Contemplating a last minute, EOFY purchase and wondering what’s important and what’s a gimmick. Recently reaching the wrong/right side of 50 and dealing with ongoing soft tissue injuries, my high-performance days are realistically behind me.
Many years back my trusty Trimline 4610 had electronic failures and it went to a better place. Research shows it only had a 2.3HP DC motor but that thing accelerated quicker than anything and (at the time) was about as quick as home treadmills went, at 18 kph. There was no fancy display or anything, but these days I wonder whether the connectivity and apps could help drive motivation.
Kinomaps looked interesting, but two of the most appealing ones I’ve seen show the icon on the large displays but are not listed on the site as compatible. I’ve read a bad review on one because of this (it wouldn’t work and seemingly bricked the treadmill trying to operate that and update Netflix).
I don’t know whether folding is a dealbreaker or not; the room it will be in is rather cramped with other storage items. I may need an updated (smart) tv to screen mirror etc; if I wanted to best enjoy any ‘real’ courses. I also use an Apple watch (SE) and had wondered whether the HR from that could be displayed on the machine, but sounds like many here (in Oz) don’t support that.
NordicTrack (also available here) looked good at first glance but being on the hook for a subscription just to use the machine seems like piracy.
Most have similar sized running surfaces and most go to at least 18kph, more like 19-22kph, so enough for interval work. Slow acceleration (though painful) can be overcome by standing on the rails.
THe large screens add a lot to price and can possibly be mirrored to a tv to reduce costs?
The real incline models look like fun, but not sure I am prepared to shell out the extra dollars.
Welcome any insights beyond 'money not really an obstacle, so I just bought the best" 