Pro-Form 14.0 RE Elliptical

Comments about ProForm Pro-Form 14.0 RE Elliptical:

I am that person that has had many gym memberships, but the actual 'getting there' after my work day never happens. I broke my back and my spine is fused so my doctor is always telling me I need to exercise to strengthen my core muscles. Who has time for that?! LOL When I DID make it to the gym I'd always find myself at the ellipticals. I decided instead of spending money at a gym I don't get use out of, I'd get an elliptical for at home so I'd have no excuses. After a month of searching new and used online, looking at reviews and visiting fitness places I found this machine and knew it was the one I had to have. With my back problems, the stair step ellipticals (with the wheel in the front) were too rough on my hip joints and they felt jarring on my back. The 18-20 inch stride ellipticals felt too short (I'm 5'7 though) and the pedals made my feet numb. I was beginning to give up on my perfect match when the salesman at Sport's Authority had me look at this one. I wasn't even going to get on it because it was a little more money than I wanted to spend and the red bubbles on the pedals looked like they would hurt my feet. I was so happy I mounted this bad boy. Instantly the padding on the pedals helped the jarring and discomfort in my bones, the stride length (20-22 inches) felt perfect for my legs and I loved the easy, big buttons to change the resistance and incline. There are lots of different workouts set-up if you like to have it more controlled for your workout. I like to push the incline and resistance buttons at random though, so the big display is great for me. The top display has the workout time, distance, calories burned, resistance and speed. I also like that the handle bars track heart rate and it displays on the screen. There is a really cool ifit program ($9.99/month) that goes along with this machine. I still am debating on signing up for this. It looks like a neat program for tracking, but it's not a priority for me right now. I am just happy that I finally found something that works for my schedule to strengthen my body. The only down-side is how much space it takes up. They look so much smaller in the store and it was shocking all put together how much space it needs. Not a deal breaker for me though, I am happy with my machine. Any machine you buy is going to take up space. It does fold up if you need it to. The assembly took the two of us about two hours, it was a fun project. They do offer services for people to come put them together for you. I also made the choice to purchase at Sport's Authority because of the knowledge and customer service I received. I went other places that the employees didn't seem to know much of anything about fitness or the machines they sell. I am very happy with my service and product. I now look forward to working out and actually do exercise because it's in my own home.

Comments about ProForm Pro-Form 14.0 RE Elliptical:

Could not complete step 3. The main wire that controls the monitor is outside the hosing. Therefore we could not slide down the middle bar because this would create pinching of main wire. After many tries we discovered it was a mfg defect. Main wire is suppose to be inside housing not outside preventing parts from connecting easily

Comments about ProForm Pro-Form 14.0 RE Elliptical:

Notes on delivery: Because of the weight, I had SA deliver it. No problem with delivery. After delivery, they drive you nuts calling every couple of hours insisting you respond to a survey. VERY ANNOYING!

Notes on assembly: Assembly took about 3 hours. The instructions say it takes 2 people. I did it myself with no assistance. It would have been considerably easier if I had a helper. Holding the parts with one hand and trying to insert and tighten screws with the other hand was awkward at times.

Initial impression on use / functionality: Very pleased! The machine functions well, is relatively quiet, is easy to use, and provides a good workout. A couple of negative comments / issues: The assembly instructions were fine and easy to follow. The usage instructions not so much. A table showing the time, distance, incline, and resistance for the various programs would have been helpful. Also, the heart rate monitor is so inaccurate as to be useless. Not a big deal. The fan is a little wimpy, also not a big deal. I'm very impressed and happy I made the purchase. A very good value.

Comments about ProForm Pro-Form 14.0 RE Elliptical:

My daughter and I selected this after trying it out in the store. It was smooth, quiet, and we were looking for something that the entire family could use. We especially like the fact that it was very solid but also allows you to detach the rails and push up the flywheel in back to store it and save space. Since we have it in a fairly small space, this was key. Before this, I had been looking at smaller workout stations that were not as robust.

It is very heavy and was to be set up on our second floor. Because of this, we opted to have it delivered and set up by SA. (This was GREAT according to my husband and his lumbar) We are totally spoiled now!!! I also bought the 4 year warranty extension should it need repairs or fail in some way.

All went well during the assembly, but when we tried to fold it up to store the first night, we realized it had been damaged in shipment. The left rail was bent and would not lock in place for storage. We were concerned it would fail over time because of this as well. I immediately called the warranty group. They let me know that it was the assembly company that was responsible, so I called them and eventually (with in 24 hours) received a call from the assembly group. I gave them the model number, serial number and sent a photo from my phone for them to see the problem. They ordered a part and I will be waiting 8-10 days for it to arrive. They will send a tech when it arrives at my home for repairs.

I am VERY glad they assembled not us so that there was no question about who damaged what. But apparently this has been an issue for quite a few of them since it is shipped from China on containers that are bounced around a lot it seems.

Be sure to check your machine head to toe after assembly to catch these problems up front. It has been my experience with this type of problem that the longer you wait, the harder it is to have a company respond. But so far, the assembly team where I live has been very responsive. A pain to deal with the damage and coordination for the repair, but that's life, no?

Otherwise, we found the store manager and everyone at Sports Authority to be extremely professional in helping us make a good choice. We look forward to using this to get in shape without dragging ourselves to a gym every other day. Great product so far!!