r/AdvancedRunning • u/[deleted] • Nov 30 '21
Gear Best treadmill?
I’m having to log a lot more miles at home and my handmedown treadmill just busted.
For marathon training, what’s your recommendation?
Edit: good recs so far. Very interested in ones with decline because I’ll be training for Boston
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u/FarvasMoustache Nov 30 '21 edited Dec 01 '21
Best treadmill for the $$ has to be Sole. No frills, no subscription bullshit. Just powerful motors, large diameter rollers, and large running decks. I have the Sole F85 and am very happy with it.
The complaints. Built in fan and speakers are useless. Odometer only goes to the tens place, such as 2.3 miles and not 2.30 miles.
Edit to add: OP, the Sole TT8 has decline and 3” rollers front & rear, so it will decidedly give you the best running experience as compared to my F85. You’ll sacrifice fold up storage for those features.
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u/decwakeboarder Nov 30 '21
I have an F80 and the only issue I have with it is that it is sloooow to change speeds.
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u/hodorhodor12 Nov 30 '21
I have the f63. It is great. Nice and sturdy and haven’t had any problems with it.
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u/TasmanRavenclaw Nov 30 '21
I have the Sole F80, and I love it. I’ve put about 1200 miles on it so far this year, and it’s been great. It’s very sturdy, and the belt is the same size as the ones at my old gym.
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u/TasmanRavenclaw Nov 30 '21
The Sole F80 is also compatible with Zwift, which is free for runners, if you’re interested in virtual running groups and races!
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u/pielad Nov 30 '21
Yeah for Sole. I’ve got the TT8.
It’s a tank. Heavy. The motors are great in all of their models. Great rollers. They go fast (22kmph is top speed on mine). They’re ugly and I love it.
E: compatible with Zwift via Bluetooth too so no extra adaptions / devices needed.
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u/swimbikerun91 Nov 30 '21
I’m super underwhelmed by the F63. Pace changes are incredibly slow. Seems quite underpowered
Thinking the F80/85/TT8 would be better
The F63 is good for steady state running. But going from say 7mph to 12mph takes probably 15-20 seconds. So responsiveness is my main issue and I’m typically doing more speed/strides on the treadmill
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u/xHaUNTER Nov 30 '21
The lack of hundredths on the distance is a baffling decision. It’s like the thing was designed without runners in mind lol, you’re spot on with the fan and speakers being useless. The fan I suppose could be used if you’re very tall, but I’m short so it doesn’t help me. Other than that it’s done the trick.
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u/vf1640 Nov 30 '21
What's it like for cushioning/impact? I just moved to somewhere where the trails are much harder than I'm used to (rock with thin layer of topsoil, instead of grass and soft dirt), and I'm considering buying a treadmill to get in some miles without as much impact.
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Nov 30 '21
I have a woodway. It is literally "the best". There is no comparison. However they've taken a turn towards heaven in pricing. It's almost doubled in price since I bought one years ago. Still working perfectly.
If you can find a used woodway that's usually the best best. I haven't serviced mine in almost 10 years (probably need to soon). It's a tank.
The Lifefitness pro/gym models aren't terrible. I've run on some technogym gym models that have been serviceable too.
It really depends on your budget though.
Note that some people are fine on a $1000 fold up one, whereas others have broken the board etc.
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u/aps293 Nov 30 '21
Can confirm! These machines are TANKS.
I was able to locate a secondhand Woodway 4Front on FB marketplace last year, for a substantial discount, and it's been amazing. Their treadmills are beyond durable and compatibility with Zwift is awesome. I've put over 1000 miles on it so far and have had no issues whatsoever.
OP: I'd recommend monitoring the secondhand market (FB Marketplace, eBay etc) to see if a Woodway pops up. I've seen a few Woodway treadmills sell within the Sole F80 price range, but those deals are never available for long.
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u/Ahab_Ali Nov 30 '21
Get a used Landice off of Craigslist. They are built like tanks and you usually can find a multi-thousand dollar unit for ~$500. Here is one in Austin for only $300: https://austin.craigslist.org/spo/d/austin-landice-commercial-quality/7408889258.html
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u/TheMagneto5 Dec 01 '21
Seconded getting a used Landice L7. I broke three regular treadmills in a period of two years due to being a high mileage runner with a heavy step. A treadmill repair tech that was fixing my last busted up NordicTrack recommended a local shop that refurbishes commercial and high end units. I bought an L7 at the end of 2019 from said shop and subsequently put over 5000 miles on that L7 in 2020. It’s an absolute tank that has required very little maintenance.
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Nov 30 '21
I love my Assault AirRunner. No motor, feels almost as good as running on the street. Downside (as with any manual) is it's harder to do hill training. Upside... it's always at a very slight incline, so you won't be too bad off unless you are doing a really hilly marathon.
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u/WitcherOfWallStreet Nov 30 '21
I’ve been staring at the TruGrit knock off debating if I want to plunge that much money into a knockoff.
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u/rhodes555 Nov 30 '21
I love my NordicTrack 1750. After training on a very, very old treadmill for years, I finally splurged while I was marathon training and it's one of the best things I bought myself. I got it on a Facebook buy/sell group and would definitely recommend looking out for used ones!
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Nov 30 '21
I've had nothing but problems with 2 2950s. And nordictrack support is really bad. If I had to do it again I would go peleton tread or sole.
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u/SSj_CODii Nov 30 '21
What’s your budget? That makes a huge difference
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u/[deleted] Dec 25 '22 edited Dec 27 '22