Reader Mailbag: Nordic Track C1800 Review and Treadmill Deck Replacement

Ohiyo!

Now that I’m finally getting caught up on the Ichi-Ban Award reviews (the second annual awards will be a lot more organized!), I’ve decided to answer a few pieces of reader mail. Strangely, even though the busy season is coming to a close, the Treadmill Sensei is getting more and more mail every day. I’m spending almost an hour a day trying to sort through 50+ email messages. I apologize for not being able to get back to everyone who writes, but Mrs. Sensei is already annoyed with the amount of time I spend on the website.

The first note of the day comes from Daniel who has a broken deck on his Nordic Track.

My Nordic Track c1800’s walking deck broke and I have removed it. Can I replace this with a piece of 3/4″ plywood? The part will be on back order with Nordic Track or Sears for a few weeks, not to mention that it will be $100 + S/H. I can salvage the mylar sheet and the hardware guides on the bottom. Also, do I need to treat the board with any special type of paint or anything? Thanks. -Daniel

Thanks for your note, Daniel.

Sounds like you’re in a bit of a pickle! The short answer would be no — you could probably cut a piece of wood to size and then mount it on the Nordic Track c1800 treadmill but it would never feel quite right. The reason being not only the mounting (very specific grommit types and placement and so on), but also because the decks are actually multi-layered pieces made up of different woods which have undergone treatments to make them rebound just right. It’s a bit more than just sliding a new piece of wood in.

With the amount of abuse a treadmill gets during even a walking workout, the plywood would fail fairly quick and you’d have another broken deck and potentially an injury if it happened during a run.

Unfortunately, with the Nordic Track C1800 I really wouldn’t even recommend getting the deck replaced because you will continue to run in to problems with it. The c1800 treadmill has a very small motor for the price (generally these things run for about $800-$900), the decks are poorly constructed (as you’ve learned), the belts are cheap and fray quickly, there is a lot of plastic in the Nordic Track c1800 and the console tends to be a bit user unfriendly. Luckily, I believe the C1800 has been discontinued.

If this unit were priced at about $499 it would be a good unit, but at the higher price point the Treadmill Sensei gives it 2 out of 5 golden buddahs…and that might be a bit generous.

Move along, there’s nothing to see…the Nordic Track c1800 treadmill
gets 2 gold buddahs out of 5.


Click for more information or to purchase a Nordic Track.

Nordic Track c1800 Treadmill Specifications
Motor: 1.5hp
Running Area: 20″x55″
Max Speed: 10 mph
Max Incline: 10%
Folding: Yes
Display: LCD
Max User Weight: 250 pounds

-The Treadmill Sensei
http://www.treadmillsensei.com