Echelon Stride 5s: The Treadmill You Can Count On

This Echelon Stride-5s Treadmillreview will provide all the information you need before you buy. This treadmill is Echelon’s most expensive yet. But is it worth the extra cost? Watch the video below for more information.

Video review of Echelon Stride-5s Treadmill

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Here’s a quick overview of Echelon Stride-5s

Echelon Stride-5s Treadmill has been released. It is the latest and most connected Echelon treadmill. The Stride-5s has significant improvements in many areas, despite the fact that it does not have the popular auto-fold feature of the Echelon Stride.

There are several upgrades, including a 24" high-def touch screen that can rotate 90 degrees in either direction, a more comfortable running belt, integrated heart beat sensors and a large cooling fan.

Echelon Stride-5s specs

Use the Echelon Stride-5s

Duro-50 Suspension Deck

Echelon Stride-5s features Echelon’s “Duro-50 Suspension deck.” This is the first treadmill to have this suspension system. It feels great and is comparable with other similar-priced belt treadmills. Although it isn’t the most comfortable, it’s not the worst.

Speakers and touchscreen

Echelon Stride 5-s has a new HD touchscreen of 24 inches. This is a premium feature. This makes it easier to do bootcamp, strength, and other classes on the Treadmill.

This screen is a great addition to my bootcamp-style Echelon classes. It’s a great addition.

Echelon has done an excellent job of keeping the touch screen in place during running, despite it being mobile. There was less screen wobble when I used it than other connected treadmills.

However, the speakers are not great. The volume of the front-facing, five-watt speakers is acceptable but the quality leaves much to be desired. This is particularly true when the instructor’s voice is heard above the music. Bad voice/music mixing could also be a factor. I’ve experienced this same issue when taking classes via their app on an iPad.

The Stride 5-s headphones can be worn in pairs to enhance the sound quality.

The two 5-watt speakers are passable, but not great

Acceleration and inclines

The Echelon Stride-5s can climb up to 15 degrees at maximum and 12.5 miles per hour at maximum speed.

This is the biggest problem. It takes a lot of time to change speeds and incline levels. It takes approximately 30 seconds to change speeds from 1-12 mph, and more than 40 seconds to change incline levels from 0-12 degrees. It is up to three times slower that similar-priced 2450 and 2950 treadmills from NordicTrack or Peloton.

Another issue is the Echelon Stride-5s’s inept design for speed changes. There are two options for controlling the speed of the treadmill:

You can adjust the speed using the buttons on your handlebars. This is problematic because you’ll need to press the button every 0.1 mph adjustment. You will need 20 presses to increase your speed by 0.1 mph.

For bigger jumps you can also hold the buttons, but I wouldn’t recommend it. This is a dangerous move that can increase speed by as much as.5 mph to more than 5 mph.

You can also use the quick select buttons. These buttons can be used to adjust your speed to 1, 4, 7 or 10 mph quickly. These buttons can save you hundreds of button presses but they also have some problems.

Problem with quick select buttons is their small size and difficulty of use during sprints or fast runs. This is especially true when sprinting. Another problem is that they can’t be customized because they are set at preset speeds.

The quick select buttons would have been more useful if they could be customized. To better match my normal running and walking speeds, I would have set the buttons to 3, 6, 8 and 10 mph. This customization would have saved me hundreds of button clicks each workout.

Echelon’s ‘Quick Select’ controls

Fan and heart rate sensor

The Echelon Stride-5s Treadmill also includes a pair built-in heart rate sensors as well as a large fan. Although the heart rate sensors can be a useful addition, they are not recommended for anyone who does not have a heart monitor. These sensors are dangerous and inaccurate, so I don’t recommend them.

Although the fan is large and well-designed, it’s not very practical. It generates very little air so you need to be close to it to feel any sensation. You may prefer that the air flow goes towards your chest and not your face. It will vary depending on your height. For me, at 5’ 9", it doesn’t reach my face.

The built-in fan unfortunately does not provide a lot of air flow

Workouts with Echelon

Because this connected treadmill is also a fitness machine, the classes you take can be as important as the equipment. Echelon offers a lot of content through its membership. There are four to five new treadmill classes added each day.

These classes are available online, but they can also be taken live. Echelon has a unique perk that is not offered by other companies: live classes are available during the afternoon.

Echelon makes a lot of new content every day

Echelon is clearly more concerned with quantity than quality. This approach has the advantage that you can find any type of class you desire. There are many options for endurance runs, sprints and bootcamps. You can also find strength workouts, boxing classes, and breakdancing classes.

Although the production seems less well-produced than other platforms, some content and coaches are actually quite good. Echelon is heavily focused on music, with each class having its own playlist of songs.

There are many classes being created every day, and it can be difficult to find the gems. It becomes much easier to find the right class and coach for you once you start digging in. For new members, you might need to dig around a bit before you find the right thing.

There are lots of diamonds here, but you have to search for them

Echelon Stride vs Stride-5s

The original Echelon Stride is a good option if you don’t need all the bells and whistles. The treadmill is significantly cheaper ($1,299 vs. $2,499). It also features an auto-fold feature that makes it easy to store.

The original Echelon Stride with the auto-fold feature

Although you will save space and money, the Stride 5-s won’t feel as comfortable to run on without the suspension deck. The best option for you depends on your budget, space, and preference for how much cushion you need.

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Final thoughts

There is much to love about this treadmill, including the new pivoting HD touchscreen at 24 inches and the improved suspension deck. The Stride-5s is Echelon’s best treadmill, despite the inconveniences I have with how adjustments are made and the slow time it takes for them to adjust.

The current price of $2499 means that I can only recommend this treadmill to those who are already in the Echelon ecosystem. Other buyers may be interested in Echelon’s original Stride, which is a lower-priced treadmill, or other treadmills within this price range.

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