Thread: Rogue echo vs schwinn airdyne

We have a vintage Airdyne, two spin bikes, and a road bike on a stationary trainer in our home gym. They all get used on a regular basis, but for different things.

IMO, if you're not going to be doing HIIT, I'd suggest a spin bike or road bike in a stationary trainer over an Airdyne or Echo. They're going to be smoother, more comfortable, and far more adjustable. Team them with Zwift, Trainerroad, Cyclecast, Peloton app, etc to kill the boredom of sitting in one spot for an extended period of time.

Do you own a bicycle?

A "smart" trainer (like the Kinetic Road Machine with InRide) and a Wahoo cadence sensor will allow you to run the Zwift app on your phone, and send it to a TV. It basically turns indoor cycling into a video game. The character on the screen starts/stops when you do, and you can race against people from all over the world...or just ride along and enjoy the digital scenery. There are also built-in challenges and workouts to keep it interesting.

I bought my Road Machine on CL for about $60, so my total investment in the setup (besides the bike) was about $150.

I run the Zwift app on my phone, into a USB-C to HDMI adapter, feeding a wall-mounted 42" TV. The app receives a signal from the Inride sensor on the trainer and the Wahoo cadence sensor attached to my left crank to determine my speed, cadence, and power output.

It sounds more complicated than it really is.

Originally Posted by jarryd2018

I really like the idea of the rogue echo bike for cardio but it's a little spendy for cardio to me, I already have a treadmill and I could run outside.

I'm seeing tons of old schwinn airdyne bikes on craigslist and marketplace as low as $50. These aren't the pro model but has anybody used one of these? I'll just be doing LISS cardio, no HITT. Will one of these be adequate for my needs or ids the overbuilt rogue worth spending the extra on.

FWIW, I'm about 200 lbs and likely won't get much lighter and could fluctuate as high as 220 at times.

The Schwinn air assault bikes are excellent for conditioning. Doing general LISS training (it can be the equivalent of running a race, in some instances) is a good workout- fatiguing, and taxing on the lungs and legs (they'll both be burning!). The best thing about this bike, though, is that all fitness levels can easily adjust the intensity (speed/force) to meet their individual needs. And, I believe, most of the Schwinn air assaults have adjustable seats. I wish more gyms invested in this bike. I'd say order the Schwinn, since you have a strong foundation in running.

I own a Concept2 BikeErg and like it, but as a user on the smaller end of the spectrum (5'7") I can tell you the Airdyne 7/ AD Pro is significantly more adjustable. Unless it has changed in new BikeErg models, there isn't much ability to adjust the seat closer or farther from the handle bars and the handle bars don't have a very long track to extend towards the seat.

I have no regrets about the BikeErg purchase (I also own a SkiErg and rower) but I'm very much looking forward to adding an AD Pro when I have space to put it.

A lot of this boils down to whether you want your hands free for LISS training. I think most people do because its low enough intensity you can use your phone some etc but if you don't care about that, I'd be partial to the Airdyne myself.