Running machine

[Lesleyfool]

Hi a want to get a treadmill for home use.

It has to incline.
It does not necessarily have to fold up.
I would like a dashboard and sport handles.
Electric.
Under £300.00.
I am only a novice runner.

Does anyone have any recommendations please?

[macbrains]

I appreciate this isn't what you asked - but I can't stand treadmills, I always think I'm going to fall off!

For me, at least, nothing beats a run in the open air. As a novice, have you tried Park Runs - very friendly and encouraging, and you can run/walk/jog or whatever.

R

[redsturgeon]

Hi a want to get a treadmill for home use.

It has to incline.
It does not necessarily have to fold up.
I would like a dashboard and sport handles.
Electric.
Under £300.00.
I am only a novice runner.

Does anyone have any recommendations please?

I don't think you will get a new electric treadmill for under £300.
Decathlon are a well known supplier of good value sports goods and they do a few treadmills starting from £350.
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/browse/c0-s ... /N-1d1qhmy

I do think that running outside is better and cheaper though. Very few people carry on using a treadmill at home for many months.
Pluses, convenience, can use any time.
Minuses, Noisy, take up space, generally difficult to have a room with the right temperature. Cheap ones are not great.

John

[DrFfybes]

I would keep an eye on Ebay/Gumtree local Facebook marketplace etc. A lot of people bought kit like that over lockdown, and as they return to work and gyms reopen there will be quite a few surplus to requirements.

We found the step machine better than the exercise bike, as you could air a mattress cover on that rather than just hanging a few shirts off the bike.

Paul

[Gerry557]

I think at that price you need to be looking at second hand.

I'm not sure what sports handles are or do you mean the handholds for steading yourself. Also what speed do you require. Consider "headroom" you don't want to be jogging with the machine at max. Additionally you say novice so expect to improve in a short time. I also run at different speeds and do an ever increasing run until I can't keep going so need a much higher speed than my normal jog even if its for a shorter relative time. You might also want to finish the last 0.5 or 1k at a much faster pace.

So buying cheap might mean you max out after a couple of weeks and need to buy again. Also consider your weight and support needed. As for dashboard, I assume you want some feedback distance, incline, speed and heart rate. The more you spend the more you will get. Do you really need a TV screen? Nice open views from its position probably not in the corner of a unlit garage it might keep you going. Do you want any smart features?

Lots of websites with examples that you can check out to see what you need. So might even allow a trial before you buy. The link below also has advice on things to look out for

https://www.fitness-superstore.co.uk

Come back with more details and any advice can be a bit more specific.

All the outside stuff is great but there are times when a treadmill is useful.

[Hallucigenia]

Pluses, convenience, can use any time.
Minuses, Noisy, take up space, generally difficult to have a room with the right temperature. Cheap ones are not great.

A couple of other pluses versus running outside -

• Personal security, particularly for women running alone at night
  
• They're generally a fairly forgiving surface to run on, so you're less likely to get injured, particularly if eg your immediate vicinity is all tarmac.
  
• On a related note, you can choose your incline, whereas if you live on the side of a hill you're stuck with elevation changes.
  
• You can stop at any time whereas outdoors you're kind of committed to the route which isn't ideal if you're injury-prone.

I've got ropey knees (they used not to last more than a mile) so I've found it useful to do a new distance on a treadmill first, to see that my knees can cope, before doing it on an "easy" outdoor route and then on a harder outdoor route. But they did let me down once outdoors when I was about 2km from home - it's a long way to limp.

For various reasons we ended up being forced buyers of a treadmill in lockdown, when there weren't many to be had. It was harder since SWMBO is a pretty serious runner so needed something that was 20+kph - the faster they go, the bigger motor they need, and the whole thing needs to be more robust so they cost more. So our choice was pretty limited and we ended up with a fast-enough-but-no-frills no-name one. She didn't really get on with it - although it wasn't small, she still felt very constrained by it compared to gym ones as she has quite an expansive running style, whereas it didn't really bother me as I trundle along more. And it still wasn't quite fast enough for her. So we ended up selling it for about half what we bought it for. So yep, look for second-hand ones.

Although it wasn't big enough for SWMBO it was still a pretty bulky thing, it did "fold up" to about 45 degrees but that if anything just seemed bulkier so we didn't ever use the folding. RowErgs and Waterrowers are much less intrusive.... (and much better for dodgy knees)

SWMBO didn't mind the lack of Bluetooth etc whereas I did as I am much more data-driven and really missed the lack of data compared to rowing machines - or even basics like heartrate on screen in front of you, having to look at a watch is not the same. Since I had a chest belt I hooked that up to the free Wahoo app to at least give me a heartrate in front of me, and my sports watch does record some data but if I was buying one again I'd go for a machine that had better data interchange as that's what works for me.

Some of her pals got into Zwift during lockdown, which is a virtual reality app that has a device you tie to your shoelaces to track how you're running and then displays a virtual run with your mates. It works OK if you're into that sort of thing, particularly on a bigger screen, and was good for lockdown but it's not really my thing and she'd already lost interest in the treadmill by the time we got the Zwift.

[Lesleyfool]

Thanks everyone for their comments.

Yes, being female it’s more reassuring on an indoors treadmill and I live in an area which has quite a few hills so although good for training are problematic at times.

I think I have found one that fits my budget and seems to have an incline and the rest of my demands now. Just have to see when it comes.

[DrFfybes]

Thanks everyone for their comments.

Yes, being female it’s more reassuring on an indoors treadmill and I live in an area which has quite a few hills so although good for training are problematic at times.

I think I have found one that fits my budget and seems to have an incline and the rest of my demands now. Just have to see when it comes.

Good news. Just don't do what the security guard did at my work Gym one sat morning, jogging away and his keys came out of his pocket and landed on the rail on the side of the machine, so he stopped running and bent down to pick them up.

Without stopping the machine.

Paul

[Gerry557]

Thanks everyone for their comments.

Yes, being female it’s more reassuring on an indoors treadmill and I live in an area which has quite a few hills so although good for training are problematic at times.

I think I have found one that fits my budget and seems to have an incline and the rest of my demands now. Just have to see when it comes.

Want to share which one and then come back with observations after use.