Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I was excited when the bike showed up on my front step, but after a few weeks of using it, I've found it to be disappointing in several areas: 1. The seatback and saddle are VERY HARD plastic. If you're bottom and back don't fit perfectly into the dimensions of the seat, you are in for an uncomfortable ride. After my first hour-long ride, my lower back was left bruised. I solved this problem by using two folded towels to as cusions (see photos). 2. The electronic console is not very intuitive. Maybe I'm used to riding the bikes at our gym which allow me to select a program, level and time with a few quick button pushes, but I find myself having to reset and start over because the controls are not marked very well (arrow UP for next choice, or arrow RIGHT? Whoops, wrong one. Start over.) 3. I'm 6'4" and the seat does not go back far enough. I'd guess this bike is best suited for people 6'2" and under. 4. When I get up to speed and hit a challenging level, the seat creaks loudly. There is no way to tighten any screws or bolts to quiet it down. 5. There are two plastic pieces that are supposed to "snap" into place (See photos). The cap over the post just under the seat does snap on, but if you brush it while mounting the bike, it will go flying across the room. The cap the hikes a joint just under the seatback just rests atop it. If you move the bike or brush against it, it will crash loudly to the floor. I can't believe the designers didn't put a couple screw attachments on these pieces. Trust me -- this will bug you every time you use the bike. 6. After three rides, the left pedal strap broke (see photos). I now have to put the strap on a smaller setting, so my entire foot doesn't fit on the pedal properly. That said, I only paid $349 for the bike and aside from the creaking, the actual crankcase and mechanism are fairly quiet. I really want to give it three stars, but the compromises this bike demands could very easily have been engineered out during the design phase. They provide just the kind of excuses many of us will use to NOT get on the bike. If you plan to use this as an occasional exercise option and only for short spurts, then you may be satisfied with the Schwinn 230. But if you ride for more than a half-hour, the seat will most likely leave your back and bottom aching. Hope this helps.