Cycli is an under-desk cycle that lets you compete with your colleagues

If you can’t make them get up, get ’em while they’re sitting down. That would appear to be the new trend in fitness geared towards the chronically busy (or chronically lazy). From standing desks to mobile cycling studios, we’re getting ever more creative with our fitness fads, and the latest comes from Cycli, the world’s first Bluetooth-enabled portable cycle, whose social exercise innovation is now available on Kickstarter.

Encouraging users to get fit while they sit, Cycli goes beyond letting you work out while you work by adding a competitive element to the mix. That means that when you’re cycling, you can race against your colleagues, your friends, or even your city. If you really want, you can even challenge the whole world.

Envisioned as a “fun, competitive, and interactive way for people of all ages to engage in social exercise from any location,” Cycli can be placed in front of a chair, your couch, or under your desk at home or at work. And once you’ve set the resistance, you’re ready to start pedaling and working out.

Thanks to its touch-screen interface, this under-desk stationary cycling tool will measure the number of reps you’ve completed, calories burned, and time spent on your faux bike. The companion Cycli app is fed this information by way of Bluetooth connectivity, and you can use the app to create and join both public or private exercise groups to compare your workout to that of your friends, or to a greater group of cyclers.

“Exercise should be fun and accessible,” said Cycli co-creator Dan Zondervan. “But more than that, exercise should be social. When we have a community around us, our innate desires to compete and share our accomplishments create the perfect environment for fitness. That’s why we created Cycli.”

And don’t worry — you’re cycling shouldn’t distract your office mates. With a variable magnetic resistance mechanism, this workout tool promises “smooth and quiet operation.” And with its rechargeable battery, you can take Cycli on the go, or with you from home to work or on to a new job.

“People aren’t exercising enough and it’s often because they’re stuck at the office or lounging on the couch at home. We wanted to transform these historically unhealthy situations into an opportunity to get fit,” added Cycli co-creator Nizan Friedman. “There’s tons of technology out there for fitness junkies, but those aren’t the people that need to be exercising more. We wanted to build a tool that can help everyone get moving.”

You can currently pre-order a Cycli for the early bird price of $99 on Kickstarter.

from Planet GS via John Jason Fallows on Inoreader http://ift.tt/1XImt2U
Lulu Chang