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Aeriflo M100 Cross Trainer Review: 42cm Stride, 8kg Flywheel, £300
By Jack Atkins, Home Gym Equipment Specialist · Updated 20 September 2026
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Cross trainers under £300 usually fail in the same place: the stride. Manufacturers shrink it to keep the frame short and cheap, and you end up pedalling in a tight little circle that feels nothing like walking. The Aeriflo M100 spends its money on the two specs that actually decide whether an elliptical is pleasant to use, a 42cm stride and an 8kg flywheel, and economises on the console instead. That is the right order of priorities.
It is not the longest stride you can buy. MERACH will sell you 47cm for £460, and gym machines run to 50cm and beyond. But 42cm at £299.99 clears the bar where the motion stops feeling like a novelty, and the flywheel is heavy enough that the pedals keep moving between strides instead of stalling.
How we review
This review is based on Aeriflo's published specification, verified owner reviews on Amazon UK, and comparison against the other sub-£400 cross trainers in our testing notes. Aeriflo is a young brand without a long service record, so we have been explicit about where that uncertainty sits rather than glossing over it.
Who it is for
Anyone who wants low-impact cardio at home and has knees that object to running. That is the whole case for an elliptical, and it is a strong one. Your feet stay planted on the pedals throughout, so there is no landing shock at all, and a weightbearing analysis of elliptical training measured the entire foot carrying roughly 70 to 81 percent of body weight even as resistance and incline went up (study on weightbearing during elliptical training). Running puts multiples of body weight through the leg on every footstrike.
It suits flats too. Magnetic resistance and a belt drive mean nothing scrapes or clatters, so early morning sessions will not start an argument with a neighbour.
Check price on Amazon£299.99Pros
- 42cm stride, long enough to feel like walking rather than shuffling
- 8kg flywheel smooths out the dead spots that ruin lighter machines
- Kinomap and Zwift over Bluetooth, unusual at this price
- 150kg user capacity with four adjustable floor levellers
- Genuinely quiet, so early sessions in a flat are fine
- 80 percent pre-assembled and about 20 minutes to finish
Cons
- 42cm is still short for anyone over about 5ft 10in
- Resistance is set by a tension knob, so apps cannot control it
- LCD console does time, distance, speed and calories and nothing more
- Does not fold, and needs a metre of clearance behind it
- Aeriflo is a new brand with no long-term reliability record
Stride and flywheel
Stride length decides whether an elliptical feels natural. Below about 35cm your hips barely move and the machine works your quads while your glutes sit out. At 42cm the pedal path is long enough that the hip actually extends, which is what recruits the posterior chain and what makes 30 minutes on it worth doing.
The 8kg flywheel does the other half of the job. Momentum carries the pedals through the top and bottom of the path, so you feel a continuous load rather than a series of pushes. Cheaper machines with a 3kg or 4kg wheel have a noticeable flat spot at each end of the stride, and it is the single most common complaint in reviews of budget ellipticals.
| Stride length | 42 cm / 16.5 in |
|---|---|
| Flywheel | 8 kg |
| Resistance | 16 levels, magnetic, tension knob |
| User weight capacity | 150 kg / 23.6 stone |
| Footprint | Approx 112 x 55 x 150 cm |
| Console | LCD: time, distance, speed, calories |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth to Kinomap and Zwift |
| Stabilisers | Four adjustable floor levellers |
| Assembly | 80 percent pre-assembled, roughly 20 minutes |
| Drive | Rear-drive belt with magnetic brake |
Using it
The pedals are wide and slightly textured, with enough room to shift your foot position during a longer session, which matters because a fixed foot angle on an elliptical is what produces the numb-toes complaint people report after 40 minutes. Moving handlebars cover the upper body, and there is a set of fixed grips with pulse sensors if you would rather let your arms rest.
Resistance changes come from a tension knob rather than console buttons, and that is the biggest practical limitation. Interval work means reaching down and guessing, which is why Zwift and Kinomap here function as scenery and data rather than as a coach adjusting your load. You get the ride, not the automation.
Frame stability is better than the 30kg-ish weight suggests, thanks to a wide base and four levellers that let you kill the rock on an uneven floor. Push genuinely hard, standing tall and driving through the arms, and there is a small amount of frame flex at the front column. Not enough to worry about; enough to notice.
Against the alternatives
Against the JLL CT300, the Aeriflo trades brand history for a longer stride and Zwift support. Against the Dripex 3-in-1, you lose the climber modes and gain a better flywheel. Against a rower at the same money, you get an upright position that suits people with back trouble, and lose the upper-body pull; we set the two side by side in rowing machine versus cross trainer.
The unavoidable caveat is the brand. Aeriflo has no track record to point at, and at this price the machines that fail tend to fail at the bearings and the console, both between 18 months and three years in. Aeriflo's spare parts commitment is a reasonable answer but not a proven one. The rest of the field is ranked in our best cross trainer UK guide, and the wider category sits in the cross trainers hub.
Check price on Amazon£299.99Recommended reads
Frequently asked questions
Is a 42cm stride long enough?
For most people under about 5ft 10in, yes. A 42cm (16.5 inch) stride is mid-range for a home elliptical, and it produces a natural walking motion rather than the cramped shuffle of the 30cm machines that dominate under £250. Taller users will want 46cm or more, and will feel this one cut the stride slightly short at speed.
Does the Aeriflo M100 work with Zwift?
Aeriflo lists both Kinomap and Zwift over Bluetooth, which is rare at £300. Expect to use it as a cadence and speed source rather than a fully controllable smart trainer, because the 16 resistance levels are set by the tension knob and are not adjusted by the app.
How quiet is it?
Aeriflo claims under 20dB, which is marketing rather than measurement, since 20dB is roughly a quiet library. In practice a belt-driven magnetic elliptical of this type is quiet enough to watch television over, and the loudest thing about it is usually your footfall on the pedals.
Is a cross trainer easier on the knees than a treadmill?
Yes, measurably. Your feet never leave the pedals so there is no impact, and a study on weightbearing during elliptical training found the whole foot carried roughly 70 to 81 percent of body weight even at higher resistance and incline. A treadmill puts considerably more than body weight through the leg on each footstrike.
How much room does it need?
The machine is roughly 112cm long by 55cm wide and stands about 150cm tall, and you want a metre of clear space behind it. It does not fold. If space is the constraint, a folding rower or an exercise bike will pack away and this will not.
Who makes Aeriflo?
Aeriflo is one of the newer UK-facing home fitness brands selling largely through Amazon. There is no long service history to point at, which is the honest risk with any brand at this price. Aeriflo does commit to spare parts availability and UK support, which is more than several rivals offer.
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