The Glade 4.0

This looks like soooooo much fun!

Elliptigo - Outdoor Elliptical Cycle

[youtube]67i6d9Hxjgg[/youtube]

Pretty cool idea. I'm curious how long people can ride those things.

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The Dude abides.

Thats. Weird? Pretty cool on a nice looooooong flat stretch of asphalt but probably pretty useless anywhere else.
I can't see anyone riding that up a hill or on a gravel road or anything like that.

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"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Jesus of Nazareth

The Death Ride: 129 Miles through the California 'Alps'.

San Diego Century: 100 Miles

San Francisco to LA: 488 Miles over 5 days

And I just saw on my local news that someone rode one in the Seattle to Portland Ride (204 Miles in one day), although they haven't posted it on their website yet.

I don't imagine it would do very well off road on a trail, but it might work ok on short streches of hard pack. But no, it's not a mountain bike. But I don't see it having any more limitations than my road bike does. I can't ride it on trails either. Which is fine. We have hundreds of miles of paved dedicated bike trails here.

Its got 8 speeds. Uphill shouldn't be too bad. Gravel? Not so much.





I kinda want one too.

Also, Holy crap.

http://www.elliptigo.com/the-death-ride/

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Holy shitsnacks!

This looks interesting....

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Memento Vivere

I have local knowledge.
That sandbar was not there yesterday!

Wow..that does look pretty cool.. but I hate the elliptical.

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Dream as if you'll live forever...
...Live as if you'll die tomorrow

Vivere Senza Rimpianti

Huh. I'm as skeptical as all those riders they encountered on the Death Ride.

If it really is so much better - the same claims that are made by recumbent freaks riders (!) - then it's an interesting question as to why these things don't catch on. Recumbents have been around for decades, but probably don't number more than, what, 1% of the riding population? Granted, this thing is just starting out, but I'll be curious to see if they take off at all. One problem I see is how to attach anything to the bike. Sure, it's great for fitness when it's just you, but on the bike that I commute on, I drop two small panniers with about 20 pounds of crap in them on the bike. Locks, tools, clothing, and anything else I need to carry to work. I don't really see a good space to do that on this thing, but maybe that's just because there aren't any peripheral makers for it yet. I hate wearing a backpack when I ride - I seriously threw out my back once, and now I just stick with panniers.

The standing thing doesn't bother me too much. For short hills, we stand up a lot anyway. I do think they make too much of the "aches and pains" from cycling, though. Sure, my coccyx is a bit tender right now, but I also haven't ridden more than a 100 miles this year. Once you start cycling regularly, most of that goes away, if you have any sort of decently-fitted bike (which of course is the problem for novice riders).

I'm trying to picture flying down a hill at 40 mph on this, standing up. That just strikes me as terrifying, in the abstract. It looks almost like a Harley chopper stance; I've never understood how those things are comfortable, when I see biker dudes with their arms way up above their heads.

(Edit: I should probably 'fess up and point out that I've never ridden an elliptical in a gym. I don't do gyms.)

They're actually having a live demo this Sunday nearby. I might have to see if I can go check it out. Maybe I'll ride my bike up there.

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This cold and dark tormented hell
Is all I`ll ever know
So when you get to heaven
May the devil be the judge

^this

I have no problem doing 2 miles in 20 min on the treadmill (my normal evening workout) but I can't do even 5 minutes on the elliptical. It just hurts and feels wrong.

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In time, this too shall pass.

Do! And then come back and tell us about it So we can live vicariously through you.

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Holy shitsnacks!

Heh, gonna try. Not sure if the family logistics will work out. But, holy crap, they're over $2100! Sheesh, that's a lot of coin.

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This cold and dark tormented hell
Is all I`ll ever know
So when you get to heaven
May the devil be the judge

"Better" is subjective. They don't claim they are faster or more efficient than a road bike. In fact quite the opposite. The standing position increases wind resistance by as much as 50%, providing a 'better workout', or so they claim.

I'm merely interested from a 'variety' standpoint. I love riding my bike, and hate running, although running outside isn't so bad as running on a treadmill, which I abhor.

I can tolerate riding an elliptical indoors for a half hour or so. I figure I could ride one on a nice sunny day for a lot longer.

I believe their target audience are folks who love running, but have knee or other issues that prevent them (I know a handful of folks who had to stop running because of knee problems).

Yeah, "better" was a poor choice of words, sorry.

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This cold and dark tormented hell
Is all I`ll ever know
So when you get to heaven
May the devil be the judge

/'bentriderrant
They probably haven't caught on because people don't give them a shot, much like the canwich

Have ya tried one? On a two-wheeled 'bent, it takes a bit to get used to the change in CoG and balance, but much more comfortable to ride than wedgies, where even with a $7000 bike the glowing review said "Just rode a century and nothing hurt but my legs." So you ride a wedgie *expecting* stuffs to hurt?

My Cattrike's the easiest thing in the world to ride, no worries about stability - I can do (in my poor conditioning) 30mph or keep pace w/ my 5y.o. on his old kiddie bike.

/!rant
This elliptical will probably be a niche like 'bents, no doubt. Only more tiring!

Hah, brought you out of the woodwork! I should try one, I suppose, just never had an opportunity.

_________________
This cold and dark tormented hell
Is all I`ll ever know
So when you get to heaven
May the devil be the judge

It's just a few steps to the darkside of the cycling world. But far too many back!

Since I don't know where you are on the Glade Google Map I can't recommend a 'bent shop to ya. Where'bouts are you near?

I'm in LA. It's not like I've never seen a recumbent! Used to go on LA Critical Mass rides (long time ago), and we'd always have a few recumbents along. So, I guess I have had an opportunity, come to think of it, just never followed through.

I remember riding on the bike path along the ocean a long time ago, on a road bike - a recumbent came along on a straightaway and blew me away. Consistently dropped me on the straights, but I was able to catch him in the turns. I thought that was interesting.

And, sorry, folks, didn't make the demo ride for the Elliptigo today. Just couldn't work it out with kids and the family. Saw a *****' baseball game, though.

_________________
This cold and dark tormented hell
Is all I`ll ever know
So when you get to heaven
May the devil be the judge