One alternative would be pretty much any spin bike (starting at around 300 euro or just find an even cheaper one used, it’s not like most of them see too much wear and tear…; just make sure the pedals use standard 9/16" threads) plus power meter pedals (single-sided are fine, around 400 euro, plus another hundred for compatible shoes if needed).
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I bit the bullet and bought some Favero Assioma UNO power meter pedals. They work great. I did a FTP ramp test again and got the same exact number as with the Kickr trainer. Plus I’ll have them to put on my bike during the summer. Also, I saw someone else post they used the Tacx training app with the ic4 which I tried out. Interestingly with the Tacx app connected to the bike and the pedals connected to Zwift I was getting very close readings. So I’m thinking the bike is outputting watts correctly, Zwift just isn’t interpreting it correctly.
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Hi, I bought my Schwinn IC8 in Germany at Amazon. I contacted spofact and received a complain form. I filled it and stated too high calories shown in the display. Let’s see what the answer will be. Will keep you guys posted.
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Update: I got a new replacement console from Nautilus and I am having the same issue of high watts in Zwift (like Andy). I do not think the calibration instructions I posted above will help unless you cannot get a 1 or 100 reading on the console at either end of the resistance knob. Either Zwift is interpreting the data wrong which is very possible since it is not a “supported bike.” Or the console is reporting the wrong watts/data.
Nautilus/Schwinn/Bow-flex IC4/IC8/C6 should not advertise that is compatible with Zwift.
If you are thinking about buying this bike for Zwift, look elsewhere. You could buy a much cheaper bike ($200-300) and power meter pedals ($400-$600). Or even better, get a controllable trainer (Zwift controls the resistance–allows for drafting and simulated hill climbs) and hook an used bike up to it from $600-1,800 depending on if you have a bike already. If the indoor bike does not advertise their power meter accuracy in terms of percent i.e. 1%-3%. Do not buy it. You will just be super frustrated and an unintentional cheater on Zwift.
If you already have it, you could just buy power meter pedals to make it work, but you will have to set your own resistance levels ($1,200 minimum total cost: bike + $400 pedals). Or try to return and start over, it though I’ve heard you have to pay return shipping…
Super disappointed in the bike. At $800 it should have accurate power readings without further investment. False advertising by Schwinn/Nautilus/Bowflex…
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Matt,
Agree with everything you said. If you or anyone else is looking to return the bike due to this issue, I was able to convince them to pay for the return shipping. I had to be pretty insistent with them as he continually said “nothing is wrong with the bike, the issue is with Zwift.” I kept saying “Schwinn’s website states this bike is designed for Zwift, just because it technically connects to Zwift does not mean it functions properly.” Eventually he gave in and setup a return. However, now that I have the power meter pedals I love the setup (other than the $440 I spent on pedals and another $80 for shoes). So I’m probably going to cancel the return and I suppose if Zwift ever does test this bike out it may work in the future and I could resell the pedals. Have you looked into any other comparable spin bikes that are less expensive being the connectivity of this bike is pretty useless? I considered the IC3, but would maybe regret losing the magnetic resistance.
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Hi all. Just to let you know I tried the recalibration recommended by support. It worked. Kind of. 
Readings/measurements on the training computer AND power output for Zwift for each resistance level and given rpm remained unchanged. At first, I was disappointed. Then I noticed that sustaining e.g. level 40 / 60 rpm feels significantly harder than before. I do not think I can sustain >300 W in Zwift anymore (which is good). However:
- Maximum usable resistance level is now 65, not 100: > 65, you can recognize a “rubbing” noise from the wheel / magnet which worries me a bit and gets worse on higher levels, so I wouldnt dare using levels > 65.
- speed / calories / distance values on the console for low rpm / resistance levels still seem pretty high.
Honestly, I don’t know what to make out of it. I think what happened is, recalibration compacted the range of resistance levels, so resistance increases faster than before. Concerning the remaining issues, it does more feel like a workaround and not a thorough / complete solution.
So this worked for me!! I think it may still be calibrated a bit too high still but it has halved my FTP!! I’m not sure if I am really fit or whether 3.1w/kg is too high, but I was outputting 500w+ with ease previously!!
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Hi Andy. Nice to hear 
Are you able to use levels >65 without any rubbing sounds?
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Wow. I did not expect that. But I’m happy for you. Do you still have full range of 1 to 100 for the resistance knob? Does 25 resistance for example feel harder than it did previously? I just did a full ride with the new console and I think it’s a bit more accurate on the upper end without a meter it’s hard to know.
Okay. Just found this forum after waiting 3 weeks for the bike to arrive. Set it up today. Couple of issues. 1. How do I connect to bluetooth?! I assume its the bluetooth button on the console - holding for 3 seconds, but both my iPhone and my wife’s iPhone will NOT connect to it - which is super frustrating. What are we missing? 2. The Schwinn IC4 has mysteriously disappeared from the website. Even on Schwinn’s FB page, links they posted a week or two back no longer go to the product page. 3. I have done virtually ZERO biking in my life. I have a road bike and ride sub 100km a year - more like 2 or 3 20km rides at most. I usually ride on average at a pace of 27-28km an hour, and usually do about a 45 min ride. I hopped on this bike and immediately showed me holding 35km an hour with virtually no effort. Has anyone tried syncing it with Peloton, or is Zwift the ONLY app that Schwinn/Nautilus/Bowflex is having issues with? ***Also it appears that Schwinn has stopped stating on their website that the bike syncs with Zwift. 
Now it talks about 3 or 4 other apps - NOT peloton or Zwift. However, the Bowflex C6 doesn’t seem to have had those changes on the website - BUT ITS THE SAME BIKE RIGHT?! The Bowflex C6 apparently STILL syncs with Zwift, Peloton, etc… So I’m totally confused. Do I take the bike back and buy the Bowflex? Does it have the same problems? PLEASE HELP.
Response to #2: I’m still seeing Zwift promoted on Schwinn’s website for the IC4:
Snip refering to Zwift:
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I think you need to allow bluetooth permission to the Zwift or peleton app in your phone’s/tablet’s settings. I had this issue too. Then try to re-connect.
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The console seems to have accuracy problems (read the other posts on this forum for more details and people’s experiences). Speed, calories, watts, all seem off.
Good luck!
Hi Bernhard,
The rubbing noise is another gotcha that I saw when I was looking into the calibration. As you increase the resistance the magnet gets pulled further across the wheel but also the emergency brake stopper on the top side of the magnet fixture gets closer and closer to the wheel. They claim in the instructions to turn the knob such that it wont turn anymore then back it off a quarter of a turn, unfortunately when you do that on the 100 side, the emergency brake is still somewhat applied to the wheel. Besides wearing down, I’m not sure if it will cause much more damage but I’m also sure it wasn’t intended from schwinn. You can test my theory that its the emergency brake by putting it on a low resistance, going real slow and then slowly pressing down on the resistance knob, the noise should be familiar.
Brad, you have to pair the Bluetooth within the app. It’s completely different than any other Bluetooth pairing that people are used to. But it’s easy if you do it that way.
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It worked for me. Did a 10 min ride on Level 30 with 70 turns before calibration. Had an average watt of 218 with no sweating. After calibration I did another 10 min ride on Level 30 with 70 turns and it was much harder. I had an average watt of 229 but I was sweating a lot. I am of average weight and hight and low training level about 1-2 hours a week. Before calibration I had a FTP of 386. I will do an FTP check soon, but not sure if I could keep 229 for one hour.
Hi All,
Thank you for all of your comments. I bought the Bowflex C6 specifically to use Zwift as I love it. My readings are all off so based on all of your research and attempts, what should I do? 1. Try and recalibrate? 2. Request a new console? 3. Or try to return it ? Thanks!
My FTP was reduced from 386 to 290. Sounds better, probably still too high.
Hello everyone,
I am also the (not so) proud owner of a Schwinn IC4 bike. I found myself with inflated numbers like the rest of you. Have a look here at a previous post that details my problem and my results after the calibration process I followed that was posted in this thread.
In short, it takes more effort to produce the same numbers I was getting before. If anyone has comparisons between a properly calibrated Schwinn and a trusted power meter I’d love to see them.
Hi, I’m riding an Ic8 since begin of January, starting out with an FTP of 220.
After 1 month of training (almost every day) it went up to 350, peeking 2 days ago I raced at average 420.
By then I knew something was wrong, so I stumbled on this topic. I recalibrated the bike dropping from 420 to 155! I feel like a snail and really in doubt what is realistic to expect. I would have more peace with an average of 200-220. Now a recovery is around 1.0 w/kg.
Not really sure how-to approach this problem.
I just did a
race and won with an average of 3.9w/kg and an avg heartrate 147bpm.
So i recalibrated the bike. The instructions say turn the resistance until it is unable to turn any further than 1/4 counter clockwise. The first time i did this every level above 75 resulted in a complete wheel lock.
So i did this again. This time while pedalling so that level 100 equals a full wheel lock and scrubbing noise. Now the max usable level is about 93.
I did a short test and it feels much more realistic.
The only question is. When is it calibrated close to reality? It’s more like guessing at the moment.
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I think you will need a power meter to determine that, something like powertap pedals. it won’t be possible to gauge a difference of say ±30w.