Treadmills adaptable for under desks?

June 27, 2020 10:10 AM

Rather than buy an under desk treadmill (expensive) I’d like to buy a used treadmill and remove the handlebars to use it under a desk. I don’t know which treadmill brands or models are the best for this use case.
posted by melodykramer to Grab Bag (2 answers total)

"I went to Modell's Authority and looked at the back of all the treadmill control panels. What you're looking for is one that can be easily separated from the backing. In the end I chose a ProForm 480 E. The control panel itself was just screwed on to the backing, so I figured I could take it apart easily enough."

"Hacking the Confidence GTR Power Pro Treadmill"

"After reading several reviews and testing several machines myself, I chose the Exerpeutic TF1000 Walk to Fitness Electric Treadmill. It included the basic features I needed, it’s pretty quiet, it’s electric so I don’t always have to walk at an incline and from what I had read, the arms could easily be removed for positioning under a desk."

"I’ve used a Lifespan basic treadmill that I bought online for $300. It arrived in two pieces. I simply removed the console from the treadmill by unscrewing it from the arm rests. It was really easy. I then placed the console on the shelf under my desk so I can turn the treadmill on or off and control the speed."

[FWIW, it's possible to DIY treadmill desks and keep the arms. See also this "Simple Solution for a Desk Treadmill" - "Specially designed “under desk treadmills” have a separate console that you can place on your desk conveniently where you can reach it. You essentially can unload the box, plug in your machine and you’re ready to walk."]
posted by Iris Gambol at 11:53 AM on June 27, 2020

I use a super-cheap Weslo Cadence R5.2 (picked it up for $20 at a yard sale, I think its a Walmart brand). It was easy to take off the massive plastic console, and now I have the much smaller control panel off to one side on my desk. (I had to replace the belt, which was slipping badly -- this is definitely not an endorsement of the Weslo build quality!)
posted by thandal at 12:05 PM on June 28, 2020