Week 1...

Galveston Seawall

Since they only had the demo model at the store, I had to pick up my Elliptigo from the distribution center. I could have had it assembled there but opted to bring it home in the giant box. That was probably a mistake. The Elliptigo instructional videos provided helpful information and it’s pretty easy to get the front tire and handle bars in place. But my front brakes needed adjusting and 2nd gear was totally out of line. These weren’t huge issues but for the $$ I expected everything to work perfectly right out of the box. Silly me.

Then there was the tire inflation issue. The Elliptigo has high pressure tires, requiring a Presta fitting. To make a long story short, I ended up buying a hand pump with a built in pressure gauge and high pressure fitting. Another $20. But the most painful part was that by the time I got around to figuring this out it was too late to take it out for much of a test ride.

Thursday Morning – 6:30 am
My first real ride on the Elliptigo. It was pretty much a perfect morning. 75⁰F, light breeze, and just a few clouds. As I pedaled up the street I noticed some rubbing sounds and made a slight adjustment to the gear shift. 2nd was definitely not working. I put it in first and got in to a pedaling rhythm. I was still a bit tentative about turning/handling and totally focused on the road in an attempt to miss any big bumps or potholes. 

Galveston’s Seawall is a GREAT place to ride and at 6:30 am there aren’t many people out and about I headed west, in to the wind, shifted in to 3rd and started pedaling. I immediately noticed you really have to get up some speed to get a good rhythm/workout. That means riding would be limited to times when there weren’t many pedestrians on the sidewalk. 15 minutes later I was a mile or 2 down Seawall Blvd. and I turned to head back home. I could have gone farther but didn’t want to push it too hard the first day. It took me 15 minutes to get back to the house for a total ride-time of 30 minutes. About what I would do on an elliptical trainer. It was a good workout and I wish I had my heart-rate monitor to see if I hit 130 bpm's for most of the 30 minutes. I was definitely sweating like a pig! Now to see how I’d feel the next day…

Friday Morning – 6:30 am
Surprisingly – no unusual aches or pains. Knees felt good. Ready for my second outing. Weather conditions a carbon copy of the day before. Headed to the Seawall, turned in to the wind and got up to cruising speed. This time I was feeling a bit more confident and actually took a few minutes away from starring at the road to enjoy the scenery. Total ride time – 35 minutes. This may be a little too personal but - my hands sweat profusely and the handlebar grips are made of a hard “slippery” kind of plastic. Might have to get some riding gloves or grip covers.  Also need some kind of water bottle cage or holder.

Saturday Morning – 6:30 am
Ready for another ride. WOW – this is starting to feel like an exercise regime I actually look forward to/enjoy. Great riding weather again. Back to the Seawall but this time I started off heading downwind (east). Nice change of scenery but more joggers/walkers to dodge. 20 minutes later turned around and started pedaling in to the wind. Talk about kicking it up a notch. Returned home in a puddle of sweat and that kind of euphoria you feel after a good workout. Total ride time – 40 minutes.

Sunday Morning – 6:30 am
Knees and hip a little achy but that may be from yesterday’s full day of gardening. Great riding weather but a little breezier. Back up to the Seawall, then a turn in to the wind. I’m taking it a little easier today. A good 35 minute ride and I was back at the house with the first Elliptigo week under my belt.

Week 1 Observations…
The Elliptigo is good exercise. I need my heart monitor to do a better job of quantifying workouts. So far, no obvious muscle/joint issues. And – I enjoy riding it! All in all a thumbs up.

Disappointments. The brakes rub a little. 2nd gear is still not working and now there is a strange creaking in the headset/handlebar stem. This is really aggravating because I never even considered that there might be some kind of mechanical issues with the Elliptigo. ESPECIALLY for the kind of cash I laid out for this thing. Now I’m trying to figure out where I can get these issues resolved given that there is no certified dealer in my immediate vicinity. Luckily, there’s a great bike shop here on the Island (Island Bikes) and hopefully Jeff can make the necessary adjustments.

Week 2 coming soon…