If we’re going to spend an average of 20 hours online per week – which is what we’re doing these days– we may as well be cycling while we’re doing it, right?
At least that’s what the Ebove cycling simulator makers think. Activetainment, the Norwegian company behind the Ebove bike, believe turning some of our ‘virtual’ time into a workout is the answer to our growing obesity epidemic, but is gaming while training the answer, and is it affordable? The answer, at least on the second point, is probably not for most people.
The machine, which looks a bit like a praying mantis, and comes with 3D mountain biking, road racing and velodrome tracks, reacts to virtual terrain projected onto a tablet or screen, which means it pitches and rolls with the track, like any other simulator, and has added pedal resistance response for hills and gear changes**.
Activetainment’s Annabel Darby says the company hopes the simulator will appeal to people as a fun alternative to indoor cycling, though the cost, at $6,000-$8,000 may well put it out of most people's price range.
Darby said: “We have had very positive feedback from the few thousand that have tried out our bikes at various events in Norway and the UK, with the most striking point being that around 9 out of 10 agreeing that they forget that they’re exercising because they’re enjoying themselves so much.
“There is obviously a global issue of inactivity and obesity, so we feel that anything that can be developed that helps encourage more people to be active can only be a positive thing. The gaming aspect will, we hope, appeal to those who maybe would never have seen themselves try indoor cycling too.”
The setup is Virtual Reality compatible, and riders can race one another in multiplayer mode. Bikes are available to pre-order, but for now they’re only fulfilling orders in the Nordics (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Finland). The company told road.cc the bikes will go on sale in the UK in the second quarter of 2016.
** Road.cc can confirm this – we’ve tried it, it's got a bucking bronco-cycle feel, without the peril of falling off.
Help us to fund our site
We’ve noticed you’re using an ad blocker. If you like road.cc, but you don’t like ads, please consider subscribing to the site to support us directly. As a subscriber you can read road.cc ad-free, from as little as £1.99.
If you don’t want to subscribe, please turn your ad blocker off. The revenue from adverts helps to fund our site.
If you’ve enjoyed this article, then please consider subscribing to road.cc from as little as £1.99. Our mission is to bring you all the news that’s relevant to you as a cyclist, independent reviews, impartial buying advice and more. Your subscription will help us to do more.
Laura Laker is a freelance journalist with more than a decade’s experience covering cycling, walking and wheeling (and other means of transport). Beginning her career with road.cc, Laura has also written for national and specialist titles of all stripes. One part of the popular Streets Ahead podcast, she sometimes appears as a talking head on TV and radio, and in real life at conferences and festivals. She is also the author of Potholes and Pavements: a Bumpy Ride on Britain’s National Cycle Network.
Is the front wheel also locked, to make it so difficult to move them a few meters away?...
I used to cycle to school in the suburbs with those. They were useless....
Joking aside, governments could require new cars to be fitted with smart ignition systems that operate only for a licensed driver. No doubt there...
There is an increasing 'disconnect' between comments in this topic and reality. Cords are either all cotton or mostly cotton and are going to last...
There are people out there who will make you the belt out of your old tyre.
Furry dice and an air freshener for your helmet.
Ah yes, those are hopefully not the 'master craftsmen' that has constructed a wide range of shoddy Italian cars and motorbikes over the years with...
If it sounds too good to be true...
A SuperSix is definitely not an all-rounder....
Just get them to walk a treadmill - or better, ride exercise bikes to power path lighting.