Comments on: Schwinn 430 Elliptical Trainer

By: Melanie

Melanie — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 17:47:52 +0000

Thank you so much for your valuable input and insight! I bought the same machine about a year ago after reading your review and the comments, which was extremely helpful.

I love the eliptical; it’s an easy and comfortable way to work out. I had been using the nordic track for many years, but developed issues with my back and needed an alternative. The eliptical does the trick, a great, low stress workout in the comfort of your own home while watching your favorite TV show.

By: megan

megan — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 18:36:08 +0000

Lisa – I still use the machine about twice a week and it hasn’t developed any noticeable squeaks or rattling. I’ve had this machine since January of 2008, so it’s 2 years and 8 months old. I adjusted it once (the manual shows you how) when we first got it but it’s been great ever since.

I’m not certain how heavy the Schwinn is but it does have built in wheels in the front of the structure it sits on. You lift up the back of the base and it’s fairly easy to move around the room. The way they’ve designed it you have some leverage, sort of like a wheel barrow. It’s one of the features I liked when I was shopping for ellipticals.

Please let me know if you have any other questions!

By: Lisa

Lisa — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:48:10 +0000

Hi Megan. How is the machine holding up? I have a different brand of elliptical machine that I bought off of Amazon about 3 years ago. It’s now beginning to squeak badly and displays a maintenance light. Given the price that I paid for the machine (about $400) I don’t think it will be worth it to try to service it. So I may be in the market for a new elliptical. Just wondering if they all tend to wear out after about 3 years. I think you’ve had yours for about 2 years and wonder if it is still in tip-top shape. Also how heavy is your machine? Are you able to move it around the living room as needed?

By: megan

megan — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 21:43:11 +0000

Hi Rebecca – I do not know how the machine counts calories, but I’ve read over and over again that the calorie count for elliptical machines is notoriously incorrect. I’ll also point you towards this discussion of proper form on an elliptical over at Ask Metafilter:

http://ask.metafilter.com/156824/I-thought-I-knew-how-to-use-the-machine

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 04:05:43 +0000

Thanks for the review. I have found the 430 to be perfect for my needs as well. Upon reading the manual they mention that when using the handle bars that you will burn more calories. Do you know if the calorie counter is just basing the calorie count on strides alone? Is there an estimate as to how many calories you burn when also using the handle bars? I was wondering because this elliptical is counting calories much lower than the elliptical I had been using at the gym (by about half).

By: megan

megan — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:30:59 +0000

Hi Jamie – We tried Schwinn ellipticals at a Sports Authority store nearby. At the time they didn’t carry the 430, but they did have at least one of the higher end models we were able to compare to those of other manufacturers.

By: Jamie Mullen

Jamie Mullen — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:08:58 +0000

Could you tell me where you were able to try one of the schwinn ellipticals? thank You!

By: Dawn

Dawn — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 04:02:06 +0000

We have been researching ellipticals for a while now and were very overwhelmed because there are SO many out there. I kept coming back to the Schwinn 430 because of the many positive reviews, even though I couldn’t find one to try out personally. Plus, we didn’t want to spend a fortune to work out! I just ordered this on Amazon before I found your review! I am feeling very positive now that we made the right choice on picking this machine! Thank you for taking the time to write such a thorough review! A big help! God Bless!

By: megan

megan — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:44:54 +0000

Hi Debra,

We have carpet so I cannot say if the machine wants to move around. It has at least six, maybe more, rubberized points of contact with the floor. Going down to play with it right now it seems like all the movement is taken by the bars that connect the hand grips and the pedals to the fly wheel. I made some very dramatic strides throwing my weight back and forth and that didn’t appear to make most of the frame move at all. Then again, I simply cannot say that this would be the case on a hardwood floor and on top of a neighbor.

Have you read through the reviews at Amazon? People are quite willing to point out faults and/or share their experience there.

Does anybody have advice for Debra?

By: debra

debra — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:28:29 +0000

Thanks for the awesome review! I’m very close to buying this machine–I wanted a treadmill, but living on the second floor of an apartment building made me think my downstairs neighbors might start hating me if I did that (I tend to do late night workouts). One question–did you find that you needed to purchase a mat for this machine? Does it jiggle around on a hardwood floor?

By: Jerry

Jerry — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:40:35 +0000

Thank you for looking into putting some pictures.

By: megan

megan — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:35:41 +0000

Jerry – I don’t have any pictures yet but I’ll see if I can find time to get some in the daylight soon.

By: Jerry

Jerry — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:15:42 +0000

By any chance, do you have any pictures of the elliptical machine in your home. Just to see what it looks like in a real home and the amount of space it takes.

I really would like to buy it, but haven’t been able to find it locally on display to try it out.

By: megan

megan — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 00:20:00 +0000

Rachel – I’m glad you found it helpful. I think I went into so much detail because I couldn’t find as many reviews as I would have liked myself. Anyhow, as I mentioned above, I’m still really happy with it and have been using it four or five times a week lately. Any elliptical is expensive but this was definitely a purchase we found to be worth it.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 23:17:48 +0000

I’ve been shopping around for an elliptical machine for a few weeks and I have to say this is the best review I’ve seen out there!! I also can’t find a 430 to test out in a store, but I think I’m going t bite the bullet and buy it off of Amazon.

And seriously – taking the pieces of out of the box before going down the stairs? I feel like a giant moron because I’ve been thinking of all the ways to get this box into my basement – it never occurred to me to take it in pieces haha!

Anyway thanks again, best review ever :D

By: megan

megan — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 17:39:49 +0000

Lisa and Christina, you are welcome, I hope you get lots of use out of the elliptical. I do find that I can go for a long time as long as I have something to watch.

By: Christina

Christina — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 06:15:57 +0000

This is by FAR the best review I’ve seen on this product anywhere! THANK YOU! I just purchased this elliptical tonight but it won’t be delivered until next week. You described me a to a “T” when you said you are not the type who likes the gym or the outdoors! I LOVE to do my workouts in the privacy of my home… and sometimes that means 10pm!

Again… thanks for an amazing review!!

By: Lisa

Lisa — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:35:51 +0000

Ha! Thanks for posting an update on this. It’s that time of year, and I’ve got fitness on the brain…

Actually, I’ve got ditching my barely used gym membership on the brain, and since the only piece of equipment I use there is an elliptical machine, I figured I might as well just buy one of my own. I googled for this post since it was the only recommendation for an elliptical machine I’ve seen (and I trust you!). :)

By: megan

megan — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:54:10 +0000

Monia – You can get plenty of cardio in on this machine but as with any plan to loose weight you also have to do some strength training, which the elliptical does not offer. You can do HIIT with the elliptical, or longer stretches of low impact cardio — I watch television shows. Best of luck.

By: Monia

Monia — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 05:08:57 +0000

I really need to work on my thighs and stomach. is it possible to loose weigh using this machine? can someone advaice me on that;
thank you

By: Adam

Adam — Thu, 22 May 2008 02:48:18 +0000

Missing from the box: 2 foot mount plates. So obnoxious. It looks nice and sturdy though.

By: melissa

melissa — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 19:03:35 +0000

Thank you for the great review. I just ordered it via the link in your posting. I hope you get credit for that…

By: Chelsea

Chelsea — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 14:33:22 +0000

Thanks for all the info on your elliptical search. I would love one when I move into a house which will hopefully be within the next year.

Yay! You’re on Ravelry!

By: splatgirl

splatgirl — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 00:00:10 +0000

Fact: Eliptical training has a lower rating of perceived exertion (RPE) than any other type of cardio. I don’t have one. I am a decades-long NordicTrack addict myself.
Factoid: Having a dog is the best workout motivation ever, and they totally don’t care about the weather, which, as it turns out, is a win. Being forced at dog-stare to exercise outdoors year round actually makes winter suck a whole lot less…to the point that I sort of like it now.

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 19:04:05 +0000

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! I’ve been planning to buy an elliptical for a while, and I usually look every few months and start doing a little research. I’m having surgery in 2 months, and I know I won’t be able to get to the gym for a while afterwards, so I finally have a real reason to invest in an elliptical. All your info will be great!

By: leanne

leanne — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 17:38:42 +0000

We have the 438 and I love everything about it EXCEPT the magazine rack. It’s not deep enough for a book and the side handles get in the way of an open magazine so it’s actually kind of useless. We never use the fan attached (we use the stronger free standing fan we have), so if that’s a deciding factor I can tell you it’s not worth it. I do love that it picks up my wireless heart monitor (that was my deciding factor) and all the workout programs.

When the new Harry Potter book came out, that became my “workout book” and at one point I went through 2 workouts in a row because I didn’t want to stop reading. I now have a couple DVR’d shows that I only watch while on the elliptical and it totally helps.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 16:42:51 +0000

I just bought the 431 from Amazon. Right now they have a deal where if you purchase it anytime before Jan. 31 you get a $100 Amazon gift card. So that brings the price down to $699. Great deal with free shipping and I was sold! Can’t wait for it to get here!

By: marielle

marielle — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 16:27:12 +0000

Filing away for future reference. I sure wish I had the room for one of these right now, because you know what?

I need to exercise more often! And I’m not a people person, a get up early to exercise person, or a leave the house to exercise person!

So, save for the weekend hikes, I’m not an exercise person at all. Bah.

By: SaraD

SaraD — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 15:59:58 +0000

This is such a nice coincidence! I just ordered this machine from Amazon last night and was a little worried since I’m not exactly rich and $600 is a lot to spend on one item. Thanks for putting my mind at ease! I can’t wait until I receive it!

By: sarai

sarai — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 15:38:50 +0000

This is really helpful info. I used to have an elliptical and liked it so much more than going to the gym. But now we live in a teeny apartment and there’s really no room. When we move, I’ll definitely look into these models!

By: leah

leah — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 14:40:44 +0000

I have that very same model! I did a bunch of research as well and got a great price on Amazon as well as free shipping. It’s really awesome. My husband and I put it together with no problems in about 2 hours. It’s really quiet and has a great feel to it. We put it in our living room and I watch some trashy TV show while using it to motivate me to use it! :)