Five years ago, we bought our first treadmill. Not knowing a lot about them at the time, we bought a low-priced model. Two years after that, we decided to upgrade to a sturdier model, one that we felt was built better, and would last longer, needing fewer repairs.
Thus we ended up with the Bowflex Series 7. Although it cost nearly three times as much as our first machine, I haven't regretted the decision. Here it is, three years later, and our Bowflex still works perfectly. We use it a lot, and it has been perfectly reliable, never needing a single repair.
Getting it home, assembling it, and folding it
Treadmills are very large, very heavy machines. Weighing close to 300 pounds, just getting the box into the house can be a major chore. However, assembling the Bowflex was relatively easy. As long as you have two people available, it's really not too big a task. Everything you need is in the box, even the screwdriver! The biggest issue with assembly is the sheer weight of the parts. Like I said, it's a two-person job, for sure.
Make sure you have the room for this machine, before you get it home. This model is 83" long, 35" wide and 60" tall. It's a space-saver model, meaning that it can be folded for storage, and fairly easily rolled. Folding and unfolding this model is a pleasure. They have a "soft drop feature" which means that it unfolds slowly and gently, so it won't come crashing down on you. And, once folded, it automatically locks into place - you don't have to fuss with locking pins.
Speed and incline adjustments
Down here, in South Florida, everything is flat. When I walk outside, I never have to worry about any hills. But when you walk on a treadmill, you want to adjust your incline, as well as your speed, to vary your workout.
There are up & down arrows that adjust the incline from 0 to 12%. Each adjustment moves the incline up or down by .5% so there are actually 24 different inclines. There are also 10 quick key buttons that allow you to directly select your incline instead of hitting up and down buttons. Isn't it weird, though, that there are only 10 keys, rather than 13 ranging from 0 to 12? That's right, they leave out keys 7, 9, and 11. Why? I have no idea - it's not like they couldn't possibly have fit three more keys on the console. It's just a weirdness on this model. Of course, if you want a 7% incline, you can press the 6 key, then hit the up-arrow twice, so that it adjusts to 6.5%, then 7%.
The speed adjusts up to 11mph. There are up & down arrows that can be used to adjust the speed by 1/10 mph with each press. There are also 10 quick key buttons labeled from 0 to 9. Again, there's no 10 button or 11 button. So if you really want to go that fast (and trust me, I don't), you can hit the 9 button, then use the up-arrow to go faster. Here's another odd thing - the manual claims this machine goes up to 12mph. It's doesn't. 11mph is the highest setting.
Choose your mode - quick start, manual or preset programs
Press the quick start button if you don't want to be bothered entering any workout parameters. You just want to set your desired speed and incline, and off you go. You can always adjust your speed and incline throughout your workout, but YOU decide when you want to make the changes.
Manual mode is similar to the quick start mode except that you have to pre-set a few parameters first. You'll have to enter your weight (which the machine uses to calculate the calories burned), and the desired duration of your workout. The machine will then count-down the time for you as you go.
When using either of the two modes above, the console uses lights to show your progress around a 1/4 mile track. As you walk, the indicators around the track light in succession, until the entire track is lit. The track will then un-light the indicators as you "go around" again. And so on, lighting, and un-lighting the 1/4 mile laps. There's no function to this feature - it just gives you something fun to look at while you're walking.
For more challenging workouts, there are supposedly 15 preset programs. Actually, there are 12. The literature will tell you there are 15, but two of them are user-defined (meaning they start out empty, you have to build them yourself), and one isn't a workout program at all, it's just a body mass index calculator (you enter your weight and height, and it does some math for you). So, despite the marketing, the machine comes with 12 preset workout programs.
Each program is divided into several time segments. Each time segment will have a particular speed and incline setting. When using a preset program, you don't get the fun lights going around a track as described above. Instead, the lights make up a matrix. Each column in the matrix represents one time segment. The leftmost column is your current time slot - the future slots are represented to the right. The height of each column represents the speed for that time segment. Thus you can see at a glance what speeds are in the time segments ahead of you.
When you choose a program, the name of that program will display on the console. The programs have names like "Running", "Speed", "Hills", "Fitness Test", etc. You will then have to input various figures, depending on your program choice. You might be asked the maximum speed you want, the amount of time, your total target calories, or distance. Fitness test programs will ask your age, and sex, then give you a fitness rating at the end. Most programs give you a cool down period at the end, which is a nice feature.
Other features - good and bad
This treadmill uses a magnetic key clip. The treadmill can not be used unless the key is stuck to the holder on the console. The key has a cord attached to it, with a clip on the end of the cord. Attaching the clip to your clothes while you work out is the single most important safety feature on this machine. If you should fall, the key will come out of the machine and the machine will instantly stop.
There are two 9" handrails protruding from the console. I would prefer it if the rails were longer. My husband doesn't mind the length of the rails, but he's bothered by their height. They're simply too low for him, especially when the tread is raised at high inclines. Wouldn't it be great, if they were adjustable? I've never seen a treadmill with this feature, but it sure would be convenient!
There are two ways to check your heart rate while you're working out. One is to place your hands on the metal sensors located on either side of the console. Or, you can use the chest strap. The strap is easy to wrap your chest, and contains a transmitter which continually sends your heart rate information to the treadmill. If you're serious about monitoring your heart rate, I suggest you use the chest strap. It allows for a much more comfortable workout when you aren't forced to place your hands on the metal sensors all the time. We also find that the hand sensors "miss" frequently. Meaning that no heart rate will display, despite having our hands on the sensors. Whereas the chest strap seems to work consistently.
There are two accessory trays built into the console. They contain bottle holders, as well as some extra room for your television remote, your cell phone, etc. Note that the bottle holders are a really dumb design. They slant forward so much that you can't put a full bottle of water in there, without re-capping the bottle after each sip to prevent spills.
There are many displays available on the console. You can have them display in succession, or you can choose which one you want to stay visible. They include time remaining (or time spent, depending on the program), pace, segment time, laps (manual and quick start modes), heart rate, distance, calories burned, elevation gain, lifetime miles and hours, and average speed, heart rate, and incline.
You can choose metric or decimal for the speed and weight settings.
There's a three-speed fan in the center of the console. Unfortunately, you can not adjust the angle of the vent. So, the fan is of limited use.
The machine will tell you when it's time to lubricate the belt - every 250 miles you get a warning message.
The tread is 60" by 20" - which is quite large. And the running surface is very comfortable.
The motor is 3.0 horsepower.
My machine came with a mat, which helps protect the carpeting underneath.
There's no CD player or MP3 connector.
The machine is noisy, but not overly so.
The manual specifies a 300 lb maximum user weight. (Thankfully, that's not an issue in my household!!)
The machine comes with a very generous warranty: 15 years frame, 10 years drive motor, 2 years parts, 1 year electronics.
Final thoughts
This treadmill has been a great addition to our in-home gym. We've had it for several years, without a single problem. It just feels well-made and sturdy. We have no worries that it will fall apart on us, or require tons of repairs.
We bought ours for around $1500, which included the mat. It's more than I really wanted to spend at the time, but I haven't regretted it. If you're going to really use your machine, then it's worth it to spend the money on a machine that will last. Of course, if you're only going to hang laundry on it, then a cheaper machine will do.
Our first machine - which we still have, and still occasionally use: Icon Image 19.0
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