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Stair Climber Breaks Loose And Wanders Around

Gizmag - a great website that reminds me a lot of the old Popular Science magazine - has an article on the winner of the Yahoo! Search Marketing Think Big contest - the StairCycle. It's kind of an odd hybrid of a bicycle and a stair stepper. I guess the idea is that you can tour your neighborhood while climbing your stairs. Personally I never understood why people would pay a lot of money to buy a machine to climb stairs when there are plenty of actual stairs around they could use for free.

The Stair Cycle pricing is hefty to say the least. You could buy two or three Kickbikes for less. Still, the fact that the judge that selected it as the top entry was none other than Sir Richard Branson is sure to generate a lot of attention.

Priced at US$795 the StairCycle can be used indoors or outdoors as it comes with an additional mounting device to turn it into a stationary stepper machine at an extra US$200 Ethere’s also a childrens version at US$595.

The staircycle -a mobile stair climber

Kickbike Japan Website Online

It looks like Knickerbocker Trading House, the Kickbike distributor here in Japan, has put the Kickbike Japan website online. The website features the City Cruiser, City Sports (Sport Classic), and Kickbike XC (Cross Country) models (no mention of the Millenium Racer at this point). There is also no mention of pricing yet, just a mail-to link.

http://www.kickbike.jp/

"A Habit to Kick"

It seems like Kickbiking is getting a lot more attention, especially in the press lately. This week there’s a great article by Marc Silver in US News & World Report:

A Habit to Kick
Up ahead is a bevy of boys on bicycles. Me, I'm on my new kick bike--handlebars, hand brakes, and big wheel in front, but no pedals, no seat, an aluminum deck for standing, and a wee back wheel. One foot is on the deck. The other is kicking backwards. Did I mention there's a basket? And that I'm wearing a helmet for safety's sake? Feeling like a junior high nerd, I steel myself for hoots of derision.


Instead, I hear: "Cool scooter."
"Awesome."
"I want one."

USNews.com: Diversions (6/13/05)