Your customers see treadmills. You see Friction-and-Heat Machines that burn out electronics, decks and running belts. The solutions you use, even lubrication products direct from the manufacturer, simply become the next problem. Isn't it great having your service tech clean out clogged wax nozzles every three weeks? Isn't it fun watching wax bricks build up on the rear rollers? And isn't it a thrill to fork out $100 a gallon for the product that's making it happen?

Here's what Glide Products promises:

• No more clogged wax nozzles... ever!
• The best liquid treadmill wax ever developed!
• The most incredible iron-on wax on the planet!
• DEEP DISCOUNT PRICING with a variety of options that make economic sense for club owners and service providers alike:
  • Premium Treadmill Wax Starter Kit.
  • 5-gallon replacement kits.
  • Diamond Deck "Iron-On" wax by the half-pound, full pound, and five pound.
  • 55-gallon drums for large refurbishing houses and overseas delivery.

Our Premium Treadmill Wax has been sold to some of the largest and most reputable clubs and refurbishers around the world for years. Now it's your turn to get the ultimate protection for your treadmill investment. And, oh yeah, by the way... our pricing blows the competition away!

The Enemy

Let's start this out with something we can all agree on...treadmills take quite a beating! These beatings occur in the places that users routinely come in contact with - the overlays, keypads, and most importantly the deck and the belt. Have you ever watched a person who clearly couldn't weigh more than 180 pounds run on a treadmill like a 400-pound gorilla? We're not sure who gets the worst beating, the treadmill or the knees and feet of the runner. But what does any of this have to do with treadmill lubricant?

Obviously, the area of the treadmill that the user runs on is a HIGH FRICTION environment.  Ultimately, high friction is the bane and worst enemy facing all treadmill owners. And wherever there's friction, there's a need for lubrication. Lubrication is mainly needed to reduce the amount of heat being generated. The running surface (deck) and the belt, along with the weight of the user, combine to create a great deal of heat due to the rubbing motion (kind of like the Indian burns we used to give each other as kids).

Treadmill belts are actually quite strong (rated in newtons). Even the less expensive aftermarket belts can do an adequate job. The problem is not simply the deck, the belt or the weight applied by the runner. The problem is the friction caused by the combination of all these factors.

Most commercial treadmill belts are typically produced in one of two ways. Newer style belts are made of polyurethane, while older (but still current) style belts are made of polyester monofilament and cotton with a rubber or PVC topcoat. Regardless of which style you currently have or intend to buy, all belts will be used in a high-friction environment. This friction must be reduced to a bearable amount (what the belt and deck can handle heat-wise and last the standard 6,000 miles).

Remember, friction equals heat, and heat (along with over tensioning) is what kills the treadmill belt and eventually destroys the treadmill deck. Even worse than the process of belt and deck decline is that the motor and electronics take quite a beating as well. Electronics have their limits as well and, just like belts, heat also wipes out electronics.

Proper treadmill lubrication maintenance keeps the friction to a minimum and extends the life of the belt, deck, AND electronics, and this can save the owner a sizable amount of money. If a health club owner has a good number of treadmills (let's say 10), the amount of money saved by properly lubricating and maintaining is downright serious business. Not only are the replacement costs for belts, decks, and electronics extremely high, there's also the day-to-day costs for electricity to consider.

In the commercial environment, the Big Three (LifeFitness, Startrac, Precor) usually set the tone for the majority of products in major health clubs across the U.S. and overseas. We use these brands as reference, because they all use approximately the same amount of electricity to run (about 110 volts and anywhere from 5 to 18+ amps). Doing the math shows us that that 110 x 10 amps = 1100 watts (the equivalent of having eleven 100-watt light bulbs on). Imagine the poor club owner that has 10 or more treadmills running for more than four to five hours a day, every day, for an entire month. Do the math! 1100 x 4 x 20 = 88,000 or 88 kilowatts. To find out how much money this costs, just multiply 88 by whatever you're paying for each kilowatt (this may shock you)! It's easy to see that if you reduce any of the numbers above (fewer treadmills, less hours, or lower amp draw) you can save money.

We know that the best repair solution is to keep the amount of current draw that the treadmill uses to a minimum. This clearly saves on operating costs, let alone the frequency of buying new belts (anywhere from $100 to $300+) and decks (in the neighborhood of $90 to $350+), as well as the prohibitive labor costs for servicing a broken treadmill. If motors and electronics get damaged, the costs soar.

You wouldn't let your car run out of oil, would you? The costs would be crippling. Isn't it time to pay a little more attention to the quality of your treadmill lubrication products?