Just bought a treadmill. I have a question for those that own one.

Ok. Good info here. I ran my first run today also 7 miles at 7:30 pace. I discovered that with the Sole F80 at 0% incline it is actually at 1% incline. So in theory having it at o% would be more like running outside. It was a good run. I am very pleased with it. I look forward to a hard tempo on it.

I have the Sole F85, I bought it in 2009. Still the best treadmill I have ever ran on.

Did you look at the Sole F63? It is basically the same machine as last years F80. The belt is only 20" wide compared to 22" on the new F80. Does anybody else here that mentioned buying a treadmill have a problem with the 20" wide beslt?

Worrying over slight incline is way less pace judgement error that will be introduced into your runs than the haphazard calibration on every mill I have ever run on, from high-end Woodways on down. I can't figure out why it is so hard to calibrate a treadmill. I have run on some where I could (when younger) run 5:00-5:10 pace for 30+ minutes and others where 6:00 pace is rolling and my subjective impressions verified by HRM and even switching between brands on the same run just to see if I am crazy in reckoning them different.

Brian wrote:

Worrying over slight incline is way less pace judgement error that will be introduced into your runs than the haphazard calibration on every mill I have ever run on, from high-end Woodways on down. I can't figure out why it is so hard to calibrate a treadmill. I have run on some where I could (when younger) run 5:00-5:10 pace for 30+ minutes and others where 6:00 pace is rolling and my subjective impressions verified by HRM and even switching between brands on the same run just to see if I am crazy in reckoning them different.

Is there an easy, practical way to check the calibration?

Measure the length of the belt. I mark 3 sections with white tape, measure them, and add them together.

Leave one piece of tape at the side of the belt, and another on the side of the treadmill.

Count the revolutions of the belt for one minute at the speed you usually run. Verify by running on the treadmill at the speed you usually run, and having a friend count the revolutions for one minute. This latter one is the more accurate measurement.

Extrapolate the rpm distance to distance and pace.

I recently purchased 2013 Sole F80 TM. The calibration was set for roller size 2.4. Called Sole, they said it should be set to 2.81. I checked my front roller size and it was indeed 2.4" in diameter and not 2.75" like the spec's say.

jetman4 wrote:

I recently purchased 2013 Sole F80 TM. The calibration was set for roller size 2.4. Called Sole, they said it should be set to 2.81. I checked my front roller size and it was indeed 2.4" in diameter and not 2.75" like the spec's say.

The 2013 F80 has 2.75" rollers. One of these scenarios has happened:

- You do not have a 2013 F80 (earlier model years had a smaller roller, possibly 2.5")

- Your measured incorrectly (you actually disassembled the treadmill to measure the roller?)

I hav a live strong - it's a rebranded horizon I think, so it's actually a quality machine. They are going cheap now because of the whole Lance thing, but they were always a bit cheaper than comparable models. Mine's held up very well, tells you when to oil the belt and has a bunch of programs I never use. It folds which is nice and is fairly sturdy. It also has a long deck, 60". Top speed on mine is 12.

It's definitely a 2013 model purchased directly from Sole.

I did actually measure front and rear rollers....both are 2.4" in diameter. Did you measure yours?

Decals on treadmill itself even state 2.75" rollers, but they're not.

Spoke with Sole customer service who put me on hold to measure some at their location. He said those also measure 2.4"

They told me to contact an engineer with Spirit because they don't have an answer. No reply from Spirit treadmills.

jetman4 wrote:

It's definitely a 2013 model purchased directly from Sole.

I did actually measure front and rear rollers....both are 2.4" in diameter. Did you measure yours?

Decals on treadmill itself even state 2.75" rollers, but they're not.

Spoke with Sole customer service who put me on hold to measure some at their location. He said those also measure 2.4"

They told me to contact an engineer with Spirit because they don't have an answer. No reply from Spirit treadmills.

I'm skeptical. This doesn't pass the smell test. Sole promotes this treadmill as having 2.75 rollers.

Again I'll ask... How are you measuring the diameter of the roller... did you take apart your treadmill?

webfoot wrote:

This doesn't pass the smell test. Sole promotes this treadmill as having 2.75 rollers.

Why would you need 2.75 rollers?

How much are these? I'm in the market as well.

When you calibrate your sole f80 are you able to set minimum speed to 0.5? For some reason my sole f80 2103 model will only get to 0.6 as minimum speed. I will really appreciate your input.

Thanks

Aurelio

What is so good about the Sole treadmills, and how much are they? On Amazon they look to be $1000 on up.

The Horizon 101 is $630 and has pretty good ratings. Has anyone here tried one or had one?

Treadmill Help wrote:

Is there an easy, practical way to check the calibration?

I have a surveyor's wheel that cost me about $80, which I used to use to walk and measure regular routes, before many of the GPS/accelerometer gadgets were widely available.

I simply turned on my treadmill to a set pace, gave it time to reach full speed, and carefully measured a mile (5280' on the wheel), then noted whether it corresponded exactly with a mile on the display (it was within 10' - 15', more than good enough for me).

The question that has remained on my mind is how much different (if any) the results would be when I am running on it, compared to a freely spinning belt.

Treadmills hurt my poor delicate feet.

Attach some magnetic tape to the belt and a reed switch to the base so that the magnet passes under it. Measure the number of pulses while running.

Let's get complicated wrote:

Attach some magnetic tape to the belt and a reed switch to the base so that the magnet passes under it. Measure the number of pulses while running.

Ah. I guess you are trying to imply that putting a measuring wheel on a treadmill is some sort of complicated ordeal. I'm not sure what part of this one-step process, in which you simply stand there and wait for a mile to pass, you find challenging. I will not poke fun at you - perhaps you have a brain injury, or simply did not understand the genuine simplicity of this method.