Any ElliptiGO/Bionic runner owners here?

$3k to look like a freak... no thanks.

For that much get a $2000 carbon bike and got to vegas!

there a little less than that now

If I'm lucky, I see my favorite guy on either his eliptigo with some kind of dashboard thing and an amazing helmet with some sort of microphone AND antenna thing going on, or the same guy on his Segway with the same crazy helmet. Love that guy. We should all be so unconventional.

You go be unconventional too. Make sure to work out a helmet and bluetooth microphone thing.

And they take up more than a lane of a typical narrow bike path.

i've had one for several years and i love it. full disclosure--mine's a "loaner," given to me in exchange for the limited publicity a decent masters can offer.

i try to stick to bike paths around southern california, but will ride it through busy streets a couple of miles to sometimes get to these trails. sidewalks are a little narrow for them. also, mine has 8 speeds to get up hills, and i generally need all of them. hills are probably your best opportunity to get a really good workout, though i can approximate tempo efforts heartrate-wise on flat bike paths. it's been useful for cross-training while injured (i've had achilles issues), but also good for additional work even when healthy and fit.

if you're a runner, you're probably at least a little used to being an oddball, so i'd imagine owning an elliptigo would have little effect on your "cool-factor"...

socal cush wrote:

if you're a runner, you're probably at least a little used to being an oddball, so i'd imagine owning an elliptigo would have little effect on your "cool-factor"...

Uh... Keep telling yourself that.

What?!?@ wrote:

socal cush wrote:

if you're a runner, you're probably at least a little used to being an oddball, so i'd imagine owning an elliptigo would have little effect on your "cool-factor"...

Uh... Keep telling yourself that.

um...o.k....

Men?

A better question is would you pay full price for one? It's easy to love something that's free. and it doesn't tell me how you really feel about the product.

I feel it's priced too high for the average runner. I doubt you will tell me your honest opinion.

After several years of high milage, as a beat up masters runner I broke down and bought one. It has been a good investment. Combining it with my running has helped me get my training back on track.

I know a guy with one. Pretty weird, actually (both the guy and the machine), but honestly, it you are doing it before sunrise, who really cares? :-)

probably good to doubt ANYTHING posted on a letsrun forum. but since you asked:

would i pay? depends.

15-20 years ago, no. beginning teacher, raising 4 kids, couldn't afford it.

today, yes.

that yes is qualified, though, by the fact that now that i've tried it i've seen its usefulness, and the fact that i actually enjoy it (though not as much as running), and the fact that i can for the most part afford it.

where the average runner (and the original poster) falls between this "no" and "yes" is anyone's guess...

that's my story and i'm sticking to it,

cush

p.s. i am NOT a paid spokesperson, nor am i in any way obligated, morally or contractually, to promote the product. but, here's a link about me in all my glory and my elliptigo use:

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013ElliptiGO/04CushingMurrayRecord/prweb10589370.htm

It would be good to have if I ever got injured again, but way too expensive. The only people I know who have one got it for free (sponsorship, etc).

I pretty much can't run anymore and riding an ElliptiGO is the closest thing to running.

ElliptiGOs are made for hill climbing. The World ElliptiGO Championships are up a mountain.

I have ridden in NYC and surprisingly felt safer than most suburban streets. My longest ride so far is 55 miles and get in 60-100 mpw. I really enjoy riding on rail trails.

I have the 11R model - $3500 and worth every penny in my opinion as it got me outside working out again.

It took me a bit of while to follow up and test ride and then purchase my ElliptiGO and wish I had not waited so long.

The best place to go for answers to any questions is Facebook. The company has a Facebook page and there is also a closed group - a very friendly bunch,

Neely Spence was also very helpful in answering my questions.

I just love these spam posts not so cleverly disguised as honest questions.

It's a niche product for a niche market: serious runners who want to do a lot of mileage, but need to cross train. They can/should be ridden anywhere a bike can go, So they can go on sidewalks, but legally should be on a road. They are geared like a bike for hills. You can do a test ride with a sales rep.

I have had one for 2 1/2 years now and love it, especially since I can't run much anymore due to my hip. I average 6000 miles/year riding it! I ride a mix of roads (for hills and variety) and rail trails. If you can climb it on a bike, you can climb it on an ElliptiGO, no problem, in fact the hills are fun! I have an 8 speed model. I would never ride on a sidewalk as I would prefer to ride on the road. I feel you are more safe on the roads compared to a bike. You are up higher with better visibility, cars notice you, and it is a bit slower than a road bike due to wind resistance. You can hammer on an ElliptiGO and you can ride for hours and feel terrific afterwards. They have a newer and cheaper model called the Arc. It doesn't have as long a stride as the original and I hear that the quads get more of a workout. The Bionic Runner seems to be slower than an ElliptiGO. I have never ridden one, but athletes get a more difficult workout in a shorter amount of time. I believe I have seen that Dathan Ritzenhein has one now. Of course, Meb, and many other top runners use the ElliptiGO.

What?!?@ wrote:

socal cush wrote:

if you're a runner, you're probably at least a little used to being an oddball, so i'd imagine owning an elliptigo would have little effect on your "cool-factor"...

Uh... Keep telling yourself that.

Haha ... if you only knew who this is that you are being a prick to.

thanks for input everyone. Yeah, I just saw the Arc was only $1300 and the bionic runner a tad more. The website says the arc isn't ideal for long rides though. The stride length is supposed to be a lot shorter putting a bit more stress on the joints.

It seems like something you'd take out when the weather is nice, too much of a hassle to deal with when you can just use the one in the gym. I tried cycling for a bit but had it, added a lot of extra time just to get out the door (pumping tires, gear, flats,etc..). Plus about 25% of the time your just kind of coasting not really working like running.

typo: had it = hated it

"Plus about 25% of the time your just kind of coasting not really working like running." Why would you coast half the time? Maybe your cassette isn't small enough.