ProGear 190 Manual Treadmill with Twin Flywheels

I almost never leave reviews but this is a big purchase and these machines aren't super common so I wanted to leave some details I was looking for before purchasing.I hate going to the gym and the only reason I do go is for high incline treadmill walking (10-15%). So I figured this would be perfect for me. The amazon description says the machine has a 6 and 10% incline setting, but according to the manual for the treadmill I received, it has 7,8 and 9% settings. I like all the incline I can get so I was hoping for 10% as advertised. I still work up a sweat so I'm satisfied.After I took everything out of the package and looked over the instructions it took me 40 minutes to put together without help. I'm an average strength woman and only one part was a bit tricky (tip, use the foam blocks that come in the box to lift up the belt and screw it into the base). Instructions were clear and nothing was missing.So, using the machine requires some adjustment if you're accustomed to gym treadmills but its very easy to get the hang of. Because of the incline, if you don't hold on to the handles there isn't enough resistance on the belt for you to keep a normal pace and use the machine safely. Holding the bar allows your body to apply the pressure to the belt to help it operate normally. If you change hand positions/posture you can also change your speed. Letting go will have you running hard to keep up, or flying off. I was a little disappointed in this because I know holding on allows you to do less work therefore burn less but I still get my heart rate up and I feel I'm getting a great workout anyway. EDIT: I’ve found that when I use the lowest incline (7%) I can use the machine safely without holding on. I'm 5'11" and its definitely not ideal for someone of my height. The bars are quite low for me so my posture when I hold on is a little less than ideal but not a deal breaker. I just have to pay more attention, and make sure I'm standing up straight. It sounds complicated but once you get on its super easy. But if you’re much taller than 6ft it may not be comfortable to use.I thought that the length and width of the belt would be a problem since I'm tall with long legs and big feet, but it isn't a problem. I don't feel awkward or that I have to change my stride.Anyway, its really small and fits perfectly in a corner between my bed and the wall. When I fold and lay it down it's invisible. For the price, its perfect and fits my needs exactly. It's been amazing to be able to practically roll out of bed and onto the treadmill to work out, and throughout the day when I'm home I just hop on while I'm on my phone reading or watching things.Even if it broke in a year or two I'd probably still buy another one.

Guess I shouldn't have formed any opinion of manual treadmills from the rejects I saw at the thrift stores...This ProGear 190 manual treadmill is surprisingly smooth -- enough that I can mindlessly walk without jerky stop-and-go belt movement constantly calling my attention back to it.Like other people mentioned, I put a 2x4 board under the back feet so it doesn't feel like it's running away with me. This makes for a nice little calm workout.--------------------------------Different shoes make the belt run smoother or rougher. With my shoes, seems like the narrow-sole squishy-foam ones make it run smoother than the wide-sole harder one do ...

Pretty amazing manual treadmill, especially for the money. Built well. Assembly instructions a little off here and there, but use a little common sense and you well be fine. Took less time than I expected to put together. I was a little worried that the track might be a little narrow, but now that I am using it the track seems fine.Others have complained that the belt moves. I noticed if I hang on with my left hand then the belt will drift to the left, and if I hang on with my right hand then the belt will drift to the right a little. So, either hang on with both hands, or switch hands frequently.The simple controller/monitor is okay. It tells the basics, and for me that is good enough. It does have the annoying habit of switching from one parameter to the next by itself, but it does seem to work.This treadmill seems to take more effort than the motor driven Gold's Gym treadmill that I had before, but I think that I like this one better. Overall, a good manual treadmill for the money that I am glad I bought.

I like being active despite having a desk job, so over the years I tried riding an exercise bike and a mini elliptical. Unfortunately, the bike caused numbness issues (despite using a special seat), and my knees would get cranky on the elliptical due to the repetitive small motions of the knee. After failing at making my own manual treadmill, I finally decided to make the investment and get a manual treadmill. Assembly is pretty straightforward if you have any experience putting things together. The only thing I missed was that you have to connect the wires between the upright and the handles so that the computer would work, but that was my fault for not paying enough attention. Speaking of the computer, yes it shows cumulative data. If you want to reset it, just press the button down for a few seconds to reset the stats.As for performance, the treadmill is not anywhere near as quiet as I had hoped it would be. I loosened the belt so that I could lift it up and liberally apply the lubricant provided. I also took the opportunity to center the belt, as it came off center. If you find that your belt is slipping in one direction, that indicates that you need to tighten the bolt on that side. After the additional lubricant, the belt moved a little more quietly, though still louder than ideal. The treadmill I received actually has three settings for incline, 7, 8 and 9 degrees which was nice. Remember that you are buying a manual treadmill, there will not be a level setting as it is solely up to you and gravity to move the belt.I would recommend starting at the 7 degree incline and get used to walking at this level first. To use this handsfree, you can either put a belt on the handles so that you can push against the belt. Alternatively, increase the incline and strap yourself in. If you plan on going completely handsfree without strapping in, I would recommend against going to the 9 degree incline as I found that I would just keep on picking up speed until eventually I had to hop off. You can prop the back end up to achieve a level belt, but be prepared to push much harder to walk.This will definitely give you a workout, I can pretty easily keep up a 4 mph pace when walking normally, but on this treadmill I walk at about 2 mph due to the heavier emphasis on the posterior chain (glutes and hamstrings) compared to walking on the sidewalk and especially electric treadmills. I recommend starting off with shorter sessions and gradually increasing time as your body gets used to walking on the manual treadmill. As a fun bonus, it feels like you're positively flying after you get off this thing!Overall, I would definitely recommend this model. It's not perfect, but I'm looking forward to using this at work for many years to come.UPDATE 6/26/2019Having used this for almost two months, this thing has held up well to on average at least 4 hours every day during the work week. The only change is that the treadmill performs differently at the same incline day to day. Some days I can comfortably set the treadmill to the 8 degree incline. Other days I have to set it to the 9 degree incline propped up a little by stacks of post-its to get the same level of resistance. Not a huge deal, but something to note. Overall, the sound has decreased very slightly as the belt gets worn in.