Sole E95 Elliptical Trainer

Sole E95 Elliptical Trainer
Save on Sole E95 Elliptical Trainer. Free Shipping, Order Now!

Find the Bestsellers I've never posted to one of these review sites before, but this one was especially helpful in making my decision to buy my Sole E95 that I wanted to pass on my experience to help others. The information below is modified from an e-mail I sent Sole on December 1, 2009 after getting my E95



Compliments:

Before buying the unit, I did a lot of research, including reading independent reviews of owners. Most said shipping was prompt, and I experienced that. It took 11 days for the unit to reach me, and I'm located away from main roads and that time included the Thanksgiving weekend. The only glitch was that I never got an e-mail giving me the tracking information, but since it arrived in the estimated 2-week time frame the salesperson told me, it wasn't an inconvenience.



Several owners wrote that they had to disassemble the unit outside and bring it inside in pieces because the box was too wide (34") for the door. Apparently you heard those complaints and redesigned the box to 23" wide by 34" high by 66" long, and the delivery guy was able to put it on his dolly and easily roll it into the house. This was a very pleasant surprise since it was cold and wet outside.



Some owners wrote about difficulties in assembling the unit. I had almost none. It was one of the easiest assemblies that I've done, and I usually hate doing things like that. However, I do have some minor questions and suggestions below.



Questions:

1) Several owners complain that the manual says nothing about the lube tube you provide. The maintenance section says to apply a thin film after cleaning the rails, but nothing is said about it in the installation section. Is application of a thin film recommended when the unit is new? Should I wait until the unit starts making noise before applying lubrication? What is a "thin film"? Should I dab the rails and spread it out by hand and/or by using the rollers or should I dab the length of each rail? And if I run out of lube, is there some standard off-the-shelf lube you can recommend at the hardware store that I could buy? You don't list lube as an available accessory. [They promptly replied "For the Lubrication it is recommended that you lubricate your unit once a month. I have attached the instructions on how to do this exactly. When you would like to purchase new lubricant you can contact us to get it ordered. Or you can purchase a product called Lube 'N Walk (silicon base) from most Dick's Sporting Goods stores. These are the only products we recommend you use with your E95."]



2) When I finished assembling the unit, three items were left over that I don't know what to do with. One is a short electrical cord with plugs at each end. I don't see anything that it would hook up to. The plugs do fit into the sockets for the MP3 player, so is it an extension cord for an MP3 (I don't own or iPod or any MP3 and can't recognize if this is a standard connector)? [They replied that it was for an MP3.]



3) The other parts are two oval, rubber plugs that look like they are meant to plug holes about ¾" long by ½" wide. Each has a hole and slit. What do I do with these? [These were plugs that I missed in the assembly. My fault. As a result, when I first used the E95 I cut the wires that run from the right handle bar into the central mast. Sole sent me a new wiring harness and instructions on how to replace the cut wires for free.]



4) Page 14 of the manual describes the two solutions with the foot pads. The first says the pads are inclined inward 2 degrees. The second says I can adjust them up to 10 degrees, but it is not clear if this is the same inward tilt. [Sole clarified that the inward tilt is fixed and is not the adjustment described in the manual.]



Suggestions:

1) Add the mat to the on-line order form. I filled out most of the form on-line and then saw that I couldn't add the mat, so that effort was for nothing since I had to call in to place the order.



2) The manual suggests not using the unit on a deeply padded or plush carpet. It seems that is one case when the pad would be useful. You should mention that in the description of the mat. The unit is a beast to lift and move, and most people would prefer to move it only once rather than a second time to install the mat.



3) While it is a beast to move, it is movable. That was an important feature for me. I've set it up in my dining room, pushing the table and chairs to one side of the room. When I want to use the room for formal dining, which happens only a couple of times a year, I'll move the unit temporarily to a different room. This is not something I want to do every day because it is so heavy, but it is an important feature for me. However, there is no mention of wheels on your website. I had to do a lot of digging in other websites to find that the unit really is somewhat portable.



4) You make a good product that sells itself. Don't demean yourselves or your customers with the comment on your website that "All SOLE ellipticals are easy to assemble and can be completed with the help of the manual in about 25-35 minutes." It took me 15 minutes simply to open the box and carefully remove, unpack, and sort all of the parts. After that it took about 2 hours to assemble by myself. That is consistent with what other owners have reported. Assembly was easy, but it took 2 to 2.5 hours, not 0.5 hour.



5) OK, assembly was easy and made easier through my ratchet set and closed-end wrenches rather than the tools you provided. This is not a complaint. What is a small complaint and suggestion is for the one time where I found assembly really annoying. The sheet metal screws for the Connecting Arm Covers (page 12, Step 4.1) need to slide a long way into the plastic covers, find their holes, and slip in before they can be tightened. The problem is that with the length of the holes and the bad angle (especially for the holes that face the flywheel), gravity tilts the screw tips downward and it is difficult to tilt them up to find the holes. At a minimum, I suggest that the covers be redesigned so all of these screws can be inserted from the "outside" of the unit, not the "inside" that faces the flywheel. This gives the owner more maneuverability and control in guiding the screws into the holes. Otherwise, suggest in the manual that the owner use a magnetic tip screwdriver, or attach a magnet to your screwdriver to magnetize the tip, in order to hold the screws and easily guide them into the holes.



6) Modify the manual to explain the lube and unexplained items above, as well as the items below.



7) Page 11 (Step 3) of the manual has an error. The Sleeve Spacer is listed as #24 in the text but is #23 in the diagram.



8) Pages 12 and 13 (Step 4) of the manual have an error. The Incline Cover Brackets are listed as #25 in the text (page 12) but are #24 in the diagram (page 13).



9) There is no information on installing part #115, the other half of part #116 that covers the rear stabilizer. It was simple and obvious to do, but still should be mentioned.



I don't know if they will incorporate my suggestions, but I found Sole very responsive and helpful, and I have no complaints about the E95 after using it for a month.
In Stock. Sole E95 Elliptical Trainer on deal today and Free Shipping!