treadmills - nordic track vs. reebok

Please forgive me for asking you about your price preferences, but I feel I have to interject.

You can get a pretty decent nordic-track treadmill for under $900 smackerels. It will, I'm sure, last quite a long time....unless you're planning to do something else with it besides run on it!

Is there a particular reason you need the expensive ones?

If there isn't much of a reason to "buy high", don't waste your hard earned cash.

I know alot of good distance runners that have been using their same seven or eight year old fold-away treadmills. They're used three times a week or more...probably much more in the winter. The friends I have don't have any complaints.

Just a thought.

TREadmills are the devil. it's even more unnatural than kissing ur sister, not to be crude but it's like maturbation, it gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing. Treadmills are gay go outside if at all possible.

no offense meant to anyone that's gay that reads this post, sorry, i never mean to put u guys/girls in the same catagory as a treadmill, I am really sorry.

You can get really nice 'mills for under $2k so don't let the price scare you. I've been using an old Pacemaster HR Pro for years (they've gone up a bit since then). It maxes out at 11 mph (5:30 pace) instead of the usual 10. I live in central New York and the winters can be brutal so the 'mill can be a godsend. You can't get a good run in on icy roads and I won't run after dark because given the snowbanks, there's no place to hide from the crazy SUV and pickup truck drivers.

Running on icy roads can be fun though I don't ever miss it. Why did God invent snow?

My main goal when I bought my treadmill was to find one that would go at least 12 mph and was dependable. I ended up getting a used Precor (retail approx. $4.5k) for $1600. It was a little scratched up but the motor had been replaced. If you do go this rout, make sure the place you buy it from is local or uses a reputable delivery company. The delivery company broke my treadmill and it had to be sent back and replaced.

I spent a good deal of time researching TM before I bought mine last year. My advice: spend enough to get a decent one. I have a Pacemaster too and I am satisfied with it. Like the previous poster said, it goes up to 11mph which is faster than most (I set the thing on a 1.5 or 2 percent incline to keep the pace honest because there's no wind resistance).

I narrowed down my search to three good machines: True, Life Fitness and Pacemaster. There are probably other good ones out there but these were the best I could find in my area. Sometimes I wish I had spent more to get one that was a bit heavier and faster. The pacemaster has an aluminum frame, which makes it relatively light but not quite as stable. Sometimes I wish I had one that could go 12mph, but if you want to go harder you can just crank up the incline. If I had more money, I?d probably buy a True or Life Fitness machine that goes 12mph, but those are a lot more pricey.

Generally, though, I?m pretty happy with the Pacemaster. I ran it pretty hard during the winter, often at max speed for a couple of hours per week. I probably put 400 miles on it and had only one problem: a cracked deck, which was repaired promptly in my home at no cost under warranty (think seriously about a good warranty, unless you can get a real good deal on a used machine).

I don?t know the machines you mentioned. I have heard BAD things about Nordic track. Ive heard one Reebok machine is good, the AC-something, which goes up to 12mph, folds up and costs somewhere around $1600-1800. Check out treadmilldoctor.com or the treadmill reviews on the Runners World site (yeah, yeah, the magazine sucks but it?s the only review out there).

Forget about people who call you a pussy for running on the TM. You know whats best for you and if the TM helps you deal with winter, watching kids or whatever, use it. You decide who runs the better workout: a person who does a steady run up an incline for an hour at 11pm or a person who is forced to a crawl by ice or six inches of fresh snow and has to dodge plows and skidding cars in the dark. Believe me, lots of elite runners use the machines because they know it helps them train better in winter conditions. Some other treadmill ?pussies? include Rod Dehaven, Ingrid Kristianson, Christy Clark and Marius Bakken.

Good luck.

CEntral new york running is the best in the winter :). Especially when you're in a valley with the lake effect.

My advice to you is to do what I did.

Find a PACEMASTER dealer in your area.

Its a quality treadmill for about $2000.

http://www.pacemaster.com/dealerlocator.htm

I had one problem with mine and the local dealer

came and replaced the part no charge.