NordicTrack 2950 vs Assault Airbike
This is a cpmparison of the Nordcitrack 2950 treadmill and the Assault Airbike. Follow the links for more details.
Overview and review of the Assault airbike
The Assault Airbike comes in at $699 - $999. 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
The
Assault Airbike has been given an overhaul to live up to the highest standards of athletes. The company in charge is LifeCORE fitness in California, even though this
bike is not built in the US. The
assault bike comes with the following specifications:
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Color Black
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Weight 99LB
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Length 50.9”
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Width 23.3”
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Height 48.4”
Airbikes work with the resistance of the air and give you a challenging full body workout. The faster you pedal the higher the resistance becomes. These are a great alternative for your home gym to treadmills and ellipticals as they take up less space and provide a better workout if it is burned calories you are after.
Pros of the Assault Airbike
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Sturdy design
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Band propelled
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Long years of experience
The
assault air bike is heavy and has a sturdy steel frame. This prevents swaying during the ride compared to other models form the past. The weight of your
Airbike is a good indicator whether it has been built thoroughly or whether the vendor took some shortcuts.
Compared to older models the
Assault air bike has the advantage of being band propelled. Older models were chain propelled which lead to more noise. This is becoming more and more of an industry standard and is therefore not as much of a differentiator than it used to be.
With Assault you are buying into a range of products of a healthy company which has been around for years. This company is very likely here to stay and won’t go anywhere.
Cons of the Assault Airbike
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Specificity
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Not the newest design
The first one goes for all Airbikes. While they provide a great workout to get you in sweat it is not specific to most sports. Treadmills and normal bikes score better in this regard. If you are outfitting a gym for an elite athlete you will also need to get treadmills.
The
Assault bike design is solid, but not the newest one of the market. My hunch is that
Assault is good at looking at the market and then outsourcing the production cost effectively to China, but I might be wrong. The Assault bike was a copy of the
Schwinn and the Assault air runner is a copy of the
TrueForm runner.
Alternatives to the Assault Airbike
If you like the design of the
Assault bike and the company you can also take it a step up by opting for the elite. The elite comes with an even heavier frame and newer computer to match the highest of standards.
Concept 2 provides a solid range of cardiovascular machines with their rowers,
skiergs, and
bikes. If you just want a regular
bike for spinning classes or to save some space their bike is an alternative.
The
Rogue echo bike is Rogue's take on the Airbike market. Manufactured in Columbus Ohio this machine is the no-nonsense approach to Airbikes and currently the best value for money option on the market.
Summary for the Assault Airbike
An
assault air bike is a solid machine which you can add to your arsenal. If the design is to your liking and fits your overall gym go for this one. If you don’t care about these things you might want an interesting alternative in the
Rogue Echo bike.
Further reading
This is a review of the Nordictrack commercial 2950 model which was originally posted in "Which Nordictrack treadmill to get". Follow the links for more details.
If you have some surplus money to spend and like the good things in life this is the treadmill for you. The incline options from Nordictrack technically have more bells and whistles if you only want the best, but I think you are more than covered with what the
2950 has to offer with the added bonus that it can be folded up.
This machine is a great option for a high-end home gym for which the owner does not want to spare any expenses without paying for unnecessary gimmicks which will be rarely used. If you work with the elderly are anyone that needs a big touch screen you will not be disappointed with the
2950. The same goes for if you need the extra size and cushioning because you are heavy or just like comfort.
The
Nordictrack 2950 is a great option when you have the necessary change in your pocket and space in your home or gym. Otherwise, it is a pretty bad choice. If you have to buy in bulk the price will escalate quite quickly. You also can not do Start-stop sprints that are relevant to many sports.
The
true form runner is roughly in the same price range than the
2950. Rather than using an electrical motor, you propel the belt forward yourself. This is a better option when you train high performing athletes who need to do start and stop drills. Especially if you have limited space. It’s still not as good as training outdoors on the pitch, but the
true from runner can be used all year round even when the pitch can not be accessed.
The
Rogue echo bike is a great value for money option if your main goal is to burn as many calories as possible in a short amount of time. It is roughly priced at $700 and therefore for under most cardio equipment you can get for your home gym. In addition, it is also very space-efficient.
The
Versaclimber SM is the ultimate machine for getting you to sweat and burn calories in the shortest amount of time. This machine is not for beginners and therefore has a smaller range than the rest of the cardio equipment in this comparison. The big disadvantage against the
echo bike is the higher price tag. If you are super fit, rich and value your time above anything else, get this machine to burn the calories fast before you go on set or in the boardroom. If you are a mere mortal with limited finances get the
Rogue echo bike to burn calories.
The
2950 treadmill is, in my opinion, the sensible wealthy treadmill for the home gym owner or the elite/boutique sensible option for a commercial gym. Anyone who enters your gym will be impressed and it will not look cheap. In addition, you get a plethora of functionality without going overboard with the 40% incline. For everyone else, more than 3000 is a lot of money to spend on one machine. You can get up to ten squat stands for that and open an Olympic weightlifting gym. Just the plates might eat your budget up, but that is another topic.