Nordictrack X7i treadmill vs Assault airbike

This is a comparison between the Nordictrack X7i 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".

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 X7i 1899

This is a review of the NordicTrack X7i 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 X7i

The Nordictrack X7i is a treadmill with 40% incline, a 2.75 CHP motor, and a 7-inch Backlit display. If you have a bit of money to spend on a treadmill from Nordictrack in the UK, I think this is the model to get. The full list of features includes:

7" Backlit Display
iFit Bluetooth Compatible - 1 Year Membership Included
BLE Chestbelt Compatible
Dual 3-Inch Speakers

Reflex™ Cushioning
Tablet Holder Included
55 x 152 cm Tread Belt
Dual AutoBreeze™ Workout Fans

2.75 CHP Motor
0 – 40% Incline - 0 – 3% Power Decline
0 – 20 km/h Speed
2.5” Precision-machined and
Balanced Non-flex Rollers
EKG Grip Pulse Heart Rate Monitor
115kg Max User Weight
Out-of-the-box Easy Assembly

Large Boxed Item - This item can only be delivered or delivered and installed to a ground floor room location.
Product Weight 172kg
Boxed Weight 182kg
Assembled Dimensions - 177L x 100W x 183H cm
Boxed Dimensions - 193L x 102W x 82H cm
Warranty - Lifetime Frame Warranty, 10-year Motor Warranty, 2-Year Parts & Labour upon warranty registration within 28 days of purchase.

The X7i is a good option if you can afford it for a purchase from Nordictrack in the UK as it is part of the more modern product ranges of Nordictrack compared to other models available in the UK line up.

Pros of the Nordictrack X7i

Pros of the Nordictrack X7i are:

Good value for money
40% incline

The Nordictrack X7i treadmill is a good value for money in the UK line up, especially for home use. You will get the 40% incline at a reasonable price and not leave money on the table as with the S50. Of course, this is only going to make sense, if you are intending to use this feature on a regular basis. Otherwise, you can go for a cheaper model with a lower incline.

Cons of the NordicTrack X7I

The cons of the Nordictrack X7i are:

Price
40% incline

While it is a great feature to have, especially if you want to burn a lot of calories in a short period of time, the 40% incline is not necessarily a feature you need. This is one of the main drivers of price and makes this comparatively expensive to models which only have a 12 - 15% incline. That is more than enough if you are only running.

Alternatives to the Nordictrack X7i

Alternatives to the Nordictrack X7i are:

The Nordictrack T 7.5 is a good alternative to the X7i if you do not need the 40% incline. With this machine, you will get a stronger motor and a 7 inch HD touch screen instead of a backlit display. It is also slightly less costly than the X7i. Unless you can make a really comüelling case on why you need up to 40% of incline, this is the machine to get. Commercial buyers also might want to consider this machine instead as 3 CHP give it a longer lifetime.

The Nordictrack FS5i is the elliptical available in the Uk from Nordictrack which is in the same budget range as the X7i. If you want to provide for the entire family and go a bit easier on the joints, this might be the better option for you. This elliptical has the free stride technology which makes it a three in one machine for running, stepping, and as an elliptical. Some people find it hard to get used to keeüing the balance on such a machine and it does burn fewer calories per minute than a regular treadmill.

The VersaClimber H/HP is the home use version of the VersaClimber line up. It has been stripped of some commercial warranties to make it more affordable for home use. The VersaClimber is the ultimate machine to maximize the calories burned per minute in your home. It will also eat up a lot less space than a treadmill or elliptical. If you want to work your core and burn a lot of calories, this is the machine to get. The only downside of this machine is that it is not really for beginners. You need a certain degree of fitness to work with this and not turn it into complete frustration. Don't get a VersaClimber as an "I want to get fit" item. It is more suited to "I want to go to beast mode and do not have the time to go on a one hour run each day" bracket.

The Rogue echo bike is the compromise solution between space, budget, and calories burned per minute. I personally think this is the ideal machine for a home gym for many uses at a reasonable price when it comes to cardio. The cons os this machine are that it comes with no fans, multimedia or any other little niceties to make your workout less challenging. It is a compact, sturdy, bike. It does not care to entertain you to keep you motivated.

Summary of the Nordictrack X7i

I personally think this is the best buy for a 40% treadmill in the UK line up of Nordictrack. It is also a very good value for money option, as you can definitely go wrong with the outdated S series which is still listed on the Uk website.