I bought this stationary bike on Cyber Monday, and can now make the most of my Apple Watch

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Closing the loop on Apple Fitness Plus

Schwinn IC4 bike on red background
(Image credit: Future)

I’m a regular cyclist, but only recently got into exercising on a stationary bike at the gym (they call it “spinning”). I’ve come to like it so much that I decided to make buying a home bike one of my Cyber Monday shopping priorities, and was glad to find this 33% off deal on the Schwinn IC4 indoor cycling bike at Amazon.

I had previously tried the IC4 at a friend’s house, so I’m certain that, at $799, it’s a solid pick among the many Cyber Monday deals. It’s not a fancy bike like the ones from Peloton or Garmin, but is well-featured for the price and also well-constructed, offering a smooth ride, responsive controls (it has 100 micro-adjustable resistance levels) and, most important, Bluetooth connectivity. 

That last feature lets you connect the bike’s control panel wirelessly with a phone or tablet to run cycling apps like Zwift, Peloton, and many others. As someone who dwells in the Apple ecosystem, my workout app of choice is Apple Fitness Plus. This of course runs on an iPhone, iPad, or even an Apple TV 4K streaming box, and it can tap the sensors built into an Apple Watch, which also links up with both the bike and app via Bluetooth to provide heart rate feedback during rides. 

Today's best Schwinn IC4 indoor cycling bike deals

Schwinn IC4 Indoor Cycling Bike:$1,199.99$799.99 at Amazon

Schwinn IC4 Indoor Cycling Bike: was $1,199.99 now $799.99 at Amazon
Schwinn's IC4 is the company's step-up indoor cycling bike, and is selling for just $799.99 on Amazon in this Cyber Monday deal. The IC4 is a well-built and affordable stationary bike, and its Bluetooth connectivity lets you access the wide world of cycling apps from brands like Zwift, Peloton, Apple, and others.

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The cycling workouts on Apple Fitness Plus are fantastic, with the high-sprited instructors kicking your butt for the 10-, 20-, 30-, or 45-minute segments, driving you to push your hardest during intervals. And a wide variety of music accompanies the workouts – with dance, classic rock, pop, and artist-themed spotlights ensuring there’s something to satisfy everyone.

I had bought an Apple Watch SE 2 mainly because I’m an Apple fan and felt strangely naked without having the latest and greatest bit of Apple tech strapped to my wrist. But I’d never really made much use of it, and mainly used it to do boring things like… tell time.

Now, with my stationary bike on the way from Amazon, I’ll soon be able to make the most of that Apple Watch by collecting the data from my home spinning sessions and tracking my progress. It may not have the many features of the Apple Watch Ultra, but then again, I don’t plan to find myself lost in a forest anytime soon.

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Al Griffin
Al Griffin
Senior Editor Home Entertainment, US

Al Griffin has been writing about and reviewing A/V tech since the days LaserDiscs roamed the earth, and was previously the editor of Sound & Vision magazine. 

When not reviewing the latest and greatest gear or watching movies at home, he can usually be found out and about on a bike.