Schwinn Airdyne AD7 Bike
Editor’s Conclusion
The Schwinn Airdyne series has been around for well over 20 years. If you hit up enough yard sales, you are bound to find an old Airdyne up for sale that is a little beat up but still runs great. Over the years, Schwinn has improved this bike series over the years to become the air bike that all other air bikes strive to be. It may cost a little bit more than other budget-friendly bikes, but the solid construction and user-friendly features will make this the last bike you will ever need to buy.
The Schwinn Airdyne AD7 drops the noise chain for a smooth and quiet belt. This design runs incredibly quiet and allows you to take an early morning ride without waking up your entire house. The LCD screen is incredibly easy to use and provides pre-programmed easy cardio or HIIT routines to keep things interesting and challenging. Plus, it has a sleek and slender footprint that is great for those that are working with limited space.
Below, I wanted to dive into all of the advanced features that make the Schwinn Airdyne AD7 the gold standard in air bikes.
The Schwinn Airdyne AD7 drops the noise chain for a smooth and quiet belt. This design runs incredibly quiet and allows you to take an early morning ride without waking up your entire house. The LCD screen is incredibly easy to use and provides pre-programmed easy cardio or HIIT routines to keep things interesting and challenging. Plus, it has a sleek and slender footprint that is great for those that are working with limited space.
Below, I wanted to dive into all of the advanced features that make the Schwinn Airdyne AD7 the gold standard in air bikes.
Editor's Pros & Cons
Pros
Runs very quietly
Single-stage belt drive
Anti-corrosion steel construction
Multigrip handlebars
350-pound weight capacity
Pre-programmed HIIT workouts
Infinite resistance settings
Cons
No phone/reading ledge
Wind guard sold separately
Handles do not lockout
Slightly expensive
Key Features
PERFORMANCE
The Schwinn Airdyne AD7 gives you commercial-grade performance and durability right in your own home. In fact, the AD7 and the Airdyne Pro are essentially the same machines, but the Airdyne Pro is marketed towards gyms. The only real difference between the two is that the Pro comes with an extended warranty due to its commercial use.
The single-stage belt drive on this machine offers high-quality resistance while cutting down on overall noise, making this an incredibly quiet air bike. I often dig around to found the decibel levels of various machines, but this bike is so quiet it barely registers. This means that you can hold a casual conversation or watch television at a modest volume level while using this quiet bike.
The dual pedals and handlebars on this unit create an excellent full-body workout. You can opt to use both the foot and hand pedals at the same time, or position your feet on the stationary pegs to fit in a sole upper-body workout. With the advanced HIIT programs, this machine allows you to really shed calories and build muscle more quickly and efficiently than standard bikes or treadmills.
RESISTANCE
Air bikes are built a little bit differently than those that use traditional friction or magnetic resistance. The faster that you pedal, the harder it bones to push air through the fan blades. This resistance design allows for difficulty levels that are virtually endless. Older models in the Airdyne series utilize a chain system that ran a little bit noisy. This new and improved model ditches the noisy chain and replaces it with a smooth belt. This single-stage belt system is more durable, creates a smooth ride, and is insanely quiet.
SIZE
If you are working with limited space in your home gym, this bike is a great option. While the fan looks quite large, this design is taller than it is wide. The exact dimensions of this bike measure 53 inches long, 26.5 inches wide, and 53 inches tall. More budget-friendly bikes have a maximum weight capacity that ranges anywhere from 180-250 pounds. The Schwinn Airdyne AD7, on the other hand, has a max weight capacity of an impressive 350 pounds!
PORTABILITY
This model weighs in at 132 pounds, which makes it strong and secure, but a little difficult to move. It comes with a set of wheels along the base that makes it a little bit easier to move around your home gym to free up some space as needed. One downside of this design is that the handlebars do not lock in place. For some, this makes moving your bike from position to postin just a little bit more difficult. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s something worth mentioning.
LCD SCREEN
The large LCD screen on this design is positioned to allow you to quickly check in on your progress at a glance. This screen is able to detail calories burned, RPM, distance, time, as well as your heart rate. One of the things that makes this detailed LCD screen really stand out from the pack is that it also comes with preset programs to help you reach your fitness goals.
The programs offered in this design include various HIIT programs to help built muscle and shed fat quickly, and range from beginner modes all the way up to advanced modes. It also has programs that are designed to help you hit a certain heart rate, which is great for burning calories and expanding your overall endurance. Users found that these programs are great for beginners, and slowly dial up the difficulty as your overall strength and endurance improve.
COMFORT
Often, the quality of the seat is a little bit of an afterthought when it comes to air bikes. One of the things that users love most about the AD7 is that it comes with an insanely comfortable (as well as durable) bike seat. This seat has a high level of padding, and double stitching that makes it something built to last. It has a soft leather topside, and the underside is made from mesh materials to wick moisture away from the fabric that is resistant to the growth of bacteria and moisture.
If you don’t like the seat, or just want to swap it out with something that is more catered to your needs, the AD7 makes swapping out the seat incredibly easy. It is important to note that not all Schwinn bikes give you the option to swap out seats, which is just another reason that the AD7 is not only one of the best bikes out there on the market, but also within the Schwinn series of stationary bikes.
ADJUSTABILITY
One of the best features of this air bike is that it can be adjusted in a myriad of ways. While other bikes only allow you to move the seat up and down, the AD7 allows users to adjust the bike both up and down as well as back and forward for a perfect pitch for your body type. The seat also boasts labeled positions, making it easy to adjust it back to your desired level when there are others in your household using this bike and making their own adjustments.
PRICE
If you are looking for the best of the best and willing to spare no expense for something the is built to last, the Schwinn Airdyne AD7 is well worth the initial investment. While the price tag is fairly steep, it nowhere near the most expensive bike out there on the market. Many of the more expensive designs get bogged down with advanced bells and whistles which really jack up the overall price point.
The AD7 is simple, made with high-end components that are built to last, and provides you with just enough advanced features to keep you motivated and engaged without emptying out your bank account!
Another great Schwinn product we reviewed is the 270 Recumbent Bike, so make sure to check it out as well.
The Schwinn Airdyne AD7 gives you commercial-grade performance and durability right in your own home. In fact, the AD7 and the Airdyne Pro are essentially the same machines, but the Airdyne Pro is marketed towards gyms. The only real difference between the two is that the Pro comes with an extended warranty due to its commercial use.
The single-stage belt drive on this machine offers high-quality resistance while cutting down on overall noise, making this an incredibly quiet air bike. I often dig around to found the decibel levels of various machines, but this bike is so quiet it barely registers. This means that you can hold a casual conversation or watch television at a modest volume level while using this quiet bike.
The dual pedals and handlebars on this unit create an excellent full-body workout. You can opt to use both the foot and hand pedals at the same time, or position your feet on the stationary pegs to fit in a sole upper-body workout. With the advanced HIIT programs, this machine allows you to really shed calories and build muscle more quickly and efficiently than standard bikes or treadmills.
RESISTANCE
Air bikes are built a little bit differently than those that use traditional friction or magnetic resistance. The faster that you pedal, the harder it bones to push air through the fan blades. This resistance design allows for difficulty levels that are virtually endless. Older models in the Airdyne series utilize a chain system that ran a little bit noisy. This new and improved model ditches the noisy chain and replaces it with a smooth belt. This single-stage belt system is more durable, creates a smooth ride, and is insanely quiet.
SIZE
If you are working with limited space in your home gym, this bike is a great option. While the fan looks quite large, this design is taller than it is wide. The exact dimensions of this bike measure 53 inches long, 26.5 inches wide, and 53 inches tall. More budget-friendly bikes have a maximum weight capacity that ranges anywhere from 180-250 pounds. The Schwinn Airdyne AD7, on the other hand, has a max weight capacity of an impressive 350 pounds!
PORTABILITY
This model weighs in at 132 pounds, which makes it strong and secure, but a little difficult to move. It comes with a set of wheels along the base that makes it a little bit easier to move around your home gym to free up some space as needed. One downside of this design is that the handlebars do not lock in place. For some, this makes moving your bike from position to postin just a little bit more difficult. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s something worth mentioning.
LCD SCREEN
The large LCD screen on this design is positioned to allow you to quickly check in on your progress at a glance. This screen is able to detail calories burned, RPM, distance, time, as well as your heart rate. One of the things that makes this detailed LCD screen really stand out from the pack is that it also comes with preset programs to help you reach your fitness goals.
The programs offered in this design include various HIIT programs to help built muscle and shed fat quickly, and range from beginner modes all the way up to advanced modes. It also has programs that are designed to help you hit a certain heart rate, which is great for burning calories and expanding your overall endurance. Users found that these programs are great for beginners, and slowly dial up the difficulty as your overall strength and endurance improve.
COMFORT
Often, the quality of the seat is a little bit of an afterthought when it comes to air bikes. One of the things that users love most about the AD7 is that it comes with an insanely comfortable (as well as durable) bike seat. This seat has a high level of padding, and double stitching that makes it something built to last. It has a soft leather topside, and the underside is made from mesh materials to wick moisture away from the fabric that is resistant to the growth of bacteria and moisture.
If you don’t like the seat, or just want to swap it out with something that is more catered to your needs, the AD7 makes swapping out the seat incredibly easy. It is important to note that not all Schwinn bikes give you the option to swap out seats, which is just another reason that the AD7 is not only one of the best bikes out there on the market, but also within the Schwinn series of stationary bikes.
ADJUSTABILITY
One of the best features of this air bike is that it can be adjusted in a myriad of ways. While other bikes only allow you to move the seat up and down, the AD7 allows users to adjust the bike both up and down as well as back and forward for a perfect pitch for your body type. The seat also boasts labeled positions, making it easy to adjust it back to your desired level when there are others in your household using this bike and making their own adjustments.
PRICE
If you are looking for the best of the best and willing to spare no expense for something the is built to last, the Schwinn Airdyne AD7 is well worth the initial investment. While the price tag is fairly steep, it nowhere near the most expensive bike out there on the market. Many of the more expensive designs get bogged down with advanced bells and whistles which really jack up the overall price point.
The AD7 is simple, made with high-end components that are built to last, and provides you with just enough advanced features to keep you motivated and engaged without emptying out your bank account!
Another great Schwinn product we reviewed is the 270 Recumbent Bike, so make sure to check it out as well.
Compared to Previous Versions
As the Schwinn Airdyne AD series moves through its life cycle, positive changes are constantly being added to the overall design. While previous models may clock in at a more affordable price point, you will miss out on some of the more advanced features found in the AD design. While many of the features and durability remain the same throughout the series, there are a few key changes that are worth mentioning.
One of the biggest changes made to the AD7 is that it has a seat that is able to be removed or replaced as needed. While the base model seat is strong and secure, it may start to squish down over the years, or it just may not be as comfortable as you like. The newer model also allows you to move the seat back and forth, which was something not found in previous models.
One of the biggest changes made to the AD7 is that it has a seat that is able to be removed or replaced as needed. While the base model seat is strong and secure, it may start to squish down over the years, or it just may not be as comfortable as you like. The newer model also allows you to move the seat back and forth, which was something not found in previous models.
Verdict
You could spend a day hitting up local yard sales, and you are bound to stumble across one of the older models of the Airdyne series that is old and faded but functions perfectly fine. Airdynes are built to last, which makes them one of the best air bikes currently out there on the market. While an old yard sale model will get the job done, it lacks many of the advanced features of the newer models.
This updated design boasts a comfortable yet swappable seat, has a single-stage belt drive for an incredibly quiet and smooth ride, and just feels strong and sturdy under the weight of your body. If you are looking for the best of the best and are willing to pay a little bit more, the Schwinn Airdyne AD7 is likely the last air bike you will ever need to buy!
This updated design boasts a comfortable yet swappable seat, has a single-stage belt drive for an incredibly quiet and smooth ride, and just feels strong and sturdy under the weight of your body. If you are looking for the best of the best and are willing to pay a little bit more, the Schwinn Airdyne AD7 is likely the last air bike you will ever need to buy!
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