$500 elliptical trainer recommendation

I bike 20 miles a day at 17-20 mph (pretty quick) during/summer/fall for
exercise. Love it. However, winter is coming and that means snow and slush
and that makes riding the bike a little tough. So I'm looking for an
alternative for winter use.

I've tried elliptical trainers (bikes) and they seem like something that
will give a good workout and not be too boring. Plus my wife could use it
when she can't walk because of the weather.

There are three options:

NordicTrack CX920 at Sears for $570 with a 1 year warranty. (Gold card
doubles that to 2 years). Made in China. Demo unit felt a little wobbly and
creaked. My boss has one since early this year and likes it except for creep
factor (it sets on a plush rug) when in use.

Reebok 525 at Dick's for $499 less 3.3% rebate with a 90 day warranty that I
can take out to 2 years for $60. Three years for $80. Has a built-in fan
that I like. No height adjust. Reebok web site says made in USA. Seemed the
most sturdy.

ProForm C830 at Sam's for $568 with 90 day warranty and no easy way to
increase that. This one has a power incline adjust and is obviously a clone
of the NordicTrack other than that. (Not surprising, both are part of Icon.
The power incline screw seems a bit thin to me. Needless complication? Made
in China. Could not try it as it was up on a stand.

Construction quality seems comparable across the three. However, I've heard
that durability on these things can be a problem and that is my main
concern. I was going to get the Reebok, but then I tried the Reebok at
Dick's and actually like its feel a bit more. The lack of a height
adjustment does not appear to be an issue to me since the resistance can be
set electronically.

My main concern is durability. Which of these units would be best in that
regard and which have people experienced trouble with?

Thanks.



- GRL

"It's good to want things."

Steve Barr (philosopher, poet, humorist, chemist,
Visual Basic programmer)

Checkout amazon.com for quality and cheap elliptical trainers. There are lists of products created by real users of products, make you check lists before making any decision.

Thanks for sharing good reference.