Echelon Stride 8s Review – Studio-Grade Running at Home?

Treadmill Review

The Echelon Stride 8s is the studio-style pick of the range: a strong 3.75 CHP motor, an oversized quad-cushioned deck and a 22-inch HD touchscreen that swivels a full 180 degrees for off-machine workouts. It is built for frequent use and a planted, stable ride rather than quick folding. This review covers the running feel, the swivel screen, the membership cost and who should choose it over the folding RCX-22 or the flagship 9s Pro.

By the HomeTreadmill team  |  Updated for 2026  |  Researched and compared, prices checked regularly

Who the Stride 8s is for

The 8s is for serious, frequent runners who have a dedicated space and want a big, flexible built-in screen. It is the model that treats the treadmill as a home studio rather than a fold-and-stow appliance, prioritising a solid ride and a large, movable display over portability. If you run most days and want a machine that feels planted and permanent, it makes sense.

It can be folded flat, but only by removing two screws, so in practice it is best treated as a stay-put machine that lives in one place. If you need to fold and move the treadmill regularly, the Stride 50 RCX-22 folds up in seconds and has the same size screen. If you want a faster top speed, a commercial-grade motor and a commercial-use warranty, the flagship Stride 9s Pro is the step up.

Motor and running feel

A 3.75 CHP motor, rated at 6 HP peak, is generous, and on a frame designed to stay put it translates into a confident, stable ride with none of the flex you sometimes feel on lighter folding decks. This is the second-strongest motor in the range, behind only the 9s Pro, and it is more than most home runners will ever fully use.

On a continuous-rated motor like this, sustained running at a steady pace is exactly what it is built for, so it holds speed without strain through longer sessions. The trade for that planted feel is weight and permanence: at 104 kg with a fixed stance, it is reassuringly stable underfoot but not something you will be shuffling around the room.

Deck, cushioning and incline

The running surface is an oversized 51 by 152 cm (20 by 60 inches) on a quad-cushioned deck with a DuroFlex suspension, which gives a forgiving, supportive surface for longer runs and a stride length that suits taller users. It is one of the more comfortable decks in the range for sheer distance.

Incline runs to 12 powered levels. That is the same as the 6s but fewer than the 15 on the RCX models and the 9s Pro, which is the one specification where the 8s trails machines around its price. For most hill and interval work 12 levels is plenty, but if maximum gradient is a priority it is worth noting.

Screen, controls and connectivity

The headline feature is the 22-inch HD touchscreen, which swivels a full 180 degrees and tilts, so you can follow Echelon Fit running classes and then turn the screen to face the floor for off-equipment strength, yoga or stretch sessions. That swivel is the 8s’s signature trick and the main thing it offers over the fixed screen on the RCX-22.

Speed and incline are adjusted via a trackball control on the console, which is distinctive and which some reviewers find takes a little getting used to compared with conventional buttons or a wheel. Beyond that you get a 10-watt wireless charging pad, an LED side strip, a cooling fan and Bluetooth for audio and heart rate, with the console also reporting power in watts. The 8s additionally opens up FitPass equipment-free classes and Echelon Worlds for gamified sessions.

The real cost of membership

The screen and the wider class library are the reason to buy an 8s, and they run on the same subscription as the rest of the range. Echelon Premier costs £29.99 a month or £299.90 a year (around £25 a month) in the UK, and a 45-day free trial is included with the machine. Membership is not required to run: you can set speed and incline manually and use the onboard programmes without paying a penny. There is also a useful warranty wrinkle, members who keep a continuous Premier subscription from the date of purchase get an extra four years of cover on top of the standard one year, so five years in total.

On a £1,999 machine the proportional hit of the membership is smaller than on the cheaper Strides, but it is still a real recurring cost, and because the 8s is so screen-led, letting the subscription lapse undermines much of what you paid for. Buy it on the assumption that you will keep Premier running; if you would not, a cheaper machine makes more financial sense.

Folding, footprint and moving it

This is the 8s’s main practical limitation. In use it occupies about 170 by 85 cm, and while Echelon describes a flat fold, that fold is achieved by removing two screws rather than a quick lift-and-lock, so realistically it stays where you put it. At 104 kg with a fixed footprint, it wants a dedicated corner or a home gym rather than a shared living space that has to be cleared each evening.

If you have the room to leave it set up, that permanence is part of the appeal; if you do not, the folding RCX-22 with the same size screen is the more sensible buy.

Build quality and warranty

The 8s feels the most substantial of the screened Strides short of the flagship, with a heavy, stable frame that suits its studio brief. It carries the same one-year home-use warranty as the rest of the range, extended to five years with a continuous Premier membership, the buyer profile here being among the most likely to subscribe and so benefit from the longer cover.

A treadmill mat is worth budgeting for given the weight and the permanence, both to protect the floor and to keep dust off the mechanism over years of heavy use.

How it compares

At £1,999 and built to stay put, the 8s competes with serious home runners. The NordicTrack Commercial 1750 is a direct rival with iFIT and a strong reputation, the fixed-deck Reebok FR30z Floatride offers gym-like rigidity for less, and the British-made JTX Sprint 8 Pro brings a 4 HP brushless motor for dedicated runners who do not care about connected classes.

Within Echelon, the key comparisons are the folding RCX-22 with the same size screen for £500 less, and the flagship 9s Pro for £500 more, which adds a commercial AC motor, a 15.5 mph top speed, 15 incline levels and a commercial warranty. Our best home treadmill and treadmills with incline guides set the wider field out.

Who should skip it

Skip the 8s if you need to fold the treadmill away regularly, the RCX-22 gives the same screen on a folding deck. Skip it too if you want the strongest motor, the fastest top speed and the most incline, where the 9s Pro is the better, if dearer, machine, or if you simply do not need a screen this large, in which case the standard RCX saves you a great deal.

But for a dedicated home running space where a big, swivelling screen and a planted ride matter, the 8s earns its place.

Full specifications

Frequently asked questions

The verdict

The Stride 8s is a genuinely capable, studio-style treadmill for people who run often and want a big, flexible screen, and the 3.75 CHP motor on a heavy frame gives it a planted, reassuring ride. The trade-offs are clear: it only folds flat by unscrewing two bolts, the trackball control divides opinion, it has 12 incline levels rather than 15, and there is a premium plus the ongoing membership to absorb. For a dedicated home running space it earns its keep; if you need to fold the machine away, the RCX-22 gives the same screen for less, and if you want the strongest, fastest Echelon, the 9s Pro is the one.

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