Prime Cuts: The ElliptiGO strides into view

Posted on March 4, 2011 at 12:28 pm by Stephen Holmes

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ElliptiGO, the elliptical bicycle in its finest green livery

Its big, brash, and practically a bicycle, but what makes the ElliptiGO stand out is that it takes the benefits of the cross-trainer inside the gym and drags them outside.

Designed specifically to mimic the running stride, the benefits of the cross-trainer system reduce impact injuries to those with delicate joints, which is where former Ironman competitors Bryan Pate and Brent Teal got the idea for designing the ElliptiGO 8S.

Designed be fun and engaging enough that current runners would use it to cross-train and thereby extend their “running lives” as a result of the decreased impact from using it a few times per week instead of running
The first sketch Bryan showed Brent was done on a newspaper at a coffee shop back in 2005
The stride length is adjustable, as is the steering system so it truly is “one-size-fits-all”
SolidWorks was the primary software Brent used to design the ElliptiGO, using the FEA abilities heavily to evaluate the structural integrity of the frame and custom components used on the bike
SolidWorks motion studies were also used to help design and optimize the elliptical mechanism in order to provide a riding experience that emulates running
Unlike a traditional diamond-frame bicycle, the ElliptiGO had to have its frame members very close together while still generating the same level of vertical stiffness
The team have spent a lot of effort focusing on intellectual property and have filed more than a dozen patents as well as having licensed two patents from Larry Miller, the inventor of the elliptical trainer
“It is a very cool feeling to run at 20mph!“ exclaims Bryan. We’re choosing to believe him before we attempt an effort in Central London traffic