An ElliptiWHAT? Get on it and go!

If you’re in the market for an arduous workout and you’d rather not spend it inside a smelly, dank fitness club, then cruising around Long Beach Island on an ElliptiGO is your exercise-match made in heaven. An ElliptiGO is a mobile elliptical trainer on two wheels, made specifically for riding around on the streets. A former athlete, unable to run due to hip and knee injuries from a lifetime of contact sports and endurance athletics, invented the low-impact running mechanism to help him stay in shape.

Zach Kerzner, owner of Acme Surf and Sport in Brighton Beach, N.J. is the only ElliptiGO dealer on the Island, and he swears by its ability to transform beat-up athletes into strong, agile sports champions.

Photo by Kristin Blair

“They’re all the rage,” he said, his hand resting on the handlebars of an eight-speed ElliptiGO. “They’re the only ones made for athletes, and the only ones we’re interested in selling. People that are real about exercising, they get it. I can ride one seven days a week, and I don’t have to feel like a broken-down, old man,” he added, referencing his earlier, action-packed sports days.

As a former gymnast who gave up the sport only seven years ago, I thought pedaling around the Island on an ElliptiGO would be an easy feat for me. But after an hour on the mechanism, I felt like an antiquated, old lady.

When I met up with Kerzner at the shop a few weeks ago for my first try on the pseudo bicycle, I was already lining up what I later determined were unachievable goals for myself: Maybe I’d ride the ElliptiGO the entire 18-mile length of the Island. Then I’d ride it all the way back; no big deal. In between, I’d stop by my grandparents’ place in Surf City for lunch and then ride by The Beachcomber office to show off my new whip.

After Kerzner helped fit me into a proper-sized helmet, he introduced me to Marko Efstratiou, or “muscles,” as Kerzner refers to him.  Efstratiou is a former soccer player who has been working at Acme Surf and Sport for the past seven years. Although the shop has only had the ElliptiGOs in-store for just over a year now, he is well versed in its mechanics and fitness capabilities.

“They have internal gearing in the rear hub, hand breaks and 20-inch tires,” he began. “They’re good for someone who wants to try something new and get really great fitness training. It’s a full cardio workout, because you get everything moving. It’s light on the knees, hips and back, and you’re constantly stretching, so it cuts your workout time in half.

“They’re also really easy to transport because they have quick-release wheel levers, and the handlebars come out,” he added.

Efstratiou helped prepare me for my venture by suggesting I push off the ground with my strong foot, while slipping my other foot into the pedal-link. Unlike a bicycle, an ElliptiGO has no saddle, so the mechanism is pedaled while standing up. After having ridden a bicycle for nearly 20 years, I found the idea of standing on what resembled a bike to be very disconcerting; my instincts told me to sit down.

“When you start pedaling, just commit to it,” said  Efstratiou, sensing my distress.

I was a bit shaky when I first got on, but it seemed rather easy, really. I took off down Beach Avenue feeling rather confident, until I noticed everyone I passed by was staring at me. I expected that; not many people are accustomed to seeing ElliptiGOs. But after awhile, the gawking got old.

I counteracted the curious gazes and confused double-takes with a big smile, a loud “hello” and a quick wave, if I was feeling brave enough to let go of one of the handlebars. That seemed to work for some time. Often, someone following closely behind a person I had just awkwardly greeted, immediately turned the other way; I assumed they didn’t want to be seen talking to the crazy girl on the crazy bike.

Yet there were others who were intrigued by what they saw.

“Oh, that’s cool! Where did you get that?” asked one woman who had pulled up next to me on her bicycle.

After telling her I rented the ElliptiGO from Acme Surf and Sport, we continued to chat before a car behind us beeped at her to move over to the shoulder so they could pass.

“It looks fun, but hard. I’ll look for your review in the paper!” she shouted, while turning down a side street and leaving me to fend for myself.

Photo by Kristin Blair

Meanwhile, I was seriously out of breath at this point, heaving and sweating profusely. I had been pedaling down the street like a maniac, and had forgotten all about the idea of pacing myself. Somehow, I had managed to travel 22 blocks in less than 10 minutes. Granted, the blocks were short.

I hopped off the ElliptiGO for a drink from my water bottle and a little breather, before I decided to head back the other way. On my way back, I had to dodge a slew of runners and walkers who were heading straight toward me. As an ElliptiGO rider, I assumed I was to follow New Jersey’s bike law, so I rode on the right side of the road, with vehicular traffic. What I didn’t know was that pedestrians are required to travel on the left side of the road, facing traffic. With such a narrow strip of asphalt to ride or walk on, this presented a problem.

Before long, I saw a Good Humor Ice Cream truck pull up near the beach on 56^th Street in Brant Beach. Kevin Raylman jumped out of the front seat, and noticing my struggle to get the kickstand down on the ElliptiGO, he helped steady me. I began rambling about the difficulty riding with vehicular traffic and against the flow of people traffic. As an ice cream truck driver, Kevin said he understood the problem very well.

“That thing looks hard,” he said, motioning toward the ElliptiGO. “I’d like to try one, but I’ve never been on a regular elliptical machine before. So I don’t know if I’d have the coordination to try one on a bike.”

I told him that riding an ElliptiGO isn’t as difficult as it looks, but that it is definitely a workout!

After parting ways, I decided I was done riding on the ElliptiGO. So I turned around and headed back toward Acme Surf and Sport. Along the way, I was met with more awkward glares. At this point, I was used to the curiosity, so my smiles and waves were less frequent and less excited. I pedaled into the parking lot, dripping with sweat and sporting some really rad helmet hair.

“Time for the beach,” I said, handing my helmet back to Kerzner.

For $29, you can rent your own ElliptiGO for an hour at Acme Surf and Sport. A package of five rides costs $110 and a package of ten passes costs $200. You must be 21 years of age or older. To learn more, visit acmesurfandsport.com, or call 609-492-5150.


This article was published in The Beachcomber.