So I’m looking at add an airbike to my home gym, either an Assault bike or the new Rogue Echo bike. I have a couple of questions for those who might have experience with these.
First, I used an Assault bike a number of times a few years ago when I was in a Crossfit stage. When I used it, it was only for all-out HIIT style training. It was humiliating, so I know it’s a great choice for HIIT. However, I’m interested in it also for low-intensity, steady state cardio. Say 30’ish minutes around RPE 6. Does it work well for that?
Also, does anyone have any experience with the new Rogue bike? I’m hearing that it’s much smoother and quiter, which sounds great. I’m also hearing that’s it’s much harder to get going, and that it wants to stop rotating momentarily between pedal strokes such that it doesn’t feel as smooth. I’m thinking this would only be an issue during the low-intensity rides.
Eric, so I’ve looked at that bike, but have questions about it. First off, since it’s so much less expensive than the other two bikes I’m looking at, I’ve wondered if it would hold up. What do you think about it for home usage? Between me and my wife, it might get 1.5 hours of use per week, so maybe it would be fine?
Also, how does the AD2 hold up to all-out HIIT intervals?
I got mine used at a real bargain because the screen was broken. No big deal for me though, as I always do cardio based on RPE so I don’t need a constant speed reading (you can always tell your relative speed by how loud the fan is anyway). I just prop up my tablet and use its stopwatch function to track my workouts and take periodic 10 second heart rate measures.
Mechanically it has held up fine for 3 years with both me and my room mate using it an hour per week. The action is smooth and the resistance builds up linearly. I say save the money.
So I just ordered a Schwinn AD2 from Walmart.com. For $312 including taxes and shipping, it’s worth a gamble. If I don’t like it can box it back up and take it back to my local Walmart for a refund. Seems like a no-brainer to get to try it. Being lighter and easier to move around than the all the other options, I’m going to put it upstairs in the bonus room so I can use it in the AC in front of the TV instead of sweating over it in the garage. I hope it works out well. Thanks for the advice!
Schwinn AD2 arrived today and is assembled. Very happy with it so far! Only road it for about 5 minutes, including a quick all-out burst. Super stable and smooth to pedal. I was in a local sports store yesterday and they had some Marcy airbikes on display for the same cost. They were horrible, which had me worrying this one would be the same. Glad to report it isn’t. As long as this thing holds up and lasts, I think it was the best purchase for me.
Now I have no excuses for conditioning. Thanks again to Eric for the nudge to give this thing a try.
Last follow up here. Only thing that is unknown at the moment is how the AD2 will hold up over time, but I’ve done some LISS and HIIT on it at this point, and it’s super smooth. Wife loves it too. So far, extremely happy with it.
My Airdyne AD6 is going strong for over a year now (still looks new using it twice a week). Airdyne cardio in front of the TV is the only acceptable form of cardio for me now. I do like rowers, but not enough to drop concept 2 coin when the airdyne works so well. I really wish I could find one of these $200 barely used concept 2’s that people keep finding at garage sales.