US CPSC issues stop-use statement:
Hey is this for the belt/slat style treadmill?
In that case it should also apply to Woodway
It’s not like I have any big love for Peloton, and I am a Woodway owner, but I am fan of keeping things objective, in which case, what is so special about the Peloton treadmill that does not apply to Woodway.
A simple solution is a panel that is from the bottom of slat (with a small slat passing clearance) to floor near the back of the treadmill so a small object like a pet or a small kid can’t get trapped under with the belt “grinding away” at its body.
I can see the risk of this certainly with pets. Thats valid. But unless you have something small in your house that could get stuck in there, then its not a risk.
Hey is this for the belt/slat style treadmill?
In that case it should also apply to Woodway
It’s not like I have any big love for Peloton, and I am a Woodway owner, but I am fan of keeping things objective, in which case, what is so special about the Peloton treadmill that does not apply to Woodway.
A simple solution is a panel that is from the bottom of slat (with a small slat passing clearance) to floor near the back of the treadmill so a small object like a pet or a small kid can’t get trapped under with the belt “grinding away” at its body.
I can see the risk of this certainly with pets. Thats valid. But unless you have something small in your house that could get stuck in there, then its not a risk.
Uhh, nightmare for all treadmill manufacturers.
It’s basic advice to keep children pets and hair away from fast moving machinery. And it says so on my manuals.
But common sense isn’t that common anymore…and then pointing fingers at others and lawsuits start.
That’s why I gladly sold my stake in a ‘fast-moving machinery’ start-up.
And unfortunately, it never made it to market because taking imbeciles into consideration, it could have been in fact deadly.
The fundamental issue, Dev, is that the deck on the Peloton’s are taller, with more space underneath them, which is what results in a kid/animal being trapped underneath it. And there’s been some pretty gruesome injuries and one fatality associated with it.
And apparently there’s no kill switch on these ones, either.
I saw the video of the two young children playing with the Peleton Treadmill. That is not a manufacturing error, it is a parenting error.
A simple solution is a panel that is from the bottom of slat (with a small slat passing clearance) to floor near the back of the treadmill so a small object like a pet or a small kid can’t get trapped under with the belt “grinding away” at its body.
So…I use something *sort of similar *to prevent my cats from running under the treadmill. I purchased one of these cat deterrent mats. My treadmill is a folding one, and when I unfold it I wrap the mat (on its edge) around the outside of the treadmill with the spikes sticking outwards so that it effectively is a fence that prevents the cats from running underneath. Takes all of 10 seconds to do.
I try to lock the cats away before using the treadmill anyway, but sometimes I can’t find all of them, or the sig other lets them out while I’m running, so I like having this as a back-up safeguard.
The fundamental issue, Dev, is that the deck on the Peloton’s are taller, with more space underneath them, which is what results in a kid/animal being trapped underneath it. And there’s been some pretty gruesome injuries and one fatality associated with it.
And apparently there’s no kill switch on these ones, either.
I have a woodway Desmo and I can see how something small can get pulled in and stuck under a moving belt. I can easily fit my entire arm underneath that Woodway model, so I can see how a pet of the body part of a child can get sucked in especially if the belt is moving fast and no way to get out.
I don’t know how much higher off the ground the underside of Peloton is vs Woodway models or other smooth belt treadmill models though, but I would not like to see Woodway or others having to stop shipments because of this. At $34B market cap, Peloton has the financial muscle power to fight the government (to put this in context, Ford market cap is $48B). Other treadmill manufacturing companies don’t have as deep financial muscle power. Peloton is almost just a finance company with a fitness underlay to it now. It can fight this, but if other industry companies get dragged in, then its a disaster.
The fundamental issue, Dev, is that the deck on the Peloton’s are taller, with more space underneath them, which is what results in a kid/animal being trapped underneath it. And there’s been some pretty gruesome injuries and one fatality associated with it.
And apparently there’s no kill switch on these ones, either.
The no kill switch is interesting…I haven’t ever seen a tread mill without one. Maybe the lower end sub 1k$ Walmart/Canadian tire ones do. I have one of the true cs800 and they actually have a clip/lanyard which attaches to you.
In terms of other comments re “parental failure†it’s not binary, with any rotating or conveying equipment you can have any combination of poor operator training, poor design or poor manufacturing. Tragic incidents are usually a combination of several factors.
Maurice
You also have a single point of why are you letting your kids play around/on a treadmill.
This should be an obvious thing to not let kids and pets by them but I guess not. At our old house we specifically had the bike trainer gated off for just this reason. A finger/hand in the bike spokes while riding would be ugly.
The fundamental issue, Dev, is that the deck on the Peloton’s are taller, with more space underneath them, which is what results in a kid/animal being trapped underneath it. And there’s been some pretty gruesome injuries and one fatality associated with it.
And apparently there’s no kill switch on these ones, either.
I think the issue is not just the height. on a standard belt, you’ll get friction burn, but you can easily pull back.
On a slab belt, when the slabs reach the end of the circle and line up, the gap closes between them. If you’re a 3 year old or a cat and your hair gets caught in there, there’s no way out.
That twitter video is disturbing to watch, I hope that toddler’s face is ok.
Woodway is a niche player in gyms, and practically non-existing in homes. Peloton is a household name. There’s no reason to go after Woodway.
Just my theory
The fundamental issue, Dev, is that the deck on the Peloton’s are taller, with more space underneath them, which is what results in a kid/animal being trapped underneath it. And there’s been some pretty gruesome injuries and one fatality associated with it.
And apparently there’s no kill switch on these ones, either.
I think the issue is not just the height. on a standard belt, you’ll get friction burn, but you can easily pull back.
On a slab belt, when the slabs reach the end of the circle and line up, the gap closes between them. If you’re a 3 year old or a cat and your hair gets caught in there, there’s no way out.
That twitter video is disturbing to watch, I hope that toddler’s face is ok.
Woodway is a niche player in gyms, and practically non-existing in homes. Peloton is a household name. There’s no reason to go after Woodway.
Just my theory
You are correct about no way out. I have even sat on the end of my treadmill when it was off (using it as a stool to sit and tie shoes) on the front end and it moved backways and it caught my clothing in the slat.
I can definitely see how on a slat treadmill there is no way out if hairs attached to your body get caught in the slat and you’re sucked in (with you, I mean a baby or animal).
But that’s not because this machine is inherently dangerous. In one use case it is dangerous to be around, Babies nor pets have no business being close to a treadmill just like babies have no business standing on top of desks or tables and falling and shattering their heads. Do we ban tables and desks because its not a good idea if a baby climbs onto one and falls? Do we ban slat treadmills because babies come near them while they are running?
You also have a single point of why are you letting your kids play around/on a treadmill.
This should be an obvious thing to not let kids and pets by them but I guess not. At our old house we specifically had the bike trainer gated off for just this reason. A finger/hand in the bike spokes while riding would be ugly.
Yet they openly market it with images of the device in the middle of a family room in a house with the idyllic perfect couple with kids etc.
It really isn’t beyond the wit of man to put a guard panel behind the back of the tread. Probably a $2 molding.
If it was a workplace machine with belt and a trap like that, any manufacturer (certainly in Europe) would be hung out to dry for failing to put guarding on something like this.
You also have a single point of why are you letting your kids play around/on a treadmill.
This should be an obvious thing to not let kids and pets by them but I guess not. At our old house we specifically had the bike trainer gated off for just this reason. A finger/hand in the bike spokes while riding would be ugly.
Yet they openly market it with images of the device in the middle of a family room in a house with the idyllic perfect couple with kids etc.
It really isn’t beyond the wit of man to put a guard panel behind the back of the tread. Probably a $2 molding.
If it was a workplace machine with belt and a trap like that, any manufacturer (certainly in Europe) would be hung out to dry for failing to put guarding on something like this.
yeah, the $2 moulding would take care of things, but at the moment, with Peloton fighting back, they probably need to fight back only to not take responsibility
Here is direct link to that video. I don’t know now much the Peloton treadmill weighs relative to a Woodway, but my woodway is like a tank. I don’t think a child that size would manage to get out from underneath given the weight of the treadmill, but now I can see how the treadmill can literally “climb” over a child once a body part is stuck under
Probably tough to watch if you have young kids or have had kids…its quite disturbing
i have a woodway 4front and would never allow my kid anywhere near it (or bike when on trainer). it’s scary just to think about, whether getting their hair sucked in between the slats or their body underneath a 500lb machine. just use common sense, keep the master switch off when not in use or hide the magnet safety key if kids keep trying to mess with it.
as much as i don’t care for peloton, this is not really on them and more of a general treadmill safety/awareness issue.
I did not realize it does not have a kill switch which to me seems crazy. I wont get into the kids/pet thing but I have fallen off my bros regular tread on vaca a couple years back that did not have space behind it. Forgot to attach the lanyard and belt was still going while I was on top. Pretty bad rug burns or road rash that took a while to heal.
You also have a single point of why are you letting your kids play around/on a treadmill.
This should be an obvious thing to not let kids and pets by them but I guess not. At our old house we specifically had the bike trainer gated off for just this reason. A finger/hand in the bike spokes while riding would be ugly.
Yet they openly market it with images of the device in the middle of a family room in a house with the idyllic perfect couple with kids etc.
It really isn’t beyond the wit of man to put a guard panel behind the back of the tread. Probably a $2 molding.
If it was a workplace machine with belt and a trap like that, any manufacturer (certainly in Europe) would be hung out to dry for failing to put guarding on something like this.
So true. Sure don’t let your kids play around a Peloton. But Peloton is a very wealthy company. If Peloton can do something to mitigate the risk why not. Is money all that matters?
If power take offs were pulling kids in we wouldn’t say, “Oh, keep your kids away from PTO’s” We would require them to have guards.
If you have small kids, AND a Peloton, how hard would it be just to unplug the damn thing when you’re not using it? Or does all that precious data go away when it has to reboot?
Fuck that shit
I think the Peloton model has a safety switch. The CEO came out with a statement and clearly stated that it comes with a safety shut off switch and instructions.
I am a plaintiff’s personal injury lawyer, and have bought many product liability lawsuits over the years, but this seems like a clear parenting error, not a design defect. Dev is right, small pets or children have no place being around a treadmill while in use, or a bike trainer for that matter.
You also have a single point of why are you letting your kids play around/on a treadmill.
This should be an obvious thing to not let kids and pets by them but I guess not. At our old house we specifically had the bike trainer gated off for just this reason. A finger/hand in the bike spokes while riding would be ugly.
Yet they openly market it with images of the device in the middle of a family room in a house with the idyllic perfect couple with kids etc.
It really isn’t beyond the wit of man to put a guard panel behind the back of the tread. Probably a $2 molding.
If it was a workplace machine with belt and a trap like that, any manufacturer (certainly in Europe) would be hung out to dry for failing to put guarding on something like this.
So true. Sure don’t let your kids play around a Peloton. But Peloton is a very wealthy company. If Peloton can do something to mitigate the risk why not. Is money all that matters?
If power take offs were pulling kids in we wouldn’t say, “Oh, keep your kids away from PTO’s” We would require them to have guards.
A similar thought I had in this is that Woodway is a niche player focused only on serious runners, or at least people doing a LOT of research into treadmills, when you’re that invested you’re more likely to take additional precautions which is likely why this hasn’t happened yet. Peloton is trying to appeal to a wider range of people as a sort of set it and forget it device, so the user base is less likely to take these precautions. I would imagine a Woodway owner would go to great lengths to keep their kids from playing on the treadmill more out of safety for the treadmill than the safety of their kids. Not sure how true this is, or if it’s ‘right’ to think this way, but just a thought.
I would imagine a Woodway owner would go to great lengths to keep their kids from playing on the treadmill more out of safety for the treadmill than the safety of their kids. Not sure how true this is, or if it’s ‘right’ to think this way, but just a thought.
Something like this?
