Years ago we shot some footage of the CycleClimber in the back of an old pickup truck with shoddy shocks in dire need of replacement. There was a bit of a bounce. It didn't seem like much at the time, but I clearly remember it being kinda fun, like the joy a kid feels jumping on a trampoline for the first time.
Much later I went back to that clip. The upper flywheel was extended high, almost at maximum, and the bounce from those tired shocks was actually helping the climb, working together with the gravity of every pedal stroke.
What if the bounce came from one side?
That was the flash. What if there were an adjustable pivot up front, and a pair of big coil compression springs mounted in the back of the frame, right where the weight is heaviest? An angled, vertical, oscillating rhythm added to the dual-flywheel workout.
I was locking up our motel's front office, looking at a framed picture of my parents walking on Congress Street in Tucson in 1949, when it hit me. It felt like a love nudge of moral support.
Less than a week later, on December 1, 2020, a pair of 8-inch coil springs arrived from McMaster-Carr. After some experimenting with the angle, I knew at once I'd stumbled onto a game-changer.
Dialing it in
Softer 8" springs (more bounce) worked the arms and upper body harder. Stiffer 4" springs (a quicker, shorter bounce) hit the quads more with the faster cadence. The sweet spot? 5½-inch springs. My wife and I both agreed.
The range of motion is unreal. I feel like a gazelle in the air. That springy bounce helps you find a comfortable, synergistic rhythm instinctively, without even thinking about it.
The Notice of Allowance on the new patent came in September 2023. And that's the machine you see today: the ClimbROCKER.
Adapted from Marko's eBook, The World's Most Disrespected Inventor.
