The Spirit XE200 Elliptical Review -- the elliptical version of a sleeping pill
Ohiyo!
It's almost a month later and the Treadmill Sensei is still burned out from the Health and Fitness Business Expo in Denver this past August. Not only did we do a lot of walking there, but I also tried out a heck of a lot of equipment, including a number of units from Spirit Fitness. One of the new ellipticals they were displaying for the 2007-2008 season was the Spirit XE200 elliptical.
The Spirit XE200 Elliptical looks to be a very strange hybrid of the old Spirit XE350 (which performed well for most of 2007, even with its plastic flywheel issues) and the Spirit XE125, an elliptical which was recalled back to China due to a large number of manufacturer's defects and problems. What Spirit seems to have done this time around is taken the short and much less stable frame of the XE125 and tried to beef it up with the XE350 components.
Unfortunately, this may not have been the best of ideas. You see, as anyone who has tried a compact frame versus a standard, longer elliptical frame out side by side, the compact elliptical never feels quite as full as the standard frame. Your stride always seems to feel different by as much as 1-2 inches...and a lot of times, the steps are at a slightly different angle which gives you a different feel. It's not much, but a lot of people do find the strides to be less comfortable on these style of units. Now, that's is ok when your only units are compact, but when you're comparing your older unit with the nice, long stride to a new unit with a stunted stride, the differences tend to scream at comsumers. When I first got on the Spirit XE200 without knowing what they were saying its stride length was, I would have guessed it to be at around 18"-18.5" and not the 20" on the spec sheet.
The other issue with the unit is from Spirit's continued use of a plastic flywheel in its drive instead of a metal one. Even the weight they give is considerably off and comes from weighing the entire drive assembly instead of just the flywheel. Now, Spirit has done a great job in gearing the wheel with a second, smaller flywheel, to give you that longer ramp up speed and slowdown, but the issue doesn't come in the feel of a 30 pound flywheel, it comes in the longevity and durability of a plastic flywheel. You hear about 10+ year old metal flywheel ellipticals still running well. What you don't hear about is those with plastic flywheels lasting more than 4-5 years at the most, and even then they have a lot of maintenance issues.
Spirit has also reduced its warranty from 5 years parts and 2 years labor to just a 1 year labor warranty with the same 5 years for parts. This is a huge let down by the company and shows a lacking of extended confidence in their product. My assumption we be that this past year showed them the units tend to have problems which require a service tech after the first year and they opted to save money on repairs instead of fixing the repair problems on the units.
On the positive side, the pedals on the Spirit XE200 Elliptical are still the same large, articulating pedals with Spirit's well-known 2% inward slant. This helps reduce foot numbness often experienced with elliptical workouts down to almost nothing. The pedals are also now adjustable, allowing every user to customize his or her own workout to what feels best for them.
Also, the new thicker, contoured handgrips feel great. The Spirit XE200 also has the same 20 levels of resistance, 6 programs, heart rate monitoring and control. Spirit also throws in a wireless heart rate belt with the units now, which is most excellent. And, finally, their new "Safety-Lok" system is a great accessory to anyone who has kids and fitness equipment.
For an alternative with a better feel and more solid build, try the Sole E55.
All in all, the Spirit XE200 isn't a bad elliptical, but the negatives definitely equal the positives on the machine. I do feel like they should have reduced the price of the XE200 Elliptical from $1399 along with the reduction in size. It is a bit of a let down over where they were in 2006. For being that let down, the Treadmill Sensei gives the Spirit XE200 elliptical 3 out of 5 golden buddahs.
A lackluster "upgrade" from last year's model with 3 gold buddahs out of 5.
Spirit XE200 Elliptical Specifications
Stride: 20"
Flywheel: approximately 16lbs (listed as 30)
Display: LCD
Programs: 6
Resistance: 20 Levels
Heart Rate Monitor: Yes
Heart Rate Control: Yes
Max User Weight: 350lbs
Unit Weight: approximately 190lbs
Price: Under $1400-The Treadmill Sensei
http://www.treadmillsensei.com
It's almost a month later and the Treadmill Sensei is still burned out from the Health and Fitness Business Expo in Denver this past August. Not only did we do a lot of walking there, but I also tried out a heck of a lot of equipment, including a number of units from Spirit Fitness. One of the new ellipticals they were displaying for the 2007-2008 season was the Spirit XE200 elliptical.
The Spirit XE200 Elliptical looks to be a very strange hybrid of the old Spirit XE350 (which performed well for most of 2007, even with its plastic flywheel issues) and the Spirit XE125, an elliptical which was recalled back to China due to a large number of manufacturer's defects and problems. What Spirit seems to have done this time around is taken the short and much less stable frame of the XE125 and tried to beef it up with the XE350 components.
Unfortunately, this may not have been the best of ideas. You see, as anyone who has tried a compact frame versus a standard, longer elliptical frame out side by side, the compact elliptical never feels quite as full as the standard frame. Your stride always seems to feel different by as much as 1-2 inches...and a lot of times, the steps are at a slightly different angle which gives you a different feel. It's not much, but a lot of people do find the strides to be less comfortable on these style of units. Now, that's is ok when your only units are compact, but when you're comparing your older unit with the nice, long stride to a new unit with a stunted stride, the differences tend to scream at comsumers. When I first got on the Spirit XE200 without knowing what they were saying its stride length was, I would have guessed it to be at around 18"-18.5" and not the 20" on the spec sheet.
The other issue with the unit is from Spirit's continued use of a plastic flywheel in its drive instead of a metal one. Even the weight they give is considerably off and comes from weighing the entire drive assembly instead of just the flywheel. Now, Spirit has done a great job in gearing the wheel with a second, smaller flywheel, to give you that longer ramp up speed and slowdown, but the issue doesn't come in the feel of a 30 pound flywheel, it comes in the longevity and durability of a plastic flywheel. You hear about 10+ year old metal flywheel ellipticals still running well. What you don't hear about is those with plastic flywheels lasting more than 4-5 years at the most, and even then they have a lot of maintenance issues.
Spirit has also reduced its warranty from 5 years parts and 2 years labor to just a 1 year labor warranty with the same 5 years for parts. This is a huge let down by the company and shows a lacking of extended confidence in their product. My assumption we be that this past year showed them the units tend to have problems which require a service tech after the first year and they opted to save money on repairs instead of fixing the repair problems on the units.
On the positive side, the pedals on the Spirit XE200 Elliptical are still the same large, articulating pedals with Spirit's well-known 2% inward slant. This helps reduce foot numbness often experienced with elliptical workouts down to almost nothing. The pedals are also now adjustable, allowing every user to customize his or her own workout to what feels best for them.
Also, the new thicker, contoured handgrips feel great. The Spirit XE200 also has the same 20 levels of resistance, 6 programs, heart rate monitoring and control. Spirit also throws in a wireless heart rate belt with the units now, which is most excellent. And, finally, their new "Safety-Lok" system is a great accessory to anyone who has kids and fitness equipment.
For an alternative with a better feel and more solid build, try the Sole E55.
All in all, the Spirit XE200 isn't a bad elliptical, but the negatives definitely equal the positives on the machine. I do feel like they should have reduced the price of the XE200 Elliptical from $1399 along with the reduction in size. It is a bit of a let down over where they were in 2006. For being that let down, the Treadmill Sensei gives the Spirit XE200 elliptical 3 out of 5 golden buddahs.
A lackluster "upgrade" from last year's model with 3 gold buddahs out of 5.
Spirit XE200 Elliptical Specifications
Stride: 20"
Flywheel: approximately 16lbs (listed as 30)
Display: LCD
Programs: 6
Resistance: 20 Levels
Heart Rate Monitor: Yes
Heart Rate Control: Yes
Max User Weight: 350lbs
Unit Weight: approximately 190lbs
Price: Under $1400
http://www.treadmillsensei.com
Labels: elliptical review, review
posted by Treadmill Sensei at
4:06 AM
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