ElliptiGO: It’s a Hybrid Between an Elliptical and a Bike and it Will Make People Stop and Stare as You Ride By

Need a break from running, but tired of the indoor bike or the elliptical at the gym. Well the ElliptiGO is the perfect solution.

I heard about an ElliptiGO from a friend who saw it and I did some research to find out where I could try it. The Harbor Bike Shop in Stone Harbor rents them for one hour for $25.00 plus tax. The only rules are that you cannot ride it on the sidewalk and do not ride the ElliptiGO on the beach. After that you are good to go!

One of the Harbor Bike Shop employees agreed that it is good exercise.

“It’s definitely a workout and it is very easy once you get it started. I rode it once and its pretty similar to the elliptical at the gym, however, you’re using it outside and not in the gym, Donna Olfert, 24, Harbor Bike shop employee said. You get to workout on the elliptical outside with the fresh air and sunshine.”

Make sure to wear comfortable sneakers, workout clothes, and bring a water bottle. Other than that enjoy the ride and have fun!

After my hour test ride I have to say that it is quite the workout. I enjoy working out on the elliptical at the gym; however, I find myself getting bored because I want to be moving and going somewhere or just want to be outside. I tore my ACL and meniscus about four years ago. I am an avid runner, but need to take a few days off for the knee every once in a while, that is when I incorporate the elliptical into my workout routine.

The ElliptiGO is the perfect solution for my elliptical boredom. I love being outdoors, running, biking, surfing, etc. Being able to ride the ELLIPTIGO outdoors was great.  So many people would stop and stare as I rode by. I even had a car slow down and drive along side me and ask me about it. They were curious and asked me about the ElliptiGO as I rode it. What’s it like? Is it easy to ride? Where can I rent one?

Similarities to an elliptical/bike:

• The pedaling motion is almost identical to an elliptical machine and the upright standing position that you pedal.
• The front of the ElliptiGO is exactly like a mountain bike with hand breaks and gears for you to use and change as you ride.
• On an elliptical you can increase the resistance and on the ElliptiGO you have three different gear changes you can use one being the easiest gear and three being the hardest gear. (I started on gear one and quickly changed it to gear three to increase the intensity of my ride.)

Differences to an elliptical/bike:

• With an ElliptiGO you need to use a lot more balance because you are moving on two wheels, it is almost impossible to remove your hands while using the ElliptiGO without falling. Unlike an elliptical where you can take you arms off and pedal forwards and backwards with ease you cannot on the ElliptiGO.
• You are also battling the wind, sun glare and traffic.  On an elliptical you are indoors in a controlled environment.
• The only difficult part was stopping and starting.

For example, to cross traffic if I had to stop my momentum it was a little difficult to start up the momentum again to get across the street quickly. So I had to make sure that when I had to cross traffic that I waited until there was no traffic coming so that I knew I had plenty of time to cross the street without causing traffic problems. Or I tried to make sure to just coast and not stop completely which would help prevent me from having a difficult time crossing the road.

The only downside to the ElliptiGO is if you really enjoyed riding it and wanted to buy one for yourself you can, however, it will cost you about $1,800. So with that I would highly recommend renting them and trying it a few times before you make the investment or find one used if you can, but it is a great workout so have fun!

ElliptiGO a nice change from the everyday elliptical! Photo Credit: Alison Mastrangelo