The best treadmill reviews you can trust
Sole strides into the digital fitness world with their latest powerful running treadmill. Stick with me through this Sole F89 Treadmill review as we look at its free trainer-led content.
Updated: December 4, 2023
The moment I saw that one of my favorite brands was releasing a new treadmill, I was excited. I’ve slowly come around to the subscription fitness content structure, but I couldn’t be happier that Sole throws a wrench in the whole thing by putting out a high-end treadmill with free training content. Sole’s made lofty remarks, declaring this the new king of treadmills. I will remain optimistically a little more skeptical until I get to run on this really exciting addition to Sole’s lineup. This review of the Sole F89 gives you my first impressions of the Sole F89 as a treadmill expert and avid Sole treadmill user.
My experience with the Sole F85 and F80 gives me high hopes for the Sole F89. Just looking at the F89, I can see that there are a few things that set it apart from Sole’s other treadmills. At the very least, I expect the stable and durable treadmill that Sole normally delivers.
The Sole F89 has the z-shaped frame that has become the blueprint for tech-savvy home treadmills. The frame is made of an anodized aluminum which makes it stronger and more corrosion resistant than regular aluminum. Because the frame is aluminum, it also keeps the treadmill lighter than if it were steel. Overall, the frame looks super similar to the F85, but Sole has adopted an all black/charcoal colorway. This new aesthetic looks even sleeker.
I don’t know the specifics of the motor. I can tell that there is a drive motor as well as an incline motor. The incline motor is located in the back of the deck, which is beneficial for smoothly declining the treadmill.
As Sole’s new top-of-the-line treadmill, I expect that the F89’s motor will be plenty powerful to support daily training by more than one runner. It’s still a residential machine, not commercial, but a household of users should be able to accomplish all of their desired walking and running on the F89.
I’m definitely interested to see how responsive the Sole F89’s motor is. Typically, Sole treadmills are slow to transition speed and incline. I’m excited to see if Sole kept it the same for that smooth and sturdy feel or shook things up to be more compatible with interval training.
The Sole F89’s dimensions align with the 22” x 60” deck size that Sole offers in its premium treadmills. This size provides plenty of room for running, even for runners with longer strides. Many treadmills have adopted a slimmer, 20-inch width, but the F89 remains comfortable for larger users. The F89’s 375-lb weight capacity is due, in part, to the reinforced deck. There are three sturdy panels beneath the deck–that’s one more than the F85 has. This reinforcement should make the F89 feel very stable and supportive, so it can handle your most intense running.
I don’t expect soft cushioning from the F89. Sole’s treadmills are designed to take runners from their indoor activities smoothly to their outdoor races and training. A firmer running deck helps you keep your paces consistent and keeps the feel between outdoor and indoor running similar. The F89 is a great option for road runners, but it may not provide the support that users who need a soft landing and high shock absorption are looking for.
Like Sole’s previous treadmill releases, the Sole F89 preserves one of my favorite features: four transport wheels. Rather than tilting the treadmill onto two transport wheels, you can just push the F89. This makes moving it a short distance around your space much easier.
The Sole F89 is a folding treadmill. Its footprint shrinks 47% (that’s almost half!) to 44” x 38” x 71”. I need to measure these dimensions for myself, because that’s a really impressive reduction in floorspace taken up by a treadmill.
There is a yellow hand release level under the deck to release the treadmill from its folded position. I prefer this design to the kick release that the F63 and other treadmill brands use on their folding designs. The hand release lever is less prone to breaking, and it does not require users to balance on one foot to unfold their treadmill. Some users may find this process more accessible. The deck will softly lower to the floor with the help of a gas shock arm. I’ll have to check for myself, but I expect that the deck is rather heavy to lift back into place.
There are 15 levels of incline and 6 of decline. From experience, I know that each level does not equal a 1% increase in incline grade. In measuring the F80 and F85, we found that incline level 15 was about 12% on the F80 and F85. Level 6 decline on the F85 is about -5%. I will measure the incline on the F89 and report back when I have the treadmill!
Sole was already killing it when it comes to high-tech features before the Sole F89. Now, the larger screen is the perfect way for Sole to keep up with the competition’s display and showcase their unique features.
The Sole F89 failed to update one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to Sole treadmills: the buttons. Despite its much larger display, the F89 still only shows a limited selection of speed and incline levels. In particular, it does not show the minimum, neutral, or maximum incline levels. The speed buttons fare a little better, but the buttons for 6 mph and 8 mph are noticeably missing.
There are switches down by the stability bar at the front of the console. These control the incline and speed on the left and right respectively. I haven’t been the biggest fan of these switches, because they aren’t as intuitive or fast to adjust as the Peloton or Horizon dials. If Sole could find an easier way for the speed and incline to adjust without interrupting my arm swing as much, they would be golden!
While I’m at it, I might as well mention the missing physical buttons to control the volume. It’s fine doing this on the screen while you are walking, but it was tricky for me while running on the F85. I’m curious to see whether this remains an issue with the larger screen size.
The star of the show when it comes to the F89 is the screen size. Sole has gifted us the superior viewing option: a 21.5-inch touchscreen. 20+ inches has been the preferred size of smart home fitness equipment for a minute now, so it’s great to see Sole add a folding treadmill with such a large screen to compete with the likes of the NordicTrack 2450, ProForm Pro 9000, and Peloton Tread.
I’m really excited to check this screen out. Sole’s smart equipment has been at the top of my favorite list, because they offer apps from Netflix, YouTube, Max, Prime, and more. I can’t wait to see how the larger screen makes the most of their content offerings. It also seems like Sole has expanded their training content on the F89, but I’ll get into that more later.
The Sole F89 has two cup holders and two small item compartments. This setup appears the same as the F85 and F80.
Sole has not impressed us with their treadmill fans thus far. We recommend using a floor or ceiling fan for cooling while you train. Of course, I can’t know for sure until I test the F89, but the fan appears to be the same as the F85.
There is a device rack to hold your phone or tablet at the top of the console. It is a comfortable viewing height. Your phone or tablet may not fit as nicely if you have a large case or attachments like a PopSocket.
Pro tip: make sure that the adjustable clip at the top of the device rack is pushed all the way down when you aren’t using it, or it will make a bit of noise.
The Sole F89 has Bluetooth speakers. I’ve been happy with the Sole F80 and F85’s speakers, so I expect the same from the F89. My only worry is the audio of the Sole+ classes. Some of the classes were too quiet with the available volume range on the F80 and F85. Hopefully, Sole has solved this issue for the built-in video classes on the F89. All other content sounded fine.
As I mentioned, the Sole F89 has Bluetooth speakers. You can also connect to the F89 via Bluetooth a few other ways. You can pair your Garmin watch with the F89. It looks like there might be more Garmin features on the F89, so that’s another feature I’m anxious to try. Most Bluetooth heart rate monitors should pair with the F89. Lastly, you can connect the Sole+ app to keep all your Sole workouts in one place.
Sole offers screen mirroring on the F80, the F85, and their smart ellipticals and exercise bikes. This feature is very smooth for iPhone users. Hiccups arose for me, an Android user. This was a bit unexpected, because the screen is an Android device. iPhone users can use their native screen mirroring feature. If the F89 is like the F80 and F85, Android users have to download the Anplus Screen Mirroring app from Sunrise Technology, available in the Google Play app store.
The F89 has a wireless charging pad. If your phone supports this type of charging, it is a very convenient way to keep your device powered through the longest of your walks and runs.
When I’m not testing treadmills, I often run outdoors. I mix things up with road running and trail running. Like many outdoor runners, I find treadmill running boring at times. I also have a love-hate relationship with very cushioned treadmills, because they allow me to hit paces and distances that I really struggle with outdoors. For that reason, I really like the firm cushioning of the Sole treadmills.
Like many experienced runners, I know what my easy, aerobic, tempo, and race paces are. I expect to hop on the Sole F89 and dial into the correct paces immediately. Since I can pair my Garmin to the F89, I can check whether I’m in the right heart rate zone, too. If you aren’t an experienced runner, you still benefit from this design. You are exposing your body to the right training load to make running outdoors easier should you decide to join a run group, sign up for a local race, or discover your neighborhood trails.
Beyond the underfoot feel that I expect from the F89, there are the content options. We’ll take a closer look at the specific content options in a bit. For now, I want to highlight how these options improve your training. Sole gives you access to entertainment, customizable training content, and trainer-led content. Such a large range helps keep me from getting bored with my workouts. Sometimes watching my favorite shows and movies helps me get through a hard work out, because it takes my mind off of how my body feels. It incentivizes my training by combining my binge-watching time with my training time.
Unlike other brands, Sole has thrown the door wide open to any type of training you could want. If what’s built into the screen isn’t enough, you can screen mirror content from your phone. Sure, the setup to take advantage of these cool content options might take a little longer, but it is worth it.
Sole is not playing around when it comes to content options. While other brands are restricting what they offer or locking apps behind their pay walls, Sole is not. They’ve made sure to highlight that their training content and apps are free for Sole customers to access. With Netflix priced as high as it is, do you really want to pay twice to stream a show while you are using your treadmill? If your answer is “no,” then Sole gets you. You just need to connect the Sole F89 to WiFi and log in to your Netflix account. Then, you are good to go.
In addition to Netflix, the Sole F89 has YouTube, Prime Video, Disney Plus, Max, Peacock, Hulu, Spotify, ESPN, CNN, Audible, and Kinomap.
The Sole F89 stands out from the F80 and F85 by having trainer-led video content onboard. We will be checking our F80 and F85 to see if these update to support this content, too. For now, I’m thrilled to see Sole have video content to make treadmill training even more engaging. It’s not clear to me how many of these videos are available on the treadmill console, but there are hundreds in the Sole+ app.
The Sole+ app allows you to have one account across all your Sole equipment. You can train with the hundreds of free classes, view your workout history, and more. You can screen mirror this content from your phone or tablet to the F89. While I don’t think the classes are capable of adjusting your speed or incline (at least, not those available through the app), they can start and stop the treadmill, so you are perfectly synced with the trainer.
There are also traditional onboard workouts from Sole. There are 8 preset programs, 7 fitness tests, 2 heart rate customizable workouts, and 12 slots open for user-determined workouts. Finally, when you throw in the screen mirroring which allows you to view any video content on your phone, your training options are limitless.
We are longtime fans of Sole treadmills. As the newest addition, the F89 has a lot of features we are really excited about. Sole does not require a subscription to access any of its extensive content options. This is particularly exciting considering the F89’s 21.5-inch touchscreen. You get all of the features we love from the F80 and F85–screen mirroring, wireless charging, Bluetooth speakers–all while preserving the compact folding frame on a new and improved treadmill model. The Sole F89 was built with runners in mind thanks to its powerful motor and spacious running deck. We are eager to log a lot of miles on this one.
