Do any of you own a treadmill?

[viewaskewniverse]

I'm looking to buy one, and I've seen and tired out a few, but I have no idea what to look for in terms of quality and things like that. I don't need it to be super fancy; I just need it to work.

Do you have a treadmill, and if so, what kind is it? Do you like it? How long have you had it? Does it have all sorts of shiny buttons and knobs? Can you recommend any certain brand? I have a small condo, so I’ll need to get one that fits well in tight spaces. I actually tried one that folded up nice and flat and went underneath the bed when not in use! Pretty neat.

Thanks for any and all helpful comments and suggestions!

[dsnylndmom]

I have a Nordictrack treadmill, I've had it for about a year, give or take. I got it at Sears and I know it was under $900. I think it was more along the lines of $750 on sale and I also got a warranty with it.

• It has the iFit feature, which you can buy little memory card type of things for it and it's got numerous programs that alternate with speed and incline.
• It has one touch speed and incline buttons, which are great when you're running along and realize okay okay too fast too fast
• It has some programs built in, some just for fat burn(speed) and some for cardio(speed and incline)
• It is a spacesaver model so it folds up a bit which helps in a tight space
• There's 3 settings for shock absorbing
• There's a built in a fan and it tracks your calories, distance, etc(which most of the basic models do)

I would try and make sure to get a model that has power incline. Check them out all over, but I found much better prices at Sears rather than Sports Authority/Big Five. Also, for motivation, I have mine set up in the office with a DVR in there and I DVR specific shows that I only allow myself to watch while I'm on it. Oh oh, and make sure that once you get one and start to work out on it, vary your routine. Switch up between slower incline work(for toning) and straight running/speed work.

Good luck and let us know what you end up with!

[pixywingz]

they make excellent clothes hangers! haha!

[Hakuna Makarla]

I have one also, and yeah used it as a cloths hanger the first year I have all the features as above, and it tells heart rate yada yada, my kids love it, especially my 6 year old. I have been using it, and I am glad now I have it.

[TraceCub]

DMom that is hands down the best advice I've ever seen on a treadmill!



I'm all motivated to go get one now. But we literally do not have the space - even for a "space saver"!

[aimster]

I'll have to see what brand of treadmill they have in the fitness center at my complex (going to try getting on the bike tonight). They just got a new one too.

[Earkid]

We got the Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill. We had some stringent requirements that any treadmill we bought had to meet.
#1 It had to have a fold up deck since it is in our spare room. We have a Murphy bed in there and the treadmill has to fold up before the bed can come down.
#2 I am married to a big guy so the treamill had to support his weight while using inclines and running. This treatmill has a 300 lb. weight limit and also has a "Strike Zone" deck cushioning which makes it really comfortable to run on.
#3 It has one of the longest decks we could find which was needed since DH is tall and has a long stride. The 60" deck is awesome and I never feel like I am going to trip off the end.

We have had it since Jan. of 2006 and it has been one of the best pieces of exercise equipment we have ever purchased. It was also a Consumer Reports Best Buy. No regrets!

[pratt55]

I have one that someone gave me since they must have finally gotten a closet to hang their clothes on. It was free so I have no complaints but if I were to purchase one I definitely would want that folds up and has a fan built in. Ours does have the power incline and one button for settings. The brand name is Trimline.

[CrystalCastle]

Originally Posted by Earkid

We got the Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill. We had some stringent requirements that any treadmill we bought had to meet.
#1 It had to have a fold up deck since it is in our spare room. We have a Murphy bed in there and the treadmill has to fold up before the bed can come down.
#2 I am married to a big guy so the treamill had to support his weight while using inclines and running. This treatmill has a 300 lb. weight limit and also has a "Strike Zone" deck cushioning which makes it really comfortable to run on.
#3 It has one of the longest decks we could find which was needed since DH is tall and has a long stride. The 60" deck is awesome and I never feel like I am going to trip off the end.

We have had it since Jan. of 2006 and it has been one of the best pieces of exercise equipment we have ever purchased. It was also a Consumer Reports Best Buy. No regrets!

We are just now looking to buy a new treadmill and this one sounds interesting. We need one that can handle jogging/running better than our 7 year old model. I just had a couple of questions for you if you don't mind. How is this one for running on? How quiet is it? Thanks so much!

[Earkid]

Originally Posted by CrystalCastle

We are just now looking to buy a new treadmill and this one sounds interesting. We need one that can handle jogging/running better than our 7 year old model. I just had a couple of questions for you if you don't mind. How is this one for running on? How quiet is it? Thanks so much!

I've never been a big fan of running on treadmills before, I just never felt stable. This one is awesome to run on because of the cushioning of the deck and also because of the length of the deck. The length allows you to run without constantly worrying if you are going to hit the sides or slide to the end. Also, I am amazed at how quiet it is. My DH will get up in the morning before me to use it and it never wakes me up (the door to the spare room is about 10 feet away). And it is a sleek, good looking unit. Even when the deck is folded up the bottom of it is very sleek. We are very happy with it!

There are more customer reviews at that Amazon link. But we got ours through the Sports Authority online.

[Earkid]

Here's some pics of the treadmill in the spare room.

[aimster]

I went to my fitness center yesterday and they have a TRUE brand treadmill (and ski machine and bike).

[GrouchyRob]

I currently have a Proform treadmill, bought from Sears 2 years ago. Original price was $899, on sale for $699. Had to replace the roller after a year and the deck broke 4 months ago - I'm 200 lbs and wasn't expecting it. The 1.75 continous horse power (CHP) motor struggled when I ran anything quicker than a 7 minute mile.

Check out Icon fitness http://www.iconfitness.com/, they manufacture the majority of low and mid-range treadmills. If possible, try to find one with a 2.25 CHP motor, they're much quieter than the 1.75. My advice is to actually try them out - I did this last weekend at Sears, Sports Authority, and Sports Chalet. Still up in the air on what manufacturer and model I'm going to choose - defininately won't be Proform.

[dsnylndmom]

This is the one I have.
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...orts&adCell=A3

[GrouchyRob]

Originally Posted by dsnylndmom

This is the one I have.
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...orts&adCell=A3

I liked that one when I tried it, big improvement over the Proform I own.