I work from home and am tied to my desk for easily 95% of the day. Many of you know the grind. Meeting. 30 seconds of respite. Meeting. Meeting. Lunch is often taken from the desk and occasionally I get up and stroll about the house before my next task. By the end of the day my legs feel like they will drop off my body if I don’t use them. Echelon happens to reach out asking if I may be interested in testing one of their treadmills. Perfect timing. The Echelon Stride 6 now dwells in my basement near my workstation. Sometimes it is my workstation. My mental and physical health are better because of it.
Echelon is a fitness company specializing in connected exercise equipment and interactive workouts. They have quickly become known for smart fitness solutions, and they offer equipment such as stationary bikes, treadmills, rowing machines, and fitness mirrors. Their fitness app delivers live and on-demand classes led by instructors (more on that later). This is important because it is a bit expected now days. Rarely do I see a piece of fitness equipment that isn’t partnered up with a program. Specifically, the Echelon Stride 6 is a great treadmill option for three main reasons. It’s compact, it’s quiet, and it does the job it sets out to do.
Setup
When the Echelon Stride 6 shows up at my door, I’m initially stumped. I don’t have to put it together. It comes assembled. This is a first for me, and I love it. Now, I just call my 16-year-old son to help me haul it down the steps to the basement. This isn’t “easy” per say as the machine still weighs a good amount, but the built-in multi-directional wheels make it simple to move about. This is leaps and bounds more efficient and easier to maneuver compared to my old school Gold’s Gym Treadmill. Heck of an upgrade in fact. Once it is on a flat surface, one person can essentially move it anywhere.
Once the treadmill is in the location of my choosing, I simply plug it in and off I go. However, I do glance over the included instructions to make sure I’m doing things right. The instructions actually end up being quite useful, and if I were grading this treadmill, I would have to take points off for overall intuitiveness of getting the machine going. I’m not saying it’s difficult. I am saying it takes a second to figure out how to make it start (if you choose not to read first), and there isn’t just a quick start button like other treadmills can include. There is a start/stop button though. Once I clip the magnet into place and rev the Stride 6 up, there is one major difference that is immediately noticeable. This thing barely makes any noise at all. It also folds nicely to save space in my home.
No Noise is Good Noise
Yes, the treadmill is quiet. The Stride 6 uses a brushless motor to help accomplish the low noise output. Honestly, once I step on the machine the lack of noise is the first thing I notice. Prior treadmill’s I’ve owned were annoyingly loud. Naturally, things get a bit louder as you turn the dial for speed up, but overall, it is not distracting.
The quiet operation allows me to fully focus on my workout or enjoy entertainment without cranking up the volume. If I’m listening to music, watching a show, or following along with a virtual class, I never feel like the motor is competing for my attention. Even during higher intensity intervals or incline work, the sound stays relatively subdued. It’s a refreshing change that makes workouts more practical, especially if you share your space with others.
Apptastic Performance
Connecting to the Echelon Fit app (monthly fee) is intuitive and easy. Once I create my profile and login, the Stride 6 detects app connection via Bluetooth. Now, I can watch videos for motivation. Now, if I’m being honest, this is something I’ve made fun of my wife for using in the past. However, after testing out a 30-minute workout with a coach, I’m a fan. One of my biggest issues with treadmill walks and runs is how boring they are. The coach kept things going conversationally. It made the workout fly by. The instructor keeps me distracted the entire time. I can see myself using this feature frequently.
The Stride 6 doesn’t come with an included screen. Initially, I feel annoyed that there is not a screen. What treadmill in 2025 doesn’t have a digital screen? Apparently this one. Stay with me though. I may just like it better this way, but I haven’t fully decided. The nice thing is, I can put my laptop (or my phone) securely in the open space the Stride 6 provides where a screen would have been.
The area even has a small pullout “ledge” so I can put smaller screens up higher (still secure) and not have to look down in order to see. I am now “the guy” who walks on the treadmill during work meetings on occasion. While I think a screen would be better for the workout vids etc., those with larger tablets will be just fine. Phones (iOS and Android) work great too. Once the app I connect the app, all of my metrics appear on the device I connect via Bluetooth. I can see exactly how fast I’m going and at what incline. The Stride 6 allows for a speed of up to 12 mph and a 12% incline. If I’m in a class, this makes it easy to keep up with the instructor and adjust accordingly.
Summing it up
Straight up – the Echelon Stride 6 boosts my mental and physical well-being. It arrived fully assembled, was easy to move thanks to its built-in wheels, and setup was mostly intuitive after a quick glance at the instructions. While it doesn’t have a built-in screen, I actually appreciate the flexibility to use my own device, and the secure ledge holds everything in place nicely. Paired with the Echelon Fit app, the treadmill connects seamlessly via Bluetooth and provides interactive classes that keep me engaged and motivated (for a monthly fee). Most impressively, the brushless motor makes it exceptionally quiet—even at higher speeds—which means I can use it during meetings, watch shows or focus on workouts without distraction. Overall, the Stride 6 is a compact, quiet, and effective solution that’s made a noticeable difference in my daily routine.