Matson told me that he finds wearing headphones too uncomfortable when you exercise. In particular, parents told him that they cannot check with virtual reality because they need to know what is happening around them. However, I prefer not to have distractions, mainly because I am terrible at exercising and will take any excuse not to.
High-endurance athletes may also find Saga’s offerings a little lacking. Matson says the company plans to ship the bikes with three or four trails in the system, each about 20 kilometers long. It’s not a lot of trips, and those trips aren’t very long. In contrast, NordicTrack has an extensive library of rides of all lengths, levels and programs, which also increase resistance and move up and down as you ride. Other bikes integrate with Zwift, the immensely popular online cycling platform, or collect very granular data that allows you to improve your fitness.
Photography: Holographic Saga
So far, HoloBike doesn’t do any of those things. Augmented technology, however, certainly makes what you’re seeing seem more real. And in some circumstances, not being real is an advantage. If all trails are generated virtually, I’d love to be able to safely traverse places I wouldn’t otherwise go, like the streets of Mumbai, or even something completely fictional, like a delivery route from Paperboyor Elliott’s great takeoff from Eastern Time
It would be great if users also had the ability to design or contribute trails. I joked with Matson that they should make some version of an around-the-world trail, so you could circumnavigate the planet over the course of a year of travel, only for him to suggest creating a small on-screen pedal boat for when you’re crossing the Atlantic. With HoloBike, the world is truly completely open and limitless. That’s enormously exciting.
That being said, the bicycle starting price on Kickstarter It costs $2,599 and is expected to ship in winter 2024-2025. This is comparable to other video exercise bikes, but has a lot of potential to spend. If I’m going to ride a bike, I need something that comes a little closer to the feel of the open road and for a little longer.