What things should I look for when buying a treadmill?

IamJ00 · 07-08-2008, 06:03 PM

Horse power?

It's for general fitness.

BayAreaGuy · 07-08-2008, 07:12 PM

I bought a new one recently.

My dad pointed out the the main thing to look for is (bare with me, don't know what it's called) the end part of the belt. The circular part, where the belt spins on, it should be really big.

(hard to explain but you know what I mean)

My old treadmill had a smaller bottom frame, new one is much bigger, you diffently notice a difference in terms of smoothness and stability when running. When the rotation thing for the belt (sorry again) is small it breaks, the last one broke.

(apologies for my busted up English today)

Oh, the thing I was trying to explain is called a "roller", it should be big.

I highly recommend this one for 900 bucks in stores:

New Balance 1500

New Balance New Balance® 1500 Treadmill

And like I said, the main thing you want to look for is at least an average size roller, you definetly don't want a small one. You'll notice a big difference when you run on it.

cheers

grrthetree · 07-08-2008, 08:58 PM

Make sure its' recommended by Kalib Starnes.

No, just kidding. Don't listen to ads, real people who've used them will know.

**Sonny** · 07-08-2008, 09:18 PM

There was a little blurb in Mens Health saying that non-motorized treadmills are better because they mimic actual running more than motorized treadmills.

grrthetree · 07-08-2008, 09:53 PM

non-motorized how?

**Sonny** · 07-08-2008, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grrthetree

non-motorized how?

Well if you think about, a motorized treadmill is just a belt moving underneath you, you're not really propelling yourself forward at all. With a non motorized treadmill you're pushing against the belt causing it to move thus mimicking forward locomotion.

The thing is, I've never really seen a decent quality non-motorized treadmill.

ChachiKiller · 07-08-2008, 10:16 PM

How much do you want to spend?

WinterIsComing · 07-08-2008, 11:58 PM

I like the long ones that people drive cars on. Generally in the 2-3 mile range.

IamJ00 · 07-09-2008, 01:08 AM

Hmmm, 700 to 1000.

Ian Coe · 07-09-2008, 05:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sonny

Well if you think about, a motorized treadmill is just a belt moving underneath you, you're not really propelling yourself forward at all. With a non motorized treadmill you're pushing against the belt causing it to move thus mimicking forward locomotion.

The thing is, I've never really seen a decent quality non-motorized treadmill.

When my dad was trying to lose weight, being the cheap man he was, he bought a self powered walking machine. I ended up using it and learnt how to run on it. Pain in arse but it worked

on a side note- I used to use that instead of outdoors because I was a chubber and self conscious back then