Treadmill recommendations?

[slipstick]

Now most of my medical problems are more or less sorted out I really want to start C25K properly. But I know myself and at this time of year things like cold, wet and dark are quite enough to put me off doing anything outside except maybe walking, well wrapped up. So I'm going to need a treadmill. There seem to be hundreds of them so I'm hoping someone can recommend a reasonable one for a sensible price (up to about £600-ish). Any experiences welcome.

[Hidden]

Firstly I'd be tempted to wait for Christmas to pass, why?! Firstly sales always a great place, secondly look for a used one there's bound to be a plethora of unwanted treadmills, people clearing out etc.

I'd hop onto YouTube search all the reviews, look at space, do you want a powered one or just a basic, does it have to fold away for storage?

In a nutshell hold ya horses choose carefully, will it become redundant when the weather picks up if so a 2nd hand one would definitely be the way to go, a lot of folks in here do use them regularly so you're bound to get information on models etc.....

Good luck out there

[IannodaTruffe Mentor in reply to Hidden]

Not totally sure about the sales bit, Ian.

You may be correct, but there are also more people heading out on fitness journeys in the New year and I am sure that the treadmill manufacturers and retailers are only to well aware of that.

I have never tracked prices of treadmills, so I certainly don't know.

Nor can I offer any helpful advice, having never really used one.

[Hidden in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Ahhhh you've got a good point there Tim, probably moreso with the ongoing COVID situnand people preferring to stay home, I'll take a look and edit accordingly 👍

[Jbsaf in reply to Hidden]

Hi there..I’m a huge treadmill advocate and definitely would recommend as a great thing to purchase.

I have one myself, use it constantly..wet, cold, dark, early, late..it’s there always, waiting in the wings, trainers at the side, ready for me to jump on..don’t even need my shorts..🤣

We purchased a Nordic Track..I’ve had it well over 15yrs..😱..and it’s never missed a beat! It was expensive (£1500 all that time ago!), but my partner walks and hill climbs and I dip in and out but it was/is a brilliant buy.

I still run outside sometimes but just this week I tripped over a rock running off-road, fell flat in sludge, filthy, wet, not too damaged but tbh, it’s put me off that route for a while so thank goodness for my treaders!!!

Don’t skimp is my advice, invest in the best u can..a good long wide belt is a must. Mine was delivered and came fully assembled too and worth every penny!👍

[Roxdog Graduate]

Maybe wait until the sales. The reason I'm saying this is because I panic bought a treadmill just before the first lockdown, in case we weren't allowed to run, and because I had to fit in doing my allotment and a run and wanted to stick to the rules.I also thought it would be useful for winter running.

Even though I had started cto5k on a treadmill at a gym, I hated my own treadmill. It was a mid price one, so not bad quality, but I hated running in my house and longed to run outside.

I am not at all encouraging you not to get one and it might be that you have a separate room or gym type space, but my purchase was a waste and I sold it on ebay 6 months later. So waiting for the sales might be a good plan.

[slipstick]

Some good advice there thanks. I'm fairly sure I'll use a treadmill sometimes although I do prefer the outdoors with its scenery and fresh air. My main thought is that having a treadmill at home will cut down on my excuses for not going out in the cold/wet/dark and so doing nothing at all.

So I think I need to decide on a few types that seem likely then check availability and prices, maybe used or in the sales (if any). From the reviews I've seen so far Reebok One GT40S, JLL T350 and JLX Sprint3 look like possibilities. Any experience of these or others in a similar price range would be very helpful.

[Ant50 Graduate in reply to slipstick]

Hi, Reebok have a couple of new models out, they look a bit more streamlined than some of their previous models. These are called the FR20 and FR30. The 30 is bigger than the 20 and has a more powerful motor but I don’t think it’s yet available in the UK. The 20 is though and I bought one about 2 months ago, just really for bad weather use. Cost £700 but seen it on sale since at £600 (typical). Seems fine for the amount of running I will do on it, quiet smooth and a large enough running deck - I’m six foot tall so have a reasonable stride length. The running deck is quite firm so a bit hard, but I have got use to that. The only minor annoyance is that it doesn’t have a water bottle holder anywhere, not an issue for me, but my wife misses this, otherwise it seems OK for the price. It also connects well to the Reebok app for tracking runs.

Don’t forget to consider a few other things when buying, all machines are heavy so need to be on a strong floor, sounds silly but our old house probably wouldn’t take the weight, so it’s in the garage. This also gives more headroom, as a treadmill lifts you off the ground quite a bit, so no good if you have low ceilings. Also, remember nearly all come as self assembly, the FR20 took considerably less than an hour to put together, but a previous Nordictrack purchase (returned due to software glitches) took about 3 hrs to build ! Finally if you buy secondhand work out how you are going to collect it as it almost certainly won’t go in a car and you might first have to dismantle it to move it.

Hope this helps.

[Upsidaisy Graduate in reply to slipstick]

I too am looking for a treadmill in the same price bracket as you and thought I’d found the perfect model, the Reebok 1 Run 4.0, a compact model which folds away when not in use, but I’ve since discovered that it has a fixed incline of 4, whatever that means, so I’m still looking. Please let me know if you find your perfect treadmill, as there are so many out there, I’m loathe to buy one without personal recommendation. Good luck with your search.

[Ant50 Graduate in reply to Upsidaisy]

Hi Upsidaisy the incline 4 means that the running deck of the machine is inclined upwards at 4 degrees from the horizontal. Most machines have a range that can be set from zero to about 12 or 15 degrees.

To make treadmill running a little more like outside running it’s suggested you normally set a machine to incline 1 or 2, as outside is never totally flat. So if this machine is always set to 4 it will be like running slightly up hill. Having had a quick look at a photo of the machine it seems to be like this as the running deck is raised up at the front due to the where the wheels are. Hope that helps explain what the incline 4 means.

[Upsidaisy Graduate in reply to Ant50]

Thank you so much for explaining this Ant50. 4 degrees doesn’t sound much, but it would be good to be able choose the incline, rather than having it set at one level. Much appreciated!

[slipstick in reply to Upsidaisy]

The one I'm currently looking closely at is the JLL S400. Decent sized running area, more speed than I need (10mph), motorised incline with base setting of 1 degree. Just within my price range and I believe it's even British.

[Upsidaisy Graduate in reply to slipstick]

Thank you slipstick, I’ll have a look!

[Bazza1234 Graduate]

A lot depends on how much money you want to spend. I have a cheapie which I discovered is just a bit too narrow for best running - great for walking and I am currently re-doing C25k using only a slow jogging pace ( because of the narrowness of the treadmill belt) - but I do each C25k day's task twice over for an hour approx.

[linda9389 Graduate]

I bought one secondhand a few years back. I've only used it a few dozen times, but it only cost me £100 and I reckon it's easily paid for itself. The one thing I would stress is do not compromise on size; make sure it has a full size belt. If it is too narrow or too short you will need to adapt your running style and the likelihood of injury will increase, enjoyment reduce! Do not be tempted by anything smaller.

[Jcilom]

Hi slipstick, In winter I don't run outside because of the snow and ice. I jog inside on a small round trampoline. It's easier on the joints than pavement. I wear a step counter and most days I jog six miles. I do deep breathing while jogging so that I don't get short of breath.