ProForm Pro 2500 Treadmill

ProForm Pro 2500 TreadmillThis is my experience with the Proform Pro 2000 treadmill. The 2500 and 4500 are the same with the exception of the console having the iFit built in and a few more programed exercises.

I am posting this in the 2500 model''s page because of the above statement.

I have been nervous getting a Proform. The service is what concerned me the most. Well, now that I have had one for a few weeks I wanted to share my experience for what its worth.

I ordered mine from Proform.com, they had a sale where it was less than a $1000. 10 days later, J B Hunt calls to tell me they would be delivering the next day. Noticed the package was standing vertical in the truck, not good, they are on a pallet and that needs to be on the floor. Anyway, package was at my front door. It is big and you will need at least one person to get it to where you want it and that is after you get everything else out prior to moving the main belt unit with the motor. Once there I had not one issue assembling the whole thing alone. Little fussy, but if you keep some of the cardboard that was inside the box you can use to turn the belt over like I did to install the folding locking mechanism. The rest you just have to follow the instructions. For the locking rod I installed the end on the motor side and when everything else was installed I turned it on made sure the incline was at 0 and lifted the belt and installed the other end.

I only mention this because I wanted to share that it is doable, but if I had to do again, it would be a piece of cake to me if I had another person.

I am 53 years old and a little guy, 5''7 at 158lbs so you decide. Now back to the tread mill. It is very solid and once put together and folded, it is not difficult at all to move. It is very easy to fold up and lock automatically when there. You pull a knob and just let it go down, it does that with ease and finesse. It is not hydraulic (not sure how it works) but it does a wonderful job lowering itself. Fit is great. You can jump on it while running or when stopped and there is no shaking, noise or rattles. The belt is quiet smooth, the incline (after calibration) works perfect and smooth. Speed is 12mph at 0 to 15 deg incline and maxes out at 8mph at -3 deg decline. Fan is better than nothing but I prefer a floor fan.

To make this short, I love this treadmill, the fit, weight the finish and the smoothness in which it operates, however I did have a problem and is the reason I opted to write this review. The only thing that did not work from day one was what they call the information screen on the console. It is where you get the accumulated time and distance this machine has run, very much like the odometer in the car plus the time the engine has been running.

I called the customer service number that was in the documentation. Answer time was less than 3 minutes, but this is where it ends. The person helping me had no clue. My issue is that 99% or all this treadmill is supposed to do works, I just can''t get one screen of information, I have all the others, the manual says not to use the incline at the steeper angles until the unit has 20 running hours. Well that screen I do not get. Now, after a few minutes with that person he puts me on hold, 15 minutes later I though that is it and the call was ended. I called back immediate and again, my wait was no more than 5 minutes, I explained to the person what happened after providing him with the serial # and he said please hold while I get the information for your treadmill, well, that was the last I heard from that guy, after 5 minutes of music I had to stop. I was on my lunch break and steaming. All my fears about service were well founded. I run that night and thoroughly enjoyed the machine, simple to operate, console is intuitive, and it does what you tell it to do, that simple. Now I started to think, I do not want to send this back, not for what it can''t display, I am enjoying this thing and was hoping there was a solution.

Next day call to customer service, I get a lady in very short order again. I explained what went on the day before and I asked here not to put me on hold ( I was in no mood for that) after explaining what had happened, she apologized and said I will not put you on hold, just mute because I have to talk to someone else. I said okay. in a couple on minutes she got back with me and said we can send you a new console if you want to try that. I was smiling. She said they were out of stock but should have them in a week. A week later I had a new console delivered. 6 screws to take it off, and after labeling the wires (6 of them) so they can go back in the same connectors I put the new one on and with fingers crossed, plugged it in, turned it one and bingo. I also get to keep the old console, (actually would be glad to send it back if they want) but, all in all, after a few weeks with this treadmill, I absolutely love it, and while I have no experience with any other I do understand and appreciate solid, quiet, smooth designs, and I appreciate this package so much for what I paid for it.

To be fair, I must also mention that I have had 2 follow up emails assuring me that I will be satisfied. I am, and I have to say my concerns while might have been founded based on a review, have been proven wrong. I have also included a photo of my treadmill and the new console on top. If you can''t see it here go to my review for the pro 2000 which is the treadmill I have. I am completely satisfied with what I have and the outcome of my issue with Proform.

Also, make sure you register your treadmill when you first get it, that is the information that they will use when dealing with you.

I''m six feet one inch two hundred eighty five pounds, if you''re a big man or woman looking for a good treadmill this is it. The machine itself is sturdy, and has 3.5 horsepower motor. Get your walk on. Love the Ifit technology.

Buy ProForm Pro 2500 Treadmill Now

Update After reading Dan in VA''s review and discovering how to change the server to TEST and perform the update everything seems to work again. It is interesting that the numerous calls to customer service nor the onsite service tech knew anything about having to point the server to TEST to get the download to work. Also the first download was over a gig and took several hours. The second download was much faster and the third actually worked with the server pointed to ifit. You would have thought that the new computer they shipped me would have had the current software pre-loaded on it. I''m still docking 2 stars for the 6+ weeks of hassle and the incompetent customer service reps.

Previous The treadmill seems well made and was easy to assemble. The workout software at first glance seemed nice as well but turned out to be have several glitches. The real disaster started about 2 months ago when Ifit updated their web site. I received an email from Ifit that they had changed my user ID to work with their new web site??? As soon as I logged in, the treadmill immediately began an Ifit update. 24 hours later it was still trying to update! I called Ifit who instructed me to wait another 24 hours because they were having problems with their server. A week later they decided to send me a thumb drive containing the software. Unfortunately that didn''t work either because the treadmill computer was fried by that time. Ifit / ProForm at that point decided to send me a new computer / display. The new display will connect to the internet but not to their server. I was told by their customer service they were still having problems with their server and to wait a couple of days. And so the whole process begins again! What I have failed to mention thus far is the treadmill itself will not run without a working computer! Not even in manual mode. A technician is coming today to look at it; however, he''s already told me on the phone that he really doesn''t work with computers. In the many conversations I''ve had with Ifit, the only thing they want to talk about is selling me an extended warranty . . . . for what???

Read Best Reviews of ProForm Pro 2500 Treadmill Here

UPDATEThe software updated last night and looks to be fixed now. The update is tricky and that looses a star until the interface is up to snuff. When you get a new 2500 update the firmware by going into the settings finding the maintenance screen and changing the server from ifit to Test by tracing a circle around the word with your finger. Then press the firmware button. After the machine downloads and resets do it one more time. Once everything is downloaded and the machine resets change the server backs to ifit and log into your ifit account. Its cumbersome but once done the machine is a joy to use. I did 7 on a self created running route today and everything worked perfect.

PREVIOUSCurrently the Software side of the Pro2500 and every other ProForm is a huge issue. The clock will lock up for 10''s of minutes at a time on mine. IFit (The fitness software that is the selling point) has been down for 4 weeks since they did a software upgrade in November. I can''t even log into IFit from the onboard Ifit screen. Ironically I can through the onboard web browser. Before you purchase any IFit enabled device you need to read all the comments on their facebook and IFit support pages. In other words I would not purchase this or any ProForm, NordicTrack or other item made by the parent company, Icon, until they have the problem resolved. Up until the update these machines were excellent.

The hardware, however, is very good. Well constructed. Nice button layout. Solid Platform. Nice sized color display. Really more stuff than you need but like to have.

To get around the software glitch I use a footpod with my Garmin which works fine. I should not have to do this though.

Two stars are for the hardware. Its just a basic treadmill with out the working software.

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After reading all the reviews, I went ahead and went with this machine. I purchased it through Academy so had their company deliver and install which eliminated any delivery issues. I just got it today so will have to update after I''ve used it for a month. The screen is very easy to see and bright. I''m 5''0" tall so I was concerned that with my head only being slightly above the console that I would get odd angles on the screen and that isn''t the case. Connecting it to the house wifi was easy and I took it for a 15 minute spin. It operated smoothly while transitioning between speeds and the fan worked nicely right on my face. Now that I''m done with my first spin, I''m letting it check for firmware updates to see how that goes.

Will update as I need to.

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