is it possible to find a durable treadmill in the $400 range?

my research is not encouraging on this. i don't need a lot of bells and whistles. it's for walking and possibly moving to light jogging. incline capability would be nice.

am i dreaming?

Spend very little....odds very good it will be left at the nearest thrift store within a year.

I have an older model tunturi that has been great. I looked at their website and the cheapest model is $1400... Perhaps a used treadmill that didn't get a lot of use might be your best bet. I am sure there are a lot of people who buy them and then don't use them for whatever reason.

.. .an elliptical is supposed to be better for you. . .

1. Less impact on your joints. . .

2. It supposedly gives you the best overall workout ( some news program said this. . .I think the stair climber was #2)

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I reject your reality and substitute my own!

You could buy some second hand pro units from a gym if they're upgrading.

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Treadmill I used one in college. Didnt like it. Eliptical worked better, for the reasons Newton mentioned.

I use a stationary bike now.

Carm

definitely spend as little as possible. you're likely to return it.

some people can work out and watch tv. i don't understand this but to each his own.

if you really want to do cardio, find a good outdoor route. particularly right outside your front door.

its much more rewarding to have the world move by as you sweat.

mattkime Wrote:
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> definitely spend as little as possible. you're
> likely to return it.
>
> some people can work out and watch tv. i don't
> understand this but to each his own.
>
> if you really want to do cardio, find a good
> outdoor route. particularly right outside your
> front door.
>
> its much more rewarding to have the world move by
> as you sweat.

outside is my preference and i do have an outdoor loop and a loop during my son's soccer practice. however, i'm succumbing to a lack of weather will power and admitting that if it's too hot, too cold, or too wet (which it often is in GA) i just don't venture out. my personality is such that if i spend money on a treadmill i will use it because if i don't the 'wasted money' guilt will be overwhelming.

aahh, the games we play with ourselves.

i plan to listen to podcasts while on the tread rather than tv. i can't do that outside for fear of not hearing the crazy drivers that blast through my neighborhood. (there are no sidewalks here.)

i'll add ellipticals into my possibilities.

the elliptical machines will kick you in the arse (in a good way) also i do not see you getting anything new for $400 and it being any good .

graylocks Wrote:
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> is it possible to find a durable treadmill in the
> $400 range?

No.

What you do is buy the $400 treadmill, understanding that it's a throwaway.

If you end up not using it, you've thrown away only $400. If you DO use it, you'll use it up and throw it away--and it will have been an investement in your treadmill education. You will have proven to yourself that you do use it, and you'll know what you like and don't like, and now you'll know what to buy for real.

Then you'll go out and buy a Landice or similar.

I've had a Landice for over 8 years now. It rocks. So does the company.

Trust me when I tell you: all the bells and whistles that are on the $400 and even $900 treadmills are meaningless. You want one with speed and incline controls, and you don't need anything else. You don't need programming or anything automated.

What you DO need is a good solid set of motors. The incline motor on my Landice is twice as big, powerful, and sturdy as the tread motor on any treadmill you're looking at. It makes a huge difference. You really do get what you pay for.

But as I said, don't pay for that up front. Buy the throwaway unit until you know you've committed to the program.

In fact, I'm about to get on my treadmill in a few minutes. I do two sessions a day of 30 minutes at 4.3mph on a 6% incline.


>
> my research is not encouraging on this. i don't
> need a lot of bells and whistles. it's for walking
> and possibly moving to light jogging. incline
> capability would be nice.
>
> am i dreaming?

Not really. You *can* buy a treadmill in your price range. What you won't get is a good or reliable or long-term treadmill in your price range.

I'll never forget having worn out our $900 treadmill and going to look for a new one. I told the guy: I want one with no bells and whistles. Do you have one? He took me away from the sub-$1000 section (they all had silly useless bells and whistles; that's what sells the sub-$1000 treadmill) and we went over to the entry level Landice--$2200. You'll find that the serious machines can afford not to have all the bells and whistles, while the cheap "BUY ME!" machines on the floor can't NOT have the bells and whistles. It's the bells and whistles that attract the masses who don't know any better and who haven't done their research.

It was $2200 well spent, in retrospect. But so was the initial $900 unit that didn't last me 3 years, because it was a great proof of concept.

BTW, I do the TV thing while I walk. But it's ReplayTV, so I'm not sitting there for 4-5 mintues at a stretch watching a commercial break. It's also the TV that I want to watch when I feel like walking; I'm not stuck in THEIR schedule.

If I had to do it around the network schedules and watch commercials throughout, I wouldn't do TV, either. But then I'd be bored out of my mind.

And the treadmill moves too much to do any reading, even with a reading stand.

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In the words of DharmaDog: "it may or may not be utter horse@#$%&, but it shouldn't be dismissed simply because it doesn't agree with your opinion."

Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Trying is the first step to failure. -- Homer Simpson

Look for a pro quality running treadmill on the used market. Scout yard sales, estate sales, etc. It is possible to score heavily with patience. mick e's mother-in-law managed to pick up a full-blown Precor runner at an estate sale with a lowball offer of $200. It's an older unit, but the build quality is amazing - it was like three or four grand when it was new.

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Unpaid Social Liaison



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/17/2006 08:28AM by mick e.

So how much does a good elliptical machine run?

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I bought a treadmill on clearance at Walmart for $100.00 about 8 years ago, I believe the original price was in the $300.00 - $400.00 range. It worked well and died after about 4 years. After that I bought a Nordic Track eliptical from Sears and paid $700.00, within the first year it had to be repaired twice, it is the biggest piece of junk I have ever seen. This December I bought a treadmill from Costco for $900.00 and I love it. The difference between the two treadmills is mostly the size of the tread, the size of the motor and the auto incline. I do walk outside, weather permitting, but this is Oregon and it rains most of the time in the winter, also the road I live on has no sidewalks or shoulder and the speed limit is 55 MPH.

jesse

We bought a low-end ($300) NordicTrack treadmill about 3 years ago at Sears. My wife uses it for power walking (not running) almost every day and its still working well.

I don't use it, but it keeps my wife in nice shape. Best $300 I ever spent!

. . .I would say if you can, get the elliptical from Costco. . .if it craps out. . .you at least can rely on the costco return policy. . .

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I reject your reality and substitute my own!

Consider one of these:

[www.concept2.com]

Best exercise machine bang for the buck. I have the previous version, the model C. It is extremely well made.

I need to use it more.

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[picasaweb.google.com] [www.flickr.com]

though i will keep my eye out for something used, i think i'll approach this mostly with Elmo3's advice: spend in my $400 price range and think of it as a learning curve/investment.

i'll also research the ellipticals. i've always heard rowing machines were a great exercise though anytime i've tried them (hotel exercise rooms) i've not been able to get the rhythm going.

thanks for all your help.