... about kickbikes?
Posted: 4 Jun 2019, 10:46pm
I was in our local John Lewis the other day, trying to amuse myself as my OH was engrossed in the haberdashery department when I noticed a woman wheeling something round that on first glance looked like a part folded folding bike. On closer inspection (discretely hiding behind the displays of diaries, pens, etc) it was no bike but some kind of scooter. It looked like it had 20" wheels and was a lot more bike-like than micro scooters that you sometimes see the local youff cavorting about on. Altogether more adult and possibly more practical.
I did some research after getting hime, searching for "big wheel scooters" didn't produce any meaningful results when suddenly I stumbled on Kickbikes (which I understand is the name of a Finnish company that makes these things).
Then I realise this might help a problem I have...
I am a keen runner but since last summer have been beset by knee problems (after shifting a 90kg slab, I hasten to add, nothing to do with running). Vigorous rehab has made enough difference to get me back running again but I am still limited and my fitness has taken a bit of a toll. Bizarrely cycling makes it worse, and attempts to while away the hours on my turbo in the winter resulted in a knee that swelled up to twice its usual size. Again I'm back on the bike (or in my case, recumbent trike) but I still can't put the effort in that I used to.
Kickbikes seem an interesting hybrid between running and cycling. Part of my running is exercising two of our energetic dogs, I take them out canicross-style several times a week but my own body weight's worth of pulling dogs doesn't help my achy knee. I've realised that I have in fact seen kickbikes before used as a variation of canicross.
Has anyone round here had any experience of them? My thoughts are that they might be a viable cross training alternative to running. I am a pretty poor mountain biker and in any case to get the sort of exercise I get out of running I need to spend at least twice the time if not more cycling to achieve the same effect. Bizarre perhaps, but I'm looking for something harder than cycling and more like running. A kickbike might also solve the dog exercise problem: I've never felt I have had sufficient control to manage the dogs off road on an MTB but something like a kickbike can hopefully be quickly dismounted if my hairy friends get a bit too excitable! Plus with no drivetrain they seem usefully low maintenance - more like running than cycling.
I've had passing interest in Eliptigos for a similar reason but they seem potentially very heavy and probably not as forestry track and dog compatible as I might like - and not very portable either.
Any experiences would be much appreciated! I live a long way from urban centres so testing one out is going to be challenging.
I did some research after getting hime, searching for "big wheel scooters" didn't produce any meaningful results when suddenly I stumbled on Kickbikes (which I understand is the name of a Finnish company that makes these things).
Then I realise this might help a problem I have...
I am a keen runner but since last summer have been beset by knee problems (after shifting a 90kg slab, I hasten to add, nothing to do with running). Vigorous rehab has made enough difference to get me back running again but I am still limited and my fitness has taken a bit of a toll. Bizarrely cycling makes it worse, and attempts to while away the hours on my turbo in the winter resulted in a knee that swelled up to twice its usual size. Again I'm back on the bike (or in my case, recumbent trike) but I still can't put the effort in that I used to.
Kickbikes seem an interesting hybrid between running and cycling. Part of my running is exercising two of our energetic dogs, I take them out canicross-style several times a week but my own body weight's worth of pulling dogs doesn't help my achy knee. I've realised that I have in fact seen kickbikes before used as a variation of canicross.
Has anyone round here had any experience of them? My thoughts are that they might be a viable cross training alternative to running. I am a pretty poor mountain biker and in any case to get the sort of exercise I get out of running I need to spend at least twice the time if not more cycling to achieve the same effect. Bizarre perhaps, but I'm looking for something harder than cycling and more like running. A kickbike might also solve the dog exercise problem: I've never felt I have had sufficient control to manage the dogs off road on an MTB but something like a kickbike can hopefully be quickly dismounted if my hairy friends get a bit too excitable! Plus with no drivetrain they seem usefully low maintenance - more like running than cycling.
I've had passing interest in Eliptigos for a similar reason but they seem potentially very heavy and probably not as forestry track and dog compatible as I might like - and not very portable either.
Any experiences would be much appreciated! I live a long way from urban centres so testing one out is going to be challenging.