So you rode 20 miles today, congratulations. But what kind of workout did your upper body get? Well if you rode a traditional bike… not much. But if you hammered on one of the bikes below, it would be a different story. Meet the new full body workout bikes.
Varibike
The Varibike has a hand pedaling system in addition to the pedals, so you can help your legs and workout your upper body at the same time.
Varibike cites a study claiming a 31% increase in power:
A study of the New Mexico State University showed that (at the same heart rate) the maximum power output could be increased by over 30% using combined arm-
and- leg cranking compared with normal cycling. Furthermore, the endurance performance was found to be higher.
The Varibike comes in an outdoor model and an indoor model, so you can do a whole body ride year round.
4 Strike Bike
A similar bike is the 4 Strike Bike, invented by a retired surgeon, Lex van Stekelenburg. Here’s how it works:
The handlebar contains a patented mechanism that allows upper body ‘pedalling’ and steering to be combined. The front drive system also incorporates a steering stabilizing mechanism. The crankshaft has a special freewheel system that allows the bike to be cycled with both arms and legs or with the legs alone while getting on and off the bike. The handlebar also features a click system that allows the ‘hand-pedals’ to be fixed in their highest position during cycling as in a normal handlebar, transforming this bike back into a regular bike. This ordinary bicycle function is the basis of the 4 Strike Bike.
Raxibo
And if you can’t wait to get your hands on one of these, well the Raxibo is available now for 2,500 swiss francs (about $2,600 USD). It’s not as elegant or as cool looking as the 4 Strike, but there’s something to be said for existing versus non-existing.
I have had the fortune this year to be able to train and race on what I feel may be one of the single most important pieces of equipment that a racing cyclist could use, and that is my Quarq Cinqo power meter and Garmin head unit.
I trained all through the winter with the older bike and the Quarq. Some rough winter weather on many rides never gave any trouble, the unit is sealed tight, so I had no problems with rain or snow. Once we received our new frames, I pulled the cranks from the old bike and installed them on my new frame, same ease of installation. This frame is a full carbon TREK Madone with the BB90 bottom bracket, so the magnet ring would not work on this frame. No problem there, Quarq also provided loose magnets with a two part epoxy for installation. I deviated a little on the installation here, knowing that this was a team bike, and knowing that I could not pull the magnet off at the end of the season, I took advice form a friend who also has the Quarq and bought some 3m mounting putty. This is a strong putty which allowed me to install the magnet, but would also allow me the ability to pull the magnet off at the end of the season.