Our Choice
Street Strider
Overview
StreetStrider is an outdoor eliptical with indoor compatibility. It's an elliptical on wheels, which allows for an easy way to get around, a fun commute, and/or alternative outdoor exercise. Ellipticals are popular for the low impact model of exercising. Easy on the joints, they still give a great workout. StreetStrider was born out of this need for virtually impact-free exercise, but also exercise with movement. StreetStriders come on three wheels, two in the front and one in the back. As easy as hopping on the elliptical at the gym, StreetStrider can take you beyond the confines of your local Y. Or, you can set it up on an indoor track to use from the comfort of your own living room.
Price
$1,700 - $4,500
Highlight
StreetStrider is an outdoor eliptical with indoor compatibility. It's an elliptical on wheels, which allows for an easy way to get around, a fun commute, and/or alternative outdoor exercise. Ellipticals are popular for the low impact model of exercising. Easy on the joints, they still give a great workout. StreetStrider was born out of this need for virtually impact-free exercise, but also exercise with movement. StreetStriders come on three wheels, two in the front and one in the back. As easy as hopping on the elliptical at the gym, StreetStrider can take you beyond the confines of your local Y. Or, you can set it up on an indoor track to use from the comfort of your own living room.
StreetStrider gives you the combined benefits of jogging, skiing and cycling, but without the harmful, long-term strains on the body. Easy on the joints, StreetStrider enables daily use and regular workouts, without fear of injury, aches or pains. With StreetStrider you can get that endorphin high without the crashing lows, and maintain the personal and mental health benefits of daily activity. Not to mention, it's a green way to get around. If biking isn't an option for your body and your wellbeing, Street Rider allows you to cut your carbon footprint and enjoy the outdoors, on your way to work, on quick errands, or just a quick ride to get moving and get out of the house.
Since its conception in 2007, StreetStrider has garnered acclaim and recognition from major news outlets and pop media. From a comical appearance on ABC sitcom Modern Family to shoutouts from Dr. Oz, Good Morning America, and the LA Times, this is a brand with street credit to its name. You can learn more on their website, which apart from online shopping houses media coverage, testimonials, and even instructional videos to help you engage with this alternative workout. Active for 13 years and running, StreetStrider is built to last and easy to use and has received multiple awards for their products, including an Excellence Award for Innovation at the 2010 Taipei International Sporting Goods Show (TaiSPO).
StreetStriders currently come in four different models, each with its own unique gear settings, weight, capabilities, and strengths. Their website gives you a simple way to compare and contrast each model to find the StreetStrider that's right for you. Where the 3i lends well to easy rides, comes with three gear settings, and does best on flat surfaces or mild hills, the StreetStrider versatility only goes up as you move onto more advanced models. For a more aggressive, adaptive ride, the 11s is the fastest and most technologically advanced model. The 11s do well on steep hills, rough terrain, and a wide gear range to quickly shift your ride through unchartered territories.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
The StreetStrider is a quality exercise machine that does exactly what it says. It gives people an alternative to running and biking that is easier on the joints, burns more calories, and allows you to enjoy the outdoors. Customer reviews and testimonials are overwhelmingly positive, and the health benefits speak for themselves.
StreetStrider is a truly unique way to exercise. It not only benefits heart health, overall physical strength, and reduces joint aches and pains, but it's fun. It combines running, biking, and skiing in a single activity. Some describe the movement as "running on air." StreetStrider captures the functionality and benefits of an elliptical in a machine that you can take outside the gym or home. It's a fun, new way to exercise, and it gives a full-body workout.
Not looking to get out and about, but want a great workout anyway? The StreetStrider is adaptable to a stationary elliptical you can set up right in your own home. Setup is easy and while the stands need to be purchased separately--again, at a steep price--being able to take the StreetStrider from outdoor to indoor use can really amplify convenient daily use. Whether it's a summer rain, or you want to stay in shape during those rough and chilly winter months, the indoor capability allows you to make the most of your StreetStrider year-round.
StreetStrider offers pretty great holiday sales and payment plans. If the cost makes this product inaccessible to you, this is a brand that builds in more affordable options with 0% APR financing, monthly payments as low as $39/month, and holiday sales with price reductions up to $1,000/off even the more advanced Street Rider models.
Cons:
Their return policy is complicated with a capital C, and their returns and exchanges page reads discouraging, to say the least. It opens with a statement about the quality and benefits of StreetStrider, before detailing an overly complicated return/exchange process. At such a steep price point, it feels all the more worrying that in the event the StreetStrider just isn't for you, your dollars may still be on the line. Not to mention, your refund is subject to "standard" fees, meaning there's no way to get 100% back, even if you follow all the steps to return your rider in the first place.
The cost is hard to ignore. Bikes in general are a big purchase and a steep investment, but StreetStrider fails to offer products that are more accessible to the mass majority. At the low end, you'll have to drop--without the luck of catching a sale--$1700. At the high end, you could drop up to $4,500, which, for many, is either wholly unrealistic for their budget, or simply not worth it for a luxury item.
Looking forward to striding at home? You better be ready to drop an extra $300. The at-home, indoor bike trainer stand is true-to-brand when it comes to cost, and can be overly noisy to boot. It can't be stressed enough that to use this at home, you're looking at a minimum cumulative cost at around $2,000, more with shipping and handling, and even more if you go with more versatile models.
While shopping online is great for convenience, online-only can be tricky when it comes to personal preference and fully understanding big purchases. StreetStrider's website is chock full of testimonials, reviews, and media coverage. But, without a retail presence or showroom, there's no way for you to test your StreetStrider before you purchase it... Combine that with a labyrinth of a return/exchange process and it feels like a higher risk big purchase.
EliptiGO
Overview
EliptiGO is an elliptical bike company that makes low impact bikes for fun, full body workouts that you can take outside the home. Their standup, elliptical bicycles are fun to ride--described as "running on air"--comfortable and ergonomic, and workouts burn up to 33% more calories than traditional biking or running. Built for the same trrails you walk, run, or bike, their design is durable ennough for adventure and fast-pace exercise. EliptiGO created the first eliptical bicycle in 2006, and has been no a mission to perfect this mode of exercise ever sinnce, increasing capabilities, building new, versatile models for almost 15 years and running.
Price
$799 - $3,700
Highlight
EliptiGO is an elliptical bike company that makes low impact bikes for fun, full body workouts that you can take outside the home. Their standup, elliptical bicycles are fun to ride--described as "running on air"--comfortable and ergonomic, and workouts burn up to 33% more calories than traditional biking or running. Built for the same trrails you walk, run, or bike, their design is durable ennough for adventure and fast-pace exercise. EliptiGO created the first eliptical bicycle in 2006, and has been no a mission to perfect this mode of exercise ever sinnce, increasing capabilities, building new, versatile models for almost 15 years and running.
EliptiGO is built on caring, inspiration, innovation, fun, and integrity. They design for funcitonality and they do so with purpose. For many, injuries and joint painn have barred them from daily exercise and traditional activity like running and biking. EliptiGO is motivated by meeting the needs of those who struggle and have struggled with their bodies to get everyone moving again. Their stand-up bicycles are fun, relatively affordable, comfortable, and provide a great workout for all body types. EliptiGO bikes make exercise accessible again, promoting healthy lifestyles without the bodily cost of injury, joint pain and long-term joint damage.
Love biking? Well, EliptiGO is even better, apparently. Riding stand up bikes increases muscle activation, offers a comfortable position and stable footpads, and the vertical, weight-bearing riding position helps to rev your cardiovascular system and build a more efficient blood-pumping ?ngine.·Oh, it also reduces and prevents joint pain! It's a different way to work out, and the benefits--even outside of the sheer novelty of a standing bicycle--truly speak for themselves. From your overall health, muscle development and fitness, to taking care of your knees and going easy on your joints, EliptiGO allows for daily activity you can feel good about now, and long into the future.
While borrowing from the standard, stationary eliptical machine, EliptiGO improves on this technology and excercise. Using the same low-impact modality, EliptiGO standing bikes allow you to get outside, further engage your core and develop muscles, and allows for greater flexibility in your movement than its stationary counterparts. EliptiGO standing bikes are longer than stanndard eliptical machines, which allows them to better match your movements and your full range of motion. EliptiGO bike foot holds are also an imporvement from the eliptical, even further reducing risk to ankles and knees by allowing for more fluid, easy movements.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
EliptiGO offers health benefits absent in more traditional activity and excercise machinery. It's a way to exercise that protects your joints and increases muslce activation, burnt calories, and heart function. They make a great case for switching over to standing bicycles and leaving both running and traditional biking in the dust.
EliptiGO has a forgiving and intuitive return policy. If you purchase direct from their website, you can return your purchase for any reason within the first 30 days for a full refund. All they ask is that you keep the original packaging and return it in restock-able condition. If your returned item is damaged, you can still get a partial refund.
Their website is really helpful, offers a myriad of tips and tricks for this new way of being active, which makes it fun and easy to explore the unfamiliar world of standing bicycles. Not to mention, they have a built in compare feature, where you can custom compare models and items you're interested in to help make the decision-making process that much easier.
Their support center is extensive and super helpful. They offer manuals, brochures, and videos that can help get you up to speed on the standing bike market, functionality, and rewards. They also have a way for you to register your bike in order to streamline support services. This way, they'll have your information on file and ready to connsult if or when you ever have an issue with your order. This can also help if your bike is ever stolen.
Cons:
While EliptiGO does better than most, this is still a big investement item. The lower end models are less-than-affordable; their higher end products are hard to justify. Their mid-range bikes will run you arounnd $2,000, and their most durable model runs you upwards of $4,000. Health benefits nothwithstanding, it's just not a super accessible way to exercise.
Bikes that are easy on the wallet seem to have some functionality issues. Tires wear out easily and quickly, and some users have issues with gear slippage, which makes for an unpredictable ride. Users reccommend springing for the more expensive models for a smoother, less clunky ride.
The EliptiGO gives a great workout, but struggles on hills. Even the high end models have a weak performance at an incline, which makes it hard to justify the price.
The wheel quality is an issue across the price spectrum. From the cheapest models, to the $4,000 EliptiGO 11R model, which boasts a one-size-fits-all frame and 11 variable speeds, the promise of EliptiGO wheels does not match the reality. Where they pledge 3,000 miles on their website, some users find their tires wearing out after only a couple hundred miles.