Echelon Stride review

Our Verdict

The Echelon Pace is a skilful home treadmill that'southward best for small spaces.

For

Clever auto-folding arrangement
Compact and lightweight
Works as standalone or with app

Against

Brusque running deck
Weak motor

Tom's Guide Verdict

The Echelon Stride is a practiced home treadmill that's best for small spaces.

Pros

+
Clever auto-folding organisation
+
Compact and lightweight
+
Works every bit standalone or with app

Cons

-
Brusk running deck
-
Weak motor

Echelon Footstep specs

Dimensions (folded): 69.3 x 31 inches x 10.25 inches
Running surface: 55 × 20 inches
Weight: 156 lbs.
Max user weight: 300 lbs.
Motor: 1.75 HP
Max speed: 12 mph
Min speed: 0.five mph
Incline: 12 levels
Max incline: 10%
Connectivity: Bluetooth

Note: This Echelon Stride review has been updated with new pricing and availability information.

Like many others, I've been looking for means to stay fit while staying socially afar during the ongoing pandemic. With wintertime setting in, using the Echelon Stride treadmill is a more than appealing alternative than taking walks or riding my bike outside.

The Stride is a newish model that straddles the line betwixt budget folding treadmills and expensive, smart machines like the Peloton Tread.The Stride'southward calling card is the car-folding capability, which makes information technology easy to stow the treadmill and save on infinite. Information technology lacks an Hard disk drive screen, but can be paired with a tablet to access Echelon's app filled with teacher-led classes. Read the residuum of our Echelon Stride review for our take on its blueprint, operation and features and to see how information technology stacks upwardly against the best treadmills in the marketplace.

Echelon Stride review: Price and availability

Depending on how you lot wait at it, the Echelon Footstep can exist considered affordable or expensive. It'southward the former if you want a Peloton alternative, since the Stride costs $i,339.98 — that includes the treadmill at $1,299.99, plus a free month of an Echelon United subscription. Later on the trial catamenia, it's $39.99, but you tin can cancel itif you don't want access to alive classes and instructors.

Meanwhile, the Peloton Tread starts at $ii,495, non including the Peloton app's $39 monthly subscription.

But the Echelon Step's toll seems high compared to other elevation competitors, including the summit option on our listing of best treadmills, the NordicTrack Commercial 1750. That treadmill is unremarkably priced at $1,799 and comes with a 10-inch HD screen, a feature the Footstep lacks.

The Echelon Footstep is bachelor for purchase on the Echelon website.

Echelon Stride review: Pattern

The Echelon Stride is fashionable and sleek, though the track is a bit short at 55 inches. Most competitors in the Stride'southward cost range are 60 inches long. As a short person, I encountered no issues, but if you're taller (more vi anxiety tall), you may need to accommodate your pace when running.

The Footstep is lightweight at just 156 pounds, compared to the Peloton Tread (450 pounds) and the NordicTrack (310 pounds). It tin all the same bear up to 300 pounds, though.

So, it's no tank. But it wasn't meant to exist. Its compact size and weight, plus the motorcar-folding machinery, arrive much more like shooting fish in a barrel to stow than other treadmills.

The Echelon Stride doesn't come with an HD screen, like the Tread or Commercial 1750. Instead, information technology has a digital touch console for when you're using the Step as a standalone treadmill. The display shows all the usual metrics — speed, distance, time, steps and center rate — besides as several quick-select incline and speed buttons and eight pre-ready workout options. The panel has a tablet holder, which I used to place an iPad running the Echelon Fit app (more on that below). A USB port tin can be found on the behind of the console, so yous tin can keep your device charged.

The arms have two cup holders for h2o bottles (and the Stride comes with an insert to hold a phone), besides as pulse monitors and buttons to increase/decrease speed and incline.

Echelon Stride review: Operation

I walked, jogged and ran on the Stride as both a regular treadmill and through classes on the Echelon app). While not equally sturdy as heavier treadmills, the Echelon felt more stable than other, cheaper treadmills that were so flimsy, they felt like they'd probably break down in a few months. That said, I'thou on the smaller side and a taller, heavier person might have problems with the Stride'due south shorter running rail and lightweight build.

The running deck was comfortable, though once more, some people may have to change their pace length.

Everything nearly the Stride worked smoothly and efficiently. I was able to hop on and start warming upwardly with a walk just by pressing a couple of buttons. Changing speed and incline was a breeze with the armrest buttons. When used as a regular treadmill, the Step has similar functionality to any gym machine. I could create my ain workout or choose i of the eight pre-sets.

Aside from the shorter deck, the just major strike confronting the Pace is the relatively weak i.75 horsepower motor. Compare that to the similarly-priced NordicTrack T half dozen.5 Si, which has a 2.6-HP motor. The Stride is capable of reaching a top speed of 12 mph, but with such a weak motor, the treadmill is more suited for light jogging and walking more than difficult running.

Echelon Stride review: Features

The Stride'south best feature is the automobile-folding process, which makes storage a snap. When you have a small space, like I do, that's a real approval. To fold the Stride, all you lot practise is button down the arms and console, then step on a lever and the arms automatically lower down to the track. When it's folded, information technology measures simply 10 inches thick. The treadmill tin slide underneath piece of furniture, or be raised to a vertical position and wheeled confronting a wall.

The Stride doesn't have an Hard disk screen, which I suppose cuts down on the cost. So again, the NordicTrack T 6.5 Si costs almost the same ($i,299) and comes with a ten-inch display. If you don't intendance virtually classes or scenic views, then a screen isn't necessary. And in the Stride's case, y'all tin employ your own tablet to admission the Echelon app.

Echelon Stride review: App

Purchasing the Step requires y'all to sign upwards for an Echelon membership. If you're not interested in the live or on-need classes, so you can merely select the monthly plan and cancel after the month is up. The Stride works perfectly well every bit a standalone treadmill.

That said, if you lot're looking for a cheaper Peloton alternative, and then the Stride plus the Echelon Fit app more often than not fits the neb. Just like the Peloton app, Echelon Fit features classes taught by instructors. Unlike Peloton, Echelon's app isn't synched to the Stride, so you have to manually change pace and incline.

Echelon Stride — (Image credit: Echelon)

All of the instructors are peppy and personable and they play current music and by hits. The rhythm runs are tied to different genres, similar pop, rock and hip hop. The classes range from warm ups and absurd downs to timed walks (10-thirty minutes), colina sprints, and endurance runs. One instructor even held a Turkey Trot 5K. And merely similar the Peloton app, yous tin can see other users and even rails your progress against the community.

Echelon Stride app — (Image credit: Echelon)

Personally, I like more chill workouts, and so I by and large enjoyed the scenic options, like the thirty-infinitesimal littoral seaside run and the 20-infinitesimal Spain nature run.

Echelon Footstep review: Verdict

The Echelon Stride is somewhat odd for a treadmill — not cheap, nor high-end. In virtually categories, it's merely fine in terms of build, ability and features. The Stride has fewer bells and whistles than more expensive treadmills, yet it also boasts an easy-to-utilise folding mechanism and slim contour that makes it eminently storable.

Yes, the Stride is a bit strange and doesn't quite fit into any treadmill category. It isn't a flimsy folding treadmill that you expect to vesture out in a year. Only, with its weak motor and lack of a built in display, it isn't a true Peloton competitor, either. Yet, the Stride mixes generally the good parts of both. If yous're looking for a fairly affordable yet durable and compact treadmill that syncs with instructor-led workouts, then the Stride is a good option.

Peloton vs. Echelon: Which exercise bike is all-time for you?

Kelly is a senior writer roofing streaming media for Tom's Guide, then basically, she watches Television receiver for a living. Previously, she was a freelance entertainment writer for Yahoo, Vulture, TV Guide and other outlets. When she's not watching Television receiver and movies for work, she's watching them for fun, seeing live music, writing songs, knitting and gardening.