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NordicTrack T7.5 treadmill vs Assault airbike

Written by Pascal Landshoeft | Oct 4, 2020 4:00:00 PM

NordicTrack T7.5 treadmill vs Assault airbike

This is a comparison between the Nordictrack T7.5 treadmill 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 T7.5 1599

This is a review of the NordicTrack NordicTrack T7.5s 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 T7.5

 
The T7.5 is a good treadmill to get in the UK market from Nordictrack. If you want to spend more than 1000 this is the solid choice which covers all bases. The main features are the 7 HD Touchscreen, 3.0 CHP motor, and the 12% incline. The full list of features includes the following options:
 
  • Includes 1 Years iFit Family Membership
  • iFit Integrated
  • 7" HD Touch Screen Display
  • Two 2” Bluetooth Digitally Amplified Speakers
  • 3.0 CHP Motor
  • 0% - 12% Digital Incline
  • 0 – 22 km/h Speed
  • Onetouch™ Controls
  • 1.9” Precision and Balanced Non-Flex Rollers
  • 125kg Max User Weight
  • EKG Handgrips
  • FlexSelect™ Cushioning
  • 51 x 152 cm Tread Belt
  • AutoBreeze™ Workout Fan
  • SpaceSaver® Design with EasyLift™ Assist
  • Assembled Dimensions - 187L x 91W x 151H cm
  • Product Weight 96kg
  • Boxed Weight 116kg
  • Folded Dimensions - 110L x 91W x 178H cm
  • Boxed Dimensions - 213L x 83W x 41H cm
  • Warranty - Lifetime Frame Warranty, 10-year Motor Warranty, 2-Year Parts & Labour upon warranty registration within 28 days of purchase.
This is the solid choice in the middle of the portfolio from Nordictrack for the UK Market. Some options above might be a little overkill to buy in bulk or use at home while the models which are below in price might fall short in longevity or experience. 
 

Pros of the Nordictrack T7.5

 
The pros of the Nordictrack T7.5 are:
 
  • Good value for money
  • Fits most needs
  • More modern than some other models available in the UK
The T7.5 treadmill is a good value for the money treadmill in the Nordictrack UK line up. It covers all the bases and goes the extra mile with the 7-inch touchscreen. Yes, there are other machines which have bigger screens or more incline. Do you really need this? Probably not. 
 
With an incline of 12%, a powerful motor, and some entertainment on the small screen you keep everyone happy. None of the main components goes to the max, but that is exactly good for fitting the most needs without spending too much money. 
 
Compared to the S line and the C-line of Nordictrack treadmills is the T line the more modern one which is also being marketed and sold in the US. For the S and C-line, this is not the case anymore so you are better off to invest in a product line that the vendor is still interested in.
 

Cons of the Nordictrack T7.5

 
The cons of the Nordictrack T7.5 are:
 
  • No 40% incline
  • No mega screen
You get what you pay for. While the T7.5 is still a model which will put you back more than 1000 and therefore is solid on all basis you also can not expect any wonders. If you want a modern model with a mega screen or 40% or a combination of both you will catapult the budget in the 2000s. Therefore, you might miss these features on the T7,5. Personally, I don't think these are really necessary, but the market is moving towards the multimedia experience. 
 

Alternatives to the Nordictrack T7.5 

 
Alternatives to the T7.5 are:
 
If you want an elliptical instead of a treadmill you can opt for the FS5i instead of the T7.5. With this elliptical, you get the free stride technology from Nordictrack which makes it a 3 in 1 machine. You can use it as a stepper, treadmill, and elliptical. While this is a big step in the versatility you lose some points in stability. The design is more error-prone than a classical elliptical or treadmill design. 
 
If you want to go below the 1000 mark you can go for the concept 2 model D. This is a solid rower used in many gyms around the world. It does not come with a lot of multimedia options, but it does fulfill the cardio requirements and leaves your knees and ankles in tact.
 
My personal favorite option is the Rogue Echo bike. This machine comes in at a good price, is solid and covers all your cardio needs ina compact design. Rogue has definitely done a good job by putting a competitive airbike out there which leaves nothing to be desired in quality. 
 

Summary for the Nordictrack T7.5

 
The T7.5 is probably the most balanced option for a treadmill in the UK from Nordictrack to date. Compared to the C and S series and is newer and provides good value for money. If you have more money to spend you might want to wait for some of the newest models from the states to arrive. But if you want a solid machine now, go for the T7.5.