Schwinn A40 Elliptical Trainer review
Schwinn A40 Elliptical Trainer review
Schwinn® Elliptical Machines are designed to deliver a comfortable workout with maximum results.
With easy to use features, simple assembly, and a unique console designed with you in mind, the Schwinn® A40 is a great step to a healthy you!
Schwinn A40 Elliptical Trainer review
Schwinn A40 Elliptical Trainer reviews
5 out of 5 stars -
By Terry Sunday (El Paso, Texas United States) -
Customer review from the Amazon
"I'm not a big fan of exercise machines. Instead, I try to get out for brisk walks around my very hilly neighborhood as often as I can. But my definition of "often" has changed over the years. What I used to do four or five days a week I now do "sometimes." In the past, exercise machines have not managed to fill the voids in my exercise regimen. I've tried a treadmill and a rowing machine, and both were so crashingly boring that I only used them a few times before giving up. The Schwinn Fitness A40 Elliptical Trainer came along just when I was seriously trying to resume exercising regularly, and I had high hopes that this time it would be different.
When your machine is delivered, you'll get some exercise even before you put it together--the box is big, heavy (106 pounds) and awkward. Fortunately, the contents are well packaged and protected against damage with individual plastic wrappings, bubble-pack, cardboard and Styrofoam inserts. My box arrived slashed, punctured and caved in (thanks, UPS), but the parts inside all seemed at first glance to be okay (but see below).
ASSEMBLY
Here's the good part: assembly is pretty straightforward, and should not be a problem for anyone with modest mechanical skills. All the hardware--nuts, bolts, washers, brackets, etc.--is securely packaged on a card sealed in shrink-wrap with a visual guide to help you identify one item from another. You also get Allen wrenches and a Phillips-head screwdriver, so you won't even need to open your toolbox. The assembly manual is well-illustrated, clear and specific, with the process split up into 13 bite-size chunks. Follow the directions, pay attention to make sure you use the right parts (a few of them, mainly plastic washers, can get mixed up if you're not careful) and you can't go wrong. It took me about an hour and a half to unpack everything and put the machine together.
PROGRAMMING
Here's the nonfunctional part: I couldn't evaluate the display and programming features because the electronic control console on my machine did not work properly. After I inserted four new D-cell batteries and fired up the QUICK START workout program, the console display was okay for a little while as I pumped away. Then the LCD display (which, by the way, is almost impossible to read because the character segments are very dim and about as thick as a human hair) showed the error message "Pedal" and locked up.
I consulted the Troubleshooting section of the Owner's Manual. It said to check the Main Console Cable integrity and connections. I partially disassembled the machine to get at the cable and its connectors. The cable looked good, but one of the connectors was not mated all the way. "Aha," I thought, "there's the problem!" I firmly seated both connectors, reassembled the machine, took the batteries out to "reboot" the console, and...same thing. The display works for about 30 seconds to a couple of minutes, and then the "Pedal" error message shows up. It's consistent and repeatable, and it does the same thing in the QUICK START mode or in any of the six programmed modes. The next troubleshooting steps call for tearing into the flywheel assembly to check the magnet and RPM sensor. I'm not inclined to do that, so the programming functions shall remain unevaluated, at least for now.
OPERATION
Mechanically, the Schwinn A40 Elliptical Trainer seems well-designed. It's sturdy and it works smoothly. Electronically, it sucks big time, at least based on my sample. I don't know if the console of my machine was damaged in the obviously rough handling it received in transit, or if it is a random electronic fault or if there is a design or production flaw of some kind. However, without a functioning console, it is at best half a machine.
RESULTS
It's too soon to say whether or not the Schwinn A40 has delivered any beneficial health effects. But, speaking as someone who has never set foot in a fitness center, I found it was easy to use and much less boring than the other exercise machines I've tried, especially with the built-in reading rack. It makes exercising less of a chore and more of a pleasure, despite the missing electronic functions. I'm not an expert on exercise machines by any means, but this one seems to me to be a pretty good option for the casual user. I'd really like to rate it with five stars. But I can't ignore the debilitating electronic problem, which gives it zero stars in my book. So I've averaged the good and the bad to a three-star rating.
But I hope to be able to upgrade that rating at some point. I contacted Schwinn Customer Service about the problem, and the representative I talked to was extraordinarily helpful and knowledgeable, considering that the A40 is a very new machine. We discussed the symptoms and he decided to send me a new console cable and a new speed sensor. I won't have a chance to install the parts until sometime in January, but I will update this review after I have done so. I hope they correct the problem, in which case this is definitely a five-star machine. Schwinn Customer Service also gets a five-star rating.
UPDATE
The parts delivery from Schwinn was exceptionally fast--just a couple of days. Although there were no specific instructions on how to install the new console cable and speed sensor, it was easy to figure out. I first replaced the cable (because it was the simpler task), reassembled the machine and tried it out. The "Pedal" error message still showed up. So then, leaving the new console cable in place, I tackled the speed sensor, which required opening up the big flywheel housing. The original speed sensor was riveted in place in a very hard-to-get-at location, and there was no way I could remove it. So I simply duct-taped the new sensor to a convenient place on the structure where the rotating magnet on the flywheel passed very close to it. I unplugged the old sensor cable, plugged in the new one, tested it and--success! No "Pedal" error message appeared, and all the electronic functions worked. Problem solved. However, my complaint about the nearly illegible readouts remains. The characters really are thin and dim.
So I now raise my rating to five stars. Again, I'm not an expert on exercise machines, but the A40 seems great for casual, non-fitness-fanatic users such as myself, and the price is reasonable (full disclosure, though--I received mine at no charge through the Vine program). I was especially impressed with the knowledge, competence and responsiveness of the Schwinn technical support person I talked to when I called in about the problem. Based on that, Schwinn seems like a company that cares about customer service, and these days that alone is worth a lot. REVISED RATING: FIVE STARS.
5 out of 5 stars - Very good lightweight budget elliptical,
January 16, 2011 By Jim /
Customer review from the Amazon
"I've been using the A40 pretty much daily for nearly two months now (since I got it), and I am very pleased with it. I have also used a Schwinn elliptical trainer model 430, which cost hundreds more than the A40 under review, and which is heavier (152 lbs. versus 90.4 lbs.*), though both are rated to hold users up to 275 lbs. *(In Amazon's current product description, the A40 is said to weigh 138 lbs., but the shipping weight is listed as being 106.3 lbs. The assembled unit weighs 90.4 lbs. - and this weight is listed in the specs at Schwinn's website page for the A40. Professional exercise equipment reviewers consider both models budget models.)
At 17 inches, the stride length of the A40 is only an inch shy of the 430's 18 inch stride length and is fine for me (I'm 6' tall).
Assembly was a stress free process and took me about 2 1/2 hours (pretty much the same in terms of ease and time as assembling the 430).
Because the A40 is light and can operate on batteries or AC power, it is easy to move, which is a real plus if, like me, you sometimes want to position it near a TV set (i.e., a TV that is too big to move and/or would be a hassle to move because of all the wiring). The A40 is as noisy or quiet as other exercise equipment I've owned and used, such as the aforementioned 430 and a Schwinn exercycle, but when using it I listen to music or the TV through noise-cancelling headphones (to be distinguished from noise-reducing phones; noise-cancelling have special circuitry, noise-reducing do not and therefore are not as effective at blocking out external sound).
I own a heart rate monitor that goes around my chest, but don't need to use it when using the A40 because the readings I get with the A40's pulse grip heart monitor are generally the same as the readings I get with the chest unit (generally is okay for me; I neither desire nor expect 100% medically accurate readings from relatively inexpensive consumer heart rate monitors).
The LCD is small and I need to use my reading glasses to read it clearly. A couple of the preset programs suit me fine, and the two-speed cooling fan is a nice extra (an extra the 430 lacks).
Years ago I tore ligaments in a knee and as a result I do not do well with treadmills, which are simply too high impact for my damaged knee. Ellipticals are thus a godsend. "
Schwinn A40 Elliptical Trainer review
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