Nordictrack VR21 vs Grand Tour
This is a comparison of the Nordictrack VR21 and Grand Tour including pros, cons, and alternatives . Follow the links for more details.
Overview and review of the Nordictrack Grand tour 1299 (US)
This article discusses the pros, cons, and alternatives for the Nordictrack Grand Tour.This review was originally posted in “Which Nordictrack bike to get”. Follow the links for more details.
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- Which Nordictrack bike to get?
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The Grand Tour from Nordictrack addresses the spinning classes market for NordicTrack in the US. The other model is the Grand Tour Pro. The main features of this model are a 7-inch smart touch screen, a freewheel clutch, and a 10% incline. This makes it a good model to buy in bulk for spinning classes. The full list of features includes:
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7” Smart HD Touchscreen
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Integrated Tablet Holder
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Includes 1-Year NordicTrack iFit® membership**
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Auxiliary Music Port
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Two 2” Digitally Amplified Speakers
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CoolAire™ Workout Fan
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Oversized Cushion Seat
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Horizontal and Vertical Seat Adjustment
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Extra-Wide Ergonomic Pedals with Adjustable Straps
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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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24 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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350 Lb. User Capacity
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Included 3 Lb. 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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59.2" L x 23.3" W x 56.2" 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
The Grand Tour is a great option when you want to take your spinning classes to the home. A commercial buyer might want to get spinning bikes with fewer multimedia and casing options to save some money to buy in bulk.
Pros of the Nordic track Grand tour
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10% incline
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Freewheel clutch
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7-inch touchscreen
For a bike including a touch screen and incline option the Grand tour is reasonably priced for a Nordictrack bike. The Grand Tour is great value for money as long as you like the way it works for biking. Some might prefer the inertia of a flywheel for use of use. The 7-inch touch screen is the cherry on the top to round up the picture.
Cons of the Nordictrack Grand Tour
Cons of the Nordictrack Grand tour:
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Small screen
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Freewheel clutch
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No Bluetooth
The grand tour has a relatively small touchscreen compared to the wider Nordictrack portfolio which reaches up to 32-inch. If you want a bigger screen with the experience of a spinning class you can go for the Grand Tour pro. This bike has a 10-inch instead of a 7-inch touchscreen.
The freewheel clutch might not be liked by every user. If you are used to spinning classes this will be the preferable bike option for you. If you usually use flywheel bikes on the general gym floor, go for the VU19 or GX line instead.
As with most Nordictrack bikes you do not have the option to use your Bluetooth headphones to follow the instructions of the Ifit classes. This is a little irritating when you spend more than 1000 bucks on a piece of equipment you can not hook up to your wireless headphones.
Alternatives to the Nordictrack Grand tour
The Grand tour Pro is the big sister of the Grand tour bike. For an additional $200 you get a bigger touchscreen than with the Grand Tour. If you are shortsighted or use the Ifit classes a lot, get the Grand Tour pro instead of the Grand tour. If you think that 7-inches are more than enough, spare yourself the extra expense.
The Nordictrack 6.5 Si treadmill is one of the smaller Nordictrack treadmills which are available in the US. If you want a solid low budget option from Nordictrack this is the one. The T series has been recently released in the US and is more likely to be continued than the C series of treadmills that has seen its best days. If you want to run and put some miles on the treadmill without going overly fast, this is a solid option.
The Nordictrack SE7i is an elliptical in the same price range as the Grand tour bike. An elliptical can be a better compromise for all members of a gym or family to get their cardio in than a bike. Not everybody likes sitting on a saddle for 30 or more minutes to burn their calories. Just make sure that you have enough clearance to the ceiling when getting an elliptical as this can be an issue. An elliptical will also take up more floor space than a bike.
The concept 2 model D rower is a worldwide standard and you can not go wrong with it if you are interested in an indoor rower. This bread butter machine from concept 2 does its job and will also save you some money compared to the Grand Tour. Commercial buyers will also appreciate that package deals are easier to obtain from concept 2 then from NordicTrack when the unit count climbs.
The Rogue echo bike is my personal preference for use at home. I like to go hard and blast my ears with music from my bose earphones when I work out. The Rogue echo bike is just perfect for that, it does not cost a leg and an arm and can take my 105kg muscle with layer fat.
Summary for the Nordictrack Grand tour
If you like spinning classes and want to do them from home this is a good way to go. I would still go for the Grand tour Pro if I was in the market for one. If I do spin classes at home I want the instructor to be as big as possible. A 10-inch screen will be better for that than 7-inch and the two models are only $200 apart. That is not really a lot of money in terms of cardio machines. Of course, $200 can buy you a lot of jump ropes made from plastic, but that is a different debate to be had.
Overview and review of the Nordictrack VR21 749 / 999 (UK/US)
This article discusses the pros, cons, and alternatives for the Nordictrack VR21.This review was originally posted in “Which Nordictrack bike to get”. Follow the links for more details.
The Nordictrack VR21 is the little brother of the VR25 in the Nordictrack recumbent bike line up. Its main features are a 5-inch backlit display, 9kg flywheel, and 125kg maximum capacity. The full list of features reads as followed:
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5" Backlit Display
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iFit Bluetooth - 1 Years Membership Included
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Smart BlueTooth (BLE) Chestbelt Compatible
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Dual 2-Inch Speakers
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Recumbent Frame
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Step Thru™ Design
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9kg Flywheel
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25 Digital Resistance Levels
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Onetouch™ Controls
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EKG Handgrips
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125kg Max User Weight
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Lumbar Supported Cushioned Seat
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Horizontal Seat Adjustment
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Extra-wide Ergonomic Pedals with Adjustable Straps
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AutoBreeze™ Workout Fan
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Front-mounted Transport Wheels
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Water Bottle Holder
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Integrated Tablet Holder
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32 Workouts Apps
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Assembled Dimensions - 155L x 59W cm x 132H cm
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Product Weight 48kg
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Boxed Weight 57kg
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Boxed Dimensions - 153L x 65W x 39H cm
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Warranty - 2 Years parts and labor; 5-year frame guarantee upon warranty registration within 28 days of purchase.
The VR21 is the better option for home gym buyers who want to save some money as the 9kg flywheel is more than enough. Commercial buyers might consider this option when they want to buy 5 - 10 units instead of the VR21. Otherwise the VR25 might be the better option.
Pros of the NordicTrack VR21
The pros of the VR21 are:
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Price
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Meshed seat
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Comfortable position
The VR21 is the cheapest recumbent bike that you can get from Nordictrack. If you want one and like the NordicTrack brand, this is the one to go for. Especially if you are a home gym buyer. Commercial buyers might consider this model when they buy in bulk. If you only want to have one or two on the floor, invest in the VR25 and the bigger flywheel as they will clock more miles per unit as a fleet of ten VR21 on the floor.
The meshed seat is a good little design feature to prevent sweating like mad. Other models have hard plastic full seats which can become sticky and unpleasant.
If you only want to moderately exercise and still use the time to go through emails or place some calls, a recumbent bike can be a very good option. They also have the advantage over ellipticals that they are closer to the floor and therefore do not need high ceilings.
Cons of the VR21
The cons of the VR21 are:
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9kg flywheel
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Space requirements
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Low-calorie burn
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No touch screen
The 9kg flywheel puts the VR21 at a disadvantage to the VR25 model which has an 11kg flywheel. For home users this will not be as relevant as for commercial users. The trade-off is that you pay less money.
Compared to a traditional bike a recumbent bike takes more space and burns fewer calories per minute. If you want to optimize your floor space for the maximum amount of people burning the maximum amount of calories this is not the model to go for. Keep your clients and space requirements in mind, especially when shopping for recumbent bikes.
Compared to the VR25 the VR21 has no touch screen. If you want to get the full benefit of an easy workout while doing your work or surfing on the internet, the touch screen option will go along way for convenience.
Alternatives to the Nordictrack VR21
Aöternatives to the Nordictrack VR21 are:
The Nordictrack VR25 is the big brother of the VR21. Personally I think that this is a better option for commercial buyers who only want one or two recumbent bikes on their floor. Otherwise, homebuyers can save some money by getting the VR21. The worse media options can be compensated by just using your own devices on an easy ride.
The NordicTrack C700 is the treadmill alternative from Nordictrack in the same budget range as the VR21. The C700 is a good option for walkers and joggers to get some miles in. If you intend to get your calorie burn in while standing, this might be the better option than the VR21. The C700 is not suited for runners who will take their treadmill through a lot of abuse in speed or distance.
The NordicTrack SE3i elliptical is the cheapest elliptical in the Nordictrack line up. This can be a good compromise for all your clients or the entire family when you think that a recumbent bike does not have enough oomph. Just make sure that you have enough clearance to the ceiling as an elliptical will put you in a higher position than a recumbent bike and is harder to get on and off.
The concept 2 model D is the industry standard for indoor rowing. If you want to row and turn your cardio into a full-body workout, this might be better option than the VR21. A rower can also be hung on the wall after your workout to save some space. The only downside is that the calorie burn per minute is also relatively low compared to treadmills and upright bikes.
The Rogue echo bike is my personal favorite for indoor gyms. This is a straight forward machine to make you sweat. No extra bells and whistles, just pure focus on high-intensity interval training. For some this bike might be intimidating, but I love it and it is also reasonably priced. Still, i would not place this one in an old folk's home or rehab center. The VR21 might be a better option in those scenarios.
Summary for the Nordictrack VR21
The Nordictrack VR21 is a good budget option for a recumbent bike from Nordictrack. If you want to relax and still burn some calories, this is the right machine for home use.