subject: Elliptical Exercise Machine - 3 Different Designs - Which Is Best? [print this page] Buying an elliptical? Elliptical exercise machines used to be simple. Precor introduced the first one back in the 1990s and other fitness brands like NordicTrack, Proform and Schwinn followed with more affordable home versions.
If you're buying an elliptical today, you'll notice that you have a lot of options. One of the main options you have is which style or design of crosstrainer you want.
Elliptical exercise machines offer 3 general designs: Front drive, rear drive and center drive. Which one is best? Here's a brief overview of each so you can decide which you prefer:
#1 Rear Drive - As the name states, this design puts the flywheel in the rear - behind the foot pedals. This was the first design originally introduced by Precor. However many brands now produce this design including Nordictrack and Smooth.
Rear drive ellipticals tend to give you a flatter elliptical motion - kind of like a running feel. According to some reports rear drive models also give more inertia behind the user, although I can't really feel this myself.
#2 Front Drive - This design came later into the marketplace and places the flywheel in front of the foot pedals. This design tends to give you a more climbing or inclined feel to the elliptical motion. Front drive, like rear drive, is also quite popular among many different brands. Brands that produce machines with this design include Sole and Schwinn.
#3 Center Drive - This is a newer design in the home market. Instead of one large flywheel in front or back, there are 2 smaller flywheels on the side of the user footpedals.
Advantages to this design (besides just looking cool) are that these machines take up less space than the 2 other designs. They also tend to hold the user more upright with the footpedals closer together, which for many people feels more comfortable.
On the other hand, in my mind at least, 2 smaller flywheels vs 1 means double the objects that can break on my elliptical.
Plus these ellipticals are not as easy to find as the other 2 models. NordicTrack makes a few. But the most popular brand that used to make them - Ironman - wouldn't be a great choice since their parent company - Keys Fitness - declared bankruptcy.
So which one is the best design?
Well it really depends on you. For example if you have a small workout space you may want a center drive elliptical (or you could also just opt for a folding front drive elliptical). If you prefer a flatter feeling, running type motion, you may want a rear drive machine.
However keep in mind that design isn't the only thing that contributes to a smooth feeling, stable elliptical. Other features to look at include stride length, user weight capacity, proper ergonomic design and the quality of construction.
Keep these things in mind while searching for your elliptical exercise machine, take your time and you're pretty much guaranteed to find one you'll enjoy using for years to come.
