I was thinking of buying a treadmill.

[RESmonkey]

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: Jeff7
Build an treadmill that's hooked up to a generator. That way you can generate electricity and exercise.

Why don't gyms do that is what I wonder. I figured they would like to lower operating cost.

You're not the only one whose wondered that. They could lure people with cheaper costs or something. The only thing that wouldn't generator electricity would be free weights.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: RESmonkey

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: Jeff7
Build an treadmill that's hooked up to a generator. That way you can generate electricity and exercise.

Why don't gyms do that is what I wonder. I figured they would like to lower operating cost.

You're not the only one whose wondered that. They could lure people with cheaper costs or something. The only thing that wouldn't generator electricity would be free weights.

yea, i've often thought of that. so much human energy just goes to waste at a gym and it would be great to see that work get recycled to power the gym, heating, etc.

 

[Riverhound777]

Originally posted by: brikis98

Originally posted by: RESmonkey

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: Jeff7
Build an treadmill that's hooked up to a generator. That way you can generate electricity and exercise.

Why don't gyms do that is what I wonder. I figured they would like to lower operating cost.

You're not the only one whose wondered that. They could lure people with cheaper costs or something. The only thing that wouldn't generator electricity would be free weights.

yea, i've often thought of that. so much human energy just goes to waste at a gym and it would be great to see that work get recycled to power the gym, heating, etc.

Don't think that would work with a treadmill or anything motorized, but it would with a bike and elliptical.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: Riverhound777
Don't think that would work with a treadmill or anything motorized, but it would with a bike and elliptical.

there are self powered treadmills, but in my experience they suck... however, you could also do it with rowing machines, and possibly even resistance training machines...

there are lots of potential problems of course, such as how efficient you could actually make it, the extra expense for already expensive gym equipment, equipment would be more fragile, and everything would need to be plugged into some kind of battery. still, it's a neat idea.

 

[skace]

Originally posted by: brikis98
just so you are aware of all sides, i'll throw this out there: a gym membership is typically a FAR better investment, both financially and from a health perspective. consider the following:

* cheap treadmills suck in every way possible. they break, lack features, don't absorb impact (so you damage your knees), they break, are often big and bulky, are loud, they break!!!
* to get one comparable to what you use at a (decent) gym, you'll probably need to dump close to $1k. i can't tell you how many crappy treadmills i've seen even at this price range.
* it depends on how much a gym membership is in your area, but around here, I can get one between $25 and $40/month. Even at the high end, that's still under $500 per YEAR, or half the cost of a good treadmill.
* in exchange, you get access to high quality treadmills, as well as elliptical machines, stair machines, weights, etc. all the equipment you need to get in far better shape then just running, although you still get your money's worth if you only run.
* finally, your company or health insurance provider may reimburse you (at least $150) for a gym membership...

just something to consider

All valid points, but I wanted to add a few more points that you don't really cover:
- A day where the weather is bad enough that you don't want to run outside is also most likely a day where you won't want to drive to the gym (snow).
- While some state it takes more motivation to stay consistent on a home treadmill, if you can, you save a ton of convenience over driving to another establishment to do the exact same thing, plus you don't have to share, nobody else has been sweating all over your equipment, you can hookup your own entertainment system however you like (I have a PS2 by my treadmill!) and you can shower w/ privacy.
- If you do have other people in the house who plan to use this treadmill, the cost savings vs a gym membership skyrockets. If you have other people in the house who don't plan to use the treadmill but probably need to, this may add an additional layer of motivation to them. (Hey, it's down there in the basement, I use it at 3pm, feel free to use it any other time, nobody is going to see you running)

I think the biggest con with a treadmill is you either buy expensive or be prepared to get a piece of shit that will eventually break (mine no longer runs higher than 6mph).

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Hey skace,

What did you pay for your's? 6yrs of use, and how many miles later? for a couple grand wouldn't be a bad deal IMO. I live in Fl. so I can run year round no worries, just curious is all.

 

[skace]

Originally posted by: DAPUNISHER
Hey skace,

What did you pay for your's? 6yrs of use, and how many miles later? for a couple grand wouldn't be a bad deal IMO. I live in Fl. so I can run year round no worries, just curious is all.

How many miles beats the hell outa me. I want to say I spent around 1-2K. I will have to get the model number from home and look it up online later on. It's a Reebok and, at the time, was one of the better consumer treadmills. I wouldn't recommend it though, it has a ton of settings you can play with, but the actual treadmill seems like it was built shoddy.

Even now, looking at Reebok's current treadmill offerings it looks like they are still following the same trend of cramming as much needless crap into it instead of building a more solid unit.

You know what, my motor is probably still under warranty...

The ones mxylplyx linked to seem really nice though.

 

[wheresmybacon]

If you plan on actually USING the treadmill as opposed to letting it sit in a corner and collect dust, you're going to have to spend some coin if you want it to hold up. My old roommate had a decent one but it was still inferior to what you get at the gym. The main problem was the belt would slip if you really crank the speed up (over 10).

I had good luck using it for LISS, but when I ran on it I nearly fell off a couple times due to the belt slipping.

It was a Nordic Track, and from perusing their site it looks like it goes about $1k.

 

[Shaotai]

We have a Pro-Form treadmill. We've used it almost everyday for the past 6 years.
It has been solid and has never given us problems until just recently.
First, the rear bulkhead piece cracked, so I replaced that. ($20)
Then this week, the front roller is going out, so I'm waiting on parts. I ordered a new motor belt and roller ($90)

Despite these recent issues, I still highly recommend Pro-Form. It's taken the abuse we put on it and really has been great.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Originally posted by: Shaotai
We have a Pro-Form treadmill. We've used it almost everyday for the past 6 years.
It has been solid and has never given us problems until just recently.
First, the rear bulkhead piece cracked, so I replaced that. ($20)
Then this week, the front roller is going out, so I'm waiting on parts. I ordered a new motor belt and roller ($90)

Despite these recent issues, I still highly recommend Pro-Form. It's taken the abuse we put on it and really has been great.

You bring up a good point too, DIY repairs aren't just a cost saving measure for our tech toys and cars. :light:

 

[OVERKILL]

If your serious about getting a quality treadmill, check out specialty fitness stores.
Not the big box types like Sports Authority, Dicks Sporting good, etc.
The big box type stores usually carry lower quality treadmills.
Warranties will tell you how confident a manufacture feels about their product.

The only issue with buying it used is you usually have no warranty, warranties are normally not transferable.

I just bought a treadmill at a local fitness store, I did a ton of research on it before buying it.
It's as solid as a gym treadmill and comes with an excellent warranty.

Checkout Runnersworld.com, they were a big help to me. They have a forum about treadmills with numerous posts that will keep you busy for hours if you wish.

 

[HomerSapien]

My wife and I jumped on the Sears after Christmas excercise equipment sale (money off and no interest for a year). We bought the Nordic Trac C2155. I was skeptical after reading reviews for nordic trac, but overall we have been happy. We do not use the Ifit cards, but we might buy some through ebay if we can find them cheaper. Its a decent idea to be able to expand the programs. The only requirements we had to have was a minimum of 2 horsepower, wide and long running tread, 10 year to lifetime warranty on the motor. After that, it is just bells and whistles.

So far we have used it almost every day since christmas.