The article about why you should consider getting involved in footbiking.
Most Australians have never seen a footbike before, despite the popularity of footbiking, which has been significantly growing overseas (Europe and USA) in the last 20 years.
Most people compare footbikes with bicycles and footbiking with cycling. Footbiking and cycling are different sports activities with different pros and cons. Each has its obstinate fans, some footbikers would never ride a bike again, and some cyclists consider footbiking a strange and boring activity. However, there is a growing number of athletes who participate in both activities and get the best from them.
Let us show you the advantages of footbiking. We would like to give you some points as to why you should give it a try.
We divided the advantages into three groups. This article is just a general summary of the pros, we will expand some ideas in a short, separate article later on.
Impact on health
- improving general health conditions (low impact on knees, heels hips, joints generally; back pain relief)
- improving mental health (stress-reducing)
- helps with weight loss
- injury rehabilitation
Impact on a personal fitness
- improving the general fitness level
- strengthening the main muscle groups at the same time, symmetrically
- excellent substitute for people who can’t run anymore, mostly due to hips injuries but want to stay active
- footbiking is a more complex and more demanding kind of exercise than cycling
- great complimentary sport for athletes with muscle imbalance (e.g. marathon runners, kayakers, ball sports players)
Social and other positive impacts
- faster and more comfortable transport around cities, or to and from work
- footbiking is more acceptable on shared paths because the footbike moves slower than a bike, it is easier to stop and dismount, so pedestrians feel less threatened
- less dangerous than cycling for a rider (the rider is lower and keeping the balance is easier)
- easier to get kids involved in sports, generally because it is easier to keep a balance on the footbike than on the bike
- the feeling of being a kid again because footbiking (being similar to a scooter) brings people back to their childhoods
- a variety of footbikes from small city footbikes to massive fat bikes for rough off-road terrains
- easy maintenance (no chain, no transition)
- footbikes need less space to store, easy to carry up stairs or take on public transport
- footbiking is suitable for elderly people, they can balance easily on it and they feel safer compared to the risks of riding a bike
- the footbike can also cater to people with physical and mental disabilities
