Help me buy a treadmill

I saw one a few days ago out for trash pickup that had a 'free' sign on it. I knew I should have loaded it in the back of the car.

A couple years ago I bought a Sole F85 for winter running months. Thought I'd be the only one to use it but my entire family runs on it now. I mounted an inexpensive smart tv with sound bar on the wall and we stream Netflix and Amazon.

Sole F85 gets down to 5 minute miles which is faster than we need. My family of four runs 100-150 mpw on it so I eventually purchased a service agreement through Sears that has been well worth it. We originally purchased the treadmill for about $1800 on sale at Sears.

The only negative I can think of is at some point we managed to track treadmill lubricant, which is used between the belt and deck, through part of our house. That stuff is hard to remove from hardwood floors.

Try Craigslist. Might be able to get a good one for dirt cheap.

I did a ton of research on treadmills last year, tried out a bunch and ended up buying a True ES900 for about $4500. Probably more than I needed and sounds like more than you want to spend but here are my thoughts.

1) Think about what features you want. Do you want no frills - just something that has multiple speeds and multiple inclines? Do you want decline? Do you want adjustable decks that can be made to feel softer/harder? Do you want multimedia - i.e. internet connection, tv, music when you run? You pay more for the latter options and generally pay more the more options the treadmill has. But be warned that like cars electronic gadgets are more likely to malfunction.

2) Conventional advice I was given is that $2000 is the entry price for a solidly built treadmill that will last and hold up to wear and tear. Biggest contributors to quality are the motor and materials. So look at motor specs and whether materials are metal or cheaper plastic. Icon fitness - makers of Nautictrak and proform - are the largest makers in the industry but I was warned to stay away because they are known for crappy materials and poor service. These treadmills are more cost effective because of the scale of the manufacturer so consider buying one maybe with extended warranty if cost is an issue.

3) Run on them if you can. I was shocked how differently each treadmill felt when I ran on them. Some shimmied at higher speeds and some felt too soft/too hard. Some were difficult to adjust speeds and inclines quickly. At the end of the day you run on the thing so make sure it works for you. If you race on hilly courses consider decline option.

4) Check out reviews at treadmilldoctor.com

I bought mine at GymSource - which is all over the Northeast I believe.

First you have to decide how much you want to pay. Then you have to decide how you will use it and which features matter for your training and family lifestyle. I've had good luck w/Nordic Track but that has been partly based on a service guy who lives in my rural neck of New England.

Unless you have a guarantee of quality or are on a very limited budget, going new assures you know the history of your machine and should get you through the winter without hassle.

Try Treadmill doctor dot com for reviews. He has a pretty good breakdown on brands by price range.

Thanks for the advice. I'll check out treadmill doctor.

I don't need any multimedia stuff or electronics or pre-canned workouts or any of that stuff. I can just put a tablet computer or a TV nearby if I want to watch something, or use my $50 ipod shuffle to listen to podcasts.

Also I really don't need incline or anything other than speed adjust. When I run on a treadmill in the gym I leave it on flat or at a slight inclinde and just control the speed 99% of the time. I hate doing workouts on treadmills. And I'll also never need to run faster than 5:00 mile. Once upon a time that might be necessary but even if I do 400m repeats now it's still slower than that.

The treadmill will be a means to an end to just get some mileage in when I can't run outside due to darkness, snow, or really extreme cold.

I'll post here if I decide on one. Weldon tells me not to bother at all. Says someone in Texas.

Let us know what you choose. I will be in the market soon.

Apparently you can't wait, but buying a second-hand treadmill in spring is by far the most economical option.

I found a guy on Craigslist offering a Sportsart 1210s treadmill http://www.treadmilltips.com/sportsart-1210-treadmill.html for $700. It's from 2006 and had an MSRP of $2500. Looks high quality. Anyone have experience with Sports Art?

I have a Nordictrack c1750. I think the main take away I learned from my research was the motor power is the most important. If you are a real runner and you must be to be here on Letsrun, you want at least 3.5chp. Commerical grade motor. This is not just important for speed and power, but for longevity. My wife and I both run on it 3-4 days a week in the winter and twice a week in the summer. Half the time its just an easy run and half the time it is a workout. Having a more powerful motor make the treadmill last longer and not burn out from that much abuse.

Everything else on the treadmill are frills. The one touch speed changes and incline are nice. The fan is ok. The rest of the touch screen and speakers are bonus and not really necessary.

What is the advantage or disadvantage of getting an incline treadmill vs a regular treadmill

For example - which would you choose

http://www.nordictrack.com/fitness/en/NordicTrack/InclineTrainers/x11i-incline-trainer

Incline machine with 4.25 motor

vs

elite 3.8 motor treadmill that is actually more expensive

http://www.nordictrack.com/fitness/en/NordicTrack/Treadmills/nordictrack-elite-9500-pro-treadmill

vs

this 4.25 motor machine

http://www.nordictrack.com/fitness/en/NordicTrack/Treadmills/commercial-2950

I am happy with the Landice pro sports trainer in good condition that I got for $550, plus 145 to have a couple of guys truck it to me, all from Craigslist.

J.R. wrote:

I am happy with the Landice pro sports trainer in good condition that I got for $550, plus 145 to have a couple of guys truck it to me, all from Craigslist.

How hard will it be to fit a treadmill into a RAV4 (or CRV, same size basically)? Assume I'll have to some disassembly if I buy from a CL guy.

erik wrote:

I found a guy on Craigslist offering a Sportsart 1210s treadmill

http://www.treadmilltips.com/sportsart-1210-treadmill.html

for $700. It's from 2006 and had an MSRP of $2500. Looks high quality. Anyone have experience with Sports Art?

Looks underpowered,,,, 2.7hp motor only goes to 6 minute mile pace.

erik wrote:How hard will it be to fit a treadmill into a RAV4 (or CRV, same size basically)? Assume I'll have to some disassembly if I buy from a CL guy.

A decent treadmill is heavy (250 plus pounds) and large. Amazon will have specs on just about any treadmill. If you try to squeeze it in your RAV I guarantee you will damage RAV and treadmill. Rent a trailer or UHaul truck.

Interested in info-recommendat wrote:

What is the advantage or disadvantage of getting an incline treadmill vs a regular treadmill

For example - which would you choose

http://www.nordictrack.com/fitness/en/NordicTrack/InclineTrainers/x11i-incline-trainer

Incline machine with 4.25 motor

vs

elite 3.8 motor treadmill that is actually more expensive

http://www.nordictrack.com/fitness/en/NordicTrack/Treadmills/nordictrack-elite-9500-pro-treadmill

vs

this 4.25 motor machine

http://www.nordictrack.com/fitness/en/NordicTrack/Treadmills/commercial-2950

Nothing. They are all the same, just the inclines are made to go steeper....They are also steeper in price.

Look at how much you can afford and what fancy features you need. If money was no object, that TV one is nice.

I have the C1750, but thats cause I have a pain cave with a projector and have no need for tablet holders or a tv.

The price differences are just the quality of the motor and that 40%. When are you going to need that though as a real runner. I do hill repeats at 7% 10mph and that is a good workout. I dont want to have to hold on to the handles while going 40%.

Half decent treadmill $1,500.

6 month gym membership $200.

Thanks for the feedback.

I do some trail racing and thought the incline machine would be good for hill training when the trails are rained out. To be honest, I don't know what a 20% incline vs a 6% incline looks like on a trail. I don't know have a good reference.

Smooth Fitness, 945 model - hand sensors for lower/rasing speed, great shock absorbtion, reasonably priced - solid all around machine