Schwinn 290 Recumbent Bike Review

Schwinn 290 Recumbent Bike Review

$799

The Schwinn 290P is tricky recumbent bike to review.  It is both good and bad at the same time.  It is also priced under $1000 which makes it a little hard to review, especially when we must compare it to bikes that can cost 7 times as much.  But, if our job is to give a recommendation to a 6’3, 285lb person, then who cares how much the bike is, right?  But, at the same time, how do you rate a recumbent bike fairly if it costs $4500 less than another bike.  Well, let’s give it a shot here.

The Schwinn 290P Recumbent bike is a decent quality bike for the price.  It is going to be a decent bike for some people and not decent for others.  Again, like I mentioned, this bike is both good and bad at the same time.  The easiest way to do this is to break apart the good and bad and tell you who this bike will work for… a little different than any of our other reviews on recumbent bikes.

Here we go.  This bike will work well for you if:

• You are under 6 feet tall but not below 5’ 5” (Wide Q factor not good for shorter people).
• This bike will be ok if you weigh around 300lbs or under. It passes the test.
• This is a good recumbent bike for casual, non-aggressive use (resistance slips at higher levels)
• Someone without any physical issues like back, hip or knee problems.

This bike will not work well for you if:

• You are over 6 feet tall / or below 5’ 3”.
• Over 300lbs and you may experience some quality issues in stability.
• The “inners” of this bike do not feel very high quality. Probably not an issue for casual users but if you want to pedal a bit more aggressively then we have some concerns.
• There is definitely a lack of seat adjustability so people with back / knee issues take caution.
• Older people with mobility issues may find this bike hard to get on and off due to the style of step through design.

For the price, we do feel like Schwinn did a decent enough job.  The resistance (with light use) does feel smooth, the seat bottom is soft and feels like nice material.  We also like that the Schwinn 290P Recumbent Bike has a simple console and not trying to ram a monthly membership down your throat.  We appreciate that.  If you want fancy programs, Schwinn (who is owned by Bowflex) does offer the JRNY ™ app which will give you access to a ton of programming options but again, you will have to pay a monthly membership to access.  But you have an option and that is cool.

If you had to be under $100 it kind of becomes a toss up between this bike and the Sole R92.  If you are bigger and taller, maybe the Sole would be a better option. If you are more of a casual rider and under 6 feet, no back issues, then the Schwinn could work.

PROs: Priced under $1000.  Smooth resistance at lower rpms.  Soft comfortable seat and easy to use electronics. Simple to use electronics.

Cons:  No adjustability on back rest.  Weird step through design.  Wide Q Factor and an unnecessarily long length to the overall bike.  A little bit shaky on the frame and the seat does have a bit of a wobble.