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NordicTrack C5.5 elliptical vs assault airbike

Written by Pascal Landshoeft | Jan 30, 2021 5:00:00 PM

NordicTrack C5.5 elliptical vs assault airbike

This is a comparison between the Nordictrack C5.5 elliptical and the assault airbike including pros, cons and alternatives. 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".

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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: 
 
  • Color Black 
  • Weight 99LB
  • Length 50.9”
  • Width 23.3”
  • 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

 
Pros of the Assault Airbike are
 
  • Sturdy design 
  • Band propelled 
  • 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

 
Cons of the air assault bike are 
 
  • Specificity 
  • 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

 
These are alternatives to the Assault air bike 
 
 
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.

Overview and review of the NordicTrack C5.5 elliptical

This is a review of the NordicTrack C5.5 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 C5.5 

 
The C5.5 which has been stripped of most of the bells and whistles and is a simple front-drive elliptical. Its main features are a 7kg flywheel, 18" stride and 5" backlit display. The full list of features reads as follows:
 
  • 5" Backlit Display
  • iFit Bluetooth - 1 Years Membership Included
  • Integrated Tablet Holder
  • Two 2” Speakers
  • Front Drive
  • 18" Manual-Adjustable Stride
  • 7kg. Effective Flywheel
  • 5-Position Manual Adjustable Ramp
  • 20 Digital Resistance Levels
  • EKG Pulse Grip Heart Rate Monitor
  • Max User Weight 125kg
  • SoftTouch™ Upper-Body Grips
  • Water Bottle Holder
  • Oversized, Cushioned Pedals
  • Front-mounted Transport Wheels
  • 20 Workout Apps
  • Product Weight 79kg
  • Boxed Weight 93kg
  • Assembled Dimensions - 169L x 63W x 169H cm
  • Boxed Dimensions - 178L x 37W x 77H cm
  • Warranty - 5-Year Frame Warranty, 2-Year Parts and Labour Warranty, subject to registration within 28 days of purchase.
This is the elliptical to get of you don't want any fancy features and minimize the amount of money you have to table for a Nordictrack elliptical. 

Pros of the NordicTrack C5.5

 
Pros of the C5.5 are:
 
  • Price
The main advantage of the Nordictrack C5.5 is the price. It is currently the cheapest front-drive elliptical from Nordictrack which you can get from them.
 

Cons of the NordicTrack C5.5

 
The cons of the NordicTrack C 5.5 are:
 
  • No touch screen
  • No incline 
  • Short stride
 
The C5.5 has been kept simple on most of its features to keep the cost of manufacturing low. You will get no touch screen or big screen to run your entertainment on. This machine also has no incline functions and the stride is relatively short compared to other elliptical models from NordicTrack with 18". 
 

Alternatives to the NordicTrack C5.5

 
The alternatives to the C5.5 are:
 
The Nordictrack 7.5 is the big brother of the C5.5. With the minimal extra investment, you get a 20% incline and a bigger flywheel. If you are considering a front-drive elliptical I personally think that the C7.5 is the better value for money choice as it is just slightly more expensive with two significant feature upgrades. 
 
The NordicTrack SE3i is the rear-drive version of the C5.5. You will get a bigger flywheel and therefore an elliptical which will last for longer. In return, this machine will take up more space in your home or gym. These are some trade-offs to be considered. 
 
The concept 2 model d is a reliable rowing machine that has been in active service all over the world. If you want to do your cardio while seated and like rowing, this is the machine to get. It will come in at less than 1000, but not have big multimedia options. The onboard computer does everything you need.
 
The Rogue echo bike is the ultimate machine for the home gym. It is compact, cost-efficient, and can still give you a challenging workout. You will not get a lot of multimedia, but the sturdiest airbike around at a price point of around 700.
 

Summary for the Nordictrack C5.5

 
The Nordictrack C5.5 is a front-drive elliptical at the lowest price point which Nordictrack offers for the UK. Personally I would go for the C7.5 instead, as it is so little extra investment for a great upgrade. 
 
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