Overview and review of the Concept 2 bikeErg

This is a comparison between the Nordictrack 6.5s treadmill and the Concept 2 bikeerg. Follow the links for more details.

Overview and review of the Concept two bikeErg

The Concept 2 bikeErg comes in at $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 Concept 2 bikeErg

The concept 2 bikeErg is concept 2‘s take on bringing the real cycling experience to your home. Most bike parts are compatible with the bikeErg so you can attach your own pedals, saddle and handles to simulate your bicycle. The bikeErg also has been designed with increasing resistance the faster you go. The mechanics simulate shifting gears to get you ready for the real ride. All of this comes with poly groove belts instead of a chain. This ensures a smooth ride which does not produce too much noise. The bikeErg comes with the following specs:

Assembled in the US
Color black
Length 48”
Width 24”
Weight 58lb
Made of Aluminium

Concept 2 has a long history of building machines for cardio. The bread butter machine is the concept 2 rower and recently the company has added the skierg and bikeErg to their portfolio. The bikeerg is the machine for you if you want to cycle at home and can not always take to the road to do your training.

Pros of the Concept 2 bikeErg

The pros of the bikeErg are

Lightweight construction
Adaptable
Simulated gears
PM5 monitor

The lightweight aluminum construction is an advantage for what this machine wants to achieve. Real world bicycles are usually built as light as possible. If you want your home training to be specific for cycling in a triathlon or the gourde France, you can not have a bulky Airbike to replace the experience.

If you want you to take all of the sports you touch as a driver apart and swap them for your own. This way you can get very close to riding your actual bike from the comfort of your home.

The bikeErg simulates the switching of gears during the ride so you get as close to the real experience than you can.

Finally, the PM5 monitor will enable you to race against others in parallel on multiple bikeErg. This can result in great fun for spinning classes.

Cons of the Concept 2 bikeErg

The cons of the concept 2 bikeErg are

No full body work out
Not for the big guys
It’s indoors

The concept 2 bikeErg will mainly focus on your legs. Therefore you will not get a lot of an upper body workout from your session. If this is important to you, you might want to go for the Rogue Echo bike instead.

The concept 2 bikeErg is lightweight and therefore build for cyclists. If you have a lot of football players on your roster you might want to go for one of the bigger Airbikes to make sure they don’t fall off.

Last but not least, nothing is like the real experience. If you want to compete in cycling you also must put in the miles on your bike outdoors. Otherwise, it is very likely that you will fail on race day.

Alternatives to the Concept 2 bikeErg

Alternatives to the concept 2 bike erg are

If you are buying equipment for your home gym and you are more on the extreme side of things you might prefer the Rogue Echo bike. This is the solid all body workout for the weekend warrior.

The concept 2 skierg is a great variation from concept 2 for anyone who skies. It simulates the upper body movement of skiing. Thing of it like a marathon version of a lat pulldown machine.

If you are shopping for a commercial gym you also might want to throw in a couple of rowers to mix things up. Avoid getting all of the same. Concept 2 actually has a mix pack on offer at Rogue where you can buy a skierg, bikeErg, and rower in one go.

Overview and review NordicTrack T6.5 Treadmill $999 - $1299

This is a review of the NordicTrack 6.5S treadmill which was originally published in "Which Treadmill to get from Nordictrack". Follow the links for more details.

Overview NordicTrack T6.5 Treadmill $999 - $1299

The Nordictrack 6.5 treadmill is the most compact and cheapest version from Nordictrack. This is the right treadmill to get to save space and money. You can put this treadmill into your back shed or in a cramped apartment. Commercial buyers can optimize small rooms for group training or peak times or just put a large fleet in a big space. This comes at the price of the weakest motor in the Nordictrack line up. The full specs are:

10” Smart HD Touchscreen
Includes 1-Year NordicTrack iFit® membership**
Auxiliary Music Port
Dual 2” Digitally Amplified Speakers
FlexSelect™ Cushioning
20” x 55” Commercial Tread Belt
0-10% Incline
0-10 MPH Speed
One Touch® Controls
2.6 CHP DurX™ Commercial Plus Motor◊
1.9” Precision and Balanced Non-Flex Rollers
300 Lb. User Capacity
EKG Grip Pulse
SpaceSaver® Design with EasyLift™ Assist
20 On-Board Workout Programs
54" H x 36" W x 73.5" H Footprint
10-Year Frame Warranty
2-Year Parts Warranty
1-Year Labor Warranty

This is the lower end of the range you get what you pay for. Expect more breakdowns in commercial settings compared to other models out of the Nordictrack range.

Pros of the Nordictrack T 6.5 treadmill

The pros of the Nordictrack T 6.5 are:

Compact size
Low price

This is the option to save money and space. Simple enough.

Cons of the Nordictrack T 6.5 treadmill

The cons of the T 6.5 treadmill are:

Small belt
Weak motor

The T 6.5 model is not the right choice if you have a long stride or if you will press a lot of miles on this machine. The 2.6 CHP motor is more likely to break when used heavily than in the other Nordictrack models which usually range from 3.0 up to 4.2 CHP.

Alternatives to the T 6.5 treadmill

A good alternative to the T 6.5 would be the Rogue Echo bike. It is slightly cheaper, burns more calories per second and takes up less floor space. Of course, strictly speaking, it is not a treadmill. That depends on your goals.

Nordictrack 6.5s vs Concept 2 bikeerg [Article, Video]