Physiologists agree that the top three exercises a person can engage in are swimming, skiing, and rowing. Unfortunately, all three of those exercises need some sort of special environment or a machine capable of replicating its benefits. In the case of rowing, the machinery to workout with exists. Unfortunately, it’s a stationary exercise and therefore not nearly as fulfilling as being out on the water itself. The inventor of the rollerblade, Scott Olson, had this exact same thought while working out one day and it led him to create the Rowbike.
The Rowbike is a combination rowing machine and bicycle. The product is designed with total body fitness in mind, engaging all parts of your body to get you zipping along. The rowing motions employed to move along have zero impact on the knees as well, so the Rowbike is a great choice for people who may have previously injured them or who may just be a little older. Provided the campaign reaches its $55,000 goal, the $1,750 Rowbike is slated for an April 2015 delivery.
The idea of providing total body fitness with a bicycle can also be seen with the Dual Drive Total Fitness Bike. Instead of full body rowing motions, though, the Dual Drive combines hand pedals with standard foot pedals. By doing so, it still allows a user the option to use either while the Rowbike doesn’t. The Rowbike seems unsteady at slow speeds and ungainly even at high speeds, so being stuck rowing everywhere severely limits its use and makes it somewhat dangerous unless used on long straightaways that don’t require much handling.