The Schwinn wind power plant
19.2.2020
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Thomas Kunz
It makes wind, it makes noise, it kicks your arse. The Schwinn AD8 Airdyne Bike challenges the whole body and is perfect for interval training. An air bike like this can do a lot - but it can't be quiet.
You don't have to adjust much, the right resistance is found automatically. This is the big advantage of fitness equipment that relies on air resistance. The more force you apply, the faster a turbine wheel built into the housing turns. The resistance increases continuously and exponentially until you reach your limits. The downside is that this also increases the noise level. On a rowing machine such as the Concept2, this ensures a consistent background noise. With the Schwinn AD8 Airdyne, it can get significantly louder - provided you have enough power.
However, it also suits training when it starts to storm below you. Then you see, hear and feel that you are moving something while you are exerting yourself. Compared to rowing machines, which are considered a kind of supreme solution for combined strength and endurance training, the air bike even has a decisive advantage: it doesn't depend so much on your technique.
While the reach, pull-through, end-stroke and pre-roll in rowing need to be learnt, you don't have to do much more on the Schwinn Airdyne than adjust your sitting position correctly. In addition, you are flexible, you can use your arms and legs simultaneously or individually on this mixture of cross trainer and bike. The Schwinn AD8 Airdyne competes with the Assault AirBike. They are similar in many respects, but Schwinn has solved a few things differently.
Airdyne vs. AirBike
While the Assault AirBike is driven by a chain, the Airdyne has a belt drive. This is low-maintenance and so quiet that you only hear the wind you create during training. You also have three different grip options on the Airdyne compared to one on the AirBike, which has a more purist look and largely dispenses with plastic. Both devices can take a similar amount of punishment. The Airdyne can withstand loads of up to 160 kilos, while the AirBike has a maximum user weight of 155 kilos.
The monitors display calories, watts, time, distance, speed, rpm and heart rate. You can also start various interval training sessions via direct selection. The devices popular in the CrossFit scene are ideal for high-intensity interval training (HIIT). If you really push yourself and step on the gas, it quickly becomes very strenuous. After all, twice the speed means four times the air resistance. But there's also more airstream. Your hair will fly, if you have any.
First impression
The Schwinn AD8 Airdyne bike provides an efficient full-body workout in a small space. You just have to be able to live with the noise level, which swells quite a bit depending on the intensity. From relaxed cardio training to extreme HIIT units, the robustly built device can do it all and has nothing to hide from the "original AirBike" from Assault Fitness. Although the simultaneous pulling, pushing and pedalling may take some getting used to at first - the AirBikes are more than just an insider tip among fitness equipment.
Michael Restin
Senior Editor
Michael.Restin@digitecgalaxus.chSimple writer and dad of two who likes to be on the move, wading through everyday family life. Juggling several balls, I'll occasionally drop one. It could be a ball, or a remark. Or both.
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