York Perform 230 Front Drive Cross Trainer

The York Perform 230 is the leading product in the cross trainer range produced by York Fitness. With 32 levels of magnetic resistance and 23 workout programs to choose from, this product article takes a look at the trainer in a bit more detail.

Design features

Before buying any new cross trainer it’s important to know the stride length. This is the main design feature that will determine which user height the equipment is best suited to.

Unlike some of the lower priced cross trainers that are limited to a 12 or 14 inch stride length, the York Perform 230 features a much longer 19 inch stride length.

This makes it much better suited to a wider range of users (if you are taller than 6ft you may still be better looking at machines with a 21 to 23 inch stride length).

The front driven design makes the running motion feel a bit more like a stepper compared to the rear driven style of cross trainer, helping to increase the strength and tone in your legs, calves and glutes.

While the larger handles are excellent if you want to work your upper body as well as your lower body, the smaller set of handles have been fitted with a set of heart rate hand sensors.

These are particularly useful if you are looking to workout using one of the heart rate control programs, where the resistance automatically adjusts to keep you within your target heart rate range.

Ease of assembly

Although you may only need to setup the York Perform 230 once, it can still be useful to know how easy the assembly is and the quality of assembly instructions.

Fortunately a lot of the assembly is already done for you before you take the parts out of the packaging, with the flywheel housing and base rails already pre-assembled.

With over 75 years of experience in the fitness industry, York are normally excellent at providing detailed assembly instructions in their user manuals, and the York Perform 230 is no exception.

Each of the 8 steps features an exploded drawing with annotations relating to where each of the parts need to fit together, made clearer with the use of unique part codes.

York Perform 230 – Features Summary

Drive System: Self-Generating. Flywheel: 7kg (15lbs). Maximum User Weight: 150kg (330lbs)
Resistance: 32 Levels of Computer Controlled Magnetic Resistance. Transport Wheels: Yes
Heart Rate Measurement: Hand Grip Pulse Sensors
Programmes: 23 (1 Manual, 12 Pre-Set, 4 User-Defined, 1 Watt, 4 HRC, 1 Body Fat)
Warranty: 2 Years (Must Be Registered With York Fitness within 14 Days to Get the 2nd Year)

Display console design

The main focus for the design of the York Perform 230 display console is around providing a clear interface for displaying your workout information, whilst still keeping the buttons simple and intuitive.

This has been achieved through splitting the display up into 3 main sections; the top display screen, the central selection dial, and the small group of buttons.

The selection dial helps to reduce the number of buttons, while at the same time making selections and changes to workout programs much quicker once you get used to using it.

In terms of the display screen, workout information is split into 3 sections. These clearly show which workout program you are currently using, as well as displaying the time spent training, distance, calories burned, heart rate, and rotations per minute.

A basic body fat test can be carried out by pressing the ‘body fat’ button, with a fitness test also possible with the ‘recovery button’.

As long as you are holding the heart rate hand sensors towards the end of your workout, pressing the recovery button will measure how quickly your heart rate returns to normal and provide you with a fitness score.

This can then be used as a clear way of measuring your progress across future workouts.

Workout programs

Aside from the ‘recovery’ and ‘body fat’ programs, the York Perform 230 cross trainer includes a wide range of workout programs to suit a variety of user fitness levels.

These workout programs are split into 3 main options; manual, preset, and heart rate control (HRC).

Manual – Perfect for if you want to workout at your own pace, with the option to set a target time, distance, or calories burned.

The resistance level can still be adjusted manually using the dial to vary the intensity of your workout.

Preset – A selection of 12 preset training profiles, varying in intensity to cater for personal training goals and a range of different fitness levels.

Heart rate control – The York Perform 230 also provides a choice of 3 HRC workouts, with preset target levels set at 55%, 75%, and 90% of your maximum heart rate.

There is also a ‘Target’ level for setting your own percentage.

Buy the York Perform 230 Front Drive Cross Trainer

Review Overview

The York Perform 230 front drive cross trainer is equipped with 7kg (15lbs) flywheel that features self-generating drive system and provides smooth and quiet performance.

With its 19″ stride length, 32 levels of resistance and 23 motivating programmes, this cross trainer is designed to provide a wide range of users with challenging whole body workouts.

Essential information such as: time, speed, RPM, distance, calories, pulse and watts is displayed on the functional LCD console, while heart rate is measured with hand grip pulse sensors.

The fact that it doesn’t rely on mains power also means you aren’t limited to only positioning the cross trainer near a power point.

Product weight: 71kg
User weight limit: 150kg