As transportation enthusiasts, we are constitutionally disinclined toward things that don’t move. Stationary bikes, in particular — with their pedaling and sweating but with none of the moving — seem like a lost opportunity. But sometimes, we make an exception. And this is one exceptional exception.The Ciclotte Carbon Fiber is a minimalist monument to that workout staple, the stationary bike. With its large single wheel — mysteriously hubless — it is a creature evolved beyond the Exercycle and Airdyne, whose broken skeletons litter hotel exercise facilities and the spare rooms of well-intentioned baby boomers. A luxurious padded seat hangs out behind its big wheel, and its handlebars stand erect like the horns of a graceful gazelle.
But why carbon? Why bother to make something lightweight when it is, well, stationary? The answer seems to be in the “dual satellite epicycloid system” — a sort of transmission that increases rotation on the super-light wheel, which then creates a magnetic field and, therefore, resistance. Rather than simply damping down a clamp on a rim, the Ciclotte closely mimics the feel of shifting a bike while on a road ride. A touch screen display positioned on the side of wheel indicates which gear the rider is in.Of course, it might also be the case that the Ciclotte is constructed of carbon fiber for the same reasons that the Ciclotte is also available in two options studded with 500 Swarovski crystals, or in the red-accented Tonino Lamborghini Special Edition, each identically priced at €10.490 (about $11,500). Indeed, a steel-wheeled version proves to weigh exactly the same as the carbon version. There is certainly some advantage to carbon fiber, at least in the available marine set-up, which adds components resistant to sea salt and long outdoor exposure, making it the obvious choice for the upper balconies of a beach home, or the poop deck of a megayacht.
Will it motivate us to exercise more? Well, at the very least, it’s too pretty to use as a clothes rack. Maybe one day — if we pedal hard enough — we’ll be as sexy as our stationary bike.