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37 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Schwinn 860 Treadmill [4.5 stars], November 28, 2009
This review is from: Schwinn 860 Treadmill (Sports)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Length:: 1:00 Mins
You can read in detail below my response to the Schwinn 860 Treadmill, which I very gratefully received through the Amazon Vine program. As you'll see, I found some problems, but nearly all of them would be fixed with a rewrite of some of the direction manual, which is inaccurate in parts. Other negatives are minor: Three of the preset courses could be divided in two without a problem, as far as I can see. The on/off switch is inconveniently located. The preset courses should be displayed on the machine for ease of use. In general, however, I think it's a great machine. Whisper quiet (as these things go; I have access to another treadmill which is much, much louder than this one) and solid-feeling, with a long walking deck and some thoughtful features. Once you get past the problems I've noted below with the instruction manual, the treadmill is easy to use. Navigating the menus is for the most part intuitive. And it's even easier to use if you don't want to fool with any of the preset courses. Press the "quick start" button and you'll be taking a walk in seconds: you can adjust the speed and incline as you go. I'm really loving it.
Immediately below is a summary of the good and the bad. Below that find my in-depth discussion. I've also uploaded two charts to the customer images associated with this product. These are explained below.
THINGS TO LOVE ABOUT THIS MACHINE
* It's *very* quiet.
* Hydraulic lift for ease in unfolding.
* Easy setup.
* Lots of different options for preset courses, including target heart rate programs and two custom programs.
* Built-in fan.
* Two means of monitoring heart-rate: comes with a chest strap heart monitor!
THINGS THAT COULD BE IMPROVED
* The presentation of the preset courses in the directions is inaccurate and misleading.
* The presentation of the preset courses in the directions is confusing.
* The preset courses should be printed (correctly) on the machine. That would be more helpful than the included speed/pace chart.
* The on/off switch is inconvenient for regular access.
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SETUP AND NOISE
This is a heavy piece of equipment. The hardest part of getting the thing set up will be manhandling it into position. It'll help if you have some burly men at your disposal, or if you are a burly man yourself. Once you have the machine in place, actually putting the pieces together is a snap. I didn't time myself but it probably took about 20-30 minutes. There are a handful of parts to be screwed in. All necessary tools are provided, and the directions are very good--with one odd exception. Once you're finished putting the treadmill together according to the directions, you'll find yourself with a leftover piece, a piece of contoured gray plastic about two feet long and a few inches wide. There's no word in the directions about where this goes, but it fits at the back of the machine, underneath the belt (see my video). You'll see four screws in place there for attaching the piece of plastic. I attached it, but I wound up taking it off again because it scraped against the belt and made a lot of noise.
Similarly, you may find that the plastic over the motor in the front can scrape a bit on the belt and be noisy. If it does, just adjust the plastic a little. When all is properly situated, the machine is very quiet. If there's an unpleasant noise, something's probably scraping.
PROFILE PROGRAMS
The Schwinn 860 offers 9 preset courses, Course 1-3, Circuit 1-3, and Pursuit 1-3. (In this review, I'll capitalize Course when I'm referring to a preset course, but leave the word in lower case when I'm using it as a generic noun.) It's not obvious to me why the courses are distinguished by different titles in this way rather than being called Course 1-9, for example, but at any rate the different preset courses offer nine different patterns of activity (intensity fluctuating quickly or building slowly, etc.) The user can make adjustments to the speed or incline to be used during the workout while selecting their course, and during the course as well manual adjustments can be made.
There are a couple of issues with the presentation of the course information in the direction manual. Most importantly, the course information as it appears in the book is incorrect and/or misleading in a number of places:
The descriptions for each of the nine courses state that the user can set the "maximum and minimum" speed or incline (depending on the course). This is not correct. In each case you can set the MAXIMUM speed or incline, but not the minimum. The minimum follows whatever is set for the maximum. For example, if in Course 1 you select a maximum speed of 4.5 mph, the minimum speed will automatically be 1.5 mph. If the maximum speed selected is 5 mph, then the minimum will be 2 mph, and so on. The minimum speed can be adjusted manually while you're using the machine, but not during the course selection.
The directions for Course 3 and Circuit 3 both read: "You set the maximum and minimum speed and incline, and the treadmill adjusts as shown in these profiles." (As explained above, however, you can in fact only set the maximum figure, not the minimum.) We are then shown two bar graphs. The first shows the speed pattern for the course, the second the incline pattern. One assumes, reading it, that the speed and incline will both adjust according to these patterns during the course. But that's not how it works. Unless I'm missing something--and I don't think I am--you can set the maximum speed for the course OR the maximum incline, but not both. And in fact, when you're navigating the menus on the machine, that's the choice you're given: the monitor prompt reads "Select speed or incline." If you select speed and input your maximum, there's no option given for then also setting incline. If you select incline, there's no option given for then entering speed. Essentially, and confusingly, Course 3 and Circuit 3 offer two further courses each, one with adjustable speed and one with adjustable incline.
The information provided for Pursuit #3 is incorrect in the book. As it stands, the directions read, "You set the maximum and minimum incline, and the treadmill adjusts as shown in this profile. You can manually adjust the speed." We are then given one bar graph, showing the incline pattern for that course. As we saw above, one can in fact only set the maximum incline for this course, not the minimum. But also, Pursuit 3 (just like Course 3 and Circuit 3) should read that you can set the maximum speed OR incline. And there should be another bar graph given for the speed pattern of the course. (See the chart I uploaded to the customer images associated with this product.)
So much for errors. But it's a little hard to grasp the differences among the preset courses as they're laid out in the book--even assuming that the information were correct. For this reason I created for myself a chart that displays the information in a small, more easily (I think) understood format. I've actually created two charts: one showing how the information is presented in the book; the other how I think it should be presented in accordance with my above observations. (As far as I can see, you can always make manual adjustments during a course, so I've removed information about manual settings from my revised chart.) If anyone would like to use either chart, I've uploaded them to the customer images associated with this product. Once printed out, the chart can be taped onto the machine for easy reference. I taped mine over the speed/pace chart on the right of the machine, which doesn't add information valuable to the user anyway. (It would have been nice to have this course information printed on the machine itself somewhere. I know that at least some other treadmills do this.)
Not only would it be nice to have the (corrected) course diagrams printed on the treadmill. It would also be great if the courses could be selected more easily than through the courses/profile menu. Ideally, there could be course preset buttons in addition to or instead of speed or incline preset buttons.
READY MODE
When you're finished with a workout and you remove the magnetic safety key from its holder, the machine returns to "ready mode." That means that the monitor's lights are on and it's waiting for you to insert the key again. It stays like this apparently forever, until you turn the machine off with the on/off switch at the front of the machine, near the floor. This strikes me as odd. Are we intended to leave it on indefinitely? It may not use much energy, but it must use some, so I'd prefer to turn the thing off for real after every workout. I've got my machine positioned so that getting to the on/off switch isn't a big problem, though it's certainly not the handiest place to access it. But I can imagine some set-ups in which it wouldn't be so easy to get to the switch. This seems like a poor design element to me.
FOLDING THE MACHINE
The treadmill can be easily folded up for storage or moving or to vacuum under it. You just lift up the walking deck until it clicks into place. But what's delightful is that when you unfold it, you don't have to support its weight and put it down on the floor again. There's a hydraulic lift that eases the deck to the floor. Very nice feature.
MONITORING HEART RATE
There are two ways to monitor your heart rate with the machine. There are sensors built into the handles. These detect your pulse, which shows up in the monitor. Alternatively, you can...
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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Power House System, December 4, 2009
This review is from: Schwinn 860 Treadmill (Sports)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
One thing is for certain when unpacking and placing the 350lb Schwinn 860 Treadmill. It is not for the Wheaties deficient. After going through and deciphering the enclosed instruction manual, I felt a sigh of relief in knowing that my inventory of parts and hardware was complete. That said, after a little tweaking and forty five minutes later the treadmill was up and running. Just a note that if users are storing the unit on a less then desirable surface, the two front feet can be rotated to level the unit.
First off, the designers at Schwinn lose style points for placing the power button on a hard to get to area located on the front end of the base. The easy to read, illuminated and multicolored LCD console is the nerve center that controls program settings, fan, rate of incline, belt speed, profiles, body mass index, quick starts and stop. It includes a menu for setup and diagnostics. The onboard course/circuit/pursuit settings seem to be a bit confusing at first. The manual adds to the confusion. Thankfully this model allows us to customize up two programs. There are a total of 16 programs. The LCD displays actual in progress workout measurements as well as end of workout results.
Powered with a 3.0 horsepower motor, a max speed of 12 miles per hour can be obtained in a matter of seconds. Like most treadmills the incline maxes out at 12 percent. Whether I'm running or walking, the tread surface area is (20" x 58") large. With the programmed workouts and a heart rate monitoring system in place (via the hand grips and chest belt) its all systems go. I'm no expert but I would strongly suggest that users with pacemakers or other electric devices implanted to contact their cardiologist before strapping on this monitor.
Like others I'm sure, we've found that both the pulse and calorie monitoring useful tools. The pulse sensor displays the heart rate in beats per minute from the heart rate monitor. The calories sensor displays estimated calories burned during your workout. While recovering from an injury, I remember my physical therapist telling me that the best way to burn fat away during an exercise is to start at a slow pace and gradually increase the pace so that the heart rate reaches about 60-80 percent of my heart's maximum. Keeping the heart rate in that area for 20 minutes is preferred. The bottom line is the longer the rate is maintained the more fat is burned away.
Overall we were happily surprised at the lack of noise from this unit. Secondly, the suspension is top notch. The two speed, adjustable fan provides an enjoyable, quiet comfort. A great safety feature is the magnetic key. Without the key, the treadmill will not power up. Removing the key will keep the treadmill from operating but it will not shut down the power. That is done manually via the master power switch. Thanks to the lift hydraulics, both storage and cleaning under the unit is a breeze. This model is also outfitted with water bottle holders, magazine rack, and wheels.
Buyers should be aware that like any machinery there are preventative maintenance measures that must be adhered to for safety sake. The instruction manual offers a good basic maintenance schedule. The Schwinn 860 Treadmill carries a ten year warranty on both the frame and motor. Fixed parts carry a two year warranty whereas wear parts have ninety days tacked on. There is a one year warranty on electronic components. Schwinn also provides a toll free customer support number.
All in all, I have to say Schwinn outdid themselves on the 860 Treadmill. This model is as close to the commercial grade systems operating in the gyms that I have worked out in. In the long haul I believe that this unit will exceed users expectations. I know we are sold on it. I will continue to give periodical updates to this review as we progress. In the meantime, I gladly recommend this product.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very well designed. Easy to assemble and use!, December 6, 2009
This review is from: Schwinn 860 Treadmill (Sports)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I've had this product for a week or so. It is about as big and sturdy as one you would find in the gym. It seems very well built. It is VERY heavy. I was ecstatic to be able to put it together without the use of the instructions. It was very easy to assemble. There was only one thing I could have saved myself from doing twice had I read the book. There were two bolts that needed to be installed prior to the water bottle holders.
I wanted to see what I could figure out before I read the manual. It is pretty user-friendly. I was up and running (sorry, couldn't help that) in minutes after assembly. I had to turn a couple of bolts to adjust the belt so it wouldn't rub as it went around. Other than that, I put on the provided heart monitor and before I stepped back on to the machine, it was already reading my heart rate. I was impressed. The rate didn't jump all over the place either. I figured out how to select programs, but I find myself just using the manual feature right now.
I do look forward to seeing what else it can do once I read the manual. I will edit my comments to reflect the ease of understanding the manual and any additional features that may be of interest. Post any comments/questions and I will address those too. So far, all pros and no cons about this machine. I now am turning a negative (watching TV) into a positive by walking slowly as I watch. You'd be surprised how fast miles rack up while watching your favorite DVR'd shows. Sometimes I walk slowly enough so as not to work up a sweat and other times I just feel like jogging along. It is much harder to hear the TV running though.
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