Treadmill Review: Schwinn 840 Treadmill
Treadmill Rating: 2.5 out of 5 for being an average treadmill with a terrible warranty
Price: $799
Hello again,

I’ve been scouring the Internet for new treadmills to review I have decided I’m going to go through Schwinn’s treadmill line. It shouldn’t take that long, Schwinn only offers two treadmills. The first treadmill on my list is the Schwinn 840 Treadmill. The Schwinn 840 Treadmill is a low-end to midrange priced treadmill and comes in for $799, just under 800 bucks delivered. Like many other treadmills I review the Schwinn 840 Treadmill is an excellent treadmill with a single fatal flaw. Before I reveal too much more about my final assessment of the Schwinn 840 Treadmill let’s get into what I like about this treadmill.

One of the things I like about the Schwinn 840 Treadmill is the programs. Schwinn did not skimp on the fitness programs that come equipped with the Schwinn 840 Treadmill. If you are a regular reader you well know that I like fitness programs because they add variety and they can actually help you get a better workout. The most notable program included with the Schwinn 840 Treadmill is the heart rate control program. Most treadmills that retail for less than $1000 will not include heart rate control. I really can’t tell you how rare it is to see heart rate control in a treadmill that sells for less than $1000. For those of you wondering, heart rate control allows you to set a target heart rate and automatically have your workout adjusted to match that heart rate. If things get easy for your heart, you’ll either go faster or increase your incline. If things get too tough for your heart the computer will slow down your pace or level out the incline.

Aside from heart rate control the Schwinn 840 Treadmill is pretty much average. The Schwinn 840 Treadmill has a 20″ x 55″ running surface which is just about in line with every other treadmill in this price range. There are a couple other treadmills that retail for about $800 that have an extra inch of width or length, but nothing great enough to make a real significant difference in performance. If you are taller than 6 feet and plan on doing some jogging or running I highly recommend trying to find something within your budget that has a 20″ x 60″ running surface. You’ll feel a lot freer to move and run. The top speed of the Schwinn 840 Treadmill is 10 mph. I will say you can probably find something that has a higher top speed for the same amount of money as you’re paying for the Schwinn 840 Treadmill, but keep in mind 10 mph is pretty darn fast and unless you plan on spending $20,000 you will be a little find a treadmill much faster than 12 mph anyway.

The motor is pretty strong. The Schwinn 840 Treadmill comes with a 2.5 HP motor and that should be powerful enough to support heavy users with little to no slippage of the belt during strenuous runs.

Well, it’s time to address my primary gripe with the Schwinn 840 Treadmill. As a responsible treadmill review or I feel it my duty to only recommend treadmills that I would buy myself. I would never buy a treadmill that was backed by less than a one-year parts and labor warranty. One year parts and labor is pretty much standard all across the board in the thousand dollar or less price range. The Schwinn 840 Treadmill comes with an all too short three-month parts and labor warranty. That is simply not enough for me to make a positive recommendation. If Schwinn wants to improve my rating of the Schwinn 840 Treadmill all has to do is make a change on paper and back this treadmill for a full year.