My current Sole F83 is crapping out on me. I'm intrigued by the curved treadmills without motors, but never used one. I don't need a tv or iFit, so tech is a wash for me. What's the consensus on the better experience, flat vs curved deck? I will use it 3 to 4 days a week, max. When good weather comes I'll abandon it until the summer heat kicks in.
I have both, motorized flat treadmill (commercial grade with no tech) and a curved self powered treadmill. There are pros and cons to both, but the flat treadmill is the most versatile.
The curved treadmill requires more effort to run on, so it is more of a grind to run for over an hour. But it requires no maintenance, just jump on and go. It is amazing for and my go to for interval running. You get up to speed quickly and can stop quickly. Trying to run 20 x 1' on a flat treadmill is difficult, you either jump on and off or have to wait a lengthy time for the belt to accel/decel. But doing longer tempo runs on the curved treadmill can be exhausting. It can also load up your calf muscles a lot with excessive use.
For me I love having both, they are a fantastic pair to cover all types of workouts. But, if I was wiser I should have just gone for the very expensive motorized slated treadmill that can do everything and not need any regular maintenance (my flat treadmill I'm cleaning and lubing every month, an annoying but necessary process). If I had to just choose one, I would hands down get the commercial grade flat treadmill. I like the curved, but only as a supplement to the flat.
The Wahoo Kickr looks really interesting though, it seems to have some great new features.
If you have any over striding issues or tendencies, the curved will correct that. It's virtually impossible to over stride on the curved. On a related note, it will help if you're trying to increase your cadence.
If your form is basically perfect, then flat is probably the way to go. As others have said, a good flat treadmill is more versatile.
I have both, motorized flat treadmill (commercial grade with no tech) and a curved self powered treadmill. There are pros and cons to both, but the flat treadmill is the most versatile.
The curved treadmill requires more effort to run on, so it is more of a grind to run for over an hour. But it requires no maintenance, just jump on and go. It is amazing for and my go to for interval running. You get up to speed quickly and can stop quickly. Trying to run 20 x 1' on a flat treadmill is difficult, you either jump on and off or have to wait a lengthy time for the belt to accel/decel. But doing longer tempo runs on the curved treadmill can be exhausting. It can also load up your calf muscles a lot with excessive use.
For me I love having both, they are a fantastic pair to cover all types of workouts. But, if I was wiser I should have just gone for the very expensive motorized slated treadmill that can do everything and not need any regular maintenance (my flat treadmill I'm cleaning and lubing every month, an annoying but necessary process). If I had to just choose one, I would hands down get the commercial grade flat treadmill. I like the curved, but only as a supplement to the flat.
The Wahoo Kickr looks really interesting though, it seems to have some great new features.
I tried a curve self mill a few months ago. It was definitely way harder than a motor mill. Also my gait felt different. But maybe it was just because of being on a different set up ?
It was only one time. Would need to try it a few more times to get "comfortable" on it to really make a decision.
Which curved treadmill are you looking at? Trueform has much shallower curve (about 2.5%) versus the original Woodway curve. You'll want the shallower curve. More natural feeling.
I bought a used Trueform trainer and absolutely loved it for short intervals as mentioned above. The slat belt feels fantastic and low impact. Be prepared for major hammy action. Plus you can keep in cold garage no problem since no motor.
Now for the bad. I started developing lower back problems, which I've never had before despite decades of working out. I believe the curved treadmill was the culprit although admittedly my back has not improved since selling it lol. Maybe I'm just old AF
Regarding form, I found myself throwing my foot out (up the curve) to move the belt. Probably user error, but know that you may have to keep an eye out for gait changes.
I am 3 days into my curved treadmill (AssaultRunner Pro)- two easy 1-hour runs and longer session including 4 x 10 minutes at threshold-ish effort. I say effort not pace because it is harder to run on the manual treadmills…and the pace/distance measurements from the treadmill feel way off.
It took the entire first run to feel comfortable, but now I really like it. My legs weren’t as sore after the workout. One strange thing is that my gait is different on the curved treadmill. Normally I’m at 180-185 steps per minute during intervals but my cadence during the threshold session was only 175-180.
I suggest finding a gym with a curved treadmill (most CrossFit gyms have them) and doing a one-hour run before making a decision.
For me I love having both, they are a fantastic pair to cover all types of workouts. But, if I was wiser I should have just gone for the very expensive motorized slated treadmill that can do everything and not need any regular maintenance (my flat treadmill I'm cleaning and lubing every month, an annoying but necessary process). If I had to just choose one, I would hands down get the commercial grade flat treadmill. I like the curved, but only as a supplement to the flat.
The Wahoo Kickr looks really interesting though, it seems to have some great new features.
This is the way. I've had a woodway desmo for over 10 years and have never maintained it other than wiping off some sweat occasionally. The thing's a tank and I can confirm has never lost accuracy (I use a stryd footpod for the purposes of getting accurate garmin data on treadmills and my setting has been consistent since 2017 or so whenever I first used a stryd and it matches other treadmills - so say an 8:00 mile is fairly consistent across the board time and time again). Mine also goes from +22 to -3 which is a lot of fun. Can really play around with environmental stuff and it's also plugged straight into zwift.
FWIW the wahoo one really does look cool - would look into it if I didn't already own the beast.
This is the way. I've had a woodway desmo for over 10 years and have never maintained it other than wiping off some sweat occasionally. The thing's a tank and I can confirm has never lost accuracy (I use a stryd footpod for the purposes of getting accurate garmin data on treadmills and my setting has been consistent since 2017 or so whenever I first used a stryd and it matches other treadmills - so say an 8:00 mile is fairly consistent across the board time and time again). Mine also goes from +22 to -3 which is a lot of fun. Can really play around with environmental stuff and it's also plugged straight into zwift.
FWIW the wahoo one really does look cool - would look into it if I didn't already own the beast.
Adding: it's the only treadmill I've reliably run a sub 5:00 mile one; but doesn't go much faster - limited to 12.5 mph, though some can increase the speed to 15. I believe I could too - one of the cool things about woodways is you can add modules; however there's no point for me because I wouldn't sprint on it and I'm not that much faster at any sustained pace.
In my experience the curved treadmill does force me to run at a lower cadence to my flat. I use a stryd pod to get my data to sync up and both the flat and curved have difference calibration factors that I have to use. So indeed your form will be different from one versus the other. I have sustained more body wear and tear using the curved treadmill (hamstrings/calves) so even though the running motion is smooth, the power needed keep that belt moving is more demanding.
I always force myself to run on the curved treadmill with a bounding/popping off with the foot kind of stride - avoid the sensation that you are dragging the belt. I know this is not something that you can necessarily control as its subconscious mechanics, but you have to make sure your stride and overall strength and balance is optimal or you will walk into an injury. Its not a forgiving treadmill if you are dealing with issues or injuries. The flat treadmills are lower impact and you can shuffle your way along when you are working through issues.
Perhaps the one true plus about the curved treadmills is the unlimited speed. I can touch 15~16mph on strides which is wild and fun. But I wouldn't buy a curved treadmill exclusively because of this, unless if you love sprinting or do cross-fit.
Still, that slatted Woodway is where its at... Just wish they were half the price.
This is the way. I've had a woodway desmo for over 10 years and have never maintained it other than wiping off some sweat occasionally. The thing's a tank and I can confirm has never lost accuracy (I use a stryd footpod for the purposes of getting accurate garmin data on treadmills and my setting has been consistent since 2017 or so whenever I first used a stryd and it matches other treadmills - so say an 8:00 mile is fairly consistent across the board time and time again). Mine also goes from +22 to -3 which is a lot of fun. Can really play around with environmental stuff and it's also plugged straight into zwift.
FWIW the wahoo one really does look cool - would look into it if I didn't already own the beast.
Are you saying a Stryd foot pod can show you if your treadmill is inaccurate/needs to be recalibrated? Genuinely curious since I’ve never used one.
Technically, yes. Unless you believe the Earth is flat.
What a stupid response.
I love my curved treadmill, it really helped with my indoor 800. Meanwhile, I bought a second one, so I can alternate between clockwise and counterclockwise to avoid injury.
This is the way. I've had a woodway desmo for over 10 years and have never maintained it other than wiping off some sweat occasionally. The thing's a tank and I can confirm has never lost accuracy (I use a stryd footpod for the purposes of getting accurate garmin data on treadmills and my setting has been consistent since 2017 or so whenever I first used a stryd and it matches other treadmills - so say an 8:00 mile is fairly consistent across the board time and time again). Mine also goes from +22 to -3 which is a lot of fun. Can really play around with environmental stuff and it's also plugged straight into zwift.
FWIW the wahoo one really does look cool - would look into it if I didn't already own the beast.
Are you saying a Stryd foot pod can show you if your treadmill is inaccurate/needs to be recalibrated? Genuinely curious since I’ve never used one.
I would also like to see an answer to this question.
Stryd aficionados will tell you yes, but I have my doubts. I have one and if I set the pace to 5:00/km the pace the stryd is telling my watch I'm running gradually ramps up over the duration of an hour run, varies about 10s/km between the first km and the last one. So unless my relatively new treadmill happens to gradually speed up I'm not confident it's going to reliably answer questions about calibration.