Humankind has long sought to harness forces beyond the power of his and her own human muscle to accomplish the work of industry, agriculture and transportation. From the first harnessing of draft animals, through additions of wind, water and steam power, the process of innovation and the accumulation of technology proceeded inexorably through the centuries toward a tipping point that few foresaw–the complete irrelevance of human muscle power.

Technologies of the Sedentary Age reached full saturation in 2001, when the Segway scooter was introduced to the world; a product, it was promised, that would displace the last physical activity that humans still relied on their muscles to accomplish–walking around the block. Obesity had already been declared epidemic in the U.S., with many other countries not far behind. The marketing of food with no energy content was well underway in developed nations. A healthy balance had been lost, and there was considerable uncertainty as to whether it could be regained.

The goal of Simple Cycles is, through design, to facilitate the reintroduction of a form of useful daily exercise that is built into people’s lives, one that is many things; inviting, challenging, fun, financially sensible, calming, invigorating and metabolically demanding. This, we believe, might be a realistic way out of the trap of the sedentary lifestyle.