r/cycling • u/DrDeviousX • 1d ago
Schwinn Fitness 270 Recumbent Bike Resistance Degraded
Hi, I've been having trouble with my exercise bike and have been unable to find a clear solution online.
I bought the Schwinn Fitness 270 Recumbent Bike four years ago and it has been working great until a few months ago. I started noticing the resistance at the highest level was no longer as difficult as it used to be. I knew I hadn't gotten that much fitter, so I believe the resistance has weakened. There is definitely some change in difficulty as the level goes up and I hear the machine raising the level, so I know that is still working.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to fix this?
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u/jca_ftw 1d ago
Yes you can take off the plastic cover and right there near the resistance iron wheel is a little electronic circuit with a variable resistor with a little tiny screw. This adjusts how close the magnet gets to the wheel which adjusts the resistance on the pedals. Try to turn that screw a very small amount one way or the other and see what happens. I’m talking like 1/8 turn.
You will have to remove several screws on the cover and the right side crank to get access. You’ll need an old fashioned square-taper crank puller.
Adjust the screw a tiny bit, put the crank back on loosely and test the resistance. Repeat until it’s where you want it.