CLMBR Review (2024): Reach New Heights

The best vertical climbers offer a form of low-impact cardio that research has shown can kick your butt even harder than a rowing machine or exercise bike. (1) While these machines don’t typically cater to those on a budget, investment in a premium model — like the CLMBR Connected 02 — can build strength in your lower and upper body, torch calories with quick, high-intensity programming, and put less impact on your knees than a treadmill. The CLMBR has 11 magnetic resistance settings, a 21.5-inch HD touchscreen, and an integrated app with on-demand classes and training tracking. 

All that goodness, however, will cost you a whopping $3,995. Is it worth the price? Our team of CrossFit coaches, former D1 athletes, and rock climbing hobbyists put this vertical trainer to the test, sweating along with its Peloton-esque programming to see if it earns that price tag. In some ways (durability, programming), it does. In others (warranty), it does not. Still, if you’ve got the coin and the desire for a low-impact, high-tech machine that can work the entire body, we think the CLMBR is a top-of-the-line cardio machine for your home gym. 

Main Takeaways

• The 21.5-inch HD touchscreen is adjustable and provides access to the CLMBR app’s  challenging classes, good music, stats, and challenges. 
• Similar to Peloton, there are subscription tiers for the app, from Metrics+ ($9.99) up to Premium ($39.99), as well as a free basic tier. 
• There are 11 levels of magnetic resistance that support strength and endurance training.
• It has just a one-year warranty — for a machine at this cost, we’d like to see a warranty of at least five years. 

CLMBR Highlights

“Some individuals find that they need the motivation and discipline of a fitness instructor to help them stick to an exercise routine and actually push themselves during their sessions,” says certified personal trainer and BarBend expert reviewer Amanda Capritto, CPT, CF-L1, CES, CSNC. “[Exercise equipment] with TV screens can help with this, because they essentially provide the opportunity to have a virtual fitness instructor help you work through your session in the comfort of your home.”

The CLMBR’s 21.5-inch HD touchscreen is compatible with the CLMBR app, a Peloton-like vessel for trainer-led classes you can take on or off the machine. Class categories encompass HIIT, rhythm, interval, boot camp, and recovery workouts. There are also head-to-head competitions, challenges, and trackable benchmarks to keep you motivated. 

Similar to other connected cardio machines, access to CLMBR programming is dependent on a Premium subscription, which costs $39.99 a month. However, if you’re only interested in its stat tracking features, the app offers a Metrics+ subscription for $9.99 a month. Lastly, if you’re just looking to climb and don’t care about stats, metrics, or programming, the Base membership is free.

[Related: Best Cardio Machines]

The CLMBR has a sturdy frame made from extruded aluminum, with parallel uprights, moveable handles, and foot pedals designed to simulate a rock-climbing type of flow as you climb through your cardio workout. In some ways, it’s like if an elliptical and a stair climber had a baby. 

What this machine delivers is a total-body workout that can target your legs, glutes, arms, shoulders, abs, and back with endurance and strength-based efforts, which you can make more or less difficult by making adjustments to its 11 levels of magnetic resistance. 

You’re probably wondering: Will the CLMBR fit in my home? Due to their upright nature, vertical climbers are surprisingly compact pieces of fitness equipment. The CLMBR takes up 7.78 square feet of space, about the size of the Ikea Strandmon Wing Chair. At 88 inches tall, you’ll need a ceiling height of at least 8 feet.

Training With the CLMBR

The process of getting started on this machine was easy for our team. Height adjustments to the handles can be made in 1-inch increments and the pedals have straps to keep your feet in pace. The handles move in conjunction with the pedals, so when you push down with your right foot, the left handle will also slide down, and vice versa. The 11 levels of resistance are adjusted from a dial on the crossbar and your level is displayed on screen.

BarBend’s team of testers — from professional CrossFit coaches to amateur fitness fanatics — built, climbed, and assessed all the features on over 100 of the most popular cardio machines on the market. We got in several workouts on the CLMBR Connected 02 and scored categories such as durability, tech capabilities, and workout experience on a scale from 1 (yikes, it bad) to 5 (hubba-hubba) to help provide you with a clear understanding of what this machine has to offer. 

Display

Via the CLMBR app, the 21.5-inch HD touchscreen provides access to immersive programming and detailed training statistics — so long as you’ve opted for a Premium membership. This screen can tilt forward up to 15 degrees, which our tester, a CrossFit level-1 coach, appreciated. “The screen is really great, and the ability to tilt it forward made it possible for me to view the screen while I took classes off of the trainer,” they said. 

[Related: The 8 Best Treadmills with Screens]

There’s a volume button on the right side of the display, as well as an option to adjust the volume from the CLMBR’s screen. The app also allows you to turn up the volume on your coach or the music independently, so you can tune in or tune out depending on your mood. 

Tech

In addition to the high-quality display, the CLMBR is also compatible with Bluetooth, meaning you can pair it with your mobile device, headphones, or fitness tracker. The speakers provide a “powerful, loud, and crisp audio experience,” per our tester, and users can adjust the volume of the music and coach levels independently. 

When set up with the Premium or Metrics+ subscription, you’ll be able to track average tempo, reach, power, pace, and heart rate, in addition to distance traveled, total time, and calories burned. You’ll need a strong and stable Wi-Fi connection with your subscription, so the software, new classes, friend requests, and features (depending on the subscription) can routinely update. 

When off of the machine, you can access the CLMBR app on Android and Apple devices. You won’t be able to stream classes via your mobile device, but you will be able to view your training stats, activity, and challenges, and browse through classes you’ll want to take later. This makes creating fitness goals (and crushing them) that much easier. Tech capabilities scored a perfect 5 out of 5.

Classes, Challenges, and Competitions

“The instructors in the classes are as charismatic and engaging as those you’d find on Peloton,” noted our tester. “Plus, you can tell CLMBR paid a lot of money for music rights, because I heard songs from Ariana Grande, Linkin Park, and Madonna, in the classes I took.”  

Speaking for myself, I really enjoy CLMBR coach Ackeem Emmons, who also teaches classes on the Tonal and Aaptiv apps. He always brings a ton of energy to everything that he does.

The classes offered from the app include HIIT, rhythm, interval, bootcamp, recovery, and more, with levels geared towards beginners, intermediate, and advanced athletes. “The classes range from 10 to 45 minutes in length, which is great for when I just need a quick workout when I’m strapped for time,” says our tester, who gave dynamic programming a 5 out of 5.

The app also gives you the ability to go head-to-head against friends in distance and time-trial competitions, as well as the option to take part in challenges where you can see if you’ll be able to climb the equivalent of the Half Dome, Grand Canyon, Seven Summits, and more. 

Subscription

Access to programming requires a Premium subscription, which costs $39 a month. This gives you access to training metrics, on-demand programming, challenges, and community features where you can connect with friends and compete in time-based events. 

For those who are like, meh, classes, who needs ‘em, there’s a Metrics+ subscription level that will keep tabs on your training metrics and provide programming that isn’t instructor-led. This membership tier costs $9.99 a month. You’ll also be able to go subscription-free with the Base level membership, which allows you to work out on the climber with some basic readings on the screen. Your training, however, won’t be tracked.

If you know you’ll want the Premium subscription, it’s worth considering the CLMBR Plus bundle. This bundle includes the CLMBR machine and 12 months of Premium membership for $4,395, which will save you $68 over the course of a year when compared to purchasing the machine and paying for the Premium membership on a monthly basis.

Cardio and Strength Training

A big selling point of the CLMBR is its fusion of strength training and low-impact cardio. We love the benefits of cardio, which can include improved moods, a reduced risk of heart disease, and better quality of sleep. (3) Low-impact cardio still delivers these benefits while also saving knees and joints from the impact of running outside or on a treadmill. (4) Since your feet are strapped into the pedals, the downward force is limited, thus reducing the impact on your knees and joints. 

Plus, your hands are pulling while your feet are stepping, providing an upper-body workout for your lats and triceps. There are 11 adjustable settings of magnetic resistance. Choosing a higher resistance can help to focus your workout on strength building, while lower resistance levels support endurance training. This resistance customization scored a 4 out of 5 with our tester.

Setup 

Setup was a struggle for our team, and we’ve built hundreds of treadmills, ellipticals, exercise bikes, and stair climbers. “The box is huge and you’ll definitely need a helping hand to move this thing,” says our tester. “Don’t make the same mistake I did and try to build this yourself. I even had help and it was really difficult. Opt for white glove delivery because putting this thing together was awful.” 

That’s not a bad idea if you want to save your HIIT workout for when you’re actually on the machine. Delivery and setup scored a 2 out of 5.

Durability and Stability

When climbing upwards, you’ll need a machine that won’t teeter and topple over. “I felt totally stable when I used this,” noted our tester, who’s 5 feet 9 inches. We also had another tester who’s 6 feet 3 inches hop on for a ride, and he shared a similar sentiment. “I wasn’t worried about the machine falling,” he said. Both testers gave this machine’s extruded aluminum construction a 4.5 out of 5 for durability.

Adjustability

The handles provide an overhand, underhand, or neutral grip position, and can be adjusted in 1-inch increments to fit users between 4 foot 11 and 7 feet, claims CLMBR. Plus, the textured foot pedals have an adjustable strap for a Cinderella-type fit. However, one of our testers wears a men’s size 15 shoe, and his toes and heel hung off the foot pedal. Our other tester wears a women’s size 9 shoe, and her feet were perfectly comfortable.

“During my workout, I kept banging my knee against the center cross beam so I had to make sure I leaned back. I really wish there was an option to adjust this,” noted our 5-foot-9 tester. “If this was adjustable, I’d be the biggest fan of this machine.” Adjustability scored a 4 out of 5.

What to Consider Before Buying the CLMBR

According to Amanda Capritto, CPT, CES, CNC, CF-L1, our expert reviewer and a certified personal trainer, “These cardio machines provide a full-body workout without putting undue stress on the joints.” However, there are some key areas you’ll want to consider before bringing one of these tools into your home.

Price

The $3,995 price may be steep for some (okay, fine — most of us). Plus, those interested in the CLMBR app’s dynamic programming and tracking features will want to factor in the cost of a Premium or Metrics+ subscription, which is an additional $39 or $9.99 a month, respectively. It’s worth noting that you can still use the machine without a subscription, but you won’t be able to take advantage of the 21.5’’ HD touchscreen.

[Related: Best Compact Exercise Equipment]

So, is it worth it? This machine boasts of providing a whole-body workout that, by virtue of combining strength and cardio training, can potentially spike your heart rate and tone your legs, back, arms, and glutes in less time than other pieces of cardio equipment. 

If immersion is what you crave, the high-tech flourishes of this machine — HD touchscreen, app integration, and data insights — can help keep you engaged and excited (or just willing) to maintain your routine. If these features are what you’re after, the price may be a worthy investment.

Footprint

Since they’re built upwards rather than long or wide like a rower or treadmill, vertical climbing machines are surprisingly compact pieces of exercise equipment. This vertical climbing machine measures 32 inches long, 35 inches wide, and 88 inches tall. That’s roughly 7.78 square feet — about the same footprint as the Ikea Strandmon Wing Chair. 

Warranty, Financing, Returns

CLMBR provides a one-year standard warranty that kicks in starting the day the machine is delivered. From our research, it appears as if this warranty can cover labor costs for repair or replacement, however, the link to view the full warranty details is (at the time of this writing) broken on CLMBR’s website. “To put it simply, this is a terrible warranty,” noted our tester.

You have a 30-day window to request a return, but, due to its size, CLMBR can charge you an additional $350 or more, depending on your location. If your CLMBR is returned in damaged condition, with missing parts, or signs of improper care, CLMBR may refuse your refund or charge you additional restocking fees.

If dropping a couple grand all at once isn’t your idea of a good time, CLMBR offers financing that starts at $295 per month with Affirm. This warranty, financing, and return policy scored a 3.5 out of 5.

Tech Capabilities

Not everybody needs a cardio machine with all the bells and whistles. If you’re looking for a utilitarian vertical climber that you can hop on or off whenever you like, you can probably find a less expensive option without a pricey touchscreen. If trainer-led classes, community support, and challenges are what motivate you to put the work in, however, the CLMBR’s immersive programming might be just the ticket to a new fitness routine. 

CLMBR Vs. The Competition

The price range for vertical trainers is a spread better than any brunch charcuterie board you’ve ever seen, ranging from $199 up to $5,695. We’ve put together a chart to show you how the CLMBR stacks up against the competition to help you navigate the equipment that’ll elevate your cardio workout at home.

	CLMBR	Rogue VersaClimber SM Magnetic	MaxiClimber	ProForm Carbon HIIT H10
Price	$3,995	$5,695	$199	$1,403
Weight Capacity	350lbs	350lbs	240lbs	325lbs
Weight	180lbs	150lbs	33lbs	225lbs
Footprint	35” L x 32” W	46” L x 43” W	35.82” L x 28.3” W	66.7” H x 29.25” W
Height	88” H	94” H	86.52” H	66.7” H
Resistance	11 levels	11 levels	N/A	24 levels
Touchscreen	21.5” HD touchscreen	No	No	10” HD touchscreen
Programming	Yes, on-demand classes with a $39/month subscription	Yes, live and on-demand classes with a $39.95/month subscription	Technically yes, but there are only 12 on-demand classes	Yes, on-demand classes with a $39/month subscription (free 3-year subscription with purchase)
Warranty	1-year warranty	Lifetime frame	1-year warranty	10-year frame, 2-year parts, 1-year labor

In our opinion, the CLMBR is the best vertical climber with a built-in touchscreen. While the Rogue VersaClimber provides on-demand and live classes with their subscription, there’s no screen to stream this programming from, so you’ll need to set up with your own tablet or phone. The ProForm Carbon HIIT H10 provides a 10-inch touchscreen to stream iFIT programming, but this screen is half the size of the one on the CLMBR.

The CLMBR comes in second place behind the MaxiClimber for its footprint, so if space is a concern, you’ll want to look at these two options. The CLMBR takes up 7.77 square feet and the MaxiClimber takes up 7.04 square feet. However, the MaxiClimber is a bare-bones budget buy, and won’t provide users with resistance, tech capabilities, or a weight capacity in line with the other options.

Where the CLMBR has us scratching our heads is in the warranty category. CLMBR provides a one-year warranty, which is much less impressive than the lifetime frame warranty offered by the VersaClimber and the 10-year frame warranty offered by ProForm.

While the price and capabilities of the ProForm Pro HIIT H10 impress, this isn’t a typical vertical climber, and some may be disappointed by the hybrid elliptical and stair-climbing training offered by this machine.

Places to Buy the CLMBR

You can buy the CLMBR Connected 02 directly from the CLMBR website.

Warranty

CLMBR offers a one-year warranty which is worrisome, especially considering the cost of the machine. For big-ticket cardio equipment, like the best high-end treadmills, exercise bikes, and ellipticals, we like to see at least a five-year warranty, if not a lifetime one.

Company Information

CLMBR is based out of Denver, Colorado, and its flagship product first became available for purchase in 2019. Since its inception, this vertical trainer has caught the attention of celebrities such as Jay-Z, Pit Bull, Lebron James, and professional tennis player Novak Djokovic.

To reach CLMBR’s customer support, you can call them at 909-330-3897. However, when researching this article I gave them a call and a pre-recorded message told me that no customer service reps were available even though it was only 11 a.m. PST on a Friday.

In Conclusion

The CLMBR Connected 02 is a high-end machine, delivering connected fitness tracking and immersive streaming capabilities from its built-in 21.5-inch HD touchscreen. The reasonable 7.77 square foot footprint (and vertical design) also makes this a relatively compact unit that can fit where other equipment can’t. There are multiple tiers to their subscription service, which offers trainer-led classes, detailed stat tracking, and the ability to connect with and challenge friends. 

It’s a well-built machine that our testers enjoyed using, but the weak warranty, discomfort for taller users, and jaw-dropping $3,995 price tag prevent us from giving it a full-throated recommendation. Still, those who can afford this high-quality workout machine (and throw caution to the wind), will get one heck of a full-body workout. 

FAQs

References

1. Brahler, C. J., & Blank, S. E. (1995). VersaClimbing elicits higher VO2max than does treadmill running or rowing ergometry. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 27(2), 249–254.
2. Ikea. (2024) STRANDMON Wing chair. https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/strandmon-wing-chair-nordvalla-dark-gray-90359829/
3. Sharma, A., Madaan, V., & Petty, F. D. (2006). Exercise for mental health. Primary care companion to the Journal of clinical psychiatry, 8(2), 106. https://doi.org/10.4088/pcc.v08n0208a
4. “Protecting your joints” (2020) Harvard Health Publishing. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/protecting-your-joints