Elliptical Trainer Review: Schwinn 430 Elliptical Trainer:
Elliptical Trainer Rating: 3/5 for solid mechanics a few special features and a short warranty
Price: $999

I’m much more impressed by Schwinn’s elliptical trainers that I am by their treadmills. I’ve had the opportunity to try out several Schwinn elliptical trainers and the mechanics are superb. Schwinn’s track record in general tells me that their elliptical trainers are going to be smooth, stable, and very pleasant workout on. In fact, a couple months ago I just gave a raving review to the Schwinn 420 Elliptical Trainer. Does the Schwinn 430 Elliptical Trainer stack up to Schwinn’s strong track record of excellent elliptical trainers? Well, let’s find out.

The Schwinn 430 Elliptical Trainer comes with an 18 inch stride length which is pretty much normal for the thousand dollar price range. You can probably find something with a longer stride length for about the same amount of money as the Schwinn 430 Elliptical Trainer, but for most people in 18 and stride length is going to be just fine. If you are taller say six-foot or more you probably will want to find something with at least a 20 inch stride length but you probably can get by with a Schwinn 430 Elliptical Trainer and it’s 18 and stride length.

The Schwinn 430 Elliptical Trainer has 16 computer-controlled resistance levels. Computer-controlled means you can press a button to change the resistance level rather than twisting a knob or adjusting a gear. Just about all elliptical trainers come with computer-controlled resistance these days; if you do come across elliptical trainer without computer-controlled resistance that should be a cue for you to run away as fast as you can. Resistance levels are really aided by fitness programs. The Schwinn 430 Elliptical Trainer comes with eight different programs that are designed to help you get the most from every second you spend on the elliptical trainer. What’s more, the Schwinn 430 Elliptical Trainer comes with results programs that help you calculate BMI and assess how far you’ve come with your fitness routine. Basically, you can see if you’re improving. It’s great for motivation!

The Schwinn 430 Elliptical Trainer does fall short in warranty. Parts are covered for two years and labor is covered for about 90 days. A short labor warranty on elliptical trainer is not as bad as a short labor warranty on a treadmill. Most people will be able to fix a majority of the mechanical problems they encounter on an elliptical trainer on their own. They are no motors that need to be removed or messy electronics to deal with. Just nuts and bolts. If you get something defective you’ll know within the first 90 days and Schwinn will pick up that repair tab for you. Beyond that you probably won’t have any problems and if you do you can probably fix them yourself.

Overall, the Schwinn 430 Elliptical Trainer has a great feel but just about average features. If I like and the Schwinn 430 Elliptical Trainer to a car I would probably describe it as a Honda Civic. Cost-effective and reliable but nothing fancy. There are better elliptical trainers out there for just a little bit more money, and if you’re looking for an alternative to the Schwinn 430 Elliptical Trainer try checking out something from Sole FitnessThe Sole E35 is an excellent elliptical trainer and has a lot more special features than the Schwinn 430 Elliptical Trainer.