As you can see from the image below (from Strava, you do use Strava right ?  … http://www.strava.com  ) I’ve been working hard on my Bionic Runner lately as I come to terms with more down time due to a troublesome Achilles. The Bionic Runner is,  IMO , the closest you’ll get to the running motion without actually running.  As the image below my Strava screen grab shows,  the Bionic has been built for runners and,  trust me,  it’s a hard workout , which can get even harder with a head wind ! I have been building up the distance on the bionic and , over time, increased to fifty kilometres and two hours.  Trust me my first outing on the bionic was an experience, I had just brought the Elliptigo and hadn’t even heard of the Bionic Runner. When I tried it I was hooked. It just felt so much like running compared to the Elliptigo, which is still a great alternative but more a forward and back Elliptical motion. (funny enough) The Bionic has the ‘airplane wing’ motion more akin to running and a lot harder,  which is the point of course. Both the Elliptigo and the Bionic have they place in a runners arsenal and for recovery they are just about perfect.  No impact but working most of the same running muscles you need to keep honest and best of all they are both just so much fun,  albeit you will have to over look the puzzled looks of pedestrians.

Unfortunately the Bionic was plagued by poor Chinese manufacturing problems and went out of business a few years ago. There are still examples on Facebook if you want to try  one ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/1507045689572412 ) but bear in mind spare parts are nearly impossible to get hold off and the second and third  generation do tend to break in half. ! Have a trawl through the facebook page and you’ll get the general idea.

The Elliptigo on the other hand has gone from strength to strength and still sponsors Meb Keflezighi and Dean Karnazes. It has added two or three new models to its armory lately and is another great alternative to running when you are either injured or for second recovery runs. They take away the risk of injury when you are tired. Have a look at their website  ( http://www.elliptigo.com ) I sold mine to my good friend Mark C. last year when I moved closer to the city and couldn’t justify two stand up bikes. I must admit to regretting my decision and will probably treaty myself to another one in summer. The GO in my opinion is built for longer distances, where as the Bionic is about shorter, harder workouts. Both have their place in my garage it’s just about persuading No1 Wife of my runners logic, this could prove difficult.

The image below is from my recovery period after a nasty calf tear, my first real injury of note. My time on the GO allowed me to come back strong and run a 2:49  at the Perth City to Surf Marathon, after 12 weeks out. I had 7 weeks on the Elliptigo before returning to running and this certainly beat 7 weeks of no cross training at all.  In that time I was unable to run but could use the Elliptigo and work the running muscle quite happily and , as I said earlier, it really is so much fun.

Another alternative to the Ellpitigo and the bionic is the Cyclete Trail Runner.  ( https://cyclete.com/ ) This bad boy looks the business but it more expensive and by the text copied from their website below harder to get hold off.  Probably only accessible for my American Cousins giving the exchange rate for the Australian Dollar at the moment (I think we’re just below the Zimbabwe dollar in worthless currency nobody wants table !) and the cost of shipping.  Note: The Elliptigo produces a trail like GO now which is similar to the Cyclete but half the cost.

Demand for Cycletes has dramatically exceeded our expectations – we are now sold-out for 2020.

DUE TO UNPRECEDENTED DEMAND FOR BICYCLES, SOME COMPONENTS I USE ARE BEING RATIONED WHICH MAY CAUSE DELAYS – Some components may require substitution. Specifically Ergon GP5 grips are unavailable GP1 will be substituted.

Each Cyclete 2020 Limited Edition is designed and made to order in Marin County California led by Steven Ascher.

Your Cyclete purchase is made in 3 installments of $1665 as follows:

The process of building your Cyclete begins when we receive your refundable deposit of $1665.  Steven Ascher will contact you personally to welcome you to the Cyclete community and answer any questions you may have, discuss tire and gearing selection as well as accessories like fenders.

Your second installment of $1665 is due prior to painting your frame in your selected color.  At this time you are committed to the build of your Cyclete and your payments become non-refundable.

When your Cyclete is completed your third and final installment of $1665 is required plus additional charge for accessories, shipping and any applicable taxes / duties will be collected.

Current lead times are 4-6 weeks

Have fun selecting your color!  The pictures shown are renderings.  While we have worked hard to provide a good representation, your Cyclete Trail Runner will certainly look different.  The color will have greater depth and variation.

We are looking forward to building a Cyclete just for you.

NOTE: The Cyclete is not intended for children and has a maximum rider weight of 250 lbs.

Right that’s it for the moment. With my achilles on the mend I’m hoping to make the Light Horse Ultra 12 hour race on September 13th ( http://lighthorseultra.com.au/ ) , for anybody in Perth this is a must do event, it really is something special. The laps are relatively short , under 3km, which means to run through the start and stop area relatively often and with the extra distances this year there will be lots of company. The 24 hour starts at 6pm Saturday 12th September,  with the 12 hour event starting at 6am Sunday 13th. There’s also a 6 hour and 3 hour event.  Shaun Kaesler always puts on a great event and this one is one not to be missed.  Due to our hard borders anybody outside Perth has got no chance of making the start line unless they can get into a quarantine hotel this week, at your cost.  The event is good but not that good, stay at home !

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