Schwinn 460 Elliptical Trainer Review

The Schwinn 460 is the follow-up to the popular 430 model. This product includes some of the same popular features of the 430, including the same number of resistance levels and fly train, but makes a significant improvement with what Schwinn calls V-Strike Technology. This new feature is not only an upgrade over the 430 but a feature not seen on most elliptical trainers in the same price range in the market.

A frustrating feature of many elliptical trainers is that the length of the stride either cannot be changed at all, or can only be changed by physically getting off the elliptical to reach a setting on the equipment. But with V-Stride, anyone can vary the length of their stride while on the machine without changing any settings. The stride on the 460 varies from 2-inches to 26-inches. This makes the machine perfect for virtually anyone in the family to use – from a lighter younger person to a heavier, older person.

According to Schwinn, the ability to use different strides allows the user to target different muscle groups. The short stride is like a step workout that will benefit the calves and quads. Lengthen the stride to a walk to target the thighs and glutes and fully extend the thighs to a run to work out all lower-body muscle groups. Another advantage to varying your stride on an elliptical is that taller and shorter people use strides of drastically different lengths. That means the Schwinn 460 elliptical trainer is excellent for taller or shorter users who may have had problems with other elliptical units where the stride length cannot be varied.

The Schwinn 460 is a solid, sturdy unit, weighing in at 221 pounds, much heavier than the 430 unit, and the directions suggest that two people should be involved in the assembly. Because of the unit’s weight, even with the wheels, wherever you set it up in your house is likely to be the spot the 460 will remain.

Other features of the Schwinn include a variety of different workout programs. There is 1 manual program and 11 different types of workout programs, as well as custom programs that can be accessed by two different users. The backlit touch screen displays all the essentials, including speed, time, calories burned and distance. Using the customizable workout function, the Schwinn will follow the usage of two different people and even tell you what kind of stride is necessary for a particular workout. The unit has 16 resistance levels, making true cardio training possible.

Other nice features are the bottle holder that fits up to 1-liter containers and the 3-speed fan that definitely comes in handy. While the handles contain heart rate sensors, immediate heart rate display is available through a wireless heart rate monitor you can strap on your chest. The 460 has a 10-year warranty on the frame, 2-years on the parts, 1-year on the electronics and 90 days on the wear and tear of individual parts.

That brings up one of the few negatives of the machine – warranty figures that are not generous. Also troublesome is the nearly 2 hours it takes to assemble the unit. The unit is solid and sturdy, which is good, but weighs a little too much which takes away its portability, if you ever want to easily move it to another location in your home. Another negative is that the levers for your arms do not offer any resistance. This limits the workout and means you simply cannot get any upper body advantages during your workout.

• Sturdy, solid construction
• Versatile workouts possible
• V-Stride technology
  

• Lengthy assembly
• Too heavy to be moved easily after assembly
• No resistance workout available for upper body
  

Despite a few issues, the Schwinn 460 is a solid unit with all the standard technology of most ellipticals, on top of the V-Stride function, which allows a user to target different lower body muscles and also makes the elliptical easier to use for people of all sizes.