Meet Treadly: The Smart Folding Treadmill That Lives Under My Sofa (And He’s Currently $100 Off)

• Value: 17/20
• Functionality: 19/20
• Quality & Ease of Use: 19/20
• Aesthetic: 20/20
• Noise Level & Mobility: 19/20
• TOTAL: 94/100

As home gyms go, a trusty treadmill is a cardio must. But if you’re limited on space or can’t stand the sight of a giant, clunky machine, choosing the right option might feel next to impossible. Never fear, young athlete, because we just discovered the compact, design-savvy treadmill of all treadmills, and its name is Treadly 2.

When Treadly and I first met, I was drawn to its sleek design and cheeky branding (truly, it is one sexy treadmill). Weighing in at just under 77 pounds and standing a mere 3.7 inches tall, the device is bafflingly thin and deceivingly lightweight. It takes up the same amount of floor space as a large yoga mat and comes with two flexible wheels that make it easy to maneuver around corners and coffee tables. With the addition of its Bluetooth speakers, smart-control handrail, discreet display and app connectivity, this piece of equipment is clearly in a league of its own. But as an apartment dweller, I had a few major concerns that needed to be addressed: storage, noise level and shock absorption.

It arrived at my doorstep fully assembled, so after a quick unboxing, I went straight to the storage test. I have a full-sized mattress and though it fit seamlessly under the bed frame, it stuck out about an inch or two on either side. (This didn’t really bother me until the inevitable middle-of-the-night toe stub.) So, I decided to move on to the living room and see how the foldable treadmill fared with my three-seat sofa.

Normally moving a giant piece of equipment from one room to the next would require a professional (or at least a few strong friends). With Treadly, I just lifted one end and rolled it out––no Gal Gadot strength required. The machine moved easily but not totally effortlessly. Like a shopping cart with a sticky wheel, it required a few well-placed K-turns to change directions. Nevertheless, I was pretty content with its portability and agility. In the end, getting the machine under the couch was a breeze. Not a handrail or power cord in sight. Taking it out later was equally easy.

When I first hopped on for a quick shakeout walk, I was delighted by how smooth yet stable the aluminum frame felt beneath my feet. Able to support up to 265 pounds, I felt safe and secure as I moved around on the tread and increased speed. The strategically placed screen displays your MPH, step count, time and distance while the handrail allows you to start, stop, pause and increase or decrease your speed with the press of a button. As an added safety feature, it also comes with an emergency stop button: big, bright and right at your fingertips. As the machine whirred to life, the noise level was minimal (nothing like the deafening sound I’m used to at the gym). Similar to a preheating oven, it let out little more than a dull hum that could barely be heard from the opposite room. Storage? Ten out of ten. Noise level? Totally tolerable.

Now, let’s move on to the mechanics. With a quick lift and flick of a switch, the slim handrail can be locked into its upright position. For safety reasons, if you prefer to keep it down and out of the way, the machine will automatically adjust your max speed to that of a fast-paced walk––3.7 MPH. When the handrail is up, Treadly’s max tops out at 5 MPH (due to its lightweight frame and compact design): perfect for jogging, not so perfect for sprinting. It also doesn’t have hydraulics or an incline feature, so if you’re hoping to do hill sprints while binging Dawson’s Creek this might not be the machine for you. At first, I was bummed, having already made the assumption there was nothing this baby couldn’t do. But like a Nancy Meyer’s movie, something’s always gotta give. And in the case of Treadly, you’re sacrificing speed for size. But hey, 5 MPH is still fast enough for you to hit your stride and jog it out.