The Sole E55 Mid-Range Elliptical Reviews

Overview: The Sole E55 is a solidly built, full body workout elliptical trainer. Sole is one of the biggest names in the fitness equipment industry and is known for making top-quality machines that require very little maintenance. The E55 is an upgraded version of the E25 and E35 and comes loaded with a wide range of features and accessories.

Here are the most notable aspects of the machine.

Adjustable Stride

The E55’s stride can be adjusted up to 20 inches. It allows you to find a stride length that you are most comfortable with. It also allows multiple users – regardless of their body type or height – to use the machine.

Smaller Footprint

The Sole E55 was designed to have all of the features of the pricier E95 model but with a much smaller footprint. It’s only 71″ long as opposed to 83″ long, which is quite a difference and is great for those with limited space.

Adjustable Pedals

The specially designed pedals reduce the strain on your ankles and knees. Based on the input of a physical therapist, Sole has added a two-degree inward slope to the pedals for increased comfort and stress reduction. The pedal angle can also be adjusted for better fit and comfort.

Adjustable Incline

The ramp angle can be adjusted from 0 to 20 degrees, which is great for cardio workouts. It also allows you to work the muscle groups in your lower body and improve your muscle tone.

Heart Rate Tracking

The machine has handlebars with built-in pulse sensors and a wireless chest strap to measure your heart rate with even more accuracy. This helps keep you in your ideal range for the entirety of your workout.

Rear Wheels

The E55 has four rear wheels that ride on heavy-duty rails for increased stability and comfort.

Bluetooth Technology

Sole introduced Bluetooth capability in 2016 on many of their machines, which allows you to track and sync your workout data with the Sole app as well as many other popular apps. This is a great way to keep on top of your workouts and monitor your progress.

Those are some of the great features…now let’s take a look at our Sole E55 elliptical review…

The Sole E55 Test Drive

Assembling the machine can take a few hours. Thankfully, the manual is very detailed and easy to follow, so you can get it done yourself without requiring an extra pair of hands. But it’s always nice if you can find someone to give you a hand.

The unit is extremely sturdy. It weighs over 200 lbs and can accommodate up to 375 lbs. The moment you step on it, you just know that this is a rock solid machine that can handle the most intense of training sessions with ease. What this also means is that you will find it hard to move it around, especially from one floor to another.

The four rear wheels riding on heavy-duty rails provide tremendous stability and also prevent the side-to-side motion of the foot pedals. It is a pleasant surprise as the feature is usually found only on expensive cross-trainers.

The E55’s stride is adjustable up to 20 inches, which is important for three reasons. First, it allows you to find your ideal stride length for a comfortable workout. Second, it allows you to target different muscle groups in your lower body by adjusting the stride in small increments. Third, it makes it easy for multiple users to work out on the same machine.

The elliptical has custom-designed foot pedals, which make a huge difference to your workout experience. The pedals have a two-degree inward slope, which reduces the strain on your joints.

The pedals also have a dial adjustment feature, which is not available on the E25 or E35. You can adjust the pedal angle from heel to toe to make sure it fits you perfectly. This kind of customization is not available even in some of the higher-priced ellipticals.

The machine has a 9” LCD display, which is larger than the ones available on the E35 elliptical and other less expensive models. It shows the workout data in a beautiful blue color background.

The Bluetooth capability is a nice touch…you can now track your workouts via various fitness apps like Apple Health and My Fitness Pal, which is a great way to see how you are progressing and set goals for yourself to reach.

A few negatives to point out…

The E55 comes with 10 preset workout programs, which is not very impressive. You can find a number of other elliptical trainers in this price range with a much larger set of built-in training programs.

Similarly, the E55 has a backlit display whereas similarly-priced machines from other brands like ProForm and NordicTrack have a full-color, web-enabled touchscreen display.

Final Thoughts

The Sole E55 has all the qualities you look for in a reliable elliptical trainer – rock solid build, user-friendly design, customizable features, and strong warranty. Moreover, Sole is one of the most trustworthy names in the industry and is known for making top-notch cross-trainers that last long. Sole’s customer service is also very good, which is one of the factors you should consider while choosing an elliptical trainer.

You can find other elliptical trainers in this price range with a larger number of built-in workout programs and a much flashier console, but this one outclasses most of its competition in terms of design, performance, and durability. So, it is definitely one of the best machines you can get for the price.