treadmill recomendations?

[AtomikStrongman]

Check around for a used Woodway and you might get lucky. Nothing else compares.

[workuntilnothin]

Check around for a used Woodway and you might get lucky. Nothing else compares.

Woodways rock.

I bought a new SportsArt 13 years ago and it still runs but feels real cheap compared to comercial treadmills.

Check craigslist. You might find a landice, true, or comercial with almost no use for $300 - $600. Most people use treadmills as coat racks.

If you go new, I would suggest getting something with a high weight limit. They tend to not get noisy after a year or so.

[gigo2310]

yeah i think also that it is a good site for unbaised reviews and thanks for this info also...

Thanks!!

If you have not purchased your treadmill check out Fitoverstock.com
we carry both Smooth and FreeMotion treadmills. I highly reccomend the FreeMotion over the Smooth

[fallingreason]

Definitely Woodway

[fatihkuslu]

thanks a lot

[Rginebaugh]

There is a used Woodway for sale on craiglist in Cleveland, OH. I'm too new to post a link or I would. Seems like a good deal.

I run on a precor 9.35 and frequently do interval sprints at the max speed of 12.0. No problems at all other than you have to use a dedicated circuit for the thing because the motor draws 1150 amps. Plug in anything else other than a clock radio and it won't reach full speed. Other than that after two years, the thing is a tank.

[ironwill2008]

These people make excellent equipment:

http://www.visionfitness.com/

[smokeater]

After doing more research, I have upped my budget to ~$2000.

Any recomendations now? good warranty is a must!


Dave

Precor 9.23 (as already mentioned)

[Liveone]

I bought a pacemaster platinum pro after doing a ton of research and have been very happy with my purchase. It has been used daily for 5 years in my home and can pass for brand new.

[ubernoob]

Look on craigslist. I bought my Precor 9.23 for $800.00 and it is just over a year old so I got my money's worth from a gym membership. There are several good deals out there if you look. Some people earlier had mentioned some good treadmills, also look into True treadmills.

P.S.
I would not trust the treadmilldoctor reviews anymore. A couple of years ago they started taking money for sponsorship so their reviews are not as authentic (unbiased) as before.

[smokeater]

P.S.
I would not trust the treadmilldoctor reviews anymore. A couple of years ago they started taking money for sponsorship so their reviews are not as authentic (unbiased) as before.

I have never taken treadmilldoctor for much other than somebody on the internet, with very limited knowledge of treadmills, offering reviews. Many of their reviews have been way off over the years. They have underrated some excellent treadmills while overrating lesser quality ones. It is, and always has been, far from a credible source of information.

[eezytiger]

I have owned 3 different treadmills in my adult life. The first was a Weslo, which was complete garbage. The second was a NoricTrack, which was fine until I needed service for it, and Icon fitness was a joke.

But, I have had a Sole F80 treadmill for the past 8 years, and it was the best investment I ever made. If you are looking for a good deal, I recommend looking at bikes4deal on ebay. He is an authorized seller, and usually comes in about $200 under Sole.

http://www.soletreadmills.com/Folding-Treadmills

[elgreek84]

I have owned 3 different treadmills in my adult life. The first was a Weslo, which was complete garbage. The second was a NoricTrack, which was fine until I needed service for it, and Icon fitness was a joke.

But, I have had a Sole F80 treadmill for the past 8 years, and it was the best investment I ever made. If you are looking for a good deal, I recommend looking at bikes4deal on ebay. He is an authorized seller, and usually comes in about $200 under Sole.

http://www.soletreadmills.com/Folding-Treadmills

ok I think this guy is spamming ^

[Hallowedlunch]

What is this, bul$5896t spam thread necromancy?!

[bobcat255]

Wow, this thread was totally useless in helping me look for a treadmill.

[sowilson]

Treadmills can be high maintenance items. I would look into leasing and leave the maintenance to someone else.

[bobcat255]

Treadmills can be high maintenance items. I would look into leasing and leave the maintenance to someone else.

So you can pay more for the same equipment?? When you lease you're paying finance costs, when you lease you enter into a contractual agreement with cancellation fees, etc. and typically leases are really finance agreements to purchase the equipment out - ironically, within the warranty period when everything is nice, new and working. Unless you're a business working off of cash flow, leasing seems to be a pretty bad option.

If I'm wrong, however, I'd love to hear it. I have a finance background - not equipment rentals - but I did a quick Google search and that's the conclusion I came to.

[ironwill2008]

Wow, this thread was totally useless in helping me look for a treadmill.

You must have missed post #37.

Treadmills take a pounding; there's no place in their construction for plastic parts or cheap bushings in lieu of bearings. Heavy motors are also a necessity. You won't get any of that at a big-box discount store.

If you don't want to buy new, look for a used/refurbished commercial treadmill.




If none of the above fit your budget, do yourself a favor and rather than buying some piece of discount-store junk, buy a good pair of running shoes and jog outdoors instead.

[sowilson]

So you can pay more for the same equipment?? When you lease you're paying finance costs, when you lease you enter into a contractual agreement with cancellation fees, etc. and typically leases are really finance agreements to purchase the equipment out - ironically, within the warranty period when everything is nice, new and working. Unless you're a business working off of cash flow, leasing seems to be a pretty bad option.

If I'm wrong, however, I'd love to hear it. I have a finance background - not equipment rentals - but I did a quick Google search and that's the conclusion I came to.

Of course paying 2-3K up front in cash will get you the lowest price on a machine - until it breaks down or needs service at which point you have a boat anchor until it's back in service. By renting, or possibly leasing, or a service contract on your commercial treadmill you can have a machine that works and possibly have it switched out when it's too expensive to keep in service. It can be worth doing that (let someone else make some profit and take the risk) unless you're in a position to fix and maintain treadmills yourself. I'm sure it's not rocket science to maintain one but not everyone has the time, experience, interest, equipment, or capability to keep a treadmill in service. If you want an elliptical or a treadmill in your gym it may (emphasize may) be better to go a different route than owning / maintaining the device yourself. Shoes work fine for me.

[daniel327]

Of course paying 2-3K up front in cash will get you the lowest price on a machine - until it breaks down or needs service at which point you have a boat anchor until it's back in service.

Most treadmills are boat anchored by their owners lack of interest long before the machine fails.

IMO, spending any money on a treadmill (whether by outright purchase or a leasing arrangement) is a dumb idea.

[AttyGuy]

Most treadmills are boat anchored by their owners lack of interest long before the machine fails.

IMO, spending any money on a treadmill (whether by outright purchase or a leasing arrangement) is a dumb idea.

Even used?

[daniel327]

Even used?

New, used, or otherwise, I'm not a treadmill fan.

[AttyGuy]

New, used, or otherwise, I'm not a treadmill fan.

I have the Sole F63, but plan on upgrading to a commercial treadmill. They have their place.

[daniel327]

I have the Sole F63, but plan on upgrading to a commercial treadmill. They have their place.

I've previously had a CardioTech X9 and a Tunturi T30 treadmill.

I'll never have another treadmill because I now prefer to get my cardio by other means.

Burpees, kettlebell swings and barbell complexes are my current favourite cardio moves.

However, if I was to get another large cardio machine, it would be a c2 rower, not a treadmill.

If you are getting another treadmill, note that orthopedic belts tend to place a lot of extra strain on the motor, belt rollers and bearings, which may lead to premature failure.

[aclockworkoi]

Continuing crappy thread bumping. I have been using the C2 rower for a couple weeks now. The only thing I don't like about it is not being able to zone out. It's hard to watch a movie and reading a book on the kindle ain't going to happen. I like to zone out on my cardio equipment. I would probably prefer an elliptical based on my experience going to a gym but that isn't going to happen in my garage. I like the C2 do to maneuverability and space saving. Luckily I live in Northern Cali and can run outside most times.

[bobcat255]

You must have missed post #37.

Treadmills take a pounding; there's no place in their construction for plastic parts or cheap bushings in lieu of bearings. Heavy motors are also a necessity. You won't get any of that at a big-box discount store.

If you don't want to buy new, look for a used/refurbished commercial treadmill.

If none of the above fit your budget, do yourself a favor and rather than buying some piece of discount-store junk, buy a good pair of running shoes and jog outdoors instead.

Ironically, I checked local CL and there are plenty of commercial treadmills with almost no hours on them for sale. I'll get a commercial one, as soon as I finish my new exercise room.

Of course paying 2-3K up front in cash will get you the lowest price on a machine - until it breaks down or needs service at which point you have a boat anchor until it's back in service. By renting, or possibly leasing, or a service contract on your commercial treadmill you can have a machine that works and possibly have it switched out when it's too expensive to keep in service. It can be worth doing that (let someone else make some profit and take the risk) unless you're in a position to fix and maintain treadmills yourself. I'm sure it's not rocket science to maintain one but not everyone has the time, experience, interest, equipment, or capability to keep a treadmill in service. If you want an elliptical or a treadmill in your gym it may (emphasize may) be better to go a different route than owning / maintaining the device yourself. Shoes work fine for me.

What you're saying makes no sense. If you're spending 2-3k for a machine it's probably commercial and comes with a nice warranty. It'll be paid off in a year or two and leasing doesn't mean whom you lease from will cover any warranty related work - again, read the fine print. If they do cover it, guess what? You'll be paying for it in addition to the machine and the interest. You know, the same crap you get at any store when you buy anything. Go buy a $2k TV, pay $500 in insurance and finance it for 2-years @ 10%.

[ironwill2008]

Another advantage of buying used commercial, or at least top-quality home-level, is that not only do they rarely break down, but if/when they do, repair parts are usually readily available, and if you're at all handy, repairs aren't too difficult to perform. Online repair diagrams, etc., are usually easy to find.




OT:
I don't have a treadmill, but I do own a Vision Fitness E3200 Stationary Bike, which I bought new about 20 years ago. It wasn't cheap (about $750 back then, IIRC, when the big-box discount stores were selling "similar" units for ~$200).

It's been used by two people at least 3 times a week for all those years. A few months ago, the power pack developed an intermittent 'open' in the connector. I found a replacement for it on the webz in about 5 minutes, and it was delivered in a couple of days. No mechanical issues with this machine even though it probably has hundreds of thousands of miles on it.

You get what you pay for.

[bobcat255]

Another advantage of buying used commercial, or at least top-quality home-level, is that not only do they rarely break down, but if/when they do, repair parts are usually readily available, and if you're at all handy, repairs aren't too difficult to perform. Online repair diagrams, etc., are usually easy to find.

-- snip --

machine [...] has hundreds of thousands of miles on it.

Good point above... but hundreds of thousands of miles?

[ironwill2008]

Good point above... but hundreds of thousands of miles?

We've had that bike for over twenty years, and as I said, two of us have been using it at least 3 times a week each. My wife will spend hours on it every week.

[bobcat255]

We've had that bike for over twenty years, and as I said, two of us have been using it at least 3 times a week each. My wife will spend hours on it every week.

In that case, props to your wife :-P