Old treadmill died; new one ordered
November 18, 2006 
Some years back - maybe 10, maybe more - we bought a Weslo Cadence LX25 treadmill at a Wards store in Portland, Oregon. For the past 5 or so years, it's been a little funky. It would adjust the speed a little all by itself. There *are* some treadmills that have built-in workout routines that vary the pace. This is not one of those machines. Well finally a couple of days ago it got to the point where we just can't use it. And that's a BUMMER, 'cause I'd been pretty regular with doing 3 miles a day. But having it kind of skip a little speed - and then pick right back up - with literally EVERY step ...that's a little too much to handle ...and a bit dangerous, actually.
So what to do?
Well, we checked Consumer Reports reviews on treadmills (thanks to my bro' Pat for giving us a subscription last year), and then surfed over to Amazon and placed an order for a Bowflex Series 3 Treadmill. It's spendy (US$1,000 ...OUCH!!!) ...but if it lasts 10 or so years like the other one, then that's only $100 per year for my favorite cardio workout. And given that Shirley recently dropped her Curves membership and is now working out at home (in the room we call the 'dungeon' - since it harbors our Bowflex weight lifting machine and the treadmill and an inversion table) ...we're also saving on that monthly membership fee. But it's driving me nuts waiting for the thing to arrive; it's not supposed to get here until Friday (24 Nov).
Health
Reader Comments (2)
I was running and walking on it. I'd bought it originally specifically because I wanted a treadmill that would handle a full-on sprint.
The problem was actually a couple of problems. The speed had become inconsistent -- sometimes it would take a few times of turning it on and off to get it to start moving. Then it would be going at whatever pace and then slow down on its own. When we dismantled it to recycle as much as possible, we saw that part of the frame had actually cracked ...and I'm not a big guy (5ft 4inch, 160 pounds).
So repairing the old treadmill would have involved - at a minimum - rebuilding part of the frame and replacing the electronics. Not worth it. The bowflex unit has been great. Although I was hesitant to spend so much, I use it every day ( last time was a few miles on it this morning), and it has proven to be worth the price.
Cheers