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I'm thinking of adding a fan bike to my arsenal. The Schwinn AD6 or Airdyne Pro are out of the question terms of price. The AD2 is a little closer to what I could plausibly save up for. The amazon reviews of AD2 are a mixed bag, and I can't tell whether it's even purported to have the nasty fan bike properties (the harder you pedal, the harder it is to pedal) of the classic Airdyne. I looks like it's the "home" as opposed to "gym" quality implement. I see a lot of $75 ready ride old Airdyne's on Craigslist that have that classic big fan. I could jump in the van and pick one of those of right now.

Is there anything really to recommend the AD2 over a vintage Airdyne? Let's suppose I can get a working computer on the Craigslist job.

Thanks!

Edit
Ross goes a long way to answer this question: http://rosstraining.com/blog/2015/09/05 ... -training/

Nevertheless, I'd love to hear any experiences you all might have had.

I would recommend AD6 by all means. New bike, or used one if you can find one in good condition. Both I and my wife have been using it constantly for few years.

AD6 has replaced the two older models, the AD 4 and the Airdyne EVO. Both of those bikes have been used extensively at gyms and fitness centers. The AD6 isn't built for heavy commercial use so the gyms have been giving it poor reviews. The issues have mostly around the arms cracking at the pivot point and the bolts that secure the crank arms to the rest of the drive. I haven't seen that with my bike. The AD6 is very quiet and smooth compared to the older AD4 and the Air Assault bike. I would say for home use, the AD6 is a fine bike.

The Air Assault is a well built bike but runs chains on both side of the drive. This requires periodic manual chain tension adjustment and makes the bike a lot noisier (especially when the chains are out of adjustment). Schwinn also just released the new AD Pro which is highly recommend for gyms. It's incredibly well built but it's even more expensive than the Air Assault.

Just my 2c.

Barkadion wrote:I would recommend AD6 by all means. New bike, or used one if you can find one in good condition. Both I and my wife have been using it constantly for few years.

AD6 has replaced the two older models, the AD 4 and the Airdyne EVO. Both of those bikes have been used extensively at gyms and fitness centers. The AD6 isn't built for heavy commercial use so the gyms have been giving it poor reviews. The issues have mostly around the arms cracking at the pivot point and the bolts that secure the crank arms to the rest of the drive. I haven't seen that with my bike. The AD6 is very quiet and smooth compared to the older AD4 and the Air Assault bike. I would say for home use, the AD6 is a fine bike.

The Air Assault is a well built bike but runs chains on both side of the drive. This requires periodic manual chain tension adjustment and makes the bike a lot noisier (especially when the chains are out of adjustment). Schwinn also just released the new AD Pro which is highly recommend for gyms. It's incredibly well built but it's even more expensive than the Air Assault.

Just my 2c.

What'd you think about this? https://kansascity.craigslist.org/spo/5829892214.html

J-Madd wrote:

Barkadion wrote:I would recommend AD6 by all means. New bike, or used one if you can find one in good condition. Both I and my wife have been using it constantly for few years.

AD6 has replaced the two older models, the AD 4 and the Airdyne EVO. Both of those bikes have been used extensively at gyms and fitness centers. The AD6 isn't built for heavy commercial use so the gyms have been giving it poor reviews. The issues have mostly around the arms cracking at the pivot point and the bolts that secure the crank arms to the rest of the drive. I haven't seen that with my bike. The AD6 is very quiet and smooth compared to the older AD4 and the Air Assault bike. I would say for home use, the AD6 is a fine bike.

The Air Assault is a well built bike but runs chains on both side of the drive. This requires periodic manual chain tension adjustment and makes the bike a lot noisier (especially when the chains are out of adjustment). Schwinn also just released the new AD Pro which is highly recommend for gyms. It's incredibly well built but it's even more expensive than the Air Assault.

Just my 2c.

What'd you think about this? https://kansascity.craigslist.org/spo/5829892214.html

It does look like old model made out of steel! It is difficult to find now. I have heard that those are very reliable ones. Schwinn has switched to plastic at some point.. that was a bad call.

So... It might be very good deal. I would test it for sure. It should be impossible to break from what I've heard. I have no personal experience with this one, though..

Also, it does look like one that is in Ross article..

I just had a guy accept an offer of $75 (exactly my budget!) for an old-school Schwinn with a working computer. I'm going to head to KC this weekend to pick it up.

When the track on campus snows over this winter, I'll be hitting "Indoor Power Intervals" on the Airdyne instead of 600m resets. I also like the idea of using it for a three-mile time trial in place of a "Fast Five". I've heard that a three-mill max effort on a fan bike is brutal.

J-Madd wrote:I just had a guy accept an offer of $75 (exactly my budget!) for an old-school Schwinn with a working computer. I'm going to head to KC this weekend to pick it up.

When the track on campus snows over this winter, I'll be hitting "Indoor Power Intervals" on the Airdyne instead of 600m resets. I also like the idea of using it for a three-mile time trial in place of a "Fast Five". I've heard that a three-mill max effort on a fan bike is brutal.

Airbike intervals besides Indoor Power are killers as well. Something like "Short Hills" indoor version: 15sec max out and 45 sec recovery pace.
Also, great cool down/recovery tool.

Anyway - happy airbiking!

I just got back from KC with my Craigslist Airdyne find. The $75 steal with the computer fell through. Somebody got there before I did. Thus is the cruel nature of Craigslist. I found another guy who had had three for $145 each. I was able to move him down to $90 for the one without a computer, but he wasn't budging on the fully equipped model. I wanted to keep it as close to $75 as possible, so went I for the $90. I'm happy just doing timed intervals for the immediate future, and I'm going to play around trying to install a bike computer on it. Anyway, the Airdyne I got is one of the old steel tanks! Tuesday I'm going to try Indoor Power Intervals, just to give it a try.

Do I need airdyne brand or something like those do the same thing?

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-appareil-dexerci ... 1206810378

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-appareil-dexerci ... 1209340727

xfitxm wrote:Do I need airdyne brand or something like those do the same thing?

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-appareil-dexerci ... 1206810378

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-appareil-dexerci ... 1209340727

I've never seen those before.. Airdyne is Schwinn product and it is well known and it is well tested by a lot of people. It is not ideal but it is proved to be good one. Nautilus owns it now. It sucks, but they replace all parts for free!

There are another options such as http://www.assaultfitnessproducts.com/p ... rbike.html and newest Airdyne Pro that is even more expensive. I have AD6 https://www.amazon.com/Schwinn-Airdyne- ... B01B4KO6JK and I love it.

But in reality... it comes down to what is your need, what is your experience, and how much you can spend. If I were in your training shoes...I would go to the gym, to store, or to Craig seller and I would try the bike itself to get the feel. It might take some time but you will be able to find what YOU need and what you can afford.

Now.. Personally, I don't have cash sitting around and my budget is limited. BUT I don't like buying junk from Craigslist either. I have done that in the past. I ended up selling everything I bought from Craig. Unless you can find really good reliable gear. So, I just take my time now by saving some $ and I buying good stuff that I trust and like. It takes time and patience. It took me 5-6 years to build my home gym. But that's me.

Back to the topic -

I'd say that AD6 is the best bet for the home use.

xfitxm wrote:Do I need airdyne brand or something like those do the same thing?

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-appareil-dexerci ... 1206810378

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-appareil-dexerci ... 1209340727

This is my first foray into the fan bike arena, so I really cannot speak to those brands directly. Where you are things might be very different, but here it seems pretty easy to pick up an old, steel Airdyne from Craigslist for less an $100. I found, at lease on Amazon, that almost all of the cheaper, off-brand new fan bikes get very mixed reviews. Given my budget, it was either one of those or try to find an older Airdyne used. I was lucky and found that latter. Keep in mind that I rebuild 70s and 80s road bikes as a hobby, so buying an older Airdyne that might need a little work down the road is no worry.

Also remember, that you don't need a fan bike, or any piece of conditioning equipment, at all in order to get into a great shape. It's a nice tool (especially for you during the brutal winters in the North), but all you really need are some running shoes and little space to do burpees. Be patient, and eventually you will find a good buy.