional programs + motorized incline MY17 470: 4 user profiles + 7 additional programs + motorized incline + bluetooth connectivity to the SchwinnConnect App (free). Pros: -Assembly was easy to understand. -Love the Bluetooth/app connectivity, -motorized incline, -speakers (seem loud enough), -that it charges my phone with the usb port -that it has a headphone jack that I can use to listen to music/shows though the speakers, -it has a fan that works well. -Gives a killer workout. -For home gym equipment, it seems sturdy. -Plenty of programs to choose from. Cons: -Assembly was a little time-consuming. It took me (mostly by myself) 4 hours. It's a bit awkward to move and assemble the heavy parts, but honestly, what can you expect; you are assembling an elliptical. -Workouts seem much harder than on the one I used at the gym; I think this is because the weight of the fly wheel isn't as heavy as the gym-quality ones and it isn't free spinning. -The fan makes a small vibrating sound and the console makes a vibrating sound when I adjust the resistance or incline. -The programs aren't super easy to browse through - read the instructions on how to use the console. Assembly tips: -Can be awkward to maneuver depending on your physical ability. I did it mostly by myself, but needed my kids' help keeping things out of the way while I connected the electronic wires. -Speaking of connecting wires, make sure they are connected correctly before moving on. I was so nervous after I put it together that the wires wouldn't be connected right and that I would have to take it apart to fix it. -Read the steps twice and make sure you know where all the bolts and screws go and have everything needed for that step within arms reach BEFORE starting each step. -Set it up where you intend to put it when it's done. (I bought the mat and I'm glad I did.) -The screws for the water holder are pre-attached to the static handlebars, not the holder. (I figured this out after searching through all the trash packaging.) -The Schwinn Connect App (free) is required to connect to the Bluetooth. (This app syncs with Google Fit and MyFitness Pal.) -Buy the silicone lubricant. It comes with enough to last a couple of weeks, but you'll need to lubricate the tracks weekly. (Another good reason to buy the mat is that the lubricant can get on the floor - glad the mat catches it.)

This is a first impressions review after one day's use. Will update after a few weeks. So far I'm impressed. It's solid and well built--no cheesy parts or connections. Heavy duty construction. I'm 66 yrs old and have never been a fan of gyms (I like to run in the woods). I hate treadmills but ellipticals give me a no-impact, all-over workout. This Schwinn 430 elliptical is quiet, stable and smooth. I weigh 150 lbs. Assembly was 2 hours. If you're not good mechanically it might take a little bit longer. Directions are straightforward. Nuts and washers,etc. are sealed in plastic on a cardboard backing so they don't get lost in transit. The bearings and sleeves have some silicone grease already, but I added more grease (from my own supply) on moving and rotating parts just to be sure. The pedal plates are a thick high quality plastic but could be a little slick with the wrong footwear. Your foot is kind of nestled down in the sidewalls of the plate so you won't slip off the pedal. Dimensions, etc.: Overall length is 70" Handlebar height varies as they travel back and forth--60" up to 67". Doesn't really matter since you can grip them wherever you're comfortable. What does matter is the overall height when you're on-board and working out. The ceiling in my basement is too low (85") so I put the elliptical upstairs where I have a 96" ceiling. I am 5'8" tall. At the machine's highest incline setting (100%) , the top of my head is 84" from the floor. So with this 8' ceiling I have a full 12" between the top of my head and the ceiling. In a moderate workout on this elliptical my head is pretty stationary, so that 12" is a fairly constant distance from the ceiling. The pedal height varies during exercise from about 15" to 24" at the highest incline level. [However, pedal height is not the best way to figure your ceiling clearance. The best measure for your ceiling clearance is to adjust your height up or down from my height of 5'8". (i.e.: If you are 6' tall, you'll be about 7'4" off the floor, and you'll have 8" clearance to the ceiling.)] The control panel was cutting edge technology about 15 years ago. If you compare it to a smart phone it's lacking. It's clumsy and time consuming to navigate. But...it doesn't really bother me that much. The rest of the machine is really good quality. I'll update after some time passes. UPDATE 3 weeks later---Yup, still great. I am wondering about all the negative "it squeaks!" reviews. Geezum, like I mentioned, you use a little common sense and some additional grease that matches the manufacturer's grease and I have no problems. If it didn't get enough grease at the factory--then put some more on! Pretty basic. You probably got the darn thing on sale anyway--just spend a couple bucks and you and the machine will be quiet.