Schwinn IC4 REVIEW - Here's EVERYTHING you need to know about the Schwinn IC4 peloton alternative

This is my Schwinn IC4 review and in the next few minutes I'm going to rate it on a scale of 0 – 10 in each of the ten individual categories of the TailHappy Score and share my thoughts and opinions along the way, then at the end of this video i'll add up the individual category ratings and give the Schwinn IC4 a TailHappy Score to see how this bike compares on a scale from 0-100 to other popular peloton alternative indoor cycling bikes. The schwinn ic4 is basically the same bike as the bowflex c6 from my understanding. #TailHappyScore

Starting this Schwinn IC4 review with the basics, the bike costs about $900 depending when and where you buy it from, I got my Schwinn IC4 on Amazon and it shipped to my front door for free in just a few days. It's one of the most quiet and smooth indoor cycling bikes I have with it's belt driven, magnetic resistance 40 pound fly wheel, which leads me straight into the first category of the tailhappy score, and probably one of the most important components of an indoor bike; the Drive train feel, which simply put is, how does the drive train feel overall? Some bikes feel incredible to hop on and start turning the pedals over, and they transmit feelings of excitement through your mind and body as you crank the pedals faster and inspire you to push yourself to new levels, while some bikes simply don't deliver those exhilarating vibes.

I purchased this schwinn ic4 after the echelon connect bike and I did compare this bike to the echelon, peloton, and several other bikes in other videos on my channel, but this isn't another comparison video, this is a tailhappy score review, so let's dive straight into the first category, drive train feel.

Simply put the drive train on the Schwinn IC4 feels smooth, quiet, and nice. This bike does have magnetic resistance, it's belt driven, and schwinn has the ic4 fly wheel mass listed at 40 lbs which is a respectable flywheel mass. When riding the ic4 the inertia from the flywheel feels smooth and nice when you get that flywheel cranked up to speed, but it's not excessively difficult to get turning either since the flywheel isn't overweight. After spending quite a bit of time on this bike and also hoping on and off this bike and comparing between 6 highly popular indoor cycling bikes side by side overall i'd give this bike a 7 out of 10 on drive train feel.

The maximum user weight listed for the schwinn ic4 is 330lbs similar to the bowflex c6 which is higher than a lot of bikes I review, and may lead you to think this bike has a really high maximum resistance but this actually isn't the case for the bike I have. The resistance knob on the ic4 feels nice to the touch, but more importantly it only takes about 4 rotations to get from 0 to max resistance of 100, which makes it super convenient and easy to jump resistances quickly where as some other bikes take as many as 32 turns to get from max to minimum. The max resistance on the peloton bike plus is 100, and the max resistance on the schwinn bike is also 100 but these are simply numbers and don't mean anything in terms of how hard it is to pedal the bike at max resistance. After hopping back and forth between the schwinn and the peloton bike time and time again I feel like the schwinns max resistance equals about 80 on the peloton bike, which is very difficult to pedal for me at my weight of 190lbs, but like many of the less expensive bikes I have the schwinn does leave more to be desired in max resistance so I give it a 7 in this category and I dont know how this compares to the bowflex c6 max resistance for sure but would guess it is similar.
Metrics
Unlike some budget friendly bikes the schwinn ic4 comes with a mini screen that's actually useful as it gives you important metrics, namely, cadence, and resistance levels on the screen, but it doesn't show you power output.

Features.
The schwinn ic4 is compatible with many platforms and offers integration features not seen on a lot of other indoor bikes. For starters this bike integrates smoothly with the Peloton Digital app, and you can even display your heartrate and cadence of the ic4 onto the peloton app on your own tablet that you bring to the tablet holder up front. The bluetooth connectivity feature turns this bike into a metephorical swiss army knife, at the time of this recording schwinn lists the following data sharing on their website, as you can see this bike pairs nicely with zwift, peloton, sufferfest, rouvy, trainerroad, fulgaz, tacx, which admittedly I know little to nothing about some of these third party apps but schwinn does offer integration abilities with them, so it's not like your buying this bike and getting married to peloton

[TailHappyTV]

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[mr.invisible]

I was about to buy a $300 bike. Then I found your channel and watched most of the reviews. You totally sold me on the IC4! I’d rather invest more and have a great long term bike.

[ewalker]

It would be cool to have a graphic at the end showing where this score compares to other bikes you have scored. Thanks for all these bike reviews. I think we are going to buy an IC4 soon. I was hoping there would be some kind of black Friday or cyber Monday sale, but I guess they are selling so fast now that none of these need to go on sale.

[MattStefely]

Watched a bunch of your videos and ended up buying the IC4 ($699 on a Best Buy daily deal) and I couldn’t be happier with it! Mine rides absolutely silently, neither pedal has ever come loose, and at 6’0” my knees never bump my water bottles, so really no downsides here! I love how quick the resistance adjustment is, and having all of the metrics easily sync with apps is great

[mystichippiee]

As a former spin instructor, I love Schwinn bikes. I am going to purchase this of all the bikes I’ve seen on Amazon. Thank you!

[brandonkellyschroyer]

I will be buying one today! I like the fact that they don't pigeon hole you into purchasing their app! I plan on doing some free rides and when I need a little motivation I will try the Peloton app and use my iPad! I was able to get on one today and this felt like a solid bike and I love the feel of the handle bars! Thanks for your videos I have watched many and they have truly help me make my decision for what I was looking for!

[kcoffey]

Picked up an IC4 this weekend. Thank u for your reviews as I'm new to indoor cycling. Peace and happiness be with you

[natetheripper]

One point you missed is the usb connection on the side of the screen for charging your phone/tablet

[James]

I know it’s too early to be looking at updates, but it seems like Schwinn is really close to having a great bike. It seems all the issue could be easily addressed. Fix the pedals/cranks, add resistance and a power meter, change the water bottle holders…they’re very close.

[TheSLappe]

Thank you for your videos. After viewing them many times I decided on the IC4. Was very hesitant due to some of the issues you mentioned, and other owners comments. My local sporting goods store had one on display so I was able to hop on. I feel very confident now. Just purchased through your link. Keep up the good work and thank you again...happy riding!

[howiefelterup]

Amazon was selling it at 58% off at $499.. $560 out the door with taxes included. $279 cheaper than any other store has ever offered it, with Walmart being 2nd cheapest at 778 or something like that. However, the price already jumped back up to 799 on amazon only 2 days after purchasing it. Making it an excellent purchase. I'm extremely overweight and just want to get healthy again but running, or jogging is too high an impact on my joints (messed up knee from early days in martial arts). Hope this works out for me. I got a weight bench and plenty of dumbells of different sized but nothing to really help me with cardio until this bike.

I Watched this video while I unpacked it. Thanks for the review. Your other video on assembly really helped me out too. I find the seat to be a little too stiff, though. Hurts my ass after about 10 mins (probably because I'm fat). Ordered a gel seat cover from amazon as well. hope it helps

[brendanhartnett]

Great video. As a tall guy also (6’6”) it was very helpful to see that you were able to adjust it to a comfortable position. We ended up ordering one and I’m looking forward to using it. Thanks!

[TheKiwibirder]

Wow! This was a really thorough review. I am just starting to look into a home exercise bike, and I’m so glad I found your channel. This bike seems like a top contender for a Peloton alternative.

[BoogieSpiderman]

Oh man, I made an impulse buy and messaging you about how excited I was buying the Costco Echelon 4S. Fortunately, I have not opened it and will return it tomorrow LOL. I am so excited for this bike, after another reviewer mentioned Zwift application compatible. I am a novice road dude, but this seems more of a suitable bike for me regarding height, weight, adjustability, and multiple applications. I am hoping to order one first thing tomorrow, hoping they would provide a 15% military discount according to a reddit user plus the bonus free shipping. Good thing I followed your review about the water bottle tip. I live in the PNW, I don't mind the cold, but definitely concern about rain. Great review man. Zwift on a 70in TV! that's what I am so excited about.

[rottweilerbunker]

You definitely got me into buying the IC4 for this Christmas for my wife present. Thanks

[kimberlyjones]

Thanks for this! Your videos have been the most helpful for bike comparison. Amazon was sold out of the IC4 for a while but just got about 9 back in today. I cancelled my wait list on Schwinn's site and used your link to purchase. Looking forward to starting to cycle again next week!

[Joe-jcol]

I love my ic4. I have been using it for about 6 months, super silent. I am a 188cm tall, 120 KG user(well, I used to be 120, I am now 110 after 6 months of biking). I have been using it for an average of 2 hours a week for 6 months, still like new. But yeah the resistance knob leaves a lot to be desired.

[BC-nisk]

I bought my IC4 Jan of 2021 and have put over 9.000 miles on it which has caused me to replace the two bottom bracket bearings. These at the bearings that the main crank with pedals attaches through. I can’t say if that’s extraordinary or not for a life on the bearings but to put it in perspective.I riide the bike between 45 minutes to an hour putting on about 14 miles each day typically 7 days a week. Other than the bearings the bike has been solid!

[AMRN]

Thanks for the really useful reviews. Was stuck for which bike to buy, went for the Schwinn after watching your reviews.

[josuearaya]

My Bowflex C6 just arrived (same bike as Schwinn IC4) made my decision based on your videos. It took me about 1 hr to assemble it. Bowflex is $100 more expensive than schwinn but the delivery time was 2 weeks vs 8 weeks on the schwinn IC4. At the end it arrived in 8 days. Mentioning all this just to leave you a comment as a thank for your inputs. Great and honest content 👍🏼✌🏼