Bells of Steel Blitz Treadmill Review: It’s on Another Level

Dimensions/Storability

You can move the Blitz, but with its weight, we recommend keeping it in a designated space. When you need to move it, there are front transportation wheels and a steel rear bar to lift and tilt up the backend.

The four adjustable leveling feet help prevent rocking, and we didn’t experience any movement when using it. The leveling feet are a little oversized, and their placement compared to the front wheels makes this treadmill a little hard to move and place in specific spots.

It can be moved when needed fairly easily, well as easily as you’d expect from a 300lb+ treadmill.

The Bells of Steel Blitz manual treadmill has a higher step-up height than other treadmills, at 13 inches. It is even higher at the front and rear of the belt (15 inches and 20 inches). We recommend that a 6′ runner have at least an 8.5′ ceiling to comfortably accommodate the Blitz. This provides plenty of clearance above your head no matter where you are positioned on the treadmill, even if you are skipping or hopping.

Onboard Workouts & Apps

Preprogrammed Workouts

A factor that makes manual treadmills appealing (among many other features that I’ll get into) is that they don’t require an outlet.

The console on the Blitz Treadmill is battery-powered, so it doesn’t need to be plugged in.

Manual treadmills typically have simple, straightforward consoles, and the Bells Of Steel is among the majority. When the belt starts moving, the console turns on to track your workout metrics—again, typical for a manual treadmill.

However, the Blitz Treadmill’s console requires you to press “start” for metrics like time and distance to start tracking. I might be getting a little nit-picky here, but having to press a button on the kind of treadmill that I’m used to just hopping on and going is a little annoying.

It makes sense to press “start” for custom workout settings because you need to start the timer for the time goals and intervals. But, if I’m using the manual mode, I would assume my time and distance would start tracking the moment I start moving the belt. The Bells Of Steel Blitz Air Bike 2.0 doesn’t require me to press start, so I’m not sure why the treadmill does.

Besides this inconvenience, the console is intuitive to use and tracks everything I like to know when I’m using a treadmill. This display shows your time, pace, distance, speed, calories, watts (power), resistance level, and heart rate. You’ll need to use a compatible heart rate monitor to see your heart rate on the screen. Bells Of Steel says it will connect with your ANT+ monitor.

The Blitz Manual Treadmill has buttons on the right side of the screen to create custom intervals (up to 99 rounds!) and set goals based on time, distance, calories, or heart rate. Compared to the TrueForm treadmills’ consoles, this one has more metric tracking and workout options.

Console

The console isn’t backlit, so using this treadmill in a darker room might be hard to read. However, I don’t recommend using any treadmill in a dark room for safety reasons, so this isn’t a big deal. The console can adjust a little bit. It tilts slightly up and down, so depending on your height and overhead glare from lights, you can angle it slightly to get a better view.

The Bells Of Steel Blitz Manual Treadmill does not have storage. The AssaultRunner Elite has two water holders and a small ledge where you can place your phone. A cup holder would be a nice addition to the Blitz, especially for those who plan to use it for distance training or running for long periods of time.

Overall, the console is comparable to the Blitz Air Bike 2.0 and feels similar to navigate.

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Build Quality

When it comes to construction, the Bells Of Steel Blitz Manual Treadmill is pretty impressive and has nice features that make it a versatile training tool. It’s heavy at 325 lbs and can handle up to 400 lbs. Considering it’s a bit of a splurge, we’re glad it handles a lot of weight. The weight capacity also indicates a hearty design, which the Blitz has.

This treadmill has commercial-grade construction and is a great addition to home and public gyms.

Frame

The frame is made of 9 gauge steel, which feels sturdy and well-built. It’s powder-coated to help prevent corrosion and rust. The belt has 200 steel bearings that make it feel smooth to move. The frame contributes to how stable this treadmill feels underfoot and how heavy it is.

The steel uprights connect on either side of the deck to the frame. The Bells Of Steel has more areas to grip than the TrueForm Treadmills and AssaultRunner. It’s more comparable to the Technogym SkillMill in that respect. Considering the added feature of adjustable magnetic resistance (which I’ll get into in a moment), the variety of handles makes sense and is needed.

The handles are powder-coated steel and have a gritty texture to help keep your hands from slipping.

The side handles extend along both sides of the deck, including an upper, lower, and back area to grip. The front handles have a thin foam covering for grip and extend vertically on either side of the console. They come in handy (no pun intended) when you crank up the resistance on the deck to sled push. Depending on your height, you might not be able to extend your arms to sled push fully, or you might need to use the bar that’s in front of the two vertical handlebars.

Our tallest reviewer, Matt, who is 6’5″, has to use the front bar or bend his arms to use the vertical handles. Otherwise, he doesn’t have enough room on the deck.

I’m only 5’1″, so I don’t have any problems using any of the handles. We’re pleased that the Blitz Treadmill offers this many handles, and they all serve to be useful and provide leverage and balance when needed.

Manual treadmills are known to require little to no maintenance, especially compared to motorized treadmills. We don’t expect the Blitz Manual Treadmill to require much, if any, maintenance; however, we aren’t sure how the magnetic resistance will hold up over time since it’s an extra component.

We’ve heard of other treadmills with this feature having problems down the road. However, Bells Of Steel makes high-quality equipment, and we are very pleased with their air bike, so we assume the Blitz Treadmill will be able to handle a lot of use and last a long time.

MotorLess

The Bells Of Steel Blitz is a manual treadmill, meaning it doesn’t have a motor built into it to control the speed of the belt. Instead, you control the speed when you walk and run on it. Your feet move the belt, requiring more muscle activation and burning more calories than motorized treadmills.

So, when you’re running on the Blitz Manual Treadmill, you can run as fast as you want. The belt won’t top out at a max speed because a motor doesn’t control it.

This makes manual treadmills, the Blitz included, ideal for sprinters and those who want to run at fast paces.

The noise from the belt movement sounds slightly different than that of other manual treadmills. It’s hard to describe, but it sounds smoother. The noise from our feet hitting the deck is low, so it doesn’t produce much thudding and thumping. However, it’s still a treadmill, so it generates sound and isn’t best for homes where noise is an issue.

When two runners of different weights, heights, and foot strikes ran on this treadmill, the noise level ranged from 50 dB at 3 miles per hour to 61 dB at 6 miles per hour and 65 dB at 9 miles per hour. This noise level is comparable to many motorized treadmills without anyone running on the belt.

Deck

The deck is 17″ wide and 65″ long. It’s comparable to the size of other models like the TrueForm Runner, Trainer, and AssaultRunner Elite. Curved, manual treadmills typically have narrower decks compared to motorized treadmills of similar size to keep your body aligned and in more of a linear pattern.

The length of the deck should be plenty long for most users to run as fast as they can, too. On the manual treadmills we’ve tested, including the Blitz, this length offers plenty of room for all stride lengths.

The Bells of Steel is curved like other comparable manual treadmills but is steeper than most. Unlike TrueForm Treadmills, which are said to have the shallowest curve, the Blitz has a high curve of 17 degrees. Even the AssaultRunner Elite only has about a 9-degree curve to its belt. Like the Assault, the curve on the Blitz is mainly at the front of the deck.

I will say that the higher curvature on the Blitz is more noticeable underfoot than on other manual treadmills.

The curved angle in the deck positions users to run on the midpoint of the deck rather than the very front. To get up to speed, you run toward the front of the deck, but once you hit the pace you want, your position will shift back over the middle. Even though these manual treadmills have a curve to their decks, they don’t serve as an incline to feel like you’re running uphill.

On the Bells Of Steel, however, you can feel the curvature as you run. It feels like a tiny incline. It makes the treadmill feel challenging and forces my posterior chain, especially my hamstrings, to engage more than when I run outside or on a motorized treadmill. Manual treadmills help you burn more calories than motorized treadmills, so they feel harder to run on overall.

Adjustable Magnetic Resistance

Speaking of challenges, the Bells Of Steel Blitz Manual Treadmill has adjustable magnetic resistance. There are six different levels. The magnetic resistance is easily adjusted with a lever on the right side of the Blitz Treadmill by the handle.

I can walk, jog, and run on levels 1-3. At level 4, I can only walk. Levels 5 and 6 are best for sled-pushing and pulling when you’re using it in reverse. The resistance is tough at level 6, so that’s where the handles come in to use them for leverage to move the belt. Level 1 feels like no resistance, and it is easy to get the belt moving.

Both TrueForm Treadmills are a bit harder to run on and get their belts moving, especially without proper form, compared to the Blitz at level 1. The Blitz feels challenging but is easier to sprint on than TrueForm’s treadmills.

I think the high curvature of the deck gives you more leverage to get the belt up to speed since you don’t have a high angle to get leverage on with the TrueForms. This isn’t a bad thing by any means; it’s just something we noticed when testing.

TrueForm Treadmills are great for helping to correct your stride, while the Bells Of Steel functions to be more versatile by giving additional training options with the resistance.

It’s within reach, and the levels are clearly labeled.

Bells Of Steel isn’t the first to use magnetic resistance. Manual treadmills such as the Grit Runner from Tru Grit, Cascade Ultra Runner, and Xebex Runner Smart Connect have magnetic resistance.

Warranty

Bells Of Steel includes a 5-year frame warranty and a 1-year parts warranty when you buy the Blitz Manual Treadmill. This warranty is a little less extensive than that of other models. It only ships by freight and requires assembly. We recommend at least two people for set up because of its hearty size and weight.

Should You Buy the Bells of Steel Blitz Manual Treadmill

Overall, the Bells of Steel Blitz manual treadmill is a high-quality machine that doesn’t require electricity and offers a lot of versatility for your training. The belt has a higher curve than most manual treadmills, and it offers six levels of adjustable magnetic resistance to give you extra tension for your legs to move against.

Runners and athletes looking for a challenge and more training variety from their treadmill should consider this one for their home gym. It is a bit of a splurge, but well worth the investment to take your fitness to the next level and beyond.

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Bells of Steel Blitz Manual Treadmill Q&A / FAQ

Can you use a treadmill without electricity?

Yes, a manual treadmill works without electricity. You are the motor powering the treadmill. When you walk or run, the belt will move with you.

Why are curved treadmills so expensive?

Curved treadmills are so expensive because they have very sturdy steel welded frames. A shock-absorbing rubber covers the slats. The slat belt must withstand the force of moving around the deck at as high of a speed as you could run. They can typically handle more weight than their motorized counterparts. This high-quality construction leads to a price increase.

Are manual treadmills worth it?

Yes, manual treadmills are worth it for athletes who want unlimited speed capabilities. Manual treadmills create one of the toughest running workouts, forcing athletes to work much harder at paces they can easily run outside or on a motorized treadmill. Manual treadmills burn up to 30% more calories than other forms of running when you compare the same workout.

Additionally, manual treadmills do not require electricity, are lower maintenance, have higher weight capacities in most cases, and allow you to perform workouts that you can’t do easily on a motorized treadmill.

How do you run on a non-motorized treadmill?

A curved motorized treadmill uses your foot’s force against the treadmill and gravity to pull the belt under you as you run. When you move higher on the curve toward the front of the treadmill, the belt will speed up. Staying in the middle of the belt keeps the pace more consistent. Moving to the back of the treadmill slows it down.

Getting used to running on a non-motorized treadmill takes time, but within a couple of sessions, you start to get the hang of it.

Is your Bells of Steel Blitz Manual Treadmill review a paid review?

No, our Bells of Steel Blitz manual treadmill review is not a paid review. We make money from our reviews through the links included in our reviews, which may pay us a commission if you decide to purchase a treadmill.

However, our treadmill reviews remain as unbiased and honest as possible because we work with most major home fitness brands. This means we won’t push you toward one brand or another. Instead, we try to match our audience with the right treadmill for their situation. Brands do not have any say in our review process or write-ups, and all of our opinions are our own.

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