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Tag: bike

  • Best Exercise Equipment To Manage Weight While Managing Pain

    So the holidays ended, resolutions were made, and now the local gym you joined is counting on you to nix your newfound cardio routine.

    Perhaps the fervor to be fit fizzled out around the same time your vegan diet and juice detox did, or maybe it just… never happened at all. Now it’s February and that abdominal adipose inner tube has resurfaced in your life like an unwelcome ex-lover. You’ve already watched your home gym comprising one creaky infomercial machine turn into a dust den, and you’ve fondly hung your laundry over the handlebars as you simultaneously hung up your dreams of healthy lifestyle change.

    Now, it doesn’t matter to you anymore that your arthritis is acting up or your back aches. Whether you choose a home or public gym, you’re done with the excuses. That muffin top needs to go – which means you do too. Fortunately for many, the road to Damascus can be as simple as finding the right machine. Before you know it, the recovery of your sexy is happening one low-impact step at a time – on equipment that doesn’t murder your herniated disc.

    Although anyone with a medical condition should consult a doctor before starting a routine (or buying equipment), there are many methods for managing weight while we manage pain. If we prefer using machines over other options, we just need to find the right one for a workout we won’t resent doing. Some low-impact options your doctor might suggest for a bad back are the elliptical trainer, stationary bike, treadmill, and the step climber. The nice thing these things have in common is that there’s no jolting your joints:

    Elliptical
    The elliptical is fantastic because it offers smooth motion with your feet fixed in place. Most settings allow you to change the challenge level with the flick of a button (versus adjusting heavy parts). As for fat blasting, the handles glide in a push pull fashion that’s synchronized with the foot pedals. This allows for full body motion and the result is more calories burned.

    Step Machine
    Step machines share similarities with the elliptical. Both have platforms or pedals that move without your feet leaving them, both are low-impact, and both provide high calorie-burning potential. One main difference is found in their names: the elliptical lets the feet move in the shape of a squashed circle (ellipsis), while feet on a step machine move in an up and down direction (like steps).

    Treadmill
    If you prefer to pick up your feet, the treadmill is still an option. Whether you walk or trot, a treadmill offers less impact than concrete and the belt lets your feet propel forward a little as you lift them. While this makes it easier, it can also feel a little awkward at first. So, find a fitting pace and posture that works for you.

    Stationary Bike
    Perhaps, you’d like to sit while you sweat. Why not try a stationary bike? There are multitudes of types to test out and consider. For those new to the workout world, a recumbent bike with a backrest might be best.


    Shivering?
    On the other hand, if your desire to trim down is weaker than your torpidity, look for no further equipment than your own lethargy. According to a recent NIH study, some lose weight just by shivering away the pounds in the cold. However, that somehow seems a bit masochistic – although I can’t put my finger on why. Perhaps it’s that most of us want to lose weight because we’re already uncomfortable with our body’s status… and the whole non-logic of making ourselves uncomfortable to change being uncomfortable seems a bit confusing.

    If none of the machines mentioned (or the shiver-me-thinner method) appeals to you or if you’re hindered by your pain level, ask your doctor what he or she suggests. There’s a wealth of alternatives out there, so don’t give up! Find a routine and fall in love with it!

    Image via Youtube

  • Elf Bike: Cross Between Car & Bicycle

    Mark Stewart turns quite a few heads as he makes his way down the road on his neon green ELF bike, which very closely resembesFred Flinstone’s footmobile.

    “It reminds me of when I saw a Smart car the first time,” said Joanne Bury as she came out of her home to get a look at the vehicle. “This is incredible. What is it?”

    Stewart, a 65-year-old family therapist and school psychologist took the summer off from work to drive his new ELF bike over 1,200 miles on roads and trails using the East Coast Greenway, which is a bike and pedestrian trail that runs from Canada to Key West. The attention Stewart receives from his ELF bike doesn’t seem to bother him at all. “I don’t mind though. I mean I like that people want to talk about it,” he said. “A lot of cops have gone by me no one’s said boo. They’ll look, they’re interested but they don’t question its right to be on the road,” Stewart said.

    Stewart purchased the, 130-pound, ELF from Durham-based Organic Transit, which sells them for $5,000. Stewart said that he wanted to avoid the delivery charge of almost $1,000, so he made the trip down to pick up the bike and learn how to correctly operate it before traveling back home. “I spent three days in the shop hanging with the guys there and learning the vehicle,” Stewart said. “This is just an unsupported solo trip up here in a vehicle that nobody else really knows.”

    The ELF is can carry up to 350 pounds and it can reach a speeds of 20 miles-per-hour on the electric power alone. With a 750-watt motor, the bike can be charged using an electrical outlet in one hour, or in around seven hours using the solar panels built into its roof. It can go for 1,800 miles using the equivalent of one gallon of gasoline. It does not require the insurance, repair and car maintenance costs that go along with a normal vehicle. Besides occasionally replacing a tire, the ELF runs completely off the cost to charge its battery.

    Rob Cotter, Organic Transit CEO, combined the technology from boats, bicycles, and aircrafts and incorporated them into a “green” option for drivers.

    “About 30 years ago I was working in the performance car industry working on Porsches and BMWs,” Cotter said. “At the time the world record for a streamline bicycle was 55 mph by ground and I realize that those efficiencies are capable with one horsepower. I realized from a social, ethical and environmental standpoint that we’re doing something drastically wrong. A combination of environmental catastrophes, high fuel costs, climate change and a migration of people moving to the cities all combined for a trend of people looking for an automotive alternative. But not everyone can fit a bicycle into their daily life,” Cotter said.

    “Issues like weather, steep hills, lack of carrying capacity, falling over and safety concerns steer many away from bicycles. The ELF was designed to address those concerns, contribute to the rider’s health, cost savings and lessen their environmental impact,” he said.

    The demand for this new ride has grown significantly. “Right now we make them at a rate of one per day hand built in the U.S. but we’re about to open up another facility on the West Coast to increase our efficiency sometime this year to get up to four per day,” Cotter said. The company is currently working on their 75th bike and have more than 200 already sold or reserved with a deposit.

  • This Company 3D Prints Bicycles In Titanium

    3D printing usually evokes images of plastic materials, but the truth is that any number of materials can be used in the rapid prototyping process. SLM, or selective laser melting, is one such method used to essentially 3D print items with metal. Now one bike company is embracing a similar, yet more sophisticated, technology.

    UK-based Charge Bikes recently shared via Vimeo that it’s now using 3D printers to make bikes. The company is printing bikes in titanium using an experimental process that’s currently being used by the aerospace industry. If widely deployed, it could help cut down on the time required to make bikes as it would allow manufacturers to create multiple parts at once.

    Charge TV: Week 11: 3D Titanium Printing from Charge Bikes on Vimeo.

    In the comments, Charge Bikes addressed the cost of the process as well as the weight of 3D printed bikes:

    Yes, it is a more expensive process, as it is in its relative infancy, but it will become more commonplace, we believe.

    How do you figure it will be heavier? Unlike a drawn tube, we haven’t had to weld the disc-brake mount on afterwards (saving weight there), nor have we had to cast a solid shape (the dropout is entirely hollow apart from the disc-brake mount itself). This process lends itself entirely to weight-saving as you precisely control the amount of material used.

    SLM machines and the like are still incredibly expensive so don’t expect hobbyists to be creating metal objects in 3D printers just yet. For now, check out the progress being made in printing bikes in plastic:

    [h/t: 3ders]

  • Turn Your IPhone 4S into a GPS Bike Computer

    Here is a cool new iPhone gadget for all you bikers out there. The Heart Rate Watch Company has released the iPhone 4S ultimate bike pack, turning your iPhone into a personal GPS bike computer. It gives you speed, distance, heart rate, and maps on a convenient bike mounted display.

    The device works with a blue tooth chest strap to monitor your heart rate at all times. It is rumored they are working on a cadence sensor to monitor your real time pedal pushes, though it is not available now.

    You install the iPhone in a protector case that attaches to a bike mount that includes an extended battery pack. The battery pack lets you use your iPhone 3 times longer, perfect for running the battery draining GPS programs on long trips.

    The mounting hardware that comes with it, lets you attach it to your bike’s stem or handle bars, allowing continuous hands free use while biking.

    “The iPhone 4S ultimate bike pack turns your iPhone 4S into a great bike computer that will rival most any bike computer,” says Rusty Squire, President of the Heart Rate Watch Company. “It offers unrivaled features and protection for your iPhone and if you are bringing it on your rides anyway then you might as well make use of it.”

    I am not an avid biker, but this cool gadget kind of makes me want to take up the hobby. The mounting kit alone makes it a nice tool for listening to tunes while staying in shape. The portable battery pack has obvious uses outside of biking, and the bluetooth heart rate monitor is good for people trying to get in shape, regardless of the exercise. If you are an avid biker and you take your phone everywhere anyway, this thing makes perfect sense.