i found a tread talking about treadwalls so i jumped in to try and get some details. i posted:
"Hey Thanks for the treadwall post! i am also really into the idea of getting one. I am curious, are they very loud? What are the best routesetting techniques? Would the wall do well if i build a shed in my back yard, ps i live in washington? Are there any routine maintenance problems for the KORE? Do they come pre-assembled? i cant imagine it does ...but? please post any cool kore pics! i am curious to see actual customers digging it? cause it is damn pricey!? "
i waited, excited to talk to some folk and my first response was....
"I bet some1 could make one of those out of a old gear bike, £200 worth of wood/steel and one long arse chain."- Random guy
AWESOME! thank you. that's really helpful ....douche bag. why do people respond to serious questions on the internet with garbage. please! please! ...please never respond to me again. your dumb and dont have a treadwall, so you dont need to be apart of the conversation. you are decidedly a.....
oddly enough though, sometime later an engineer friend of mind tried to convince me to try and build my own. he figured it would cost $3000 grand tops. i decided to pass. my rational being, if i spend that money and built a piece of shit, then my cost just nearly doubles. brewer's ledge have done 20 YEARS!!! of R&D... (research and development) i think ill give them a shot ...even if i am a genius. Luckily my next response was more than i could have hoped for!
as follows is his very nice response!!!!!! (that's why it's in "quotes")
"Okay, I am happy to attempt to answer your questions and offer some testimony on the Treadwall Kore. It is probably the best home training tool that a climber can purchase, particularly for improving endurance, technique, and power endurance. Having owned one for a while now, I highly recommend them, with a couple of caveats. To begin with, I live in a small town with an active climbing population of one. Thus, I had spent years driving an hour each way to one of a couple of gyms in the region just to pull on plastic once per week. My 12x8 woody and hangboards were okay but quickly got boring and injuriously monotonous. I needed a better way to really train for climbing at home but could not come up with a satisfactory solution short of dropping some serious coin to build a 30’ tall metal building in my backyard to house my own route wall. That is when the Kore caught my eye. Admittedly, I was skeptical of rotating walls, having been unimpressed by the motorized versions of times past. Computerized controls, laser sensors, motors- the constant speed made for some unnatural movement and it would only be a matter of time before some obsolete part malfunctioned, leaving me with a non-functioning hunk of metal and plastic to jimmy rig or dispose of. However, the Treadwall boasted a passive drive with hydraulic braking and minimal electrical componentry. The simplicity piqued my interest. So, after a bit of corresponding with the manufacturer regarding purchasing one of their devices I determined, with lots of deliberation, that I was willing to make the investment and took a leap of faith by putting down a deposit on a Kore. (This is the model marketed to home users, and is the one that anyone serious about training should get due to its steeper angle and lower cost relative to the commercial model). My ceiling height was sufficient to warrant the adjustable angle frame, which gives me about 12.5 degrees of angle variation with a ~10 foot ceiling (35-22.5 degrees). If you have less vertical space to work with perhaps save the money and get a fixed angle. Anyway, I had little beta to go on other than knowing that they were a real company with a seemingly sound product, having read the R&I review and seen a commercial model in a gym. Sure enough, it was not too long before we were scheduling a delivery. When the transfer truck showed up at my curb (in the rain of course) with a pallet of parts weighing nearly half a ton, I was a bit overwhelmed. I had to single handedly unpack everything, load it into my pickup, and drive it to its final destination, my garage, as the contracted driver stood by with a shrug. It then took about 15 hours or so to get everything assembled. I only needed assistance one time, to raise the frame. Otherwise, nothing proved too much for two hands and a bit of leverage. The instructions from the factory were very detailed and easy to follow. I did have to run to the hardware store for a couple of washers that had been left out, but this only set me back $1 and a few minutes. Once fully assembled I knew that I had bought a well designed and manufactured apparatus. The frame is very solid, with zero flex or wobble. The chains, axles, and cogs are probably over engineered and require little to no maintenance or greasing. The hydraulic braking system is consistent and natural, with a no hands auto-stop to let you shake out and chalk up. Plus, the rotation is smooth and, yes, quiet. For some strange reason, the auto-stop switch went bad within the first week, but Treadwall quickly sent me a replacement and I was back in business with little delay and no further issues. I now have over six months of consistent use and enjoyment of my Kore with zero problems; there are so few parts that little can go wrong. One rotation equates to approximately 20 feet of vertical climbing. I set multiple taped routes of varying difficulties, each being one rotation long, and link them in accordance with my training schedule (e.g. pyramids, 4x4’s, etc.) This machine is best suited for endurance related training. Dynamic moves and maximum strength training are still best executed on stationary walls and campus/hang boards, as there is a small bit of downward rotation of each hold as you weight it and there is a bit or “waiting” for your weight to turn the wall in order to make long reaches, etc. I recommend getting lots of holds and a variety of colored route tape and packing the wall with routes. Just keep in mind that there are size limitations for the holds in both height and depth. While the manufacturer does offer a weather proofing option for outdoor use, my recommendation is to keep this expensive and well engineered machine completely out of the elements. First of all, what good is a training device if you can only use it on nice days? That is when you should be on the rock! Second, metal does rust and wood does rot. Leave a $5,000 bike outside for a year and see what happens. While a carport-type roof with no walls could work, an uninsulated shed to shield the wind and blowing precipitation would be my personal minimum. A garage, basement, or spare room are your best options. Furthermore, while disassembly is definitely possible, I would not buy a Treadwall with the expectation of moving it around a lot. In the case of frequent relocations a traditional woody is much cheaper to just strip of its holds and abandon. The Treadwall is not really what I would consider to be 100% kid safe, depending upon age and level of supervision. While I do not believe the design to be unsafe, small fingers could be eaten in a hurry if inserted in the wrong place at the wrong time. Perhaps I will post a picture of my Kore at a later time. Treadwall’s website is pretty good and has pics and videos posted. If anything, the design is more solid and reliable than I had envisioned. The staff is also very friendly and responsive. Gmggg is being a bit tongue in cheek, as he was my primary contact at Treadwall and was indeed a “friendly guy”. Treadwall gets a full five stars from me!"
No comments:
Post a Comment