NordicTrack SE5i vs Assault airbike

This is a comparison between the Nordictrack SE5i 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".

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 SE5i 899

This is a review of the NordicTrack SE5i 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 SE5i

The SE5i is one of the rear-drive ellipticals from Nordictrack available to the UK market. Its main features are a 16kg flywheel, 5-inch backlit display and 34 preset workouts on the machine. The full list of features reads as followed:

5” Backlit Display
iFit Bluetooth - 1 Years Membership Included
Integrated Tablet Holder

16 kg. Effective Inertia-enhanced Flywheel
SMR™ Silent Magnetic Resistance
24 Digital Resistance Levels
EKG Grip Pulse
130 kg. User Weight Capacity

Oversized Pedals
AutoBreeze™ Workout Fan
SoftTouch™ Upper Body Grips

34 Preset Workout Apps
Transport Wheels
Product Weight 60kg
Boxed Weight 72kg
Product Dimensions - 158L x 66W x 175H cm
Boxed Dimensions - 132L x 51W x 64H cm
Warranty - 5-Year Frame Warranty, 2-Year Parts and Labour Warranty, subject to registration within 28 days of purchase.

This is a solid rear-drive elliptical for the home or commercial use.

Pros of the NordicTrack SE5i

The pros of the SE5i are:

Big flywheel
Sturdy design

The SE5i is a sturdy design with a big flywheel which will last for ages. If you want to no-nonsense elliptical that is affordable you will find the right partner in the SE5i for your cardio needs.

Cons of the NordicTrack SE5i

The cons of the SE5i are:

Size
Older model
Display

All rear-drive ellipticals have in common that they are quite clunky and therefore take up more space than other cardio options for the home. In a big gym they will also fit fewer units in the same amount of space as others. SE5i is also an older model that Nordictrack does not sell in the US anymore. Always be mindful of this, especially when you purchase for commercial needs, as the service for this product might be discontinued or suffers as active production will be abandoned.

Alternatives to the NordicTrack SE5i

Alternatives to the SE5i elliptical are:

The Nordictrack Se3i is the small brother of the SE5i it still has a rear-drive, but a smaller flywheel. In my opinion, the SE3i only makes sense if you buy it in bulk for commercial purposes to save money. Otherwise, the two models are too close in price to justify taking the smaller flywheel which ultimately means that the elliptical is more likely to break down.

If you want to get a treadmill instead of an elliptical and get the cheapest from Nordictrack in the UK than the C700 is for you. This is the treadmill with the lowest price tag from Nordictrack for the time being.

The concept 2 model D rower is a reliable machine that has been used all over the world. If you want a solid rowing machine for you this is probably the best value for money options you can get. Not a lot of entertainment on this, but the onboard computer is more than enough to track your workouts and provide statistics during your row.

The Rogue echo bike is my personal favorite for home gym use. This machine is compact, built like a tank, enables a kick-ass workout and I reasonably priced. This is the best calorie per minute deal you can find without running the risk of buying trash.

Summary for the NordicTrack SE5i elliptical

The SE5i elliptical is a solid safe bet for an elliptical to get. It is not too expensive and also does not try to be fancy. In return, it will take up more space than other models and not have the best multimedia options available.