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Treadmill Shopping
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The wife & I are in the market for a treadmill. Way too much information on the web. As an example, hard to determine which treadmills can handle 5 min/pace intervals. Wondering if you might be kind enough to share where we should start our research &/or share what you use.

Thanks in advance. Stay safe friends.
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Re: Treadmill Shopping [Porfirio] [ In reply to ]
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I’ve had a True PS100 for 5+ years now with zero issues. Most of my (and my wife’s) running during the school year has been on it. I’d guess there may be 7k miles on it. I’ve lubed the belt, but nothing else. Goes to 12 mph, and one of the things I wanted was the ability to get to speed quickly for intervals and strides. Less expensive models can take a while.

Of course, if money is no object, look no further than a Woodway.

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Re: Treadmill Shopping [Porfirio] [ In reply to ]
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Lots of informative threads on this topic if you search the forum.

FWIW I bought a Sole F80 last year and I've been very happy with it. Not as many tech bells and whistles as some others (so basically no HD touch screen) but extremely well built and capable of 12 mph (roughly 5:00/mi). Almost always on "sale" for $1500ish.
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Re: Treadmill Shopping [Dgconner154] [ In reply to ]
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Is there a disadvantage to having a folding treadmill vs non-folding?
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Re: Treadmill Shopping [Dgconner154] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks so far for the comments.
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Re: Treadmill Shopping [Porfirio] [ In reply to ]
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Another vote for the Sole F80 here. I bought it during Labor Day last year and it’s been rock solid ever since. Like someone else said above it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles, but for me that wasn’t a selling point. They give a great warranty on their items which was big for me with having peace of mind. The newer versions have Bluetooth which connects to Zwift seamlessly and is a nice add on to have if you already bike on their platform.

If I had to give one con and something I wish it did have it would be customizable preset speeds. If you’re doing intervals you may need to hit a 8mph button and then up the speed a few 0.1 increments. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but now that I’ve had it this long it would be nice.
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Re: Treadmill Shopping [Porfirio] [ In reply to ]
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I have a sole F85 that I found on Craigslist for $500 with only 200 miles on it. Think I’ve put around 1k Miles on it in 3 years or so. Never had an issue with it. Goes up to 12 mph and 12 or 15% incline I think.
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Re: Treadmill Shopping [natethomas] [ In reply to ]
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+1 on the Woodway. Insanely expensive, but oh so nice. I saved up for a bit to buy one, and my only regret is not getting one sooner. We use it 6 days a week and has been worth every penny. So soft on your joints, and feels like running on a rubber track.
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Re: Treadmill Shopping [RangersBouncy] [ In reply to ]
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If I were to permanently settled down, I'd go woodway. I think they are totally worth it. I would go out to gym and use it. However with COVID, I wanted something for home and got a trueform trainer based on this review from TriRig https://www.tririg.com/...rm_Treadmills_Review

I just finished assembling it. I only did a short run but I like how it feels and does remind me of woodway. The manual part will take some getting used to but I like it and feels more like actual running.
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Re: Treadmill Shopping [Parkland] [ In reply to ]
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Is it true all Sole treadmills display mileage in only 1/10th mile increments? Asking you and any other Sole owners who see this post.

I find myself unexpectedly in the position of shoppping for a new treadmill. Would like a Sole F80 based on everyone's recommendations and not willing to pay commerical level money for a Woodway or Landice but the wife isn't happy with how much it is. Leaning towards a F63 instead. But having a hard time finding them in stock but seems I'm not the only one (nearest retailer to me is 60 or so miles away it seems but they have 2 of them according to their website). There is a couple of F80s in stock closer but for some reason they are listed for "suggested retail price" or $2800 or so. Despite them being listed as $1599 directly from Solesl's site (but disclaimer of 30 day delay for delivery).

So far only used Soles I'm seeing in my area are an F63 (2018 model year) asking $700, and F65 asking $925 and an F85 asking $1625. If I don't want to piss off the wife I'm probably regulated to $1000 price target. I'm still leaning towards buying new just to get the Sole warranty because from what I can tell it only applies to the original owner. To me it's worth spending full retail over used for an F63.... unless I cna get that price down to $500.
Last edited by: loxx0050: Sep 25, 20 13:32
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Re: Treadmill Shopping [loxx0050] [ In reply to ]
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You’re correct on the 1/10 increments. There is a small track display that shows your progress around the track which helps a bit.

The warranty does apply to the original owner only which is why I went brand new, too.
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Re: Treadmill Shopping [loxx0050] [ In reply to ]
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I have a Sole F63, bought it October 2016. Two weeks ago, something didn't feel quite right with it. After inspecting it, I found a hole in the board under the belt. See picture. Sole will not cover it. Be careful with their warranty. It is for motor and frame only. The board under the belt is NOT part of the frame. Two weeks of back and forth with them and I still do not have a price for fixing this. I am 140 lbs so not putting excessive force on it
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Re: Treadmill Shopping [jans] [ In reply to ]
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Good to know your experience.... curious how much use you have put on it? Wondering if I should also consider an retailer "extended" warranty service plan on top of the factory one.

I've had some cheaper level fitness equipment fail on where I did purchase the service plan. Ended up getting cut a check for a portion of the original price I paid (minus depreciation). This was a long time ago though.
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Re: Treadmill Shopping [jans] [ In reply to ]
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jans wrote:
I have a Sole F63, bought it October 2016. Two weeks ago, something didn't feel quite right with it. After inspecting it, I found a hole in the board under the belt. See picture. Sole will not cover it. Be careful with their warranty. It is for motor and frame only. The board under the belt is NOT part of the frame. Two weeks of back and forth with them and I still do not have a price for fixing this. I am 140 lbs so not putting excessive force on it


That wooden board under the belt is the 'deck'. It's probably the most common point of failure for all similar-type treadmills.

I believe the deck is warranteed for at least several years for the F80 and 85 - I had mine replaced for free once, but I had to buy a second deck on my own, costs about $200 online.

Replacing the deck is moderately annoying just because you have to loosen the belt, remove the bolts, and the deck is a bit bulky and heavy, but I did it all by myself in about an hour not including unpacking time as a total rookie. There are some youtube videos on how to do it but it's not complicated or risky. Sole customer service should be able to talk you through it too - they did that with me when I called for my first deck replacement.
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Re: Treadmill Shopping [loxx0050] [ In reply to ]
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My best estimate is 2k-3k miles
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Re: Treadmill Shopping [jans] [ In reply to ]
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If anyone is looking for a Woodway, I stumbled on a run specialty gym offloading recently refurbished Woodway Desmo’s (December 19) remade to the 4 Front standard due to COVID. These were only in use for 5-6 weeks before the Covid shutdown.

Just pulled the trigger on one - the deal was within what I was going to pay to get a solid quality new one after I blew through my third nordictrack in two years, with warranty replacement estimated in January.

I can share the info - DM for details.
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Re: Treadmill Shopping [Porfirio] [ In reply to ]
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I've owned a Sole F85 for approximately 10 years. Never once had an issue.
For reference I'm 184lbs and have logged probably 700-800 miles per year on it.
Recently I added a Runn speed and cadence sensor to it, which allows me to get more accurate data and connect to running apps.
The only negative (can be a big one for many folks) is that it is extremely slow to speed up and down. Anything shorter than 2min intervals I have to first select a much higher speed so the belt pick ups quickly before I slow it down to the desire interval pace.
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Re: Treadmill Shopping [Porfirio] [ In reply to ]
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See, this is info I wouldn't have found on the vast internet...

Looks like the Woodway is the Lexus and the Sole the Toyota. Fair analogy? (My wife & I both drive Toyotas so we'd be good with Sole.)
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Re: Treadmill Shopping [KodioMN] [ In reply to ]
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I wanted to second what KodioMN mentions about the Sole's slowness in getting to speed. I have a Sole F80. It's been super reliable, but it takes 30-45 seconds to change speeds, which is frustrating when I'm trying to do short intervals. You just can't. I employ a similar tactic: if I want to do my interval at 8-9mph, I hit the 12mph button, let it speed up, then quickly hit the 8mph button and adjust to final speed. Same is true for slowing back down, but then I just hop off :).

I did buy my treadmill back in 2013, so this may not be the case with Soles anymore, but if you're debating that brand and are concerned about that, definitely try it out!
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Re: Treadmill Shopping [Porfirio] [ In reply to ]
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In almost every town there is an outfit that sells commercial treadmills as they come off lease from gyms and fitness clubs. While a decently priced consumer-grade treadmill will usually be fine, I think that a used commercial treadmill is way better. Unless you are a dentist. At that point go and buy a Woodway.
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Re: Treadmill Shopping [Porfirio] [ In reply to ]
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Porfirio wrote:
See, this is info I wouldn't have found on the vast internet...

Looks like the Woodway is the Lexus and the Sole the Toyota. Fair analogy? (My wife & I both drive Toyotas so we'd be good with Sole.)

ive ran on both regularly.

the woodway is king. ive never ran on anything more comfortable or better. that said, sole makes a really great lower end "consumer" level product that would be find for 90% of folks that want to run. good build quality, higher hp motor, good warranty. to me the F80 is hard to beat.

80/20 Endurance Ambassador
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Re: Treadmill Shopping [damon.lebeouf] [ In reply to ]
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I was considering a sole but ended up buying a horizon 7.4 AT. theyhad one to try at a fitness store and it felt surprisingly good.

Adjust speed quickly and I have had no issues with it. The app is complete garbage and it doesn't track elevation climbed, but I use my Garmin watch and zwift Run pod. lifetime warranty on motor.

for $1200 or so I figured I can't go wrong. I have had it for almost a year with zero issues. Just another option to consider if you don't want to spend 8 or $10,000 on a treadmill
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Re: Treadmill Shopping [nickwhite] [ In reply to ]
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nickwhite wrote:
In almost every town there is an outfit that sells commercial treadmills as they come off lease from gyms and fitness clubs. While a decently priced consumer-grade treadmill will usually be fine, I think that a used commercial treadmill is way better. Unless you are a dentist. At that point go and buy a Woodway.

Just watch the big warehouse type stores unless you really know what you are looking at. Some diamonds in there, but also some with hard use. I got mine from a specialty guy that sources them from places he trusts. Mine came from a hospital rehab center.
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Re: Treadmill Shopping [Vegaskid] [ In reply to ]
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Vegaskid wrote:
I was considering a sole but ended up buying a horizon 7.4 AT. theyhad one to try at a fitness store and it felt surprisingly good.

Adjust speed quickly and I have had no issues with it. The app is complete garbage and it doesn't track elevation climbed, but I use my Garmin watch and zwift Run pod. lifetime warranty on motor.

for $1200 or so I figured I can't go wrong. I have had it for almost a year with zero issues. Just another option to consider if you don't want to spend 8 or $10,000 on a treadmill

Curious when you bought yours? Looked up prices and it's a bit more than that currently....like same price as an F80 or listed for $100 cheaper with 1 national chain.

I waited too long to pull the trigger on a F63 despite it being an hour drive away. Wanted to try and wait it out for some credit card extra cash back promotion coming up on Oct 1st. Bad gamble since they are now sold out locally to me. Trying to figure out what to get in the same price range that is still in stock. Or just wait the month and order the F63 directly from Sole's online site.
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Re: Treadmill Shopping [loxx0050] [ In reply to ]
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About a year ago. Guess prices have gone up with the covid nonsense.

The Sole just looks very cheap and 80s to me. Saw one at the running store and didn't like it. May work great though...lots of happy campers
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