Could a Luxury Car Brand like Audi get into Fitness Equipment?

Posted on 08/04/2024 by Sarang Sheth

Luxury car brands don’t sell transportation… they sell a lifestyle, so what if you carried that idea to any other category? Designer Qingsheng Meng asked themself the same question, wondering what would happen if you took a luxury car brand like Audi’s DNA and applied it to another category, for example, exercise equipment. Sure, it sounds odd on the face of it, but Bose makes speakers and truck seats. Yamaha makes motorcycles and pianos… so why couldn’t Audi make a stationary exercise bike? After all, the company already builds electric bicycles, so the transition seems like a natural one. Meet the Audi Smart Spinning Bike, an exercise bike built with Audi’s luxury automotive DNA. After all, luxury car brands sell a lifestyle – why not a healthy one?

Designer: Qingsheng Meng

The Audi Smart Spinning Bike concept carries the company’s automotive aesthetic to home workout equipment. This translates to clean surfaces, chiseled forms, a forward-leaning stance that indicates speed, and a gorgeous matte black and silver colorway that adds to the bike’s appeal. “Different from traditional spinning bikes, this product intelligentizes traditional spinning bikes,” says Meng, the China-based designer responsible for the Audi Smart Spinning Bike concept. “At the same time, it uses simple styling techniques to draw lessons from Audi’s design language, emphasizing Audi’s intelligent and simple brand attributes, and is in line with the market.”

The spin-bike is different from Peloton or any of the other stationary bikes you’d otherwise see. It looks different, feels much more advanced, and comes with features that set it in a class apart. The bike sports an adjustable frame, that lets you manipulate the seat distance, height, or even handlebar heights with the simple push of a button. A dashboard gives you a comprehensive breakdown of your workout, and the energy that you put into the exercise doesn’t go to waste. It charges the e-bike as well as a detachable power bank that sits underneath the dashboard, giving you actual battery power that you can then use to charge your smartphone or other devices around the house.

The handlebars facilitate a sturdy grip while cycling, and a touchscreen LCD dashboard lets you brows through your workout stats, giving you a comprehensive breakdown of how long you cycled, how many calories you burned, your cadence, cardio, etc. The dashboard also lets you choose difficulty settings before each workout. Meanwhile, your exercise doesn’t go in vain – the muscular energy you exert during cycling gets converted into kinetic energy, which then gets stored as electrical energy in a battery pack attached to the base of the handlebars.

With the ability to hold as many as two battery packs, the Audi Smart Spinning Bike gives you impetus to exercise, also allowing you to measure your workout in a unique way. You can compare a single exercise session to literal milli-amp hours, understanding how much physical exertion you’d need to charge your entire smartphone from 0 to 100! Sounds fun, doesn’t it??

It’s precisely that fun that helps the Audi Smart Spinning Bike stand apart from other stationery bikes, that just provide you with ‘exercise’. Quite like how Audi cars are fun to ride and immerse you in the luxurious thrill of style and speed, the spin bike helps elevate your workout to another level, giving you the kind of workout you could only experience from a state-of-the-art bike designed by one of the world’s leading automotive marques!

The post Could a Luxury Car Brand like Audi get into Fitness Equipment? first appeared on Yanko Design.

This electric motorbike doubles as a reliable exercise machine for home fitness drills

Posted on 20/07/2022 by Gaurav Sood

More often than not we bring home a fancy exercise bike, workout for a week or two, and then forget it completely. Thereafter, the good old stationary bike serves the purpose of hanging clothes at best.

To make the investment put into your exercise bike more worthwhile it needs to serve some other purpose too. So, what better than having a Motocompo-like two-wheeler that is a compact commuter by day time, and an exercise bike when it is time to get in the zone and flex those muscles.

Designer: Raymond Wu

Meet the GYMO-FIT concept motorbike that has the typical urban commuter vibes, and a sturdy exercise bike to keep fit. The uncertain times in the last couple of years have prompted people to go for home fitness setups – that’s why exercise bikes have grown in popularity in recent times. But as I said, the excitement to use this fitness equipment quickly fades away. So, isn’t that a waste of money?

This concept bike doubles as a two-wheeler at least, and doesn’t sit in a lonely corner in your living room, in case you give up on your fitness regime. It’s a combination of an electric bike with aerobic and anaerobic fitness equipment. GYMO has three different modes when parked sturdily on the stand. It has the obvious exercise bike mode for strengthening the leg muscle group, rowing machine mode for working out the back and shoulder muscles, and the abdominal exerciser for strengthening the core.

In the rowing and abdominal exercise mode, the pedals jam up to provide stability for the intended actions. The rowing action can be performed by pulling the stiff elastic handles and bands, while in the abdominal trainer mode the seat cushion is pulled with the feet to a slightly lower position. This way the user can perform the vital exercise to stay in shape.

Dashboard UI design of the GYMO bike toggles based on the action performed. While commuting, the Ride mode is activated -displaying the current speed, GPS navigation interface, electric battery level, and the current weather conditions. In Exercise Mode the user sees all the workout modes, the calories burnt, and the different setups. In both of these exercise modes, the user can connect to the online community to keep motivated and move up the leaderboard.

The designer has created a 1:3 model of the unique motorbike and exercise bike combo, to prove its viability in real-world settings. Whether or not it’ll speed up beyond this scale modeling stage and turn into a real prototype, and eventually into a commercial product is still uncertain.

The post This electric motorbike doubles as a reliable exercise machine for home fitness drills first appeared on Yanko Design.

Spinning bike concept brings more approachable look for home use

Posted on 19/06/2022 by Ida Torres

While it’s probably healthier and better for you if you ride an actual bike outside, there are times and situations when that is not possible (like, in my case, if you don’t know how to ride a bike). A favorite exercise routine for a lot of people is going spinning on their indoor exercise bikes. For beginners though, it can look challenging getting on those machines especially if the bike has a lot of controls and buttons. So a design for a bike for home and family use should look approachable and less intimidating.

Designer: Yifeeling Design Lab

This concept for a spinning bike called AROUND tries to have a softer look as compared to those super serious exercise bikes you see in the gyms. The light gray color makes it more approachable and the flywheel body design makes it ideal to have at home, as part of your living room furniture, or even in your bedroom. The mood board for their design concept includes mollusks and portable water purifiers as well as other previous designs from Yifeeling.

This exercise bike also has a tuyere-like design instead of just the regular faucet handle seen on exercise machines so you get a bit of breeze while you’re spinning. This should be able to simulate the air flowing through you at least if you’re biking outdoors. There’s a small monitor in the handle so you can watch something while biking as some find it a bit boring to just cycle indoors. There’s also a screen to show your statistics like heart rate, speed, calories burned, etc.

One complaint I have with most exercise bikes I’ve tried is that the seat itself is pretty uncomfortable. Of course, comfort is not the main thing you’re going for when what you want is to burn calories and do your workouts. But it would be great if the seat would not cause you too much stress. From the product renders, the seat looks to be pretty similar to the other ones in the market so I guess this is something all these spinning bikes have in common.

The post Spinning bike concept brings more approachable look for home use first appeared on Yanko Design.

This space-saving exercise bike doubles as a functional yet stylish piece of furniture

Posted on 10/11/2021 by Gaurav Sood

An exercise bike that doesn’t just take up space when not in use – rather performs double duty as a piece of furniture for urban dwellers who find themselves constricted for space. Ones who are always on the lookout for multifunctional accessories.

How often have we all given in to the unrelenting urge of buying a piece of exercise equipment impulsively and then, later on, have it on the sidelines biting the dust? A catch twenty-two situation that fills you with guilt and anxiety every time you see the exercise bike put to no alternate use other than hanging your clothes in a haphazard manner. How about at least utilizing it for another good purpose, if you want to dissolve the guilt of slashing out money just for no use?

Meet “The-O” exercise bike designed to be minimalistic, sans all the fancy features you’ll never end up using in your daily fitness routine. The fitness accessory is designed keeping in mind the quirks of owning one. First up is the space requirement and the non-flexibility of usage. Then there is the complexity of use which mars the whole purpose of a simple fitness regime. The-O has none of them, and it doubles as a functional piece of furniture when your fitness is kept on hold for some days or even weeks. Use it as a seat for your casual work regime or turn it into a bar chair for parties – the options are endless. You can even turn it into a base for keeping indoor plants.

This exercise bike breaks the norms of how exercise equipment needs to be and brings a dimension of modularity to it. The fitness equipment comes in two different sizes – giving apartment dwellers the option to go for a smaller size if living space is at a premium. I personally like the idea of exercising my legs while browsing the internet – isn’t that cool enough?

Designer: Kim Dambi, Kim Kyung Jin, Park Sangjin, Park Sung Soon

The post This space-saving exercise bike doubles as a functional yet stylish piece of furniture first appeared on Yanko Design.

Peloton, meet Pottery Barn. This seemingly normal mid-century cabinet conceals your exercise bike inside.

Posted on 08/10/2021 by Sarang Sheth

“The cabinet that burns carbs.”

The ‘boîtier for bike’ is an unusually functional bit of furniture. The internet is filled with gimmicky cabinets that transform into beds, sofas, or dining tables, but they aren’t quite as impressive as this little number right here. The boîtier for bike, as its name would suggest, is a cabinet or housing (or boîtier in French) that actually comes with a dedicated space for your stationary exercise bike. Aside from having a chest of drawers that let you store your belongings, the boîtier for bike actually is meant to conceal a mini-gym within it. A pull-out drawer on the side reveals an exercise bike on the inside, allowing you to get some cardio right in the comfort of your home… when you’re done, the bike slides back into its boîtier, looking like an unsuspecting mid-century cabinet that your guests will probably think you picked up from Pottery Barn.

Designer: boîtier

Click Here to Buy Now: $1450 ~~$1599~~ ($150 off). Hurry, for a limited time only!

Hand-crafted furniture made for riding and hiding your stationary bike.

Made from beautiful Cherry hardwood, veneered wood, and antique brass.

Now, the boîtier for bike doesn’t, actually come with its own stationary bike, but rather, is designed to be compatible with your existing stationary bike. Designed to fit Pelotons as well as bikes from other brands (there’s a list on their website), the boîtier comes with a load-bearing slide-out drawer made from steel that actually lets you mount the bike on it. The drawer’s built to withstand up to 180 kilograms, so you can actually work out right on the boîtier, and slide the bike in once you’re done. It’s weirdly convenient, and your guests won’t even know that you’ve got a makeshift gym in your living room.

Compatible with Peloton and other popular stationary bikes.

Stable, durable – custom-built, steel-enforced drawer made from industrial components.

Each boîtier is crafted from cherry hardwood and finished off with a veneer and brass furnishings. The overall cabinet measures 60″ in width, although you’ll need to place your boîtier in a relatively open space to provide a clearing for the open-out drawer (which brings its overall width to 116″). The drawer stands at 72″ in height, and comes with a nifty slim shelf on top to store other items too. Moreover, the bike chamber of the boîtier is also accessible via 2 front doors and has ample space to store your other gym equipment like your yoga mat, shoes, weights, skipping rope, etc. As a clever bit of customization, you can even choose whether you want the slide-out steel drawer on the left or the right side of your boîtier, to account for your living space and furniture placement.

Shelving for books, plants, speakers, etc. to match your living space.

Available for an early-bird price of $1450, the boîtier is available to a limited set of people within the USA. The price includes shipping and installation, and the boîtier itself comes with a 3-year warranty. Oh, and if you’re still wondering, it’s pronounced bwa-tje.

Click Here to Buy Now: $1450 ~~$1599~~ ($150 off). Hurry, for a limited time only!

This exercise bike rewards you with Netflix and gaming to keep you working out!

Posted on 14/04/2021 by Gaurav Sood

You get an exercise bike, excited about transforming your fitness regime to the next level. But a few months later, the fancy machine lies there to bite the dust, or act as another prop to keep clothes or hang things! That’s the plight of most exercise bikes we keep at homes because in most instances they lack the engagement aspect when it comes to hopping on the seat and sweating it out each day. PlayPulse One changes the monotony of exercising the same old way with a unique take of luring all you binge-watchers out there. It’s all about putting the metal to the pedal if you need to continue watching your favorite series. Sounds, interesting already? Read on!

The smart spin bike by PlayPulse breaks the norm of following the exercise instructions on the 24-inch display of the machine – replacing it with an interface for watching Netflix. Yes, that’s right it’s not a spoof! To continue binge-watching, you’ll have to keep pedaling, or else, the screen blacks out and the video stops playing. PlayPulse One also comes with four pre-loaded games when you get bored of over-watching content on Netflix. These games including tank battles, bumper cars, and street racing – work with the same mechanics – the more you pedal, the better you perform in the particular game. For multi-dimensional input in the games, there are custom-built game controllers on the handlebar with haptic feedback – meaning even more engaging gameplay. It comes with an online multiplayer mode (voice-chat capable) to challenge buddies or teaming up to take other players connected on the platform.

As a matter of fact, at least dozen other games are coming in the future to the platform. You can create fitness goals along with entertaining yourself, and unless you achieve those by continuing to pedal, the entertainment aspect is no more your privilege. Truly PlayPulse One is something that motivates you to keep working out without any mental blocks. A practical solution making fitness an enjoyable activity – sensible enough for current times when most of us are stuck at homes given the docile environment due to the pandemic. PlayPulse One will arrive by Q4 of this year and can be pre-ordered right now for an early bird price. It comes with six months of free access to the game library. Post that you’ll have to pay $19.99 per month as the subscription fees.

Designer: PlayPulse

Click Here to Buy Now: $1,199

This sturdy yet portable pro exercise bike takes 1 minute to fold to the size of a carry-on bag!

Posted on 06/11/2020 by Gaurav Sood

Cycling is the complete package – keeps you physically and mentally healthy and when taken to the roads, it’s an eco-friendly mode of transport. It goes without saying, cycling’s attributes make it the most convenient and effective workouts. Since 2020 has us practicing life from home, exercise bikes are one of the most used fitness accessories for this purpose – they offer an exceptional cardio workout, burn calories, and help you maintain fitness without hitting the gym. Home exercise bikes are generally small considering their benefits, but if you’re really tight on space or want a machine you can carry around conveniently while maintaining those toned calves, the Breakaway Bike is an ultra-compact, no-frills design you definitely want to own. Why this bike? Allow us to answer that below.

Yes, a simple web search can lead you to a host of foldable and space-saving exercise bikes but if you do your research, you’ll find there are none that can provide professional quality work out at home and fold up to the size of a carry-on bag when you’re done! This is where the Breakaway Bike steps in with its immensely compact size. Made from aerospace-grade aluminum, the bike measures 16 x 23 x 8-inches when packed down and weighs only 35 pounds. The bike boasts of being the world’s first exercise bike that can be conveniently folded down so you can pick it up and store away in a closet at home or under a table in the office until it’s time to get pumping! Get a full-sized workout, close up shop in seconds, and hide it away under the bed – it’s all so easy. Interestingly, you can also load the Breakaway Bike in the boot of your car or can fit in the overhead bin to be carried where your work takes you!

According to the team behind the Breakaway Bike, the intuitive design may come in a small size, but don’t let that fool you – the bike is sturdy enough to support your workout! Pull it out of storage, open its four legs, adjust the height and handlebars, set the belt-driven flywheel to your desired resistance, and get on with your workout. In addition to being size conscious, the bike is built for ease of use – it features a Bluetooth module to sync with mobile devices, to track your workouts in training apps such as Strava and Apple Health, along with their very own Breakaway app. To make things more intriguing for the professionals, the bike comes with a power meter that keeps track of power output during intense exercise, allowing you to use top cycling training apps such as TrainerRoad and Zwift too.

The fact that Breakaway Bike outdoes many of the popular foldable exercise bikes by brands like Marcy or ProGear, makes it a sweet deal from every aspect. It is compact, easy to set up in a jiffy, and will last even the most rugged use – be it indoors or outdoors. If you ask us, it makes complete sense to observe social distancing and workout at home instead of risking the gym and perhaps move in Breakaway’s direction.

Designer: John Stump of Breakaway Industries

Click Here to Buy Now: $449 ~~$599~~ (25% off). Hurry, only 8 left! Raised over $400,000.

Breakaway: World’s First Portable Stationary Bike

The Breakaway is a studio-quality, home exercise bike that folds down to the incredibly compact size of a carry-on bag for easy storage.

Professional Quality – An ultra compact, no-frills design gives you that same pro workout at home that you’re used to getting at the gym.

Sets Up & Adjusts in Seconds – In less than one minute pull Breakaway from your closet and adjust it to your height and resistance for a ride at any time.

Reviews from Users

Professional-grade Materials

Made from the same materials as the bikes professional cyclists use for a whisper-quiet ride.

Connects To Your Favorite App

Breakaway was built for ease, and connects to all your favorite workout programs like Zwift and TrainerRoad via Bluetooth for phones, tablets, and watches.

Incredibly Compact for Easy Storage

You won’t need to leave Breakaway out and in a designated space. Storable in closets or under beds, this is the perfect exercise bike for those in apartments and condos with limited space.

– Measures 16 x 23 x 8in and weighs around 35 lbs when folded
– Breakaway is conveniently sized to fit in any studio apartment, office, closet, or workout space
– Get a full sized workout, pack it down in seconds and store it next to your sneakers

Goes Anywhere You Go

Folds down for easy car or plane travel—forget hotel gyms and bulky gear!

Click Here to Buy Now: $449 ~~$599~~ (25% off). Hurry, only 8 left! Raised over $400,000.

Exercise bike that is a perfect mix of tech-savvy and artistic!

Posted on 04/06/2019 by James Hoare

Whilst gym equipment may look right at home in… well, a gym, it does clash with the décor of most domestic settings. Seeing as we certainly don’t need another excuse not to exercise, it’s about time we have a more desirable alternative to all that clunky equipment! The solution is FUORIPISTA, a piece of fitness equipment that is undoubtedly an aesthetically pleasing object while meeting our functional demands.

FUORIPISTA’s transparent legs achieve a visually light design so it can sit unobtrusively within the room. These legs have been paired with a wooden body that makes up the frame of the bicycle; with the design being treated in a manner that complements the existing furniture within the room instead of standing out and creating disharmony.

FUORIPISTA also maintains its functionality and usability; with a tablet mounted on the handlebars to take you to any destination you want to while working out in your living room, you now have no excuse not to exercise at home!

Designer: Adriano Design

Peloton users stuck with ‘terrible tunes’ following licensing lawsuit

Posted on 25/04/2019 by Engadget RSS Feed

Connected exercise bike maker Peloton was hit with a $150 million lawsuit last month for playing unlicensed music, and now its customers are feeling the fall out. Owners of the machines, which cost up to $4,000 each, have taken to the internet to com...

Cycflix Makes You Sweat to Watch Netflix

Posted on 28/07/2017 by Conner Flynn

Binge watching your favorite shows is making you soft and doughy, but that’s okay – the Cycflix is here to help. Basically, the Cycflix is an exercise-powered home entertainment system that makes you workout for the right to watch Netflix.

You just fill in your workout routine, select the movie or show you want to watch, and the device will load the title in Netflix. Once you start training and reach your desired tempo, the show will start streaming. If you fall behind, Cycflix will cut off the entertainment. If you want to watch, you have to work for it.

It was developed by engineering student Ronan Byrne, who used an Arduino Nano to connect between his exercise bike and his PC. If you want to build one for yourself, he’s posted the details over on Instructables.

Netflix and sweat anyone?

[via The Next Web]

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