XTERRA Fitness’s TRX1000 is a small, affordable treadmill designed to provide folks a means of exercise without taking up much floor space or destroying any budgets.
Highlights of this electric treadmill include 12 built-in workout programs, a max speed of 10 mph, and a lifetime warranty on the frame.
It also folds away easily for storage after use.
Overall, the TRX1000 is a pretty solid buy for a $500 treadmill, but as you’d expect, it has its downsides- most prominently the small running surface and low weight capacity.
If you’re in the market for a budget treadmill though, this model could be a good fit.
And this review is here to help you make that decision.
In this article, I’ll go over all the specs and features the TRX1000 has to offer, as well as all the areas where this machine falls a little short.
After reading, you should know everything you need to in order to decide whether or not this is the right treadmill for your home gym.
The XTERRA TRX1000 Treadmill
XTERRA is a popular budget-friendly home fitness brand that has a lot of inventory to choose from. We’re talking bikes, ellipticals, rowers, and treadmills of course- you know, all the cardio essentials.
They’ve also got a very popular recumbent stepper (the XTERRA RSX1500) that can provide a great, comfortable workout for people dealing with achy joints.
All most all of XTERRA’s products come with asking prices well under $1000, which is very budget-friendly in the world of fitness equipment.
Their treadmills remind me of the Sunny Health & Fitness treadmills, although XTERRA offers better warranties.
The TRX1000 is one of their newer and most affordable models and will cost ya roughly $500 (at the time of writing this anyway).
Pros
- Small footprint
- 2.25 CHP motor
- Folding frame
- 12 built-in workout programs
- Top speed of 10 mph
- Quick touch speed buttons
- Easy assembly
- Good warranty
Cons
- Small running surface
- No power incline
- No bluetooth
Running Surface
Personally, the running surface is always the first spec I look at when researching a new treadmill. This spec will tell you a lot about the machine, especially when it comes to comfort during use.
By the way, the running surface refers to how large the usable belt section is and is measured in inches (and usually written as width x length).
Having a larger running surface is always a good thing because it’s going to give you more wiggle room during your workouts.
Larger running surfaces can also accommodate taller users, allowing them to stretch out farther while running at faster speeds.
Most quality home treadmills come with running surfaces that measure at least 20″ x 60″ because at this size, they can comfortably fit pretty much all users.
With this in mind, I’d like to point out that the TRX1000 comes with a running surface of 16″ x 50″.
This is very small for a home treadmill, but for this price range, it’s actually pretty standard (even though XTERRA refers to it as “large” in their description… can’t blame ’em for trying I guess).
The truth is, treadmills in this price range are much smaller than the more expensive models (again, this is one of the big reasons these treadmills are more affordable to begin with).
With a 50″ long running surface, the TRX1000 is gonna be best suited for shorter folks- if you’re anywhere near 6′ tall I don’t think you’re gonna be able to stretch out completely when running.
The 16″ wide belt is pretty narrow too, so you aren’t going to have much wiggle room from side to side during your workouts.
Based on the size of the running surface alone, I would say this treadmill is best suited for walking and light jogging.
When you look at the frame, it’s obvious that this is a small, light-duty machine as well. The TRX1000 only weighs about 100 lb fully assembled, which is very light considering heavier duty models weigh 3x this much.
This treadmill only has a 250 lb weight limit too (which is actually pretty good considering how small and light this model is).
Overall, I think the small running surface on this model is probably its biggest flaw. The TRX1000 would be best suited for walking and light jogging and for smaller users.
Motor
The motor is always the next spec I examine because it too tells you a lot about the treadmill’s quality. As you’d expect, stronger is preferred to weaker.
A stronger motor won’t have to work as hard to get the job done as a weaker motor will- this should make for smoother operation, quieter operation, and extended motor life.
Most home treadmills come with motors in the 2.0 – 4.0 CHP range.
The TRX1000 comes with a 2.25 HP motor, putting it on the lower end of our expected range. I like to see at least 3.0 HP for a treadmill I plan to run on, so again, I don’t think this treadmill is a smart choice for serious runners.
But 2.25 HP is about what we should expect for a $500 treadmill. Treadmills in the price range rarely have much more power than this.
This motor can get the TRX1000 up to a max speed of 10 mph, which is pretty good considering plenty of treadmills in this price range can only reach 8 mph.
This treadmill also comes with 3 levels of manually adjusted incline. This is another area where there’s room for improvement because power incline is something you can find in this price range.
Overall, the TRX1000 comes with a pretty weak motor which would be best used for walking and jogging. That said, at 2.25 CHP, this motor is pretty standard for a treadmill in this price range.
Features
The XTERRA TRX1000 comes with the following features:
12 built-in workout programs- the console on this treadmill is very basic, but it does come with 12 workouts to choose from, which is a nice feature for folks who tend to get bored easily with their routines.
5″ LCD display- the screen is pretty small, but it’s big enough to see your stats pretty clearly during your workouts.
Quick touch speed buttons- you can instantly set your speed between 1-9 mph with the push of one of the quick touch speed buttons.
Hand grip pulse sensors- there isn’t any chest strap or wireless monitoring on this model, but you can grab the hand grips to get a check on what your pulse is.
Media rack- the rack is conveniently located above the LCD screen, so you don’t have to block your view of your stats in order to watch your tablet or read your book.
Folding frame- the frame can fold vertically for storage when not in use (a handy feature for smaller homes).
Assembly
The assembly process for this treadmill is very straightforward. The deck comes pre-assembled, you’re basically just bolting the uprights to it and attaching the console.
This is a lightweight treadmill, so you won’t have to worry about lugging heavy parts around or anything like that.
But it’s always a good idea to have a second person available when attaching that console- makes it a lot easier to have them hold the console while you attach those wires before bolting on.
The manual XTERRA provides is easy enough to follow- it comes with large images and written instructions for each step.
Overall, assembly shouldn’t be an issue on the TRX1000. I’d guess most folks should be able to have it out of the box and running within an hour.
Warranty
XTERRA backs their TRX1000 with the following warranty:
- Lifetime frame
- 1 year motor
- 90 day parts
- 90 day labor
Believe it or not, this is a really good warranty for the price. The lifetime frame guarantee is awesome. A year on the motor is pretty good too, given the price.
90 days on parts and labor is really short, but it’s expected considering most treadmills in this price range offer 90-180 days.
Overall, I think the warranty here is pretty good. I love the lifetime guarantee on the frame.
Final Thoughts
Well, that about does it for the XTERRA TRX1000. All things considered, this is a small, simple treadmill that comes with fairly respectable specs considering how affordable it is.
The running surface is pretty small, but it’s actually well within the norm when compared to other treadmills in this price range.
The motor is weak when compared to higher-end treadmills, but when compared to other $500 machines it holds up pretty well.
I know I keep saying “for the price”, but I think it’s important to keep realistic expectations and compare this treadmill to other, similarly priced machines.
The TRX1000 is lacking power incline, but otherwise it has everything I’d expect from a budget treadmill.
And the warranty surpasses my expectations.
Overall, if you’re looking for a really affordable home treadmill, I think the XTERRA TRX1000 is a good buy (especially for smaller users).
I’ve had the TRX1000 for about 2 years now, using it for walking and light jogging. I’m 5″10″: and don’t find the smaller surface a problem at all. The quick and easy speed changes are a pleasure to work with and overl I find it one of my best exercise purchases ever.
That’s awesome, I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying your TRX1000! Thanks for sharing.