Home treadmill?

[Ronstar]

Our 10yo treadmill is blowing a bearing, making it so loud I cant hear the tv at full volume 10' away. It seems to run ok, but the noise is unbearable.

I'm going splurge and buy a new one within the next few months. Any advice on a good home treadmill?

[W2R]

I do not have a treadmill, but I have heard a lot of good things about the Sole F80. I even tried one at a local sporting goods store, and loved it. I will be interested to read the suggestions in this thread.

[Nemo2]

We have one of their ellipticals, rather than a treadmill, and it's a good solid unit:

Treadmill | Treadmills for Home | Home Fitness Equipment - Treadmills | Precor

[braumeister]

Very happy with our three year old Landice L7 Pro Sport. It's our second treadmill in the last 20 years, and although our first one (a Spirit) was good, this one is great. Both DW and I like it enough to actually use it when the weather is bad outside.

[ChiliPepr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R I do not have a treadmill, but I have heard a lot of good things about the Sole F80. I even tried one at a local sporting goods store, and loved it. I will be interested to read the suggestions in this thread.

Woot is have a sale on Sole treadmills, today only.
Sole Fitness Treadmills: Not The Sole Sole

Sole F63 is $649.99 (list $1,899.99)
Sole F83 is $999.99 (list $2,299.99)
Sole F85 is $1,099.99 (list $2,999.99)

[eytonxav]

These FreeMotion treadmills are pretty nice. I only used the commercial ones, but I imagine the home is pretty stout and has good features:

Treadmills at FreemotionFitness.com- Buy a Commercial Treadmill

[Koogie]

Since you already have one I'm sure you know this but get one with the largest motor (continuous duty) and sturdiest deck you can find. I still use an old Free Spirit one that we got from a Sears outlet. Ugly as sin, no "features" and built like a tank.

[Midpack]

We have a Life Fitness T3 treadmill and it's excellent. However, I remember from our research when we bought, Landice and Sole were top notch (mentioned above). We wanted a Landice but they were just more $ than we wanted to spend, though all indications are they're worth it. It might come down to what's the best deal available when you buy among several manufacturers.

Good ones are not cheap, but if you used one for 10 years and wore it out, it appears it would be a very good investment in your case. We're not exactly wearing ours out. Best of luck...

[sailor]

a frugal question from the sailor: Have you considered replacing the bearing?

[omni550]

Have you considered checking Craig's List or a second-hand sporting goods shop (like Play It Again Sports).

Sadly, unlike yours, most treadmills don't wear out as they seem to end up being used for clothing storage:

[JPatrick]

Our 5 year old Nordic Track (from Sears) gets a lot of use and still runs like new.

[tonyb]

Have had a Sole F85 for 5 years and am very happy with it.

[Ronstar]

Thanks everyone - lots of great advice here. I've looked at the Sole and Nordic Tracks, and will concentrate my research on these.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack We have a Life Fitness T3 treadmill and it's excellent.

That's what we have now - it's great except for the noise

Quote:

Originally Posted by sailor a frugal question from the sailor: Have you considered replacing the bearing?

DW got a quote of $900+ to fix it. So I looked online and found new motors for $380-$425. I'll look further into this - maybe I can just swap out the bearings.

[Tom52]

I am also interested to see the recommendations in this thread as we will be replacing ours in the not so distant future.

We have a NordicTrack that is about 10 years old that has had a lot of use. However, it has occasional fits where it will just stop during your workout. You have to reset it each time to start it back up. I will avoid NordicTrack on our next purchase.

On my next treadmill the number one requirement will be that the grab bars must move up with any increase in the incline. I am tall and when you are up to a 5-6 degree incline the stationary grab bars are extremely low. It is a safety issue to me, I like them to be at a comfortable height, regardless of incline, in case I lose my balance and need to grab onto them.

By the way.....and not to hijack the thread but I also hate to lubricate the tread. Very messy job and the recommended lube is way to expensive. Any recommendations on what you use?

[braumeister]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom52 I also hate to lubricate the tread. Very messy job and the recommended lube is way to expensive. Any recommendations on what you use?

Silicone faucet grease (available at Home Depot or Lowes) costs less than five bucks and lasts me a couple of years.

[Tom52]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister Silicone faucet grease (available at Home Depot or Lowes) costs less than five bucks and lasts me a couple of years.

Thanks braumeister I will to get some of that silicon faucet grease. When you read about lubricating the tread on the internet you get a lot of people saying you have to use a certain (expensive) product or the belt will disintegrate. I find that a bit hard to believe and I am tired of paying $10 for a very small tube of the recommended lube.

[braumeister]

Here's what to look for (from the HD website):

[M Paquette]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom52 We have a NordicTrack that is about 10 years old that has had a lot of use. However, it has occasional fits where it will just stop during your workout. You have to reset it each time to start it back up. I will avoid NordicTrack on our next purchase.

For what its worth, ICON Fitness makes the NordicTrack, ProForm, Weider, Reebok and Gold’s Gym consumer grade machines. We had a ProForm treadmill that regularly burned up its motor controller board.

Currently we have a Life Fitness X3 elliptical machine (with the bare bones basic console. No TV, iPod connection, or beer tap.). After seven years of daily use, it has had no problems, and is still almost silent in use.

[easysurfer]

I had this manual treadmill which was a total bust.

So, now percolating in my mind is thoughts of a motorized treadmill.

For folks that use a treadmill, how necessary is one with an incline? Does your treadmill have one? Or for you is an incline just a nice to have?

I'm thinking more for just walking and not running.

[palomalou]

I think the incline is very useful when walking. Helps me get heart rate up without breaking into a jog, which my hip no longer likes.