Time to clean out the shed! I’m selling my 2013 red ElliptiGO 8C, which is an elliptical bike that you ride standing up. That means, unlike a normal bike, you get to look all around without putting your neck in an awkward position, your butt doesn’t hurt from the seat, and your hands and arms aren’t holding any of your weight. It’s way more comfortable than normal biking and, for me, more fun.
The motion is more like running than biking, and the ElliptiGO is used by professional runners like Meb Keflezighi to log more miles with no impact. I bought it in 2013 when I was sidelined from running for 18 months with plantar heel pain, and I’ve done nearly all my serious exercise on an ElliptiGO for the past five years. If you already know how to ride a bike, you’ll pick it up quickly, as we’re much better at balancing standing up than sitting down. I’m happy to go for a ride with you to show you how to use it.
Riding it burns 33% more calories than biking at the same speed due to the lack of aerodynamics and its weight (44 pounds), making it a great workout but not super fast. That said, I can exceed 35 mph going downhill, and I haven’t found a hill in Ithaca that I can’t go up yet (including the Cascadilla Hill Climb). After all, when you go up a steep hill on a normal bike, you stand up. (It has 8 speeds in the hub.) And I did the AIDS Ride for Life 100-mile on it one year, averaging 15 mph even though all the normal bikes I was riding with wanted to draft off me.
88% of the parts are standard bike parts, so most bike shops can do maintenance on it. Cayuga Ski & Cyclery has worked on my newer ElliptiGO recently to maintain the hub gear and shifters. ElliptiGO itself also provides good tech support and has videos if you want to do the work yourself.
I’ll throw in my gnarly old hitch bike rack for free if you want it—it’s rusty but holds the ElliptiGO, which needs a special rack due to its shape and wheel configuration. Otherwise, the stem comes off with a quick release, and I’ve put it in the Subaru Outback like that.
This ElliptiGO cost $2,500 in 2013 (and is now $3,000), but it’s yours for $250. Email me at ace@tidbits.com if you’re interested. Offering it to runners here first!
