Stamina InMotion Compact Strider Review

Review

Compact Strider or Desk Elliptical—Which Is It?

Long story short, the Stamina Compact Strider is a kind of desk elliptical. It is a sister (or more like a fraternal twin) to the Stamina InMotion Elliptical Trainer. Since we already published our Elliptical Trainer review, we won’t spend too much time looking at the Compact Strider, as their differences are entirely cosmetic. But, just like the elliptical model, we are fundamentally concerned with the Compact Strider’s durability issues.

This is because in all essentials, the two products are the same. According to the manufacturer, the “stride” and “tension” are identical, meaning the stride motion and the mechanism for adding tension are the same manufactured parts. Stride and tension are two of the most important aspects of any under desk elliptical machine. They largely determine the user experience. So, complaints about its twin, the Elliptical Trainer, which disparage it for its poor durability (e.g., pedals falling off, squeaking noises, jerky motion) and abnormally short strides, are valid for the Compact Strider as well. In fact, we can call them both desk ellipticals.

However, we have a hunch that the name change from Elliptical to Strider may have something to do with describing the stride motion more accurately. The strides are so short, they don’t resemble an elliptical at the gym very closely. Contrast this with the FitDesk Under Desk Elliptical, which uses the same full shuffle motion you’ll find on gym ellipticals.

But to its credit, the InMotion Compact Strider does improve upon the Elliptical Trainer by offering a handle for easier transport.

The Takeaway

If you’re in the market for an under desk elliptical unit, or a desk cycle (a circular bike pedal motion), check out our comparison review where we boil down your options to the best available. Also be sure to check out our primer on How to Set Up an Ergonomically Proper Desk Cycle to avoid common pitfalls, like hitting your knees on the bottom of your desk.

As far as the InMotion Compact Strider is concerned, we point to the same issues we have with the Elliptical Trainer model. Serious durability problems make this a product to generally avoid.

Epilogue

For kicks, our review staff created what we imagine is the world’s first sit-stand-walk-pedal workstation. Check out the blog article on our Quad-Modal Office Fitness DreamStation. We integrated a Cubii with an iMovR Everest Dual-Tray desk, an iMovR ThermoTread GT office treadmill, a Tempo TreadTop Office Chair, and an EcoLast TreadTop Anti-Fatigue Mat to optimize movement during the workday.

Compare

See our comprehensive Comparison Review of Desk Cycles and Bike Desks