Nordictrack X9i vs Assault airbike elite

This is a comparison between the Nordictrack X9i treadmill and the Assault airbike elite including pros, cons and alternatives. Follow the links for more details

Overview and review of the Assault airbike elite

The Assault Airbike elite comes in at $1299. In this article you will learn more about the product itself, its Pros and cons and alternatives you might want to consider. This article has originally been published in the overview "Which conditioning equipment to buy from Rogue".

Overview of the Assault airbike elite

Air assault has been around a while in the world of Air bikes. The elite is their take on taking it tongue next level. Compared to the basic version you will get an upgraded LCD, bigger seat and sturdier steel frame. The Air Assault Elite comes with the following specifications:

Color Black
Product weight 140LB
Length 51“
Width 27“
Height 55“

Airbikes are a great option for your cardiovascular training. The resistance increases naturally the faster you go. This makes it a great tool for interval training. In addition, you also address your entire body. With the assault bike, you also have the option to only focus on the upper or lower body by keeping the feet or arms engaged or out of the loop. If you want something else from a treadmill and find cycling not challenging enough the air assault elite is the best you can get in the market.

Pros of the Assault airbike elite

The pros of the Assault air bike elite are:

Most up to date LCD computer
Bluetooth capability
Overbuilt
Strong brand
Price

Compared to other air bikes the assault bike elite has one of the most advanced computers. If this is important to yourself or the image your gym want to convey, this is a great option. Quite a few other vendors are behind when it comes to this. Still, keep in mind that most options will never be used.

The Bluetooth capability is nice in the age of the internet of things. You might want to combine the output of the air bike with other technology you are using for analysis or your clients just want to hook your phone up.

I personally admit that I like overbuilt gym equipment. I lift comparatively heavy and like to abuse any kind of cardio machine I am on. That I weigh 90kg does not help the machines. If it rattles and I feel like it will break right under me, I am not too impressed. If you have a team of rugby players to entertain, maybe spent the extra money so that they feel like they are safe.

With the Assault, you are hooking up with a company that has been around the block. You can expect good customer service.

The price is good when you compare the Assault air Bike elite to another top of range endurance machines like the TrueForm Runner, Versaclimber SM, and Run Rocket. When you compare Airbike to Airbike the story is a little different.

Cons of the Assault airbike elite

Cons of the Assault Air bike elite are:

Price
Specificity

The main point against the elite is the price. When you compare Airbike to Airbike the elite comes in at almost double the price compared to other Airbike options. Are the extra features worth giving up on one extra Airbike for the same time? Most of the times probably not unless you are 7’ 10” tall and weigh 250kg. You can also make an argument for this if your marketing strategy is to never ever be seen to be cheap because you charge your clients a fortune for your services (well to them it is peanuts, but that is precisely why you have to give them the best of everything).

The other downside to the Assault Air bike elite is that the movement pattern is not specific to most sports. Except cycling, the carryover will not be as high as with a treadmill or run rocket when you train athlete who competes on their feet on a pitch.

Alternatives to the Assault Airbike elite

Alternatives to the Assault Air Bike elite are:

The TrueForm runner is the best you can get in the realm of self-propelled treadmills. It will put you back considerably more than the Assault air bike elite. However, if you consider the Elite budget is probably not one of your main concerns.

What goes for the TrueForm also holds true for the Versaclimber SM. The SM is the top of range product of Versaclimber with all the bells and whistles and a generous warranty for commercial use. If you want the workout that burns the most calories per square foot over time this is the way to go.

The Rogue Echo bike is the reasonable choice if you want an Airbike at a normal price tag. The Echo is overbuilt and Rogue took the best ideas from the existing mass products and offers them at a very competitive price tag for the amount of bike you get.

Summary for the Assault airbike elite

The assault air bike elite is a great option for you if you train big athletes or only want the best of everything. It is also one of the cheaper options for top equipment when you want to offer your clients or yourself that special care. If you are budget conscious you can save about half by getting solid alternatives from the mid-market price range which are under $1000.

Overview and review of the X9i 2199

This is a review of the NordicTrack X9i including pros, cons, and alternatives. This article has been originally published in “which NordicTrack treadmill or elliptical to get in the UK”. Follow the links for more details.

Overview of the Nordictrack X9i

The X9i treadmill comes in at a price of 2199 pounds at the time of writing. Its main features are the 3 horsepower motor, 40% incline, and 7-inch touch screen. With this, it is a treadmill at the higher end of the price spectrum and relatively big features and incline and screen real estate. The full list of features runs as follows:

7" HD Touch Screen Display
iFit Integrated
Smart BlueTooth Chestbelt included
Includes 1 Years iFit Family Membership
Dual 3-Inch Speakers

Reflex™ Cushioning
Tablet Holder Included
55 x 152 cm Tread Belt

Dual AutoBreeze™ Workout Fans
3.6 CHP Motor
0 – 40% Incline - 0 – 6% Power Decline
0 – 20 km/h Speed
2.5” Precision-machined and
Balanced Non-flex Rollers
EKG Grip Pulse Heart Rate Monitor
135kg Max User Weight
Out-of-the-box Easy Assembly

Large Boxed Item - This item can only be delivered or delivered and installed to a ground floor room location.
Free Installation Included With Mainland Customers
Product Weight 135kg
Boxed Weight 175kg
Assembled Dimensions - 178L x 100W x 181H cm
Boxed Dimensions - 227L x 103W x 64H cm
Warranty - Lifetime Frame Warranty, 10-year Motor Warranty, 2-Year Parts & Labour upon warranty registration within 28 days of purchase.

All of this makes the X9 a good machine for the UK market if you are interested in a 40% incline and a touchscreen.

Pros of the Nordictrack X9i

The pros of the X9i are

40% Incline
7-inch touch screen

The X9i shines on the incline and the touch screen options. This is a high-end treadmill that you can either use at home or in a commercial setting.

Cons of the Nordictrack X9i

Price
Older model

2000 pounds is a high price for a treadmill either to buy for your home or in bulk. Really think hard about whether you will need the 40% incline on a regular as this is the main reason for driving the price up. If you only will use it occasionally you might want to look into other options with less incline.

Another point is that the X9i is one of the older models in the Nordictrack incline treadmills line up. The newer models are the X11i, x22i, and the X32i. These models are not available in the UK yet, but you may want to have a close look at the US website first. Especially if you can wait for half a year to a year with your purchase.

Alternatives to the Nordictrack X9i

Alternatives to the Nordictrakc X9i are:

The Nordictrack FS5i is a three in one elliptical which can be used as a stepper, treadmill, and elliptical which is available in the UK. This might be the better choice for someone who buys for use at home by multiple people. Especially the fitness levels are a bit lower. A commercial buyer might not want to go this way, is the ellipticals with the flywheel in the middle are more error-prone than the front / rear-drive flywheels or treadmills. Commercial buyers with space might want to split up their fleet in specialized machines.

If you are really sure that you need the 40% incline but want to save a little bit of money you can go for the X7i instead of the X9i. It is basically the same machine, except that the screen is not a touch screen. This city a little of the budget while you still almost get the same specifications for what you are buying. If you are insisting on a 40% incline and think that this is your main use case you right also want to look at the VersaClimber product range. This is usually the better pick for maximizing the calories burned per minute.

The Nordictrack C7.5 would be the treadmill of choice of you ditch the idea of a 40% incline. This is a solid machine for home or commercial use which is more affordable and still does the trick. Definitely look in this area of the Nordictrack portfolio if you think %40 is overkill (which I would say in 999 out of 1000 cases).

The last option would be to go for something completely different. The Rogue Echo bike coma in at a price of about 700 pounds. It is compact, easy to move, and you can burn a lot of calories per minute with the interval settings. This is the machine that I got for my personal gym as I prefer tor un outdoors.

Summary for the Nordictrack X9i

Nordictrack X9i is one of the most modern incline treadmills available for the UK market from Nordictrack at the moment. Still, you are investing a lot of money into a machine that has been overtaken with new models in the US. I am personally not a fan of spending a lot of money on something which I know will be outdated very soon. Combined with the fact that most people do not get a lot of use out of the 40% incline option the X9i is not one of my favorite options and would go for the X7i instead to save some money if you are insisting on 40%.