The New Balance 9000 Elliptical Review — Center Drive Elliptical Excellence

Ohiyo!

Every so often the DOJO gets in a piece of equipment the Treadmill Sensei hasn’t had a chance to work on before. It doesn’t happen very often but it does happen. This past Friday we received in a package from a local Sports Authority to be delivered and set up in a customer’s home gym. When I opened it up I was surprised to find a New Balance 9000 Elliptical. I say unusual because we don’t get a lot of the center drive style ellipticals. There’s nothing wrong with them, they just haven’t gotten the market penetration of the rear or front drive style ellipticals.

My first reaction when seeing the New Balance 9000 was “I’ve got to set that up and try it out.” Well, truthfully my first reaction was “It looks like a Tony Little Gazelle on steroids.” Luckily, I got to play with the machine for a few hours and it totally changed my mind.

The key things to know about the New Balance 9000 are:

  • Adjustable stride: The New Balance 9000 comes with 3 settings for its stride length – 17 inches, 19 inches and 21 inches. New Balance gives you a great selection with these three lengths and they should fit just about any size user.

  • Width between pedals: New Balance kept the distance between its pedals tight. What this does is give you a slightly more comfortable, nautral feel on the 9000.

  • Stability: One of the best features on the New Balance 9000 Elliptical is how darn stable and solid it feels. In general the center drive ellipticals are going to give you a much greater feeling of a stable workout.

The rest of the features on the New Balance 9000 are just icing: 13 programs, heart rate control, wireless heart rate monitoring, padded foot bepdals, and a good price. New Balance has come up with anothing winning unit.

For blowing away the Tony Little Gazelle in form and function, the Treadmill Sensei gives the New Balance 9000 elliptical 4 out of 5 golden buddahs.

**UPDATE** New Balance no longer makes elliptical trainers. For a comparable center drive elliptical check out the NordicTrack ACT Commercial 7 which offers all of the great features of the 9000 with extra features and capabilities.


The New Balance 9000 gets 4 gold buddahs out of 5.

New Balance 9000 Elliptical Specifications
Resistance: 16 Levels
Programs: 13
Bi-Directional: Yes
Max User Weight: 300 lbs.
Heart Rate Monitor: Pulse grip and wireless
Heart Rate Control: Yes
Stride Length: Adjustable – 17″, 19″ and 21″
Monitor: LCD
Display: Time, speed, distance, approximate calories burned and approximate heart rate and watts
Price: $1399