Treadmills

When searching for a treadmill you will come across many different brands and 100 times as many opinions as to which one is best and why. The goal of this page is to arm you with a basic understanding of treadmills that will help you ask the right questions when you shop.

There are 7 basic components to a treadmill that help determine its quality and by extension, its price. Knowing the importance of and the differences between each is the best place to start:

Frames

The frame of a treadmill is one of the most important elements that determine the quality of the machine. There are two main points to a frame-what it's made of and how it's assembled.

There are two materials a treadmill is typically made of: steel or aluminum. A steel frame's thickness is measured in gauge. The lower the gauge the thicker the steel. A lower gauge frame will be more solid and durable. Department store and low-end treads are typically made of higher gauge steel than the treadmills that G & G carries. Steel is, in general, cheaper to use in manufacturing than aluminum.

Aluminum is beneficial because it will not, rust, scratch or corrode (unlike steel) regardless of whether the customer sweats on the machine or puts it in a damp basement.

There are three ways a treadmill can be put together: welded, Huck fastened, or bolted. A welded treadmill is the standard: the frame will hold up under almost any abuse. Huck fasteners are the premium (many airplanes and semi's are Huck fastened). Huck fasteners are similar in concept to bolts but are the most accurate fastener, creating a perfectly flush joint, which lowers vibration and noise in the unit. Both Aluminum and steel frames can be either welded or Huck fastened. Bolted frames are the least favorable. For walking treadmills, bolts are fine, but the more abuse a bolted treadmill takes, the more bolts will loosen and compromise the stability of the frame. Aluminum frames will not be bolted.

Motors

The drive motor of a treadmill is what moves the belt across the deck. The effectiveness of a motor is not determined by horsepower, it is determined by the elements of the entire drive system (belt, deck, rollers, fly wheel etc.) All of the treadmills that G&G carries have high quality direct current (DC) motors and very efficient drive systems. A good motor should last under average conditions, 100,000 miles.

Horsepower is one of the most misunderstood elements of a treadmill motor. Many people believe that they need at least a 2hp motor. This is both true and false. Horsepower can be rated two different ways: continuous and peak. Continuous hp is what the treadmill runs at when all the components are up and running and the inertia of the exercise is fully realized. This is the important rating because this is what the treadmill is running at almost all of the time. Peak horsepower is the maximum hp the treadmill can achieve when stressed. This hp is rarely, if ever, fully realized. If a treadmill can achieve at least 1.5 continuous duty hp, than it should be able to handle most any load.

Remember: the overall combination of the efficiency of the motor, tread belt, deck and rollers as well as the motor cooling system contribute more to the output, longevity and quality of a motor than the horsepower.

Rollers

Rollers are another key element that determines the quality of a tread. The rollers are located in the front and back of the treadmill and are powered by the motor to guild the belt over the deck.

The rear rollers absorb much of the impact of a foot-plant and, if the roller is not well made, it will bow and/or break under the pressure. Also, the smoothness of the roller helps determine how hard the motor has to work to move the belt also crowned rollers help keep the belt aligned.

All of the rollers in the treadmills that G & G carries have sealed bearings. The rollers spin on a shaft that is surrounded by ball bearings. Sealing these bearings off from the outside elements makes them last longer and move more efficiently because there is no foreign debris to interfere.

Decks (Boards)

Decks are the actual surface that the belt passes over and is what supports the your bodyweight on the machine. Decks are generally made of wood. Plywood decks are the cheapest and least favorable, low-density pressboard decks are better, high-density fiberboard decks are the optimum.

Most decks are covered or coated with some type of smooth surface to help the belt pass over them with the least amount of friction. Some of the surfaces require maintenance and others are called no-maintenance decks. Typical maintenance on a deck would be spraying silicone or applying wax at specific intervals over the life of the tread. Many people find this function annoying and would prefer a maintenance-free deck.

The maintenance-free decks that you will become familiar with are made of fiberboard and are coated with a phenalic surface. A phenalic surface is an extremely smooth surface that drastically reduces the friction between the belt and deck. This type of surface has been tested with a simulator for five days a week, two hours a day with a 250 lb. person and it lasted five years before the deck needed replacing.

Shock Absorption

Not all treadmills have shock absorption capability. The more effective and elaborate the shock-absorption system the more costly the tread will be. Shock-absorption helps cut down on wear and tear on knees, ankles, hips, and backs. It is more important for runners than walkers because a runner hits the deck harder than a walker. The better running treads will typically have better shock absorption.

Belts

Belts absorb most of the abuse on a treadmill because all of the friction and impact that is caused by running occurs directly on the belt. Belts can be 1- ply, 2-ply, 4-ply. A 1-ply belt is made of simply a plastic/rubber composite and does not wear as well as a thicker belt. A 2-ply belt can handle more abuse because the second ply is a polyester backing that absorbs heat and keeps it from getting to the rubber. A 4-ply belt is generally not any better than a 2-ply belt. A few treadmill companies use a 4-ply belt as a marketing tool. The two extra plies are just layers of rubber and polyester. These extra layers never actually touch the running surfaces.

A belt that is stitched together with a straight stitched seam will not hold as well as a belt stitched at an angle. A 2-ply belt typically lasts five years and should be changed when you change a deck.

Some belts aid in the deck lubrication process. These belts will typically be infused with silicone, which transfers onto the deck during operation and aids in friction reduction and motor efficiency.

Electronics

Electronics are generally what catch a customer's eye first, but are not a determining factor in terms of quality. From basic electronics to the top of the line may only be the difference of $300-$400. What customers really pay for is durability.

Electronics do however provide many useful motivational functions; some are just for fun and others are engineered to maximize the quality of one's workout.

Basic electronics will simply tell one the time, distance, calories burned, etc. and allow the customer to adjust speed and elevation with the touch of a button. Other electronics will simulate hills by lifting and lowering automatically in pre-set programs. Still others can be programmed by the user to follow a pattern of hills the user designs.

The most elaborate and useful electronics will actually read a user's heart rate and automatically adjust its elevation to keep the user in his/her target heart-rate zone. These are called Heart-rate interactive treadmills.