Elliptical machines

i checked into getting an elliptical and got on walmart and kmart's websites and read some of the consumer reviews. most of the people who purchased the lower-priced ellipticals complained of the same problem.:grumble: i'm not saying yours is cheap, i don't know, but i do know that a lot of them were complaning about the squeaking, so you might want to visit their websites and see if yours is one of the brands that people had problems with. as far as fixing the squeak, most of them said you could oil it frequently and that seems to help for a little while, but the squeak usually showed back up. just some of the info i read, for what it's worth! hope that helped!

I've had mine (a Proform $360) for about a year. It's not really as much squeeky as it is cluncky. Not bad cluncky, just annoying cluncky. I use it about 4 hours a week. It had good reviews for the price range and is a decent machine. I believe, as with any fitness machine, the more you pay the better constructed the machine will be. I have oiled the parts once but all that happened was it dripped dirty oil on my carpet. If your machine squeeks, and you don't have some form of maintenence or extended warranty, you may just have to live with the noise. I haven't found a way to get rid of the cluncks in mine and will probably upgrade to a more expensive model when this one wears out. FYI, I just bought a Schwinn recumbent bike Saturday. Excellent machine with a whole different workout from the eliptical. Very smooth and super quiet. Sears model SR23 on sale for $499. Good luck with the squeeks and let us know if you find a solution.

I took mine apart and oiled it again. The squeaks were back within a week. It was a cheapo from WalMart, Weslo brand. I agree with peacefulwarrior - turn the music up!

does anyone have one of these that is compatible with the I-Fit programs? I am looking into getting an elliptical, but wonder if it would be worth it to make sure the one I get fits this criteria.

I was out at Sears looking at an elliptical the other day and they had a whole rack of I-fit cartridges. Apparently you just put it in a slot on the machine and it will give you a cusomized workout. The ones I looked at were for cardio workouts, but they had toning ones too. The cartridges looked like about the size of a game-boy cartridge.

Ok, got my answer, sorry. Clicking or squeaking is caused by one of two things;
1. A bearing that is not broken in (which normal and ok)
2. A resistance adjustment or flywheel adjustment (requires service tech)

A couple of general tid-bits:
1. There are four levels of exercise equipment on the market. #1- entry-level, big box stores like Wal-Mart, ****s Sporting Goods, etc carry these product lines. They are economical and for the right consumer, they are a good investment. If you are looking for long term quaility, durability, and comfort, it is worthwhile to consider at least the second level. #2 - Mid-High-end residential product. This is found at specialty dealers across the country. You won't see these in big box stores. The price range is higer from $800 to $5,000. In this category, if you intend on using the equipment for 3+ years, this is the best value for your dollar. I have personally had customer over the years buy (7) $400 pro form treadmills in two years and then finally buy a $2,000 tread and have it for 8 years and counting with no service problems whatsoever. #3 is light commercial, found in low traffic adult communities and hotes. #4 is high-end commercial found in high traffic health clubs.

You can always try a WD-40 lubricant and spray it on the pivot points where the machine is making the noise. typically a bearing gets debris or too much friction which can cause the nioses you are hearing.

Good Luck!!!!

ok so i just bought a horizon ce4.1 i think it was ok for a couple hours lol ..now squeeks ~sigh~ how annoying ...i do have it on carpet and manual says to put it on solid ground ?? toooo bad ..all i have is carpet. anyways , this machine has a retail value of 1200 $ and i got it for 350 and so far is doing the job ..resistance 1 is like resistance 4 at the gym so yea its good