Buying And Owning A Treadmill

December 5, 2024

LAST UPDATED December 2, 2024

So you’ve made that decision that you want to buy a treadmill to improve your fitness (by running on Zwift, obviously) but don’t know what the best option is.

Read this guide to learn the dos and don’ts of purchasing a treadmill and how you can get the best out of your treadmill for years to come.

A Word About Price

For many, the main purchasing consideration will be around budget. A treadmill isn’t cheap, and a quality one is even less so. But consider it an investment in your health. You can’t put a price on that.

Look for interest free options, this helps spread the cost over a few years so instead of having to find a not so insignificant sum up front you can make it into more bite sized monthly payments.

Key Considerations Before You Buy

Motor: Look for a treadmill with a good high-powered motor. Be careful of manufacturers who mispresent the figures, though. There are two ratings, HP and CHP, with HP being horsepower and CHP being continuous horsepower. Often manufacturers will quote their peak HP as this is the biggest number.

Here’s how to compare peak HP to CHP.

You own two cars. One is your little family car and the other is a sports car. Both are capable of driving at 90mph. However, 90mph is the top speed of your family car whilst the sports car can go to 150mph.

So if you drive both at 90mph all the time, which one is likely to fail first? The family car that is being driven at its maximum all the time or the sports car which is working well below its maximum?

So always look for a treadmill motor that’s the best-rated in CHP. The higher the CHP then the less strain on the motor and the better it will be at maintaining the belt speed more smoothly.

3.0 CHP is a must for a motor, any less and you risk the belt having a jerky feel with every foot strike and it will be less likely that the belt speed will be close to what the treadmill is displaying.

Decks: Without a doubt, the most common point of failure on a treadmill is the running deck. You are basically bouncing away at up to 180 steps per minute in the same spot. This generates a lot of heat, and the culminative effect is a broken deck. It’s common that you don’t know your deck is broken. They tend to split and bow and become spongy underfoot. If you are running regularly you don’t tend to notice this. I once broke a deck after 6 minutes of running and have gone through 4 in 2 years with a non-NoblePro treadmill.

Most manufacturers don’t publish the specifications of their treadmill decks. For those who don’t know, I run a minimum of 10k every day on my NoblePro, and the deck is neither bowed nor split after over 18 months of use. So that should offer you some reassurance.

Customer Service: Before you buy, look at reviews for the manufacturers. This will give you an idea of what support is like should you run into an issue. There’s nothing worse than suffering a breakdown in the middle of training for that important event and then finding out it will take weeks to arrange a repair. This is common with many manufacturers outsourcing repairs to a 3rd party repair company. On top of that, often parts are not kept in stock, resulting in further delays.

Connectivity: One of the most common considerations when purchasing a treadmill is whether it connects to Zwift.

The good news is that the range of smart treadmills is on the increase, and these can be directly connected to Zwift. No messing about with footpods or other devices, and no need to keep batteries charged or do a calibration. Just connect the treadmill as a speed and cadence source, and away you go. You can also connect the built-in heart rate monitor, but it may be best to use your own so you have a constant reading without holding onto the handrails.

Ongoing Maintenance Tips

Lubrication: I’ve spoken above about decks and their failure. This can be minimized by regular lubrication. The constant heat along with the pounding up and down on the same spot is a killer for decks. By using a 100% silicone oil lubricant, you can significantly reduce this friction and subsequent risk of damage. You can never really over-lubricate, and each manufacturer will have their own guide, but I personally oil the deck every 150KM. A 1-litre bottle of silicone oil is far cheaper and less hassle than replacing a deck. Lift the deck edges with your hands and squirt the oil into the centre of the deck. Set the treadmill on a low speed and walk around the belt to distribute the oil for 5 minutes.

Do not use spray oils such as WD40 or GT85 as these are more water displacers rather than lubricants.

Sweat: Our sweat contains salt, which can be quite corrosive to treadmills, especially the metal parts. Get into the habit of wiping down the treadmill using an anti-bacterial spray and cloth after use. Not only is it hygienic but it’ll prevent rust and corrosion. If you spill an energy drink on the treadmill during use, 100% clean it up, as these are lethal for treadmills owing to their contents which tend to be high in electrolytes.

Rollers: Each treadmill will have a front and rear roller. At each end is a set of bearings. These can be open for sweat to penetrate, which will lead to a squeaking noise before failure. The rear roller can be accessed by removing the plastic housing at the end of each side. The front roller is accessed by removing the hood at the front of the treadmill. Use a little silicone oil around the bearings. Careful of the bearing close to the motor belt, though, as if you drip silicone oil on the motor belt it will cause it to slip and the treadmill belt may not turn.

Under The Hood: Get into the habit of taking the hood off and cleaning around the circuit board and motor. This area can gather a lot of dust, which can cause failure of electrical components. The motor belt will also shed pieces of rubber and excess lubrication can be flung into the area, so it’s well worth a periodic wipe-down.