Echelon Stride-8s Treadmill Review: Pros, Cons and Who Should Buy It

A detailed review of the Echelon Stride-8s treadmill from a multiuser household. See if this budget-friendly competitor to Peloton has what it takes.

As a lover of spin classes, I’ve always been intrigued by treadmill-based workout classes but could never quite stomach the cost of a Peloton. Needless to say, I was stoked about the chance to test out the Echelon Stride-8s, especially going into winter when trail access is a little dicey.

I like the treadmill for speed workouts but get bored on easy runs. So, I recruited my partner, Garrett, who is the exact opposite, to help me with this review. Between the two of us, we tested as many features as possible to learn the ins and the outs of the Stride-8s and the Echelon Fit membership.

Bonus points we’re already familiar with Echelon thanks to the Echelon EX-5 spin bike from Coach Amanda.

Echelon Stride-8s Overview

Here’s what stood out to us:

• The hardware is high quality, well made, sturdy, and stable especially as a folding treadmill – we experienced no hardware related issues.Treadmill operation is relatively quiet.
• Changes in speed and Incline happen smoothly. Some treadmills are jerky or sudden when they adjust, but not the case with the Stride-8s.
• The big HD screen looks great and stays stable, even as you run. Perfect for catching up on your favorite shows or scrolling social media. Also easier to use if you’re shorter than we are.
• The Echelon membership provides endless access to fitness classes (for the treadmill but also yoga, cycling, HIIT, and more).

While setup generally went smoothly, some of the technology is a little clunky. The treadmill arrived without the latest software update. The unfortunate result? No matter how long you ran, neither the treadmill screen nor the app registered that you covered any distance (I would argue this is the most important feature of any treadmill).

After a couple of calls to customer service (a win – I got connected with a representative right away), I learned that the software couldn’t be updated on the attached tablet at all. I had to manually disconnect the tablet from the treadmill (which required a screwdriver vs. a built-in removal option) and use the mobile app to update the software via Bluetooth.

The software update process felt like it could have been more streamlined since the tablet has to be connected to both WiFi and the Echelon application to use it.

Our main complaint surrounding the actual daily function of the treadmill involves the trackballs for changing speed and incline. In lieu of traditional up/down buttons, the Stride-8s uses trackballs that toggle between speed and volume and between increments of 1 and 0.1.

I found it very hard to tell while running which setting the trackballs were on and ended up with very slow or very fast increases and decreases – particularly frustrating during interval workouts or classes with a lot of quick speed/incline changes.

The trackball annoyance and setup woes aside, the Stride-8s is a well-built treadmill that is comfortable enough to run on. We’re excited to have this as an option for training year round.

Touchscreen Display

The 22” HD touchscreen is great for navigating workout modes, streaming your favorite programs, and adjusting volume. Most buttons are large and easy to press while on the move, but for some reason the home button is the size of a fingertip – small enough to sometimes miss it even when standing still.

While the screen pivots a full 180 degrees, it does not raise or tilt substantially. At 5’10, I found the screen too low to comfortably watch it while running for any longer than it takes to glance at my pace or adjust the volume. Taller runners may be able to look over the top at a TV (or anything else) in the background, but only if the TV is hung at eye height.

Echelon Membership Tiers and Classes

The Echelon membership gives you the most of the Stride-8s. The Premier membership ($39.99/month) comes with unlimited classes for the treadmill as well as spin bike and rower, access to Echelon Worlds, and Echelon AI Beta personalized workouts.

If, for some reason, you wanted virtual group fitness without the treadmill, the FitPass membership ($11.99/month) provides access to “off-equipment” workouts, such as core, yoga, and boxing.

The choices for live and on-demand classes are endless, with options for every fitness level, music taste, and workout type. I found the classes exciting and the instructors interesting.

I particularly liked that the workouts aimed to help you become a better runner – not to torch calories or earn your food.

Volume was inconsistent across classes. You can adjust music vs instructor volume but in some classes I found it hard to hear the instructor over the music and sound of footsteps unless I turned the music volume all the way down.

Of note, while an account is needed to use the treadmill, a membership is only needed for class access. Garrett started with a free trial and found it easy to manage and cancel the membership as needed.

Echelon Worlds

In addition to fitness classes, Echelon Worlds provides a scenic, gamified approach to fitness. Choose your course and race against friends or go for your own time trial while exploring new places.

Getting started with Worlds was time consuming because of the required software downloads, but once downloaded, the Worlds load and work smoothly.

One thing we’d like to see improved is a more intuitive start to races in worlds that integrates the virtual start better with the tread speed. Because the race starts before you have a chance to start the treadmill and accelerate the other runners are often far ahead before you’re up to speed.

For slower race settings, it isn’t hard to catch the AI pack, but it would make it hard to use Worlds for serious racing.

The somewhat awkward start isn’t a problem in individual time trial mode though, and the automated grade adjustments coupled with the animated world are a nice change from what can be monotonous treadmill time. Unlike similar virtual endurance programs, each world is a relatively small standalone environment. While you can do multiple laps to achieve whatever your goal distance may be, you can’t “free roam” in a large scale map.

As a starting point, Worlds are well executed, and as they mature and refine the user experience we expect that they will provide an engaging improvement over endless hours spent watching reality TV to get through long treadmill efforts.

Echelon AI Beta

This new feature is an AI-powered fitness coach that designs customized workout plans for you based on your goals and preferences. As you progress, Echelon AI updates your workouts to keep you motivated. I didn’t have a chance to play with this feature too much, but this could be a fun way to gain fitness for anyone with more general training goals.

Using Stride-8s in Freestyle Mode

Want to program your own workout?

Freestyle Mode can be accessed via mobile app or via the attached tablet. Simply click on “Freestyle Mode” and hit the start button on the console. Use the on-screen buttons or the handrail trackballs to adjust speed and incline as you go.

After the software update, Freestyle Mode works as you’d expect for general unstructured treadmill use and allows for user directed speed and incline.

Other than the scroll wheel adjustments, Freestyle Mode provides a “normal” treadmill experience and displays typical information including speed, distance, elevation gain, and calories burned. One weird feature in Freestyle Mode is that the clock starts immediately even though you have to manually press the start button before the belt starts moving.

Be sure you’re ready to start before clicking into Freestyle Mode for the most accurate data.

Other Features

A few other random features to call out:

• It’s nice you can charge your phone from the center console
• LED stripe that changes color with your pace is fun…but not really something you’re looking at while running
• Bluetooth – you can connect your headphones which eliminates our issues with inconsistent volume due to footsteps

If you’re going to use the class features and want the smart features including the integrated app environment, this is a great alternative to other more expensive treadmills on the market. If you are mostly planning to use Freestyle mode, you may be better served with a more traditional treadmill.

What other questions do you have for our Echelon Stride 8s review? Happy to answer more, just drop them in the comments.

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