Does the ProForm TDF Trainer Suffer from Quality Problems? / TDF Trainer Review

The good news is that my ProForm Le Tour De France (TDF) Trainer is back to 100% operation. 

UPDATE: December 7th, 2011:  Unfortunately, not fixed.  Back to popping noise. The issue with the unit's attachment to the base returned -- the lube must have worn out.  Keep reading for details.   What's worse, my requests from ProForm are ignored. 

UPDATE: January, 2012:   The BBB complaint yielded results (see other blogs).  They shipped new parts and contacted a mechanic.  Then they dropped the ball.  Mechanic never made it out and I have not followed up.     So, popping is still present.  However, I am keeping the parts and will do the swap myself when I feel the need becomes greater.  I found that actually doing the pre-programmed rides with LESS up/down is more enjoyable and causes less stress on me and the bike.

UPDATE: March 7, 2012:   I've taken up jogging!  Yeah, it's weird, we had a warm winter and I found I suddenly like running.   The bike is helping me for two reasons: I am worried it will fall apart if I use it too much and it serves as a constant reminder that I should be doing something other than Call of Duty.   The "worried about it falling apart" is that it's feeling a little loose around the gearing.   Pedals developed some slack in them, and it feels a little wobbly. Mind you, I've put less than a 100 miles on this thing.  However, the jogging thing is a nice surprise.  I am becoming a big fan. So, I guess I needed to drop $1500 bucks to motivate myself - not what I expected from the purchase but I'll take it.      

I originally reported that:  "I can finally say that I closed a chapter that was effectively open for 1,848 hours (77 days), out of which I got to spend 2 on the TDF Trainer.   In all fairness, 5 weeks were spent waiting on the unit, but since they contribute to my frustration I'll count it against the ProForm/iconfitness/TDF Trainer folks." 

Timeline:

1. Order I placed in August 24th from ProForm (http://www.proform.com) via chat.
2. Inquired on September 26th, via Facebook and E-Mail.
3. finally shipped September 27th,  
4. Received October 3rd, 
5. reported broken October 6th, 
6. new part finally shipped October 25th, 
7. November 08th to have it repaired. 
8. November 28th, reported issue once again.  
9. November 28th, received response from Andrew Stevens
10. November 28th, replied to Andrew Stevens
11. Updating blog December 7th -- no response since then. 

The Problem.

I originally complained of a loud popping noise the ProForm TDF Trainer was making while moving back and forth on the incline.  To help ProForm, or actually iConFitness, diagnose the issue I created this video. It summarized the problem to a point.  Within a week of this video, the TDF Trainer seized entirely, and would not incline/decline at all. 

The Attempted Fix

After four weeks of reporting the problem, I received an actuator/incline-motor to be replaced.  ICONTFITNESS determined that this part was to blame.  As I began working on the unit, I kept a video diary of my progress.

The Solution

The popping noise that I recorded in the videos was not the actuator/incline-motor.    After taking the unit apart and removing the motor we could swivel the machine back/forth and the pop was the piston the unit is attached to the frame.  It was happening with each "rotation" and preventing a smooth incline/decline. It was powerful enough to jam the machine on some rotations.   Taking the piston partially apart and putting in some silicone lube solved the issue.  The root cause of the problem is an overtorqued right-side bolt that holds the piston in place.    We were unable to loosen the right-side bolt, but the left-side bolt did come off. Since that was enough to expose the piston, and that's how we got the lube into the piston.

Overtorquing of screws is also present in the metal bracket that holds the Logic (PCB) Board.  In order to get to the electronics, I felt the it should be removed.   However, manufacturing used soft aluminum screws and tightened them to a point where the forward screw could not come out.   We were prepared to drill it out, but opted to remove the belt and drive wheel instead.   That gave access to the console and revealed the connection problem.  The wires were simply not plugged in "straight" so over the first couple of weeks of use, it eventually must have popped out far enough to prevent the unit from tilting entirely.   In other words, the cable running through the frame was inserted at an angle into the PCB/LogicBoard inside the unit.   The cables connecting the telemetry and gears were tight enough, but the side with the cables for the incline motor came loose overtime, and that is why the unit stopped tilting.  In my view, it was not a seized motor, but low low standards during assembly.  Once properly connected, the plastic will ensure the connector stays put (it would not separate during shipping if it was done right). 

That leaves the motor.   The motor suffered due to the Jam's of the piston and the bad data it was receiving due to the bad connections, but the motor itself is still functional.  We replaced it because it looked worn and, personally, I rather have a new part given the stresses the machine already suffered.  However, this was not the cause of the issues nor was it the primary problem.  Had the piston and connections not be remedied, the machine would have remained damaged.

There is no doubt in my mind that the manufacturing needs to increase oversight and improve quality control, we were able to document very clear evidence that QC is lacking.  If production simply paid more attention to the torque of the bolts and inspected the components, my unit would have been the excellent piece of fitness equipment I expected it to be.