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Sports

VeloCore bike lets users lean into indoor cycling

By Ben Coxworth
January 04, 2021
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The Bowflex VeloCore can be used in its Leaning Mode (pictured) or a more traditional Stationary Mode
Bowflex
The Bowflex VeloCore can be used in its Leaning Mode (pictured) or a more traditional Stationary Mode
Bowflex
The Bowflex VeloCore tips the scales at a claimed 175 lb (79 kg), and can accommodate riders weighing up to 325 lb (147 kg)
Bowflex

As any cyclist will know, there's more to the sensation of cycling than simply pedaling … you also lean the bike from side to side. Bowflex's new VeloCore stationary indoor bike replicates that experience, by letting you push and pull the bike to the left and right as you pedal.

Currently an honoree in the CES 2021 Innovation Awards, the VeloCore is reportedly designed not just to more realistically simulate cycling on the open road, but also to help strengthen the rider's arms and core. That said, the Leaning Mode feature can be disabled if desired, keeping the bike locked in a more traditional upright Stationary Mode.

Utilizing an integrated knob, users are able to set the VeloCore's magnetic resistance to one of 100 available levels. Additionally, if they're a member of Bowflex's JRNY program, they can access additional features via a built-in HD LCD touchscreen. These features include the ability to virtually ride along any of 25 onscreen roads, and to take part in over 75 trainer-led workout videos that progress in intensity as the user's fitness level increases.

The Bowflex VeloCore tips the scales at a claimed 175 lb (79 kg), and can accommodate riders weighing up to 325 lb (147 kg)
Bowflex

Users with subscriptions to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ can also watch content from those services via JRNY. Subscribers to the Zwift and Peloton online training programs are able view content from those services simply by placing their smartphone or tablet on a media rack below the main screen.

That touchscreen also displays data such as elapsed time, distance travelled, calories burned, cadence and heart rate, the latter made possible via an included Bluetooth armband. Additional features of the bike include Bluetooth speakers, a set of 3-lb (1.4-kg) dumbbells, and adjustable-position handlebars.

The Bowflex VeloCore is available now, priced at US$2,199 for a model with a 22-inch screen and $1,699 for a version with a 16-incher. You can see it in action, in the video below. And should you be interested in an indoor training bike that tilts up and down instead of from side to side … well, that would be the Wahoo Kickr Bike.

Source: Bowflex

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SportsCyclingFitnessExercise BikesCES 2021
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Ben Coxworth
Based out of Edmonton, Canada, Ben Coxworth has been writing for New Atlas since 2009 and is presently Managing Editor for North America. An experienced freelance writer, he previously obtained an English BA from the University of Saskatchewan, then spent over 20 years working in various markets as a television reporter, producer and news videographer. Ben is particularly interested in scientific innovation, human-powered transportation, and the marine environment.
3 comments
Daishi
Peloton has a digital membership for $13 and a $40 membership that gives access to workout classes for the bike and treadmill. It looks like the Bowflex bike membership is about $20/month but I don't know if they do live workout classes for that. The tilting is mostly a gimmick to get in on that cash cow. I'm kind of hoping we can borrow pieces of the home fitness market into video game consoles again. I'm ready for some fresh ideas in this space of physically active online multiplayer games.
Trylon
Something like this is anything but realistic. It's no different than the sit-down version of the old Hang-On arcade game in the 80s. Cornering on a real bike keeps the force vector always through your centerline, and centrifugal force makes the resultant vector feel like increased G-force. This Velocore reduces perceived G-force when you tilt and feels more like you're being pulled toward the lower side of the bike.
Daishi
@Trylon you are right, leaning into corners without the G force doesn't feel right. I was thinking the bike would be a useful sim for games like the Hang-On arcade game.
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