We're usually in the business of bringing you the latest and greatest innovations in science and tech, but this odd personal mobility contraption from several years ago deserves your attention. And that's not only because it still kicking around a decade since launch, but because it's an especially bold attempt at killing two birds with one stone.
At first glance, the Lopifit looks like an oversized kickscooter with bicycle tires and a large deck. Get in closer, and you'll notice a battery pack in the luggage carrier, and a treadmill built into the footboard. The idea is that you can walk while you ride this electric scooter, so you actually get your steps in as you speedily commute to your destination and make good time.
I came across the Lopifit in this roundup of neat biking inventions showcased at the Eurobike 2025 expo, which concluded in Frankfurt last month. It included other neat stuff like this tiny motor drive that instantly turns any bicycle into an ebike, but this one stole the show for me.
It seemed like something designed to break the current pattern of traditional and practical ebikes we've grown used to over the years, with a unique twist that's both compelling and challenging to appreciate.
But I was wrong: it turns out Dutch inventor Bruin Bergmeester created the Lopifit (pronounced low-pie-fit) and brought it to market in 2014. Burgmeester wanted to find a way to use a treadmill outside, while also tackling a 9-mile (14.5-km) commute to work each day without arriving at the office all sweaty.
Stranger still is the fact that it's not the first treadmill-bike anyone's ever Frankensteined: people clearly have been wanting to walk while they ride for some time now. There was the Treadmill Bike from 2010 that seemed to have a full-fat sloped walker strapped on to a scooter, and before that, the four-wheeled Ooms Rollator from 2009.
The Lopifit appears to be the only one you can actually buy today though. In Europe, it comes with a 250-W Bafang motor wired to a 960-Wh battery pack that should get you up to 44 miles (70 km) of range at a maximum of 15.5 mph (25 km/h). A tiny display on the handlebar shows your current gear, battery level, speed, distance, and ride time. The US version has a 46-V 16-Ah battery, Shimano disc brakes, and a US$3,600 price tag.
The treadmill works only to put you through your paces at 3 mph (5 km/h): it doesn't recharge the battery with every step you take. It also takes some getting used to, and I suspect the half page of instructions in the Lopifit manual won't suffice to truly master the art of walking while swerving through traffic.
From the coverage and reviews I've been able to find online, people sure seem to like it and even make riding look easy. And from the videos I've scrubbed through, it doesn't look like anyone's getting a proper brisk walk in while riding. Between the high price, the assembly required, and the need to manually maintain the treadmill band, you've got to really want this dual-purpose machine more than a regular ol' ebike if you plan to get one.
Still, I'm glad wacky creations like the Lopifit exist, and find fans around the world who share the inventor's enthusiasm for something that could easily have remained just a figment of one's imagination.
If you need to walk, but also get someplace in a reasonable amount of time, check out the Lopifit on the company's official site or its US retailer's site.