The New York Times
April 25, 2005

Power of One Foot Pushing

Not ‘Easy Rider,’ but these two-wheelers are giving runners low-impact workouts.
The Kickbike is a strange-looking contraption that actually makes a lot of sense. A medical student in Helsinki invented Kickbikes in 1993 by modifying a scooter with a bike-size front wheel, a wide foot bed that makes it easy to switch legs in midcourse and hand brakes. In the last few years Kickbikes have become a favorite of some (ultra-) marathoners and other racers in the united States who appreciate how these grown-up scooters work their legs but leave them less sore than high-impact exercise.

After Roger Behrendt began marketing Kickbikes to personal trainers and physical therapists in the United States last year, Kickbikes also started appearing beneath the feet of recreational athletes. (They are on sale at www.KickBikeAmerica.com and selected bike stores.) There are four models ranging from the City Cruiser for the commuter to the Millennium Racer, which has hit a top speed of 60 m.p.h. downhill. Wearing a helmet is, of course, a good idea.

Dr. Dean Cosgrove, a 15-time Hawaiian Ironman finisher and an exercise physiologist, swears by his Kickbike because he can do outdoor miles with none of running’s pounding or cycling’s long hours in a set position. And at 45 he likes the way alternating his kicking leg increases his balance and spinal flexibility. “I’ve had my 75-year-old dad on it,” he added, “but my two teenage daughters have a blast with it, too.”
Jim Delzer, a physical therapist who has kicked across America, has his own theory: “Kicking backward loosens his legs. “My knees actually feel better after a hard kick workout, like I’ve just done yoga.”

-Christopher McDougall