Nordictrack S22i vs Grand Tour Pro
This is a comparison of the Nordictrack S22i and Grand Tour Pro including pros, cons, and alternatives . Follow the links for more details.
Overview and review of the Nordictrack Grand tour pro 1499 (US)
This article discusses the pros, cons, and alternatives for the Nordictrack Grand Tour Pro.This review was originally posted in “Which Nordictrack bike to get”. Follow the links for more details.
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The
Grand tour pro bike from Nordictrack is the flagship in spinning bikes from this brand. The main features of this machine are its 10-inch touch screen, freewheel clutch, and 10% incline. the full list of features covers the following points:
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Upright Articulating Cycle
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3 Piece Crank
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Freewheel Clutch
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SMR™ Silent Magnetic Resistance
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26 Digital Resistance Levels
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-10° to 10° Incline and Decline
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OneTouch™ Controls
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Oversized Levelers
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375 Lb. User Capacity
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2–3 Lb. Integrated Dumbbells
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Integrated Handle Controls for Incline and Resistance
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Front-mounted Transport Wheels
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Water Bottle Holder
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57.5" L x 23.5" W x 62" H Footprint
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10-Year Frame Warranty
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2-Year Parts Warranty
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1-Year Labor Warranty
This is a solid bike to take your spinning classes home and connect to the trainer via a 10-inch touchscreen. If you like to work out at home and keep engaged, this is the machine for you.
Pros of the Nordic track Grand tour pro
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10% incline
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10-inch screen
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Freewheel clutch
Compared to the
S10i and
S15i you get a reasonably balanced bike at a good price point including an incline. It is up to you whether you prefer the experience of a freewheel clutch or an inertia flywheel. If you like spinning classes over usual bikes on the gym floor, go with the
Grand tour range.
The 10% incline will enable you to follow the Ifit instructors on various tracks around the world and the incline will automatically adjust according to where your ride takes you. This keeps the experience and fun and you engaged to stay fit and healthy.
Cons of the Nordic Track Grand Tour pro
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Price
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Storage of dumbbells
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Ifit subscription
If you wanted to buy in bulk or do not need the fancy extras, because there is already a big screen on your home gym for youtube videos, then the price is high. You can get goof spinning bikes for under 1000 without these bells and whistles if they do not appeal to you.
The storage of the dumbbells can rattle or they fall off. Unfortunately there is no click-in system for the dumbbells to keep them in place. This is a minor annoyance as you can easily store 3lbs dumbbells somewhere in the room you train in. Still worth mentioning when you invest $1500.
The Ifit subscription will cost you somewhere between $10 to $30 a month depending on which subscription you will choose. Not everybody likes to pay infinitely to use all of the features of their home gym equipment. Still, there are plenty of workouts available in the free library, but you will not have access to the live content and latest releases.
Alternatives to the Grand tour pro
The
Nordictrack Grand tour is the little brother of the
Grand tour pro. It comes in with a smaller screen that is 7-inch across to save you $200. If you do not care about big screens you can save the $200 to get a nice pair of shoes with the
Grand Tour to start your new exercise regimen.
The
Nordictrack 6.5 SI treadmill is another option in the same budget bracket as the
Grand Tour Pro. This is a solid treadmill for walkers, joggers, and runners alike. Runners should just take care that the treadmill is not necessarily designed for high speed pounding over a prolonged period of time. Do a moderate long-distance run or short sprints. If you are very heavy, fast and can run for a long time you might want to a little more upmarket in the Nordictrack portfolio.
The
Nordictrack SE7i elliptical can be a good compromise to accommodate many different clients or family members when space is limited. Ellipticals are machines that usually appeal to a wider audience than bikes. Not everybody likes to sit on a saddle for half an hour to get their daily burn in. Ellipticals leave you with more options as long as you have enough clearance to the ceiling.
The
concept 2 model D is the classic option for indoor rowing. You can not go wrong with this model and you can even hang it on the wall after you finished your workout to save some space. It is also less expensive than the
Grand Tour pro.
The
rogue echo bike is my personal favorite for home gym use. Simple, straight forward, and sturdy. This machine is affordable and built like a tank. I put on my bose earphones, leave the iPhone on the countertop and blast intervals until the airbike beats me to it.
Summary for the Nordictrack Grand Tour Pro
Overview and review of the Nordictrack S22i 2499 /1999 (UK/US)
This article discusses the pros, cons, and alternatives for the Nordictrack S22i. This review was originally posted in “Which Nordictrack bike to get”. Follow the links for more details.
The
Nordictrack S22i stationary bike is the flagship bike in the current Nordictrack portfolio. Its main features are its 20% incline, 22 HD Touchscreen and the included 3lb dumbbells to be able to do full-body workouts on this machine. This is the bike to get if you want to max out all features with Nordictrack and you are not afraid of paying up to do so. The full feature list includes:
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22” Smart HD Touchscreen
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Free Ground Floor Installation Included
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Watts Power Readout
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Includes 1 Years iFit Family Membership
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Auxiliary Music Port
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Two 2” Digitally Amplified Speakers
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Inertia-enhanced Flywheel
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Powergrade Incline & Decline Drive System
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-10% – 20% Incline
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SMR™ Silent Magnetic Resistance
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OneTouch™ Controls
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Enhanced Corrosion Resistance
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Large Diameter Adjustable Leveling Feet
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22 Digital Resistance Levels
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150 kg User Capacity
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Commercial Grade Steel Construction
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Dual Water Bottle Holders
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Two 3 Lb. Dumbbells Included
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Assembled Dimensions - 140 L x 55 W x 146H cm
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Front-mounted Transport Wheels
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Compatible with Standard Road Bike Pedals & Seat
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Warranty - 2 Years parts and labour; 5 year frame guarantee upon warranty registration within 28 days of purchase.
This is a great machine for very dedicated home gym owners or to impress your clients in a commercial gym. You can also customize it at home, in case you want to make it feel more like your outdoor experience.
Pros of the S22i
The pros of the
S22i are:
It is possible to exchange the seat of the
S22i with the one you are already using for your outdoor bike. The same goes for the pedals. This is usually a good option for anyone who already cycles a lot outside and has a semi-professional or even professional setup with their current bike. You can clip into the pedals and give it your all. Still, less experienced cyclists will also get a fully functioning setup with good pedals and a seat.
The massive 22-inch screen on the
S22i is one of the main factors which drives price. It even has an HDMI connector to take up even more screen real estate. This can interesting if you want to run classes with inexperienced trainers. You just buy the
S22i for the instructor and get some other bikes, which are a bit cheaper, in bulk. Hook up the main bike to a projector and you have a good group setup which is not too expensive. I can not really see how you would want even more screen estate at home. I personally think the 22 inch is even overkill. But go for it, if you want to tread yourself.
The
S22i bike also comes with an incline/decline system so that you can simulate hill climbs and downhill biking in the sense of the tour de france. You will not recreate the experience of a mountain bike on this, but it is a very good option to take challenging tracks indoors and simulate them when you combine the bike with the Ifit subscription.
The
S22i also comes with a good sound system that will fill the room with the music and instructions from the available Ifit exercises. This will be needed as the bike does not come with Bluetooth to hook up your earphones to it.
Cons of the S22i
The cons of the
S22i are:
You will have to watch and tighten the seat and the pedals regularly, especially if you are a heavy user. If you compare this to a street bike, it will be more maintenance than you are used to. Still, if you are an average user, you will probably experience this less.
The pedals are attached to an inertia flywheel which means that they will keep moving even if you break. If you are used to using indoor machines and ellipticals this is something you are already familiar with. If you are a very dedicated outdoor cyclist who bought the
S22i to press even more miles into a week than spend a little to get used to the mechanics. They are different from how your street bike would react and you might hurt yourself if you want to break at high speed instinctively.
A big oversight for a stationary bike with such a high price tag is that you can not use Bluetooth with the machine. If you are already investing in such a big touch screen it is very safe to assume that you want to make heavy use of the preprogrammed I Fit content. For this, you can not hook the sound up to your earphone. This is bad for use at home or in a gym. For such a high price I would expect Bluetooth to be included.
Another con to the
S22i is weight capacity. Officially it only goes up to 150kg. If you want to get active to lose some weight, you might want to look at the ellipticals or heavy-duty treadmills to use for walking. Possible models can be the
X22i treadmill or the
SE7i elliptical.
Alternatives to the S22i
The
Nordictrack 1750 will cost you roughly the same as the
S22i bike. With this, you will get one of the most well-balanced treadmills in the Nordictrack portfolio.
1750 is the bread butter machine of Nordictrack and leaves little to be desired if you are an average user or heavy user who does not need a massive incline or screen. Compared to the
S22i you get a smaller screen and in return a very reliable treadmill which is good value for money. Of course, this is will take up more space in your home compared to a bike.
The
Nordictrack X11i is in the same price range as the
Nordictrack 1750. With this treadmill, you will get a whopping 40% incline. It is one of the least costly treadmills out of the 40% incline line up from Nordictrack. If you are a dedicated runner who wants all options on the incline or just wants to maximize calorie burn per minute, this might be the better option. Keep in mind, that a treadmill will have bigger space requirements than a bike.
The
FS7i elliptical is the most modern elliptical to date from Nordictrack which you can get in the UK and a solid mid-range option in the US. The free stride technology makes this machine a stepper, treadmill, and elliptical in one machine. If you like the cushioned experience of ellipticals and have a good balance, this might be an option for you. The only downsides to this machine are that it is more error-prone than ellipticals with a set range of motion and that you need to get used to how to balance on the machine. Compared to the
S22i you will get a smaller screen, it will take up more space, but it will be more friendly for users with a lower fitness level and provide more options for your home gym. Good buy to make the entire family happy, if the most sporty person in the household is willing to compromise.
The
concept 2 model D rower is an option for anyone who prefers rowing over biking. You will also save about 1000 compared to the
S22i. The
concept 2 model D rower is a good option fur budget home gym owners or commercial gyms who want to buy in bulk. You can also hang these rowers on the wall quite easily to save space, once you have the right hooks for it.
The
Rogue Echo Bike is my personal favorite as a choice for a home gym bike with no bells and whistles. It is built like a tank and has been stripped of most of the multimedia features which I find unnecessary. This airbike will take any abuse and has everything on board to get you sweating for around 700 bucks. If you do not need to be motivated by fancy colors and screens, this is a solid bet.
Summary for the Nordictrack S22i
The
S22i is a great piece of equipment for the dedicated home gym owner who likes to be entertained while he or she is cycling. It can also be a viable option for boutique gyms who want to make their clients feel special and buy in small quantities. That there is no Bluetooth option for the price tag is a major let down. Budget-conscious home gym owners or commercial gyms which have more than 20 people in the cardio area at peaks will not find this to be a viable option because of the high price tag.