Popular Stand-up Bikes
Before we spotted our first stand-up bike (ElliptiGO Long-stride) back in 2018, we had no idea that such a bike even existed. They are a rare siting, so we feel fortunate that we had the run in when we did. While their numbers are increasing (along with the varieties to choose from), they remain uncommon today – even on our local, very popular American River Parkway bike path.
We frequently receive double-takes, surprised looks, and questions whenever we’re out on a ride – or when taking a break at a favorite coffee stop or juice bar – they’re great conversation starters!
The good news is, there are a handful of stand-up bikes available in the market today. Some use a drive-train motion/mechanics that are very similar to the circular motion of a traditional bicycle, while others use a unique elliptical or tear-drop motion that simulates more of a running stride. Still others feature a distinctive stair-stepping motion to power you through an outdoor workout or adventure.
Following is a summary of the most popular SUBs available today, and our experience with them!
Cyclete
The Cyclete is an amazing stand-up bike. The motion is similar to that of running, and is technically “tear-drop” – similar to the elliptical machine at the gym or that on the ElliptiGO long-stride (below), but distinctly different. The unique motion can be seen in the video shown here and is further illustrated and described here. This SUB features top of the line components, including a SRAM Eagle 1 x 12 drive train that provides plenty of range for all terrains. The Trail Runner comes equipped with 29-inch wheels, outfitted with WTB knobbies. The ample gear range, ergonomic bar-ends, mud-shedding foot platforms (“running decks”) and large tires make the SUB at home on the trails, pot-holed city streets, or bike paths. Into bike packing or just making a grocery run? This SUB is for you – you’ll appreciate that the forks are even pannier ready. An added bonus for those wanting even more comfort off-road is the ability to install a suspension front fork, as the Cyclete comes equipped with many bike compatible parts, including the front-end.
The Cyclete is a made to order custom SUB. Fittingly, it’s designed and assembled in Marin County, California, where mountain biking was born.
The Cyclete is our newest SUB (as of June 2019!) and by far our current favorite – it is currently the only SUB made that is off-road capable (quite), that includes a fluid running/tear-drop/elliptical-type motion. Quite honestly, we don’t know how this SUB can be improved. We’ve got all sorts of adventures planned with our Cycletes….bikepacking? Definitely! Trail rides? Undoubtedly….Organized road events? Absolutely! Be sure to see our Blog for the latest.
Check out the Cyclete in action here.
- Quality components and craftmanship
- “tear-drop” motion is fluid, natural and blends the best of cycling and running
- Ergonomic – from standing tall, to the ergo grips
- The 1×12 SRAM gears allow plenty of range for all terrains, including the really steep kinds!
- The tubeless tires mean less flat tire headaches (we love these!)
- Mud-shedding running decks (it’s designed for the trails, after all!)
- Quiet running deck/arm mechanism. Seriously quiet.
- Go anywhere – trails, grocery runs (easily add panniers), city, bikepacking, you name it
- Made to order – can specify road tires and special gearing if preferred to the trail-equipped version
- Outstanding customer service
- These are made to order, and can have a 4-6 week wait time (or longer if they sell out as was the case with us!). This is only a “con” for the impatient among us (guilty!)
- As of this reporting, we’ve had our Cycletes for less than a month, but with over 300 varied and sometimes quite rugged miles, we can say we are hard-pressed to find any flaws with the Cyclete. We are quite smitten with this SUB!
ElliptiGO Long-stride
The ElliptiGO long-stride is an outdoor elliptical bicycle that combines the movements of running, cycling, and the elliptical. machine that you may be familiar with from the gym.
“It’s for people like me, who miss that experience of running,” says ElliptiGO founder Bryan Pate. “The bike just doesn’t fulfill the runner’s high.”
There are 3 models to choose from: the 3C, 8C and 11R, and at 3 price points.. The number indicates the number of gears in the internal hub – which is the biggest difference between the models. The cruising speed of all three models is 15 mph and riders can reach speeds in excess of 23 mph.
I would say the long-stride is for anyone looking for a fun and challenging workout, that is low-impact and lacks all the ergonomic downsides associated with traditional cycling. The elliptical motion is a very fluid and natural movement. A common question we get: Is it hard to balance? Answer: No, not really. Once up and riding, it’s very stable, similar to a bike (though don’t try to ride without at least one hand on the bars…that’s not going to happen). However, there is a bit of a learning curve with the getting on/off part. And to be honest, we don’t think we’d enjoy riding this in a lot of traffic with many stops/starts.
Bottom-line: Anyone that can balance and feel confident on a bike should have no problem feeling confident on the long-stride after just a few minutes of warm up.
We’ve placed close to 2,000 miles on our 8Cs in the past year, and we couldn’t be happier with them. We just completed our 2nd Metric Century ride on them and are looking forward to some longer group rides in the near future.
Check out the ElliptiGO long-stride in action here.
- Natural form and fluid motion (hips & legs)
- Surprisingly fast! Can generally keep up with slower road cyclist or folks on mountain bikes
- Great climbing ability (15% grade, no problem)
- If you like hills, choose the 8C or 11R model. Consider the 3C for mostly flat riding, and if you don’t want to break the bank
- stable ascending at slow speeds – same or better than a road bike.
- Comfortable on long, Century+ rides! No pressure points!
- 3 models to choose from, at 3 price points
- Low maintenance (after almost a year and 2,000 miles each, we’ve not needed to do anything but lube the chain and replace a worn tire)
- Great customer support videos on-line (i.e., changing rear tire – recommended!)
- Challenging to change rear flats (if you’re like us, allow 30 minutes)
- The small wheels (20-inch) can make high speed descents, combined with poor road conditions a bit unnerving (control your speed, and pay attention to the road surface!)
- Must stay on paved surfaces – not only due to the otherwise rough-ride, but because debris can & will get inside the tracks, requiring its manual removal
- The tracks make a “swishing” noise with each stride – you quickly get used to it
ElliptiGO SUB
This fun video from ElliptiGO sums up this stand-up bike. The motion on the ElliptiGO SUB is is circular, just like a traditional bike. It’s lightweight, very portable and a lot of fun! The stem is adjustable, and comes with ergonomic grips (just like the long-stride). It comes equipped with 8 gears – which we’ve found great for climbing, but on flat to gently rolling terrain, the 8-gears just isn’t enough. We find ourselves spinning out fairly regularly. Perhaps the forced higher cadence is not a bad trade-off. This SUB has an average cruising speed of 12 mph, with hard efforts yielding 20 mph.
Bottom-line: With our SUB seeing more than 6 months of use of of use, we can fairly say: It’s a good workout in a short amount of time – but not the first choice for any long-distance ride (leave that for the more fluid, natural Long-stride or Cyclete). Owing to the short wheelbase, and 20-inch wheels – it can be a rough ride on less than ideal road surfaces.
Check out our SUB in action here.
- Lightweight (28.8 lbs) and very portable (ours regularly goes to the train station where it’s hauled on/off fairy easily)
- Climbs steep hills with ease!
- Decent cruising speed (12 mph for us which is consistent with ElliptiGO – of course, your mileage may vary!)
- Great ergonomics – upright, of course!
- Price won’t set you back too much.
- Can be a rough ride on bumpy roads.
- The long cranks may take some getting use
- The non-elliptical motion is not fluid, or natural – fine for shorter distance and cross-training, but not something you’d likely want to for a long haul (the Long-stride or Cyclete are ideal for that).
ElliptiGO MSUB and RSUB
This are ElliptiGO’s latest offerings (Spring 2019). Think of the MSUB and RSUB as the big brothers to the regular SUB (above). The mountain bike version (MSUB) comes equipped with front suspension, knobby 26-inch tires, and 10-gears. It looks well equipped for trails – check out this video to see for yourself! The RSUB is simply the road-version. The pedal motion is circular, like a bike rather than elliptical. Our test-ride left us with the following impression:
- The larger tire size makes for a much improved ride in terms of comfort;
- The circular pedal motion is not the fluid, comfortable motion we’ve come to really appreciate with the Cyclete (tear-drop) or the ElliptiGO long-stride (elliptical)
- It’s relatively compact size and comfortable upright position make it a fun option for shorter distances and to mix up one’s training.
We’re anxiously awaiting a test-ride on both of these. We’ll provide some first-hand feedback when we do.
Read more about the MSUB here.
- Large, 27.5-inch wheels
- Front suspension (100 mm of travel)
- 10-gears
- Nice colors (matte black, aqua and orange)
- disc brakes
- From the specs and this video, looks like a trail worthy mountain stand-up bike!
- Adjustable steering column (same as all ElliptiGO products)
- We’ve yet to have a test ride – stay tuned!
- Haven’t heard of any negatives…..
- We’ve yet to have a test ride – stay tuned!
ElliptiGO Arc Compact Stride
ElliptiGo’s Compact-Stride bikes come in ARC 3, 8, and 24. As with the Long-stride model (above) riders can choose how many gears they want, as indicated by the model number, best determined based on the type of terrain you will ride. The ARC 3 is best suited for mostly flat terrain and mild hills (up to 5 percent grade) and the ARC 8 or ARC 24 are options for any ride, including hilly terrain (20 to 30 percent grade). The cruising speed of all three models is 12 mph and riders can reach speeds over 20 mph.
Check out the Arc in action here.
- Lightweight and portable (more so than the long-stride)
- Compact stride that is adjustable to your preference (14-in long and up to 12-in in height)
- Pivoting foot platform
- Adjustable steering column
- Ergonomic bar-ends
- Great all-body workout and fun to ride!
- More affordable than the ElliptiGO Long-stride (above).
- Given the 20-inch wheels, can be a rough ride on bumpy roads.
Crussis "footbike" or "kickbike"
Kick-bikes or “foot-bikes” as they’re better known in Europe, are the model bike for simplicity. No gears, derailleurs, chains, etc. – just the bare essentials needed to power yourself from point A to B, in a very ergonomic fashion. This featured kickbike comes with disc-brakes front/back, and a front shock – which makes rough road riding a dream – and off-road riding quite fun. Just be mindful of limited clearance! (our Crussis has taken a bit of bottoming out abuse). The Crussis offroad model, the “Cross” comes in just one model, and in 3 colors: the Cross 6.1, 6.2 and 6.3, in orange, yellow and gray, respectively).
Despite what you might think, kick-biking is actually a very balanced mode of transport, as you alternate kicking, and gliding with each leg. And it’s a great workout – you are essentially doing constant, alternating leg half-squats as you kick yourself along. A great way to mix up your training, we’ve found. Here’s a helpful video on proper kicking technique.
Our Crussis is our goto for a quick zip to the store, train station (where it gets stored in locker) and just the thing when we want to mix up our SUB-ing. We’ve gone on longer 30+ mile trips fairly comfortably. And we think it’s fair to say (roughly), you can comfortably ride a kickbike at least 3x farther than you can walk comfortably. Of course, your mileage may vary.
We’ve added thorn-resistant tubes, thereby reducing the possibility of getting a roadside mechanical to virtually nil. Yeah to simplicity! And we’ve also added a standard rear fender which is perfect for staying dry when roads are wet.
Check out the Crussis in action here and our DIY E-Crussis here.
- Dual disc brakes for optimal stopping
- Large, pneumatic wheels!
- Front shock with a lock-out (this shock could be better, but does allow for fairly comfortable off-roading)
- This mechanically simple SUB means:
- little to no maintenance
- little to no break-downs
- sublimely quiet
- Surprisingly efficient – you can cover a lot of ground with a few kicks – we can maintain 9-10 mph quite comfortably on flat terrain.
- Add puncture resistant tubes to reduce the chance of the only “mechanical” you’ll likely ever encounter.
- It does take a bit of practice to get the alternating foot-switch technique down – after a few miles, it becomes second nature.
- We occasionally found ourselves accidentally kicking the back tire – nothing catastrophic. We added a mud-guard (to prevent mud) – which has the added benefit of making the tire/foot interferance a non-issue. Perfect solution!
- The front shock won’t win any awards – it does do an okay job though. And for the money….it’s not bad. Swap it out for a higher end shock, if you like.
- The stock handlebars provide an overall height that might be a bit short/cramped for folks over 6′. Add a riser handlebar for a more custom fit.
StreetStrider
The StreetStrider is a unique SUB – and the only one we know of that has a 3-wheel platform. If you are looking for a SUB that works your upper body as much as your lower half, and is fun and stable, you’ll want to give this SUB a try.
It comes in 3 models, the 3i, 7i and 8s – with one of the most significant differences being the number of gears each comes equipped with – 3, 7 and 8, respectively (similar to the ElliptiGO long-stride in that regard). The 8s also includes upgrades such as a light, alloy frame (the 3i and 7i being steel).
Disc brakes, internal hub, an elliptical motion, and an as advertised “intuitive-to-steer-system” makes this SUB a fun, total body workout.
- Natural, upright ergonomic form and fluid elliptical motion a road bike
- Works upper and lower body, as well as core
- 3 models ideal for different terrains and price points
- Folds up for easy storage/transport
- Can be used indoors on a trainer
- Disc-brakes
- Adjustable arm-levers
- Extended, ergonomic foot platforms
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- The reviews are very positive for the Streetstrider – but we’ve yet to test ride one. We’ll report back when we do!
Bonus!
Me-Mover FIT
Built by Danish designers and engineers, the Me-Mover FIT is a step-machine on wheels. It’s ergonomic, low impact and easy on joints. It folds up for easy storage. Can be used indoors on a special Me-Mover trainer. The “steering” uses more of a carving action (think skiing) according to the company’s website. The small wheels (12-inches) suggest it might give a rough ride – though there are three of them! It’s unclear if there is a variable level of resistance. From the videos, it looks like it could be fun!
The website indicates a new and improved model, the Me-Mover Speed, will be out in Fall 2019, and will include 16-inch wheels, ergonomic handlebars and other improvements.
Review Transparency & Ethics
These reviews & comparisons are our opinions based on our usage and testing, or where noted, based on our research. We are not paid or compensated to write any product reviews.