Elliptical Trainers - Own one & actually use it?

mdaudioguy

I'm in the market for an elliptical training machine, and will most likely choose from Sears offerings, since basically they're the most convenient source for me. They sell NordicTrack and Sole, which seem to offer the most in my price range (~$750-$1,000), as well as several other brands (both higher and lower end). Adjustable stride, pedals, and incline would seem to be good features to look for.

Any owners/users have any suggestions?

chumlie

Look at craigslist first. Most people buy them with all good intentions and usually end up being nothing more than exspensive coat racks for their basement.

evhudsons

I spent more time putting one together for my wife than the time she spent using it. Great clothes rack as Chumlie mentioned.

mdaudioguy

chumlie wrote: »

Look at craigslist first. Most people buy them with all good intentions and usually end up being nothing more than exspensive coat racks for their basement.

As a matter of fact, there are some on there in the area - at a significant discount, too. One even mentions its use as a clothes rack. I guess my only concern is did they put it together properly...

unc2701

I have bad knees, so the low impact is great, but you don't get anywhere near the workout as jogging the same "distance". It's not quite like a stationary bike, but the muscles are certainly different. So in some ways cardio is cardio, but I can throw down a 18 minute 5k on the elliptical no problem and I'm certain I'm nowhere near 20 minutes in real life.

drumminman

Google Nordic Track and Sole for problems - IIRC they're not well made.

I bought my wife one by Smooth Fitness, sold only online. They have sales all the time and, for a fee, will have it assembled. I chose to assemble it myself - it wasn't difficult. Comes with a long warranty too.

The cheaper trainers look nice but cut corners on moving parts, e.g. using bushings instead of ball or needle bearings.

Good luck

Dabutcher

Bought a nice working Quest Fitness X6000 for $29.99 @ Valuthrift store. Do not use it much. But I need to! Good luck ,D

cnh

Don't know much about these but the wife has been pestering me to buy one? I know I'll be spending MORE time than I would like reading Chinese assembly instructions. And I'll probably never use it--problem there. I'm about 9" taller than my wife who is around 5'4 1/2" so while she can ride up and down in a basement that is 6'7" in height, my head would go through the ceiling tiles on the way up! So that dampens my enthusiasm. And I'm sure I won't get to place it upstairs in the HT room which has an 8' 6" ceiling!

Oh well, it is a good LOW-impact workout for those of us with aging knees. I found that when I got in my mid-30s I could no longer break into an all-out sprint without having my legs buckle some as I approached maximum velocity. In other words I could still almost hit my full speed but the knees were not with the program. And, now, I would probably lose a race to the fat kids who came in last in High School. There is a reason that athletes "peak" before that age, my friends!

cnh

Polkie2009

Precor used to make some decent elliptical machines, not sure if they are still around though.

rdb2001

unc2701 wrote: »

I have bad knees, so the low impact is great, but you don't get anywhere near the workout as jogging the same "distance". It's not quite like a stationary bike, but the muscles are certainly different. So in some ways cardio is cardio, but I can throw down a 18 minute 5k on the elliptical no problem and I'm certain I'm nowhere near 20 minutes in real life.

I am going to disagree with this statement. Your obviously using the lowest resistance and incline. I run 5ks and complete them in about 21-22mins. I have never come close to doing 3 miles on an elliptical in the same time frame. It works a whole lot more and it takes more wind to sustain on an elliptical. I honestly think it is better than a treadmell. On a treadmill I can run 1.4 miles in ten minutes. On the elliptical, on the highest level progam for cardio I am no where near a mile and more winded in the same time span. I use an elliptical every morning before my workouts and have watched my stamina go up and my times go down when I run.

steveinaz

Is an "elliptical trainer" some sort of entry level phono cartridge?

gdb

I researched them thoroughly before buying one, there are a lot of expensive pieces of of junk on the market. Finally found a German made "Smooth" unit for $700.00 on CL. (less than half of new price) Take your time !

gdb

steveinaz wrote: »

Is an "elliptical trainer" some sort of entry level phono cartridge?

Now, that right there is funny !!!

WastelandWand'r

Precor or Life Fitness are the ones to beat. Mine (Precor 5.17 which is similar to the 5.31 model) has been trouble free for the last 6 years. Heavy duty. Mine was about $2500.00 back then. Mine is used 3-4 times a week by me alone as I was blessed with an Achilles tendon that flares up from time to time and running is out of the question.
The most important thing is do something, meaning exercise.
Good luck.
nathan

Systems

I think it is easier just to run back and forth to the fridge for a beer.:cheesygrin:

Thats gotta burn some calories right there!

tonyb

pepster wrote: »

I think it is easier just to run back and forth to the fridge for a beer.:cheesygrin:

Thats gotta burn some calories right there!

Yeah, if the fridge is at the end of the driveway.

mdaudioguy

Anybody familiar with Octane? I'm seeing a few of them out there.

mdaudioguy

I took the advice to move away from retail and tried to find a higher-end model that perhaps someone bought and ended up not using too much for whatever reason. (Yeah, like my Bowflex in the basement. I'm gonna pull that out again one day, I swear!)

I found a great deal tonight on a very slightly used Octane Q35 like this (except well under half the price): www.octanefitness.com/products/standing-ellipticals/q35/

On local CL, went and checked it out. Looked like new, tested it, and it seemed to operate very smoothly. I'll be getting it on Saturday.

mdaudioguy

Yeah, I don't waste much time making up my mind.

gdb

Hope it works out for ya !

Face

http://sellout.woot.com/sale/26287

http://moofi.woot.com/moofi/liptickle

Rivrrat

The answer to the thread title is yes, and yes. I'm on my way upstairs shortly to spend an hour or so on my old dinosaur Wesolo Cardioglide II that I've used off and on for thirteen years.

I keep thinking about buying a new one, but this one is easy to work on when it has issues, and it's like a Timex, it just keeps on ticking (and sometimes I have to fix that ticking sound :razz:).

ViperZ

Our local craigslist is filled with "slightly used" bowflex and other types of exercise equipment. If I didn't have a corporate membership rate to the local gym, I'd be all over those machines.

mdaudioguy

Seller ended up calling me this afternoon asking if they could deliver it tonight. Yeah, I ended up negotiating down PLUS they delivered it to me! They were an hour away and had a pickup. I would have had to partially disassemble to fit it in my Suburban, so they offered delivery. When they pulled in the driveway, I noticed they had thoroughly strapped it in after covering it with blankets. Upon removing the blankets, I noticed they even wrapped the handle bars and console in plastic! They really took care of this piece of equipment. It shows zero signs of wear.

It's solid, like something you'd find at a gym. I just completed my first workout - a mere 20 minutes! :redface: Felt great, though! :razz:

Just gotta stay motivated.

mdaudioguy

ViperZ wrote: »

Our local craigslist is filled with "slightly used" bowflex and other types of exercise equipment. If I didn't have a corporate membership rate to the local gym, I'd be all over those machines.

I'm so glad I went that route!

GlennDog

resurrected thread . . . Pun intended

this Fat Bastage needs to shed winters over indulgences

I'm hoping for some recent experience commentary specific to NordicTrack's latest offerings. I'm looking at the FS7i and FS9i and I'm in no hurry bc of their CS issues

https://www.nordictrack.com/freestride-trainers

NT customer service reviews are Awful, I mean abysmal ... and I'm being generous. If they don't clean up their act, I'll search the competition

I will be going used, hopefully "very lightly used." Since these are new models, they shouldn't hit the used mkt for another yr or so

mdaudioguy

Still glad I bought this machine and it's been solid! My wife, kids, and I have used it a lot. After getting into decent shape, I moved primarily to outdoor running, but I do log time inside when the weather gets too cold or nasty. My wife uses it very regularly. The best investment was a 32" TV wall-mounted in front of it, with (why not) a pair of Polk in-walls! Keeps us distracted while staying fit.

kevhed72

I think our Local Y has Precor which are nice....TVs and headphone jacks are a nice plus. Most of the hotels I stay at have some crappy brand or lower version of Precor which sucks because the motion is....weird and incomfortable. Also, I would stay away from those goofy ones which swivel your legs from side to side while going up and down. I think those are actually bad for the knees.

tonyb

chumlie wrote: »

Look at craigslist first. Most people buy them with all good intentions and usually end up being nothing more than exspensive coat racks for their basement.

I'd second that suggestion. They can be found for 3-400 bucks on Craigslist for the exact reasons mentioned.

Here's the thing, you have to be disciplined enough to use it, most are not. If left up to your own choice at home, you may or may not get into a routine.

It's better to get up and out of the house....imho...like grocery shopping. Something you HAVE to do. Every time I have bought a piece of exercise equipment, It wound up being an expensive rack to hang laundry from.

kevhed72

I agree Tony....getting up out of the house is a good thing. Although most of my running get done while the kids are swimming, we still keep our Y membership for those off days. Too many distractions at home.

stangman67

I had one. Never used it. I prefer the erg and running outdoors. Way more interesting and interesting leads to sustainability