Any recommendations for a treadmill that is to be placed in a basement with 83" ceiling?
I’m about 70.5 inches.
After some research the math works out like this:
Ceiling Height - (Deck Height of Treadmill + Height + 6 inches) > 0
83 - (8 + 70 + 6) = - 1
I’d like to get an 8" deck height treadmill (SOLE or Horizon) but not sure if being short 1 inch will kill the concept of a 8" or greater treadmill.
Ghetto solution but we considered it in our old house (we just made it by about an 1"): If you have a drywall ceiling you could remove a portion of it between joists (assuming the joists are in the desired direction of placement). Make sure you run in a straight line though 
Of course do not touch the joists.
Ghetto solution but we considered it in our old house (we just made it by about an 1"): If you have a drywall ceiling you could remove a portion of it between joists (assuming the joists are in the desired direction of placement). Make sure you run in a straight line though
Of course do not touch the joists.
Haha yea I had thought about that, my contractor could cut away a portion of the sheet rock and redo the area i am placing the treadmill . i would also need to relocate some pipes too. but trying to avoid hitting my head would be a issue in general and cost would be almost a $1k ughh so hoping to avoid this route…
Ouch, yeah, definitely not the best of ideas haha. Plus you would have limited options if you needed to move it in the future (another hole?!).
Depending on how pretty you need it to be you could just use a drywall knife on your own and leave the hole unfinished (so ugly I know!).
Then when you move you just patch and paint.
Of course I don’t know the context of the room (i.e. nice exercise room vs dark basement dungeon) so maybe the idea is a non starter. Plus if pipes are in the way…
But that’s all I got, good luck!
Any recommendations for a treadmill that is to be placed in a basement with 83" ceiling?
I’m about 70.5 inches.
After some research the math works out like this:
Ceiling Height - (Deck Height of Treadmill + Height + 6 inches) > 0
83 - (8 + 70 + 6) = - 1
I’d like to get an 8" deck height treadmill (SOLE or Horizon) but not sure if being short 1 inch will kill the concept of a
Did you hit post too early? Seems like the last sentence is incomplete.
Anyways, I’ve recently picked up a Horizon 7.4AT a few months ago and got curious on your clearance question so brought out the old tape measure. Height of the running deck sides around the region where I typically place my feet when using is about roughly 9.5" high. The actual belt sits about 0.5" below that height of the sides I took the rough measurements so let’s say it 9" height for the actual running surface and that is at 0 degree incline. It gets a little higher if you start to incline it but can’t say how much at this time (I usually just set it to 1.5 incline most of the time). I’m about 70.5 inches total height including my shoes or close enough to your figure (actual height is a tick over 69 inches barefoot and my shoes give 1.25-1.5" additional height it seems). My ceiling is just under 89" high or so and I have no issues with clearance. Also note the deck height at the very rear of the treadmill belt is probably 7.5" or so.
But there is a section of ceiling in my basement that is at 80" height actually because of an addition for ductwork for central air/heating. The back of treadmill deck is just under this lower area. I have no doubts that my head would hit that 80" ceiling if I put my treadmill to be under that lowered section. Standing under this section with shoes on I’ve got about 1" of clearance (this is the 80" height with the 7.5" deck). Based on that an 83" clearance I don’t think I’d clear either personally and think I’d probably hit my head.
So if the equation above that you are using for clearance doesn’t factor in shoe height then you are really a -2 or -3 instead (depending on how thick your shoes really are). Sounds like it might not work unless you cut out a section of your ceiling for that area honestly.
Maybe try to get a 9" stepstool and stand on it with shoes on. See how close your head is to the ceiling and see how comfortable you feel trying to run on a treadmill with that clearance. Sounds like it is a bad time to find out you didn’t factor in everything.
I had a similar requirement. I’m tall (6’4") and have a low ceiling height in the basement. I picked up a used Landice L7 and have been happy with it. It’s deck height is 5 1/2", at zero incline, and still has a long enough deck to keep me happy.
I believe that the L8 is a little taller, but you might add Landice to your list.
Good Luck
My basement ceiling is also 83" and I’m 72" even. The Sole F80 was what I ended up with and can’t use it higher than ~5% incline. It was pretty hard finding something lower than that ~8" step-up/deck height under $1500 USD. If you have the budget the Landice L7 would be sweet. Based on my singular experience, I think you would be okay with something around that 8" step up height as long as you’re not getting into double digit inclines while staying at the very front of the belt.
The Horizon 7.8AT that was on the Slowtwitch steals and deals email looks pretty sweet around the 2k mark.
Is much of anything in stock right now?
My basement ceiling is also 83" and I’m 72" even. The Sole F80 was what I ended up with and can’t use it higher than ~5% incline. It was pretty hard finding something lower than that ~8" step-up/deck height under $1500 USD. If you have the budget the Landice L7 would be sweet. Based on my singular experience, I think you would be okay with something around that 8" step up height as long as you’re not getting into double digit inclines while staying at the very front of the belt.
The Horizon 7.8AT that was on the Slowtwitch steals and deals email looks pretty sweet around the 2k mark.
Is much of anything in stock right now?
I’m quite surprised given your height that you were able to work this into your basement. So lets say at 1-2% incline you don’t ever bump you head? I’m considering having the sheetrock above my head removed and having some pipes moved as well but thats $1200 of labor/materials as per my contractor. however based on what you said I think i may opt to order the F80 now!
Did you hit post too early? Seems like the last sentence is incomplete.
Maybe try to get a 9" stepstool and stand on it with shoes on. See how close your head is to the ceiling and see how comfortable you feel trying to run on a treadmill with that clearance. Sounds like it is a bad time to find out you didn’t factor in everything.
yep fixed my post thanks! I think I might just do that - get some wood planks and raise myself up about 8.5" and see how that feels .
+1 for the Landice 7
We have a low ceiling basement as well. I considered dropping the floor, or raising the ceiling, to accommodate a taller cheaper treadmill. In the end, I just accepted that Landice 7 was the only treadmill I could find that met our basic requirements and fit the space as well.
I think we spent $3600 so that’s a jump from the $1000 to $1500 window you seem to be aiming for. You know best how your budget and needs match up. I see a used Landice 7 on eBay right now for $1000 plus $500 shipping.
Best wishes.
+1 for the Landice 7
We have a low ceiling basement as well. I considered dropping the floor, or raising the ceiling, to accommodate a taller cheaper treadmill. In the end, I just accepted that Landice 7 was the only treadmill I could find that met our basic requirements and fit the space as well.
I think we spent $3600 so that’s a jump from the $1000 to $1500 window you seem to be aiming for. You know best how your budget and needs match up. I see a used Landice 7 on eBay right now for $1000 plus $500 shipping.
Best wishes.
I got lucky and found my Landice on craigslist for $1050. It was purchased in about 2010 by the original owner, but the total miles were less than 250 and about 60 hours use time. It must have been the definition of the clothes hanger treadmill.
My basement ceiling is also 83" and I’m 72" even. The Sole F80 was what I ended up with and can’t use it higher than ~5% incline. It was pretty hard finding something lower than that ~8" step-up/deck height under $1500 USD. If you have the budget the Landice L7 would be sweet. Based on my singular experience, I think you would be okay with something around that 8" step up height as long as you’re not getting into double digit inclines while staying at the very front of the belt.
The Horizon 7.8AT that was on the Slowtwitch steals and deals email looks pretty sweet around the 2k mark.
Is much of anything in stock right now?
I’m quite surprised given your height that you were able to work this into your basement. So lets say at 1-2% incline you don’t ever bump you head? I’m considering having the sheetrock above my head removed and having some pipes moved as well but thats $1200 of labor/materials as per my contractor. however based on what you said I think i may opt to order the F80 now!
It’s not ideal, but it’s possible. I just grabbed some measurements with my laser. The ceiling is actually 83.5". The belt to ceiling at 0% is 75.75" (sitting on a 0.5" rubber mat). I can brush my hair against the ceiling with an intentional hop in my step, but wouldn’t bump it at all running normally at 1% incline. I don’t do any speed work on the treadmill.
Again, it’s not ideal, but possible. I’m not sure how choosy you can be given your home, budget and availability of treadmills.
The Landice treadmills look really nice and well built, are the warranties transferrable? Looking at their site it seems its only valid if installed by a Landice dealer? I do see some used ones online but am wary if warranty does not transfer
Is that 6" standard for clearance needed while running? I have no clue how much vertical movement I have.
I’m 6’5" (77"), just finished the basement and I’m at 90" AFF (above finished floor). So if I put that 6" in for clearance that leaves me with a 7" mill which seems pretty tough to hit. My joists are 24" OC (contemporary house) so I could cut in and frame between to get another 8" of height but my head might be in that cavity and that seems weird. And they’re perpendicular to how I have the room planned so that’d suck too. Think I might just accept the cold weather.
Is that 6" standard for clearance needed while running? I have no clue how much vertical movement I have.
I’m 6’5" (77"), just finished the basement and I’m at 90" AFF (above finished floor). So if I put that 6" in for clearance that leaves me with a 7" mill which seems pretty tough to hit. My joists are 24" OC (contemporary house) so I could cut in and frame between to get another 8" of height but my head might be in that cavity and that seems weird. And they’re perpendicular to how I have the room planned so that’d suck too. Think I might just accept the cold weather.
If you cut a cavity out in the ceiling for you head while treadmilling, you HAVE to post a pic.
Guarantee it will go viral and you will become (in)famous forever!
Is that 6" standard for clearance needed while running? I have no clue how much vertical movement I have.
I’m 6’5" (77"), just finished the basement and I’m at 90" AFF (above finished floor). So if I put that 6" in for clearance that leaves me with a 7" mill which seems pretty tough to hit. My joists are 24" OC (contemporary house) so I could cut in and frame between to get another 8" of height but my head might be in that cavity and that seems weird. And they’re perpendicular to how I have the room planned so that’d suck too. Think I might just accept the cold weather.
If you cut a cavity out in the ceiling for you head while treadmilling, you HAVE to post a pic.
Guarantee it will go viral and you will become (in)famous forever!
I’m finishing the painting now so everything is more or less complete. The new pain cave is centered around my bike and my wife’s Peloton but I’d love to try and get a mill in there if possible.
Finally! A use for Garmin’s Running Dynamics! For those unfamiliar, Running Dynamics offers a range of metrics that are interesting, but of (mostly) uncertain utility. One of these is ‘vertical oscillation’ (in cm), so that could give you a measure of your the additional headroom required while running…
Is that 6" standard for clearance needed while running? I have no clue how much vertical movement I have.
I’m 6’5" (77"), just finished the basement and I’m at 90" AFF (above finished floor). So if I put that 6" in for clearance that leaves me with a 7" mill which seems pretty tough to hit. My joists are 24" OC (contemporary house) so I could cut in and frame between to get another 8" of height but my head might be in that cavity and that seems weird. And they’re perpendicular to how I have the room planned so that’d suck too. Think I might just accept the cold weather.
If you cut a cavity out in the ceiling for you head while treadmilling, you HAVE to post a pic.
Guarantee it will go viral and you will become (in)famous forever!
I have the same problem in my basement, and contemplated cutting a section out. But ultimately, never did. We may just have to N+1 on the house situation, and just move.
Finally! A use for Garmin’s Running Dynamics! For those unfamiliar, Running Dynamics offers a range of metrics that are interesting, but of (mostly) uncertain utility. One of these is ‘vertical oscillation’ (in cm), so that could give you a measure of your the additional headroom required while running…
For the record, at 6ft4 then I average 13.5cm and peak at 17cm achieving to the dynamics which seemed a lot, but when you think about also being on your toes as you push off then I can believe that.
That was flats from my last run. Outside, fairly easy jog at 5min/km.
Finally! A use for Garmin’s Running Dynamics! For those unfamiliar, Running Dynamics offers a range of metrics that are interesting, but of (mostly) uncertain utility. One of these is ‘vertical oscillation’ (in cm), so that could give you a measure of your the additional headroom required while running…
For the record, at 6ft4 then I average 13.5cm and peak at 17cm achieving to the dynamics which seemed a lot, but when you think about also being on your toes as you push off then I can believe that.
That was flats from my last run. Outside, fairly easy jog at 5min/km.
So you’re saying I should only use one coat of paint on the ceiling? Damn I’d be close. I need to find someone who is willing to let me drag their treadmill into my house and test it out. I may need to make a hole…