Are you looking for a dependable, well-built elliptical trainer? Take a look at the latest models from Sole Fitness! Sole elliptical trainers have a reputation of being among the best values in their price range…and with good reason.
So, what makes Sole elliptical trainers such good values? To begin with, the exceptional features that come equipped on Sole ellipticals make these machines appealing.
Features on Sole Elliptical Trainers
All the latest Sole elliptical trainer models come equipped with an incline feature. This feature allows the user to adjust the incline level to get a more intense cardio workout and to target all the different muscle groups in the lower body. By changing the incline level, and thus the angle of the elliptical motion, you can change the focus to your glutes and quadriceps. In addition, you increase the intensity of your cardio workout.
Many elliptical trainers which have front flywheels lack stability. Sole Fitness elliptical trainers, however, have heavy front flywheels that provide smoother, sturdier workouts. All models have pedals that run on dual concave wheels over dual rails. This is in comparison to many front drive models that have single wheels and rails per pedal. This also contributes to a smoother, more stable motion.
Adjustable foot pedals are standard on the 2009 Sole elliptical trainers. Adjustable foot pedals allow you to adjust the angle of the pedals to meet your personal comfort needs. Finding the right angle for you can help to alleviate unnecessary stress and strain to your hips. This can also prevent numbness that some people experience during elliptical trainer exercise sessions.
Individuals who are shorter in stature may find the foot pedals on many elliptical trainers to be too far apart, causing workouts to be awkward and uncomfortable. The foot pedals on Sole elliptical trainers are angled in 2” for greater comfort and ease while exercising.
Sole elliptical trainers have a 20” stride (longer than that found on most other ellipticals). This is ideal for taller athletes. For people under 5’3”, however, the stride may prove to be a bit too long for comfort.
To add to your exercising pleasure, Sole elliptical trainers also come with built-in speakers. Granted, they aren’t the best speakers around, but they do make it easy to plug in your MP3 or iPod player and start working to your favorite tunes.
Finally, Sole elliptical trainers have some of the most generous warranty coverage in the industry. Excluding their entry model (E25), their ellipticals are covered with a 5-year parts and 2-year labor warranty. This says something about the quality and the durability of the machines.
Decent-Quality Machines: Our Review on Sole Elliptical Trainers
I recommend that you take the time to try out some Sole elliptical trainers for yourself. (Check to see if they are available at any of your local sporting goods or fitness equipment stores.) I think you’ll find these are good, quality machines that provide smooth, quiet, sturdy workouts.
Of course, they aren’t perfect! They have a few areas in which improvement could be made. (i.e. – The built-in fans may seem like a good idea. However, in reality, these fans don’t really do a whole lot of good, especially when you’re cranking up the intensity.)
The heavy weight of all the Sole elliptical machines adds to the stability and durability of the products. Even the lower-end model, the Sole E25, weighs in at a hefty 189 pounds! (Lighter-weight elliptical machines tend to wobble and rock and make a lot of noise during use. Such machines that lack stability generally require more maintenance and don’t last very long.)
Sure, you can find cheaper elliptical trainers than those made by Sole Fitness. Just remember, though, that you get what you pay for! If you want quality and dependability, you’ll have to spend a little more money to get it. Sole does frequently offer its ellipticals at sale prices. Watch for the sales, and you might find a really great deal on a Sole elliptical trainer!
This article was contributed by Fred Waters, editor of the Fitness Equipment Source, where you can get detailed Reviews on Sole Elliptical Trainers.
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I recently purchased a Sole E35 Elliptical machine. I just sent the following to Sole.
I recently purchased a Sole 35 elliptical trainer. It is well designed and substantially constructed. However, the assembly instructions and customer service are horrible. According to the online assembly instructions webpage, “All SOLE ellipticals are easy to assemble and can be completed with the help of the manual in about 25-35 minutes. “ This statement is only true when two experienced people are assembling the machine. It took me 2 hours to unpack the machine and move the various parts 20 feet from my front door to the place in my living room where I will use it. It then took me another 2 hours trying to make enough sense of the instruction manual to mis-assemble the machine. The assembly diagrams are some of the worst and least accurate that I have ever seen. The instructions that accompany the diagrams are also incorrect in many places. The company not only uses “cut and paste” from a variety of documents for their instructions, but they also use a generic console that has connections for cables that don’t exist. They include diagrams of holes for bolts that don’t exist and they don’t include instructions for connecting some cables that do exist. I tried to call for customer service, but no one answers the phone before 9 am MST, after 5 pm MST or on weekends. So I was stuck with an answering machine. I left 2 messages for customer service over 2 days, but apparently customer service to Sole means sales management and the sales manager didn’t call back, nor did he direct the call to someone in the company who was responsible for customer service. On the third day, I spoke with a person in the warranty department who explained how the machine is actually put together and who agreed that the manual is a piece of garbage. On the fourth day, my son and I were finally able to assemble the machine in about 35 minutes, but we had the benefit of me spending several hours mis-assembling and dis-assembling it and my telephone conversation with the person in the warranty department. The online assembly instruction also state, “An Allen Wrench is included to assist you and a screwdriver is the only other tool necessary. “ This is totally false. There is no Allen Wrench and none is needed. What is needed is a 14 mm socket wrench, a 12 mm and 14 mm open end wrench and a Phillips head screwdriver. The nuts and bolts are nicely blister packed. Overall, I think it is a great machine with lousy assembly instructions and unbelievably bad customer service.