Sole assembly
The treadmill is excellent. The freight company is the problem.
Sole owners praise the machine and the warranty, and they are right to. What goes wrong is the 285 pound box, the third-party carrier, and the shipping pin nobody mentions.
Where Sole is strong, and where it is not
Start with what is good, because there is a lot of it. The F80 is a 274 pound, commercial-grade machine with a lifetime warranty on both the frame and the motor, and Sole honour it. Owners report a motor replaced without argument after three years, and a replacement belt shipped free within three days. There is no subscription. It is one of the best treadmills you can buy for the money and the reviews say so consistently.
What goes wrong is everything before you switch it on. The box weighs about 285 pounds and arrives by freight. Sole sell room-of-choice delivery for around $199, and delivery plus setup for around $350. If you do not buy one of those, it is going on your driveway.
And their BBB file makes the pattern plain: the complaints cluster on the DELIVERY, not the machine. One customer paid the extra for room-of-choice, and the freight carrier failed to show up on the scheduled day, then failed again on the rescheduled day, with no call back from either company. That is a third-party logistics problem, and it is the reason a local person with a dolly is worth their fee.
The job, honestly
Reviewer and manufacturer figures.
| Model | Time | People |
|---|---|---|
| The boxFreight. Curbside unless you paid for more. | 285 lbs | 2 minimum |
| Getting it into the roomReviewers: you will need two people even WITH a dolly, because of the width. | the hard part | 2, with a dolly |
| Actual assemblyNot complicated. The instructions are good. The parts are heavy. | 45 to 90 minutes | 2 |
| Belt lube and realignmentMandatory before first use, and the realignment is the fiddly bit. | +20 minutes | 1 |
| Sole room-of-choice deliveryWhen it turns up. | ~$199 | them |
| Sole delivery + setupA reviewer called it "a very wise investment" after doing it himself. | ~$350 | them |
Once assembled, the F80 has a rare four-wheel transport system and can be pushed FLAT across a hard level floor, rather than tilted. That is genuinely useful and almost no other treadmill does it.
The two things nobody tells you
There is a shipping pin holding the deck down. Remove it.
The treadmill deck arrives locked with a pin to stop it lifting in transit, and it must come out before setup. It is not obvious, it is not on the box, and if you miss it you will be trying to work out why the folding mechanism does not behave. First thing, before anything else.
The console wires pinch inside the risers
You route the console wiring up through the vertical uprights. It is not difficult, but reviewers specifically warn about several pinch points on the way. Crush a wire between the riser and the frame as you bolt it down and you have a treadmill with a dead console and a very awkward diagnosis. Take your time on that one step.
Lubricate the belt before the first run, then realign it
The machine will prompt you, and Sole supply the silicone. The lubrication itself is simple. What people skip is what comes after: it is critical to get the belt perfectly aligned again afterwards, using the adjustment bolts at the rear. A belt that tracks off-centre wears fast and feels wrong. And plan to lubricate roughly every three months for the life of the machine.
Three feet behind it, and that is not negotiable
Sole specify at least three feet of clear space behind the treadmill. It is a safety requirement, not a suggestion: it is where you go if you come off the back of it. Measure the room including that three feet before you buy.
The 30-day trial has an 8 percent restocking fee
Sole offer a 30 day trial, which is good. Returning it costs you 8 percent plus an RMA process. On a $1,799 machine that is around $145 to change your mind, which is far gentler than most, but it is not free.
Before it ships
Decide honestly whether you want the freight truck leaving 285 pounds at the end of your drive. If not, buy the room-of-choice option, or have somebody local booked for the day it lands.
Measure the room, including three feet of clearance behind the deck.
Have a utility knife and a pair of diagonal cutters ready. Reviewers say both make the unboxing dramatically easier.
Where an installer fits
Precisely in the gap Sole leave: between a freight carrier who will not come inside and a machine that needs two people to move.
A reviewer who assembled his own F80 concluded that the process was taxing enough that paying for delivery and setup began to look like a very wise investment. That is a man who did it, saying so.
And afterwards, for the belt. Lubrication and alignment every few months is what keeps a machine like this running for the twenty years the frame warranty implies.
What an installer does
- Takes the curbside freight drop and gets 285 lbs into the room, including down stairs.
- Removes the shipping pin before anything else.
- Routes the console wiring without crushing it in the risers.
- Assembles and levels the machine, three feet clear of the wall.
- Lubricates the belt and, crucially, realigns it properly afterwards.
- Tests the motor, the incline and the console before leaving, and takes away a very large box.
Get it built by someone who has built one before.
Tell us your ZIP and what you bought. Installers near you will quote you directly, and you deal with them, not with us.
Questions people ask
How heavy is a Sole treadmill and can I move it alone?
The F80 weighs 274 pounds and ships in a box of around 285. Reviewers are clear that you need at least two people to get it into a room even with a dolly, because of the width. Once assembled it has a four-wheel system and can be pushed flat across a hard floor, which is unusually convenient.
Should I pay for Sole delivery and setup?
Room-of-choice is around $199 and delivery plus setup around $350. A reviewer who did the assembly himself said afterwards that paying for setup would have been a very wise investment. Be aware that Sole’s BBB complaints cluster on the freight delivery rather than the treadmill, so whoever you use, confirm the date.
What is the shipping pin?
A pin that locks the treadmill deck down during transit. It must be removed before you set the machine up, and it is easy to miss because nothing draws attention to it. Do it first.
Do I need to lubricate the belt?
Yes, before the first use, and the machine will prompt you. Sole supply the silicone. The important part is what comes next: realign the belt afterwards with the adjustment bolts at the rear, because a belt that tracks off-centre wears quickly. Repeat the lubrication roughly every three months.
Is the Sole warranty any good?
It is one of the best reasons to buy one. Lifetime on the frame and the motor, and owners report Sole actually honouring it: a motor replaced after three years with no pushback, and a belt shipped free within three days.
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