Schwinn 130 Upright Bike Review (2024) | BarBend

Oct 26, 2024

Saddle up on this simple, affordable stationary bike.

If you’ve ever found yourself pedaling away on an exercise bike and your mind wanders from “Ow, my butt hurts” to “WHY AM I DOING THIS?” — fear not, it’s for a good reason even if the pain in your legs and lungs is clouding your judgment. Indoor cycling is touted for its ability to improve aerobic capacity and body composition, plus, the seated posturing provides a low-impact workout so you can keep your knees happy. (1) The best exercise bike for you depends on the type of training you’re looking to accomplish, but if you’re in the market for a basic ride with a budget-friendly price tag, the Schwinn 130 Upright Bike may be just the ticket.

While we haven’t had the opportunity to test out this exact bike — once we have, we’ll update this review accordingly — we have tested a wide range of cycling offerings from Schwinn, including the 230, 270, IC4, and Airdyne Pro, so we know a thing or two about what this brand offers. For those looking for an affordable, reliable, exercise bike, with some app compatibility, to add some movement to their day, keep reading to hear all about what you can expect in this Schwinn 130 Upright Bike review.

For more information on how we test fitness equipment for all our reviews and round-ups, check out the BarBend equipment testing methodology page.

This bike has a standard LCD display and offers a comfortable seat that places you directly upright for your ride. It's also quite compact, making it great for home use.

The Schwinn 130’s $499 price tag is an alluring entry cost into indoor cycling. “Budget home gym equipment benefits people who are looking to start working on their health and fitness but feel overwhelmed by the price of fitness equipment for home use,” says Amanda Capritto, certified personal trainer and BarBend expert reviewer. “Additionally, budget home gym items are a good way for people, including advanced fitness enthusiasts, to try new forms of exercise.”

This is an upright bike, so your posture is in more of a vertical positioning — you typically won’t be leaning forward like you would on a spin bike, or leaning back like on one of the best recumbent bikes. This can help take pressure off your wrists and force you to engage your core muscles to maintain a tall seated position. “For people with lower back pain, cycling may exacerbate that due to the positioning of the body on the bike,” says Capritto, who recommends a recumbent bike if you have limited mobility or need a backrest to support your efforts.

You’ll find a 13-pound flywheel that helps control inertia through 16 levels of resistance. Instead of friction resistance, which we tend to see on lower-priced exercise bikes, the Schwinn 130 features magnetic resistance which is controlled by up and down arrows below the 5.5-inch LCD screen. This LCD display also provides a variety of training metrics such as distance, time, calories, speed, RPM, and heart rate readings when paired with a heart rate monitor.

While budget bikes tend to feature bare-bone builds, we were impressed with the Bluetooth connectivity that allows users to pair this bike with cycling apps like Zwift, Explore the World, and more. There’s also a convenient media shelf so you can stream connected programming or entertainment from your phone or tablet while you ride.

While the benefits of exercise bikes are undeniable, the real question is, is the Schwinn 130 the right exercise bike to support your fitness goals? We’ve all done our fair share of agonizing over whether or not to invest in something new, so to help you along, the following folks are exactly who we think would and wouldn’t benefit from bringing home the Schwinn 130 upright exercise bike.

“I’ve used a few different styles of stationary bikes whether at home or in the gym for 15 years now,” says a 5-star customer review. “If you’re looking for a decent bike with preset workouts this is a good option that won’t break the bank.” While the Schwinn 130 doesn’t have the newest technology or the largest amount of resistance, its steel build, padded seat and handles, Bluetooth connectivity, and upright posturing allow users to tackle their workout without feeling forced into an uncomfortable front-leaning position like what’s often found on many of the best exercise bikes with screens.

We’ve put the pedal to the metal on nearly 40 different exercise bikes from top brands, with experience trying and testing four of Schwinn’s most popular bikes. While we haven’t gotten our hands on the Schwinn 130 yet, we’ve gathered up customer reviews and compared this bike’s specs to other models we have tested. The following are key areas from our research worth diving into.

The Schwinn 130 doesn’t come with a large built-in touchscreen to stream programming from, but if you’re armed with an iPad, tablet, or smartphone, you can connect this bike to a variety of apps and then view programming from your own device. Explore the World and Zwift are two apps that can pair with the bike — however, you will need a subscription to do so.

“It’s a simple bike,” says a customer review, “but a little more [than that] with Bluetooth [which] allows you an opportunity to ‘Explore the World’.” Explore the World allows riders the ability to cycle through scenic locations and automatically adjusts the bike’s resistance depending on the terrain of the route. “I had no issues getting it to pair with the app, and it worked as advertised, although the app itself is limited especially when it comes to not offering much in the way of on-screen telemetry over the video. It does however seem to capture and store all of the relevant session info,” says another customer review. This subscription costs $9.99 a month.

Similarly, Zwift, one of the best cycling apps we’ve tested, offers users the ability to ride through a variety of virtual worlds, following along behind their avatars and racing against other users. Zwift costs $19.99 a month but allows a two-week free trial so you can see if this app is right for your workout.

Lastly, while there are ergonomically placed grip heart rate sensors on the adjustable handlebars with Bluetooth capabilities, users can also pair a compatible chest strap or other wearable heart rate monitor to track their workout intensity. Connectivity scores a 4 out of 5.

The backlit 5.5-inch LCD display allows users to stay informed on their training metrics, with readings for speed, time, distance, calories burned, and heart rate. This LCD is also where Bluetooth pairing takes place with the pressing of a little blue button to connect to your device, and where you’ll find the media shelf and a USB charging port.

Moving down the stationary bike, you’ll find an adjustable seat along with multi-grip handlebars. You can adjust the seat height, but we do wish that some forward and back adjustments could be made to help dial in the most comfortable ride. Adjustability scores a 3 out of 5. When your workout starts to heat up, there’s also a water bottle holder conveniently located beneath the handlebars.

If you opt to use an app to support your training, you’ll find the included media rack and USB charging station useful to keep your gear going for as long as you can. However, you won’t need to download and subscribe to an app to have access to programming on the Schwinn 130 indoor cycling bike. There are 13 workout programs provided on the LCD screen, ranging from a manual ride and HIIT workouts to rolling hills.

One thing we do want to call out is that the flywheel on this bike is only 13 pounds — for reference, the flywheel on my Sunny Health & Fitness bike is 49 pounds, which makes for a smoother riding experience that more closely mimics being outdoors on a road bike. So, while there are 16 resistance levels, cycling through them may feel less smooth than what’s experienced on an exercise bike with a larger flywheel.

Additionally, you won’t be able to stand up out of the saddle like you would when tackling a quick change to a higher resistance on a typical spin bike. “Everything about the bike is great,” mentions a 3-star customer review. “My only complaint is that it’s almost impossible to stand up and ride. If you are wanting to do more of a spin class type workout this isn’t the right style bike for that.”

Because of this, we wouldn’t recommend this bike for high-speed racers or those looking to tackle intense training. We give training capabilities a 2 out of 5.

[Related: Sunny Health & Fitness Exercise Bike Review]

Due to the upright nature of this bike, its footprint takes up 6.14 square feet, a little larger than a standard rectangular end table. (2) “Be sure to check the overall dimensions of the machine and measure — and measure again! -— the space in which you intend to place it,” says Amanda Capritto, BarBend editorial member and certified personal trainer.

This reasonable size paired with its light-weight 58.4-pound build makes moving it from room to room a breeze with the built-in transport wheels. Footprint and portability score a 5 out of 5.

Bringing home the best cardio machine for your training goals takes a good amount of consideration — unless you’re like me, having a glass or two of wine, and just buying random things hoping for the best. To help you nail down whether or not the Schwinn 130 is the right fit for you, the following are some areas to mull over.

While we think the 130 is an excellent choice for some users, each person is different and has different things they prioritize with their fitness equipment. As such, we’ve put together a comparison chart below that shows how the 130 stacks up against some other bikes worth your consideration.

The Schwinn 130 is Prime eligible with Amazon, meaning you can get free delivery in as quick as 4 or 5 days when you’re an Amazon Prime member. You can make free returns within 30 days of your purchase, and there’s also an option (for an additional fee) to have the bike delivered inside your home and professionally assembled.

Ease of assembly scored 455 positive reviews and 80 negative reviews on Amazon, so we think most users will be able to put this bike together by themselves or at least with an extra set of helping hands. “Assembly was fairly easy although there were one or two times that a second person was almost a necessity,” mentions a 5-star customer review.

The Schwinn 130 upright bike can be purchased from Amazon, Walmart, Target, Johnson Fitness, DICK’S Sporting Goods, and the Schwinn Fitness website.

Schwinn Fitness, owned by BowFlex (formerly known as Nautilus), is well-known in the cardio fitness space, offering a wide range of treadmills, rowers, exercise bikes, and even some of the best budget ellipticals. If you want to speak with customer support, you can reach them by calling 1-800-605-3369.

While there are only a few reviews of the bike offered on the Schwinn Fitness website (and a majority of them are positive), you can get a better grasp on the true customer experience by perusing customer reviews listed on Amazon.

Schwinn offers the following warranties for this bike: 10 years on the frame, two years for mechanical parts, one year for electronics, and 90 days for labor.

The Schwinn 130 is ideal for users looking to add some light to moderate-intensity cardio to their routine, are short on space, and are interested in pairing their bike with workout apps to help support training. We also love the preset workout programs for days when you just want to hop on and crank out a workout without bothering with technology.

It’s an ideal choice for home exercisers who want a reliable, easy-to-use cardio machine that supports basic fitness goals and more immersive, tech-enabled experiences. However, if you’re tech-averse, you may want to consider a bike that relies on friction resistance and manual turn-knob adjustments, rather than magnetic and computer-controlled resistance. As you’re considering your options about the Schwinn 130, you might want to also check out our exercise bike buying guide — all to bring home the best exercise bike for your fitness journey.

This upright bike weighs 58.4 pounds, about the same weight as a full-grown Dalmatian. (3)

The Schwinn 130 is currently available for $499.

Yes. This bike has Bluetooth functionality, so you can pair it to apps like Zwift and Explore the World from your own device.