Diamondback 1260Ef Review

Our Rating

Rating: 91.5/100. The Diamondback 1260Ef Elliptical is a wonderfully ergonomic fitness machine that sculpts the whole body during cardio training. Priced above $2000, it costs more than the average front drive home elliptical yet is a better value for most families. During daily use you’ll appreciate its mix of comfort and effectiveness. Over time you’ll find that it holds up better than cheap competitors, plus it has enough force to keep you challenged at higher and higher fitness levels.

Diamondback built the 1260Ef with a 19” long stride. This length is just right for most teenagers and adults, plus it can be adjusted for superior muscle toning. The pedals have power incline with ten settings from 7 to 28 degrees. With each adjustment of the incline, the muscles in your lower body work in different ways. At the lowest settings you’ll exert more effort with your calves. As the angle increases, you’ll trigger more muscle fibers higher up in your legs and glutes. You can also choose from a wide range of magnetic resistance with settings from 1 to 20. The choices are appropriate for newcomers through advanced elliptical users.

Workout programming includes five cardio trainer classics such as hill climb and interval training. Additionally the 1260Ef has three unique cross training programs and five interactive heart rate workouts. Including two user-designed workout programs, there are 15 menu items total.

This residential elliptical trainer is hefty and not a portable model. Featuring a welded steel frame and heavy flywheel, it weighs more than 200 pounds. It also requires a good amount of dedicated floor space; this machine doesn’t fold. Get the details below from our list of pros and cons.

Pros:

• 19” stride
• Ten levels of incline up to 28 degrees
• 15 workout programs
• 20 resistance levels to suit all trainees
• Accurate workout data
• Two user profiles
• Wireless heart rate receiver & chest strap
• Grip heart rate monitor
• 325-pound user weight capacity
• 30-day money back guarantee
• Long track record of reliable performance
• Military discount available (Save 10%)

Cons:

• Assembly instructions aren’t user-friendly
• Needs at least 77” x 28” of floor space for safe operation and isn’t a folding elliptical
• Does not support on-board entertainment (no music speakers, media rack or web connection)
• Uses a power cord; for comparison, some ellipticals harness user energy to be “green”
• Diamondback customer service is sometimes slow

Introduction

The 1260Ef is the only front drive elliptical trainer from Diamondback Fitness, a company that also builds recumbent ellipticals and indoor bikes. For years the 1260Ef has satisfied Diamondback customers as a comfortable, durable and effective cross trainer for the whole body. Main qualities to note are a natural-feeling 19” stride, a power incline for extra cardio challenge and muscle sculpting, and above average program variety to support different sorts of workout goals.

Workout Programs

This Diamondback elliptical supports two user profiles. The console arrives with 13 preset workout programs and lets each user add customized workout routines.
The preset workouts include these five gym classics:

• Manual
• Interval
• Hill Climb
• Sprint
• Random

Another five preset programs interact with your heart rate to control the machine’s resistance. These programs are named:

• Target HR
• HR Interval
• Fat Burner
• HR Hill
• Cardio

Another three programs are grouped as “cross training” although technically all elliptical workouts are cross training (cardio plus strength). These elliptical workout programs are called:

• Glute Builder
• Quad Builder
• Total Trainer

Finally, two users can each save two custom-made programs to the console.