One of the founders came and demonstrated these for us after our workout today. We got to ride it after.
It’s cool–an elliptical machine on a bike frame. I just thought that if you put it on a trainer, you’d get an elliptical machine in your living room.
Riding it was fun. I easily reached 16 miles per hour when I stretched out my legs a bit. The range of motion is wider than an elliptical, but shorter than a stride of course. But it came very close.
I was a bit tentative about turning around. Until you get the hang of it, it’s best to take the turns wider than usual.
Most people who tried it got the hang of it really quick. One or two looked like they were riding a bike for the first time. It caused some jokes to fly and laughter at their expense.
The max speed I heard is around 25, and they say it can climb hills like regular bikes. The whole thing weighs like 34 lbs (aluminum frame), but they are aiming for under 30 in the production version.
The handlebars fold. When you remove the front tire, it sits length-wise in a Ford Escape–back seat folded.
They will do live demos at the LA marathon and San Diego R&R expo. Some of the road marshalls at R&R will be riding these as well.
Here is the link to the website:
I agree, the Elliptigo is a cool machine but if you really want the full body workout of an elliptical cross trainer check out the StreetStrider (www.streetstrider.com) where legs AND arms provide propulsion while the core muscles provide steering – very similar to cross country and down hill skiing on wheels.
Looks interesting. The founders of ElliptiGO do stress that you can take these bikes out for long rides, no problem. I don’t think I’d even consider a StreetStrider for a 50-mile ride with hills. I think these are very different machines aimed at very different markets. I guess there are crossover segments, but ultimately the type of athlete who would consider one over the other differ.
If you just want to ride a bike outside and stick with the elliptical while indoors, go check out http://www.youtube.com/user/octanefitness
I use a SteetStrider as my primary transportation in an urban area. It is a very large, solidly-built HPV built for cruising, not unlike many recumbent trikes. I’ve never ridden an ElliptiGo, but from its specs it seems to be much slower and less efficient. Also, a big part of the fun of riding a strider is the poles. They engage a rider’s entire body, which really reduces fatigue, and when I’m coasting, I can hold one pole, stand straight and really enjoy the scenery.
I rode a Trikke 12 for several years before I got my strider. While I still love my trikke, the speed of the strider is addictive…and it makes me feel ever sorrier for all the poor people trapped in autos.