Xterra Trail Racer 1.0 Treadmill Review

Having already entered the UK market with their initial range of treadmills Xterra Fitness have added to their treadmill selection with three new models in the TrailRacer series. The The TR1 is the compact member of the family and Xterra have certainly recognised the gap in the market for space-saving treadmills. There’s been a dearth of this type of tread in the market for some time now and we’ve not seen anything worthwhile at all in the entry to mid-price point since the now rather ancient Reebok i-Run. We were hoping to see a proper space saving treadmill of quality and in keeping with the rest of the Trail Racer range. Did it deliver?

First the assembly. Without doubt, getting the machine out of the box was the hardest part of the build and that in itself really wasn’t all that difficult. The Trail Racer 1 is a pre-assembled machine so there’s very little to do once you’ve got it out of the box. When we say little, we mean practically nothing at all! Two plastic covers take about 30 seconds to install and you’re finished. Despite that, as ever, we still strongly advise reading the instructions fully before setting the treadmill up.

Unfolding the treadmill is very simple and takes just a few seconds, then you’re ready to run once you’ve plugged it into the mains.

It’s immediately clear that The TR1 is not a cheap and flimsy home treadmill. Despite its small proportions, this treadmill has been designed to actually be used! There is a bar that runs between the two upright posts at the front of the machine which provides added stability and yours truly giving the treadmill a good shake from side to side confirms that this machine is actually a good deal sturdier than a high proportion of its larger competitors. An encouraging start!

The TR1 comes with a stated 1.5hp continuous duty motor. This shows that the beauty of this machine goes more than skin deep and as such this little power plant should be more than enough to propel the belt along over those rollers for all users within the 120kg weight limit of the machine. It’s relatively quiet too.

The side rails are wide enough for a comfortable and steady position when stepping onto them and with strips of anti-slip material featuring to provide additional grip they feel nice and safe. This additional grip is particularly useful when stepping off the running belt after a workout when sweat could otherwise potentially provide a ruinously slippery smooth plastic surface to stand on.

The cushioning on the TR1 provides, like its brothers, a firm surface to run on. This makes it a respectable outdoor running training aid although it has to be said that it’s more suited to jogging or walking rather than full on distance running. At 45cm wide x 130cm long (17.7”x51.2”) the running deck is suitable for most runners but if you’re much over 6ft then you may well find it a bit of a squeeze. And with a top speed of 10mph this little machine will provide most home users with enough of a challenge to keep things interesting.

There’s a powered incline of up to 10% and the transition between the incline levels is smooth and though not all that quick. The max level will be enough to challenge most users and is ideal for power walking.

Like the other machines in the TrailRacer range you get the feeling that it’s simply built properly. This is a notable achievement given the small size of the machine. So, does this come at the expense of the console? While it doesn’t have the presence of the bigger machines in the range, the console on the TR1 does ensure that the most bases are covered. It’s got a very simple layout with nice little features such as the quick access keys for speed limited to 3 and labelled ‘walk’, ‘jog’, ‘run’ and you can’t get any simpler that that! The blue backlit LCD screen also has a nice large graphical speedometer right in the middle which looks very cool and provides a really easy to read display. For incline Xterra have also kept the quick access keys limited to three so all in all this is a very simple console to use. Though it would have been nice to have speed and incline controls on the handlebars as reaching forward to press the console while you’re in motion isn’t all that easy.

Just beneath the console there are 4 little accessories compartments for putting your phone, keys etc in which is quite handy though putting a water bottle in one of those seems a bit unsteady. There’s also a tablet holder built in. Like most treadmills the speakers are nothing to write home about. They work but that’s about all can be said for them. If you’re looking for lively beats banging away in your ears then a good set of sports headphones to plug into your music player is the way to go.

In terms of programmes we were expecting them to be limited with it being a compact model. Never pre-judge is the lesson here! In addition to the manual mode there are 24 pre-set programmes as well as an HRC programme (more on this later) providing plenty of workout options.  This is more in line with many other more expensive, larger treads so a really pleasant surprise. While there’s no user defined programme option it’s not something we can really criticise given the number of other programmes that are on offer.

A negative point on the console is the lack of a heart rate receiver to allow use of a chest transmitter for a more accurate heart rate reading. The only option for reading heart rate is via the hand-pulse sensors which means that to use the HRC programme you have to run with your hands stuck on the handlebars where the pulse sensors are located. In our opinion this renders the HRC programme pretty much redundant. Nice idea to include it but not much use without a chest belt! Though this isn’t so bad if you’re mainly focusing on walking workouts. Still, it’s not ideal to the point of being a bit pointless.

The folding mechanism is excellent. It’s possible to unfold the TR1 with ease in a little under 30 seconds. Folding it back up again is just as easy. Flip down the console, press the yellow button on the side to fold back the handlebars then turn the big yellow knob on the side to fold the whole thing flat. Then just pick up the light end and lift it into the vertical position. It really is easy.

The compactness of the TR1 combined with the high build quality makes this little tread absolutely superb. It will fit into almost any household without making a nuisance of itself and at this price point has no serious competitors at all if what you’re looking for is the smallest motorised treadmill you can lay your hands on.

Last but not least, the warranty on offer with the machine is excellent with lifetime on the frame and the motor, 5 years on parts and two years labour. The unusually long motor and parts warranty is testament to the high quality of components used in this treadmill.