New exercise bikes offer aesthetic appeal

Following in the footsteps of the Ciclotte design, it looks like exercise equipment continues to get a makeover. Moving away from clunky equipment that often folds away to stay out-of-sight, two new pieces are designed to adorn a living room. TECHNOGYM presented their latest range of exercise equipment during Milan Design Week 2012, while LUNAR's striking Vela concept turns your home workout bike into a work of art when not in use.

“Our goal was to create highly functional fitness equipment which, besides its sporting uses, will adorn any living room in the same way as an aesthetic sculpture,” says Matthis Hamann, one of LUNAR Europe’s two managing partners. The Vela bike has a number of fancy features, including projectors built into the frame to create a “Tron-like” effect when the cycle is in use. The projectors emit different colored lights that change as the training levels do. While the bike was expected to be revealed during Milan Design Week, it has yet to make an appearance. Technogym on the other hand launched its CROSS Personal trainer, the latest addition to a line that already includes KINESIS, RUN and RECLINE (recently awarded with the Red Dot “Best of the Best”). The new CROSS personal trainer comes equipped with an integrated VISIOweb display, which allows users to surf the internet when working out. The screen can also be used to watch TV, access your iPod or follow a wide range of training programs.

Its elliptical movement trajectory offers users a smooth and impact-free workout, while the upper and lower limbs' coordinated movement provides for high calorie expenditure. Technogym’s KINESIS features a patented “fullgravity” design, with a minimalist form, mirror backdrop and three hand grips that offer over 200 variant exercises. These stylish exercise pieces might be kind on the eye, but they likely aren’t going to be kind on the wallet. While prices for the CROSS personal trainer and Vela have yet to be announced, the RECLINE exercise bike will set you back close to US$8,750 and the KINESIS workout wall comes with a $12,230 price tag!