Going shopping for an elliptical today.....

[Tripper11]

Excricise bikes, recumbant or toherwise are extemely uncomfortable. I don't like treadmills and the times I have used ellipticals I have the found the workout to be truly amazing.
I began looking yesterday and found a decent one for around $400. It was a compact unit, smooth and had a ton of options I was looking for. The only downside, the stride was relatively short & shallow. I think it would serve its purpose, but if we are going to buy something for a fair amount of use etc, I want to get something we will be truly happy with.

So...to the wonderful excercise guru's here in this forum I ask...for around $700 max, would anyone have any suggestions as to a decent home machine to buy?


This is pretty much the same design as the one I saw yesterday.



I have also posted in the excercise forum, but I figured I might get some quicker responses here before I begin my sojourn.

[Reverend_Smitty]

1. Ellipticals are my favorite

when I go to the gym, they are my preference for my cardio workout. Treadmills kill my knees and I don't feel as if I get a total workout on the bike. I'd be interested in seeing some of the responses in this thread myself

[Tripper11]

2. Well, I'm off then.....

will check the thread later. And also update what I may or may not have found.

[DS1]

3. I love ellipticals

I can get my heart to 180 bpm and hold it there for an hour.

Then get off with my legs blown away :D

[progmom]

4. i love elipticals

i bought a cheap one, though, and never use it - it is a total piece of crap. i go to the gym to use their Precor.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

5. My faves have been the Life Fitness 9500 rear drive models.

They are the most common in the gyms in my area. Very pricey though, about $3K for a remanufactured one purchased online.

How it "feels" working out on it is VERY important for something you plan to use as much as an elliptical.

I'm gonna continue to look online to see if I can get a deal on one of these Life Fitness models.

[Tripper11]

6. Well...I think I found what I'm looking for.....

As I was cruising around to various sports stores with basically the same types of machines, I happened upon a Nordic Track store.

I went in for giggles and found what I think is a nice gem.
NordicTrack CX 998 Elliptical



It's rock solid, has all the functionality I was looking for, plus the incline option. It's smooth and durable. Right now it's going for $699.00 at the store, and jumps up $100 tomorrow.