Older NordicTrack ellipticals: AudioStrider, E series, SpaceSaver SE, and what replaces them

If your old NordicTrack elliptical squeaks or slips, it’s probably worth fixing. Bushings, drive belts and power adapters are cheap, and the frames on these hold up. If the console has died, especially on a screen model, we’d replace the machine, and the Sole E25 is what we’d recommend to most people. Either way, start by finding the model number on the frame sticker.

What these machines were

Between about 2008 and 2019, NordicTrack sold more elliptical families than most people can name, and almost none survive in today’s lineup. The names owners mention most are AudioStrider, the E series (an E 5 vi, an E 7 sv, an E 9.5 and so on) and SpaceSaver SE. Behind those sit FreeStride, Commercial, AirGlide and a few others. They shared a parent company, and many parts, with ProForm ellipticals of the same years.

We haven’t tested any of them, and we won’t list strides, flywheel weights or resistance counts, because the same name was used on more than one model number and the figures differed between them. What we can do is help you identify yours and say what we’d buy instead.

How to identify yours

Find the white sticker with the model and serial numbers. On most older NordicTrack ellipticals it’s on the frame near the rear foot, under one pedal arm, or on the front upright below the console. Model numbers in this family usually start with NTEL or NTEVEL followed by digits.

Then get the manual. The parent company keeps manuals for most discontinued models on its support site, searchable by model number. It’s the only reliable source for your stride, flywheel weight, resistance levels and part numbers.

What the names meant

AudioStrider was a rear-drive family whose selling point was the console: speakers and a music player port, back when that was new.

The E series was the mainstream rear-drive line. The number marked the tier and the letters after it (vi, sv and others) marked the console generation, so an E 5 vi and an E 5 sv were close cousins with different consoles.

SpaceSaver SE models folded upright, which was the whole reason to buy one. An i at the end of a name meant iFIT compatibility.

FreeStride machines were a stepper-elliptical hybrid with a long, flat stride path. Commercial and AirGlide were the later front-drive lines with bigger frames and, eventually, screens. Our NordicTrack brand page picks up with today’s lineup.

What fails on one now

A machine from this group is 7 to 18 years old. Owners describe these failures, roughly in order: squeaks and clicks from the pedal arm bearings and bushings, a resistance motor that stops changing levels or sticks at one, a dead console power adapter, and a drive belt that stretches and slips under load. On later screen models, app support goes before the hardware does, and the machine keeps working in manual mode. Our elliptical repair guide walks through the fix for each one.

Repair or replace

Bushings, a drive belt, a power adapter and lubricant are cheap and worth doing, especially on a rear-drive E series machine, which has few electronics to fail. A resistance motor is a judgment call: if the part’s available for your model number at a sensible price, a sound frame deserves it. A dead console on a screen model usually doesn’t, because the console is the costliest part and the one most likely to be out of stock. If you’re shopping, our ellipticals section lists what we track, and SpaceSaver owners usually end up in our compact elliptical picks.

How we scored the equivalents

For ellipticals we read our four scores this way: deck means stride and footprint, motor means flywheel and resistance, incline means power incline, and price is measured against what a mid-range NordicTrack cost new. A 5 is a match or better for the money. None of the three has been bench-tested yet.

The Sole E25 is the one we recommend to most people: a 20-inch stride, a 20 lb flywheel, 20 resistance levels, power incline to 20% and a 350 lb rating, at $999 to $1,299 typical. It doesn’t fold.

The ProForm Carbon EL is the budget pick, from NordicTrack’s own parent company: a 19-inch stride, a 15 lb flywheel, 18 levels, no incline and a 300 lb rating for $699 to $999 at time of writing. It scores a 2 on incline because it has none.

The Sole E35 is the E25 with a 25 lb flywheel, a 375 lb rating and a 10.1-inch touchscreen, for $1,499 to $1,899. That price earns it a 2, and it scores well almost everywhere else. For an older or lighter user, our ellipticals for seniors list starts with the E25 and explains why.