VIDEO: Is the SpeedFit a human powered vehicle or stupid fitness machine? Both
There are human powered transportation devices and then there is SpeedFit. Anyone who has ever spent time on a treadmill knows how dull and tedious it can be. Now you can use your treadmill and get fresh air at the same time. The creators of this contraption have popped some wheels on a treadmill along with a steering mechanism. The question is if you are walking on the belt anyway, why not just skip the SpeedFit and walk on the pavement? The one possible upside is that you could incorporate a gearing mechanism that will allow higher speeds much like a bicycle. Nevertheless this device just looks way to clumsy and unsafe to be useful. I'll stick to walking on the road.
[Source: Dvorak Uncensored]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
MikeW 9:06PM (11/15/2008)
Running on the downhills can be a killer on the knees and ITB, so if this kicks but on the downhills, it might find a niche.
Regenerative anything?
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CNCMike 10:10PM (11/15/2008)
Well, it ...uh... would keep your feet dry if there were puddles on the road.
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Luke 10:49PM (11/15/2008)
15 minutes of fame.
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srue 11:24PM (11/15/2008)
"Nevertheless this device just looks way to clumsy and unsafe to be useful."
Hmmm... Clumsy and unsafe - sounds like a common criticism of small "green" cars. Cast not your stones ye glass-house resident!
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Nick 12:06AM (11/16/2008)
While I agree that running on a threadmill over the road seems silly, the runner's position on the device is actually different. He is leaning forward, pushing back with his legs with more intensity. Imaging you are pushing a car with the tranny in Neutral...after only 100 yards your legs and a$$ will look like Arnold's.
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Peter Wang 9:18AM (11/16/2008)
Running on paved surfaces sucks; this might help. But, cheaper to run on the grass.
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Bolen 10:14AM (11/16/2008)
Hey, what a great invention... if you happen to own a private track on a flat grade.
A contraption like that is clearly illegal on the street. These guys, in effect, filmed their own evidence against themselves should the local police decide to put a stop to road testing. All it will take is a complaint from a neighbor.
Just jog by the road like everyone else.
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Herkimer 7:17PM (11/16/2008)
Clearly illegal?
In the eyes of the po-po, how is this different riding a bicycle?
Bolen 12:30AM (11/17/2008)
Herkimer said... In the eyes of the po-po, how is this different riding a bicycle?
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Bicycles are explicitly defined and allowed. Your state may vary, but here's an example. "'Bicycle' means every device propelled by human power upon which any person may ride, having only two wheels which are in tandem and either of which is more than 13 inches in diameter."
The wheeled treadmill, on the other hand, will fall into a legal black hole because it is novel. The same thing happened to Segways. When they first came out, they weren't allowed on sidewalks because they were wheeled, but not allowed on the streets either in most municipalities. The law had to be changed to allow for Segways; or, as my state defines them, "Electric personal assistive mobility device."
In any case, as a low-speed non-motorized vehicle, it isn't marked with reflectors, or any warning signs. A sure no-no.
fnc 3:01PM (11/16/2008)
Looks like it's geared up, plus you're propelling the added weight of that...vehicle around, so you're probably getting a considerably more intense workout than on a flat stationary treadmill. But the treadmills I've been on allow you to increase the slope of the surface, so it was already possible to get a calf busting workout without being run over by a car. And can you imagine how popular you'd be taking up the whole width of a jogging track with that thing?
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Brn 9:39AM (11/17/2008)
Stuff like this makes me appreciate the bicycle a little more.
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Chris M 7:30PM (11/18/2008)
I'd say it was supposed to be a satire on our obsession with exercise gadgets. Really, if you're going to run outdoors, you don't need this gadget.
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