Aviron Victory Treadmill Review | I’m Already Running Faster

Dimensions/Storability

We anxiously awaited the arrival of the Aviron Victory Treadmill in our studio. Aviron is a brand we get really excited about because the Aviron training platform is so fun and unique. However, there was one feature that quickly dampened some of our excitement: the non-folding frame. We were surprised Aviron decided on a non-folding treadmill.

The Aviron Victory Treadmill does not fold, making it stable and durable but not compact.

If you want this treadmill, you need to accommodate its 77” long by 33” wide by 62” tall size. It weighs 242 lbs and is a bit more challenging to move since it doesn’t fold. I can move it short distances, but I prefer to store it in a dedicated spot if possible.

The maximum deck height is about 12” when the treadmill is at a 12% incline. You’ll need to factor that into the ceiling height requirements. We recommend a 7.5’ tall ceiling for this treadmill if you are a 6’ tall runner. That will give you plenty of room for the incline and vertical running movement with a little extra buffer for comfort.

I was really impressed by the Victory Treadmill’s 400-lb weight capacity, which is pretty much the highest we usually see. This treadmill feels pretty sturdy, so I can run hard workouts with confidence.

Onboard Workouts & Apps

Buckle up because Aviron has an incredible amount of training and entertainment content to talk about. At its core, the Victory is a subscription-based treadmill. It’s usable without an Aviron membership, but your experience will be drastically different from what you get when you subscribe.

I know not everyone likes a subscription training service, but Aviron’s is pretty cool as far as they go.

Without a subscription, you are limited to just the metrics monitor, which is what Aviron calls their manual training option. That’s the only training program, but you can still access a few other features. You get unlimited profiles for individual workout histories, achievements, and the ability to friend and follow other Aviron users.

The metrics monitor is pretty busy and includes metrics you won’t find on most treadmills, like splits and watts.

Aviron

With a membership, you get a lot more than just the Quick Start mode or Metrics Monitor. Aviron neatly divides its types of content into different categories, so you can find the right type of workout for that day.

Aviron has nine tiles that categorize the content and help you navigate Aviron’s vast (and fun) offerings.

I’m going to move in the order that you will find the categories on Aviron’s screen. Right after the quick start mode, you have SkyQuest. It’s a virtual world that’s kind of like Zwift. You have a set course that you follow, but you can run around it endlessly. You can switch between speed and incline modes, changing which setting navigates your avatar and scores points.

You can also choose the difficulty of the SkyQuest map and other Aviron users on the same map.

You’ll find TikTok, Kindle, YouTube TV, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, Hulu, YouTube, Paramount Plus, and Max on the Aviron Victory. Note: You need an Aviron membership to use these apps. Unfortunately, if you don’t subscribe, you won’t be able to access them.

Aviron has one of the best selections of apps. I would put it on par with the Echelon and Sole treadmills.

But what Aviron is really known for is games. These are broken up into three categories or tiles: games, competition, and power play. These categories include animated, gamelike workouts. Most remind me of arcade and mobile games. If you really like those, you will like the Aviron and find it motivates you to work out more than you otherwise might.

I’m always trying to figure out the best way to destroy the AI bots in competition mode, and I think sandbagging until the minute or two of competition is the way to go.

The “game” category is Aviron’s bread and butter.

My favorite game has to be the fishing game. You use the incline to reel in your line and strategically snag big fish. There are plenty of shooter games and brick breakers. It’s fun, and Aviron’s tutorials make it easy to learn how to play. YOu can earn points to climb the leaderboard and coins to buy new avatars and backgrounds.

Most games have unlimited time (or run until you lose). Others have time limits. I prefer to have a time limit so I can pace myself, but usually, I find that I lose the unlimited time games in a reasonable enough amount of time. Often, I have to string together multiple games to complete a full workout, which I don’t mind. It makes for great interval work.

Competition mode pits you against other Aviron members, bots, and yourself. This category is great for days that you want to work your hardest. I typically choose competition mode for tempo runs and fast walks.

I find that the competition scales really nicely, so you don’t have to set the treadmill to 10+ miles per hour to get enjoyment out of the competition mode.

Power Play is probably my favorite game category. It’s an excellent way to do HIIT or another interval workout. You race down a track, changing lanes by adjusting your speed or incline. You’ll earn points by staying in the correct lane.

I really like Power Play for days when I want a fun, structured workout.

Pros versus Joes in a category you will see on the Aviron Victory Treadmill. Unfortunately, this content is not available for the treadmill at the time of writing this review. I’ve tried the category on Aviron’s rower, though, and it’s pretty cool. It’s a competition option that pits you against professional athletes, allowing you to race an avatar that represents their speed.

Fortunately, Aviron includes more than just professional athletes in that particular sport. For example, Pros versus Joes on the rower includes more than rowing athletes, so the odds aren’t always completely stacked against you.

Moving away from the games and competitions, Aviron also has coached classes to compete with the likes of Peloton, iFIT, and Echelon. These classes are filmed in a studio with a coach leading the class on the treadmill. The classes are also divided into categories so you can more easily find the right workout.

While Aviron doesn’t have as many trainer-led classes as other platforms, the ones it has are a nice alternative to the games.

Another non-game option is the scenic destinations. These videos take you through a route in a beautiful location. Some of the videos are timed and loop infinitely. Others progress at your speed, creating a more immersive experience. I like using these videos to warm up and cool down for more intense workouts.

There’s one more category for training: Guided Programs. If I’m honest, this category is my least favorite. However, it is a good option for any of you who like bootcamp-style classes. Many of these take you on and off the treadmill. You might do pushups and other moves to complete the class in addition to walking and running on the treadmill.

The Guided Programs are best for anyone who wants more than just a treadmill workout.

There’s more to the Aviron Victory Treadmill than this. The treadmill also incorporates a social aspect and achievements to help you maintain a consistent routine.

You can add friends on the Aviron platform. If you don’t know anyone with an Aviron treadmill, don’t worry. You can also jump into public workouts to join other Aviron members, even if you aren’t friends. Whenever you start a workout, you can choose whether to make it public or not. Access this feature in the Group Workout Lobby.

The more you train with Aviron, the more Achievements you will earn, rewarding you for your consistency.

I felt really daunted by writing this review, especially this section, because Aviron has so many different content types. There was a lot to cover here, and I hope it shows you just how much you can get with Aviron. The membership is $29 per month (reduced to $24 per month when you pay for a year at once). If you already have another Aviron machine, you can add the treadmill for just $10 more per month.

Console

You access all of this fun content on the 22” touchscreen. The screen angles up and down, so you can adjust it to your liking. The screen is a good distance away. I always do a little test where I stand on the belt and reach for the farthest point on the screen. Then, I see how far I am from the front end of the deck or motor hood when I make contact. I have plenty of room to interact with this screen without hitting the motor hood!

The screen quality is nice. I have no problem seeing and interacting with the onscreen content.

Most of the controls are on the screen. There are buttons along the side of the tablet for adjusting the volume. There are also buttons at the bottom of the screen for adjusting the speed and returning to the previous screen.

I like the audio quality of the speakers. They sit to either side of the touchscreen, and I can hear the game and entertainment audio just fine. However, you can also pair Bluetooth headphones for an even better experience. Bluetooth also allows you to pair a heart rate monitor to the Aviron Victory Treadmill.

You get a little gaming touchpad with speed and incline switches, start and stop buttons, and three speed shortcuts (walk, jog, run). This control pad is at the bottom of the console within easy reach. I really like the speed switches and find them easy to use during workouts.

I interact with the speed and incline switches and the rest of the control pad more than with the screen during a workout.

In between the screen and the control pad, you get a storage pad for your phone. It’s a foam pad with decent friction to prevent your device from sliding around. It’s not really designed to let you view your phone—just to make it more accessible while you are training. There are also two cup holders, which you can use to store water or other small items.

The Aviron Victory Treadmill has a decent amount of storage for a subscription-based running treadmill.

Finally, I want to mention that this treadmill has a safety key and a safety shutoff. The safety key is pretty normal, but the shutoff is something not all treadmills have. It will turn off the treadmill if no one is detected on the deck. It also prevents users under 90 lbs from using the treadmill, so it works as a child lock, too.

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Build Quality

Aviron refuses to conform to familiar design procedures when creating a new product. I like to think of the team at Aviron as problem solvers. They try to improve upon cardio products. The Aviron Victory Treadmill follows that blueprint.

Frame

As I mentioned, the Aviron Victory Treadmill is built on a non-folding frame. While it’s not great for storage, it does make this treadmill pretty sturdy. The screen shakes a bit at high speeds, but I feel comfortable pushing the pace on this treadmill, which I can’t say about every treadmill.

The Victory has a 400-lb weight capacity, which is excellent and a testament to this treadmill’s build quality.

I like the angled uprights of the Victory, the handles, and the stability handles. I feel supported during my run and like everything is the appropriate distance. I don’t feel awkward grabbing the handles or reaching for the console, thanks to the uprights’ positioning.

The footrails are wide enough to stand on, and I feel comfortable doing so.

Motor

Treadmill brands only provide a single number to reflect the motor’s capabilities. That number, horsepower, is what we use to create guidelines for what a treadmill can handle. For a running treadmill, we look for a horsepower rating of at least 3.0 HP.

The Aviron Victory has a 3.5 HP motor, and it should handle everything up to daily running. The 3.5 HP motor is powerful, and the only time you might need something more powerful is if you are sharing the treadmill with multiple runners who will train on the treadmill daily.

The only thing I don’t really like about the motor is the giant motor hood. I’m known to crowd the console, so I clipped it with my foot a time or two.

Although brands only disclose the horsepower, our testing reveals more. I measured the motor responsiveness. It changed the speed relatively quickly. It went from 1 mph to 12 mph (the top speed is 12.5) in 17 seconds. For reference, the range of all the treadmills we test is 14 seconds to 41 seconds, placing the Victory on the faster end.

However, the incline motor was much slower. It took 39 seconds to go from 0 to 12% (the maximum incline). The range at the time of writing this review is 14 to 46 seconds, so the Victory is pretty slow, but not the slowest. But I should point out that a slow incline adjustment helps the treadmill feel smooth. (Note: this treadmill does not decline for downhill activities.)

The slow incline adjustments mean the Victory treadmill is not ideal for short hill intervals.

We also evaluate the noise of the treadmill motor. This treadmill’s noise was 56 dB at 3.0 mph and 69 dB at 12 mph. At its quietest, it’s about as loud as a microwave, and at its loudest, it’s about as loud as a kitchen exhaust fan. The incline doesn’t really add much noise. For instance, it was still about 56 dB at 3.0 mph when inclining.

Deck

Aviron surprised me with the treadmill deck. It’s very low profile. The belt is only about 4.5” tall, and the siderails are about 5” tall. Stepping up onto the deck is really easy and user-friendly. The only downside to this is that it doesn’t leave much room for shocks, and it’s also to blame for how giant the motor hood looks.

The low-profile deck is easy to step up to and suits exercise spaces with lower ceilings.

I am comfortable walking and running on the Aviron Victory Treadmill’s deck, but it’s not as cushioned as some users may prefer. It feels moderately cushioned. I would say that it’s less cushioned than NordicTrack and Horizon treadmills, but more cushioned than Sole treadmills.

The deck measures 20.5” wide by 57” long. These measurements are slightly different from the standard 20” by 60” long decks I’m accustomed to seeing on running treadmills, but not far off. I didn’t notice that the deck was shorter, but I’m only 5’4”. Aviron recommends this treadmill for walkers and runners up to 6’5”, so taller users may notice a little more.

Though the running deck is 3” shorter than the standard running treadmill length, I feel comfortable running fast on it.

One of my favorite features about this treadmill is that the deck is prewaxed. You do not have to lubricate the deck, which is really nice. That’s the one regular maintenance step treadmills require (other than cleaning), so it’s really nice not to worry about that.

Warranty

The Aviron Victory Treadmill comes with a 10-year warranty on the drive motor and frame, as well as a 1-year warranty on the parts. You can opt for a lifetime warranty, but it requires a monthly payment of $9. Whether or not this is worthwhile for you, I’m not sure. It’s a unique warranty structure, and it’s nice to have as an option.

Should You Buy the Aviron Victory Treadmill

I really enjoyed using the Aviron Victory Treadmill leading up to this review, and I’m going to be using it a lot more as part of my own training. The subscription is what makes the experience. While it’s a nice treadmill on its own, it’s the content on the 22” touchscreen that makes it worth it.

From streaming apps to games, coached classes to competitions, the Victory Treadmill has something for you to do. I really look forward to fast-paced workouts on this treadmill because it fuels my competitive side, motivating me to rack up points in the games and beat the AI bots.

I recommend the Aviron Victory Treadmill for runners and walkers seeking a subscription-based training service with fun training content. It’s a non-folding treadmill and has firmer cushioning, so make sure those two features are appropriate for your training, too. Overall, I had a lot of fun on this treadmill!

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Aviron Victory Q&A / FAQ

Is an Aviron Treadmill worth it?

The Aviron Victory Treadmill is worth it for walkers and runners who want a fun training service. You need an Aviron membership to play the games, stream from the entertainment apps, and use most of the other features. It’s worth it if you are committed to the Aviron platform, but I would not recommend it for exercisers who do not want to subscribe.

Does the Aviron Treadmill require a subscription?

The Aviron Treadmill requires a subscription to access the games, competitions, scenic workouts, coached classes, and more. It does not require a subscription to run or walk on it. You can see your metrics while training and record your workout history without an Aviron membership.

Is the Aviron Treadmill good for beginners?

The Aviron Victory Treadmill is good for beginners because it uses the addictive quality of gaming to help you build an exercise routine. It also uses social connectivity and achievements to reinforce this new routine. Regardless of the type of workout you prefer, the Aviron platform can guide you through every step.

Does the Aviron Treadmill fold up for storage?

No, the Aviron Treadmill does not fold.

Is this a paid review?

Our reviews are not paid reviews, though we are sent the majority of the products we review for free by their respective brands. Brands do not get a say in what we write in these reviews or in our video reviews. However, if you use one of our links to purchase a treadmill or other fitness machine, we will earn a commission. It will not increase the cost of the product for you.

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