Full body bikes

Bike

versatile, fast and sporty

Our Varibike is a bicycle with an additional manual drive. You drive it with arms and legs. The manual drive gives the bike an extra boost of driving power. This makes it faster than a conventional bike. We can equip the Varibike as a touring, racing or mountain bike.

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Recumbent Trike

comfortable, fast and sporty

Our recumbent trike has arm and foot drive. It is suitable for touring, for daily use and for sporty rounds. Due to the storage space behind the seat, it is also a cargo bike.

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Recumbent Trike "Extreme"

super versatile and super sporty

With the Extreme pedal cranks, the Varibike Trike can also row. It is therefore a trike, handbike and rowingbike in one.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why arm-powered and leg-powered bikes?

With our Varibikes you have a rowing bike, hand bike and bicycle in one. It's more fun and trains your whole body.

Are Varibikes good for the back?

Yes. When cycling with Varibikes, you also crank with your arms. The power is introduced through your upper body, which also strengthens your shoulders and back.

What is the difference between a hand bike and a full body bike?

With a handbike you can only crank with your arms. With full-body bikes, you can crank with your arms and legs. Thus, the legs are also moved and trained.

How is a Rowingbike different from a Varibike?

A Varibike has different drive types. You can choose between rowing, paddling and cycling. With the rowing bike you can only row.

Nomenclature of Full Body Bikes

A full body bike is synonymous with
  • hand and foot bicycle
  • hand and foot bike
  • HF bike
  • Arm-powered bicycle
  • Hand drive bicycle
  • arm bike
  • full body bike
So far, experts have not been able to agree on a uniform name. At Varibike, we prefer the term full body bike. This term is internationally understood and is a generic term that also includes rowing bikes as well as arm and leg crank bikes.

What is the use of a hand-driven bicycle?

A hand-driven bike is usually bought by sporty people or those who want to become one. About half of them are commuters who use the Varibike to get to work and do fitness and back training at the same time. Many of our customers are also hobby cyclists that use the Varibike for bike tours or simply for relaxing rides. The Varibike offers them additional riding fun thanks to the arm and leg drive. Then there are also customers who have an injury or handicap. They use the Varibike for rehabilitation. The additional arm drive gives them the opportunity to relieve their legs. After rehabilitation, they can then use the Varibike as a fast full-body bike.

Full Body Bike/cycling with arms and legs – Varibike

New Mexico State University / USA: power output arm-leg crank bicycle 

A study by New Mexico State University shows: With the same heart rate, you can achieve 31% more maximum drive power with an arm and leg crank drive than with a bicycle. In addition, the continuous power output is higher. Baden


TV: Varibike Portrait in September 2017

Since we drove with a Varibike and Varitrike at the Baden marathon on September 17th, 2017, the Varibike was picked up by the regional broadcaster BadenTV. In the first 2 minutes, the Varibike is presented in the article. 


Focus: Varibike with hand cranks and foot drive 

Reinventing the bike. Our author was really enthusiastic about the "Varibike FR3". The combination of hand and foot drive trains pretty much all muscle groups. 


Technology Review: Varibike is powered by hands and feet 

Tried and tested The Varibike is driven in parallel with hands and feet. Compared to a normal bike, you travel much faster – and train your whole body. 


Trialsport Magazin: Test - Varibike with arm drive

We went to Martin Kraiss in Ulm for a Varibike test and were able to experience the unique riding experience with the Vari drive and tilt steering for ourselves. The ingenious invention by Martin Kraiss enables cycling with active use of the arms and is therefore a dynamic full-body training device in a class of its own.   


Ride - Mountainbike Magazin: Bicycle with arm-leg crank

Cyclists have well-trained legs and delicate upper bodies: if you don't fit this well-trained body cliché, you can sit on a "Varibike" and drive the bike with your arms and legs. 


Discovery Channel: Varibike 

"...when you come back from riding, it feels perfect, because you did everything, it's like when you come back from cross country skiing - you got a whole workout." 


Wiener test: Varibike - full body bike

A bike that makes muscle-inspiring use of legs and arms possible. And so it is controlled with twice the power. 


Sky Sport News HD: Training bike

When training with Varibike Endurance and strength are required at the same time with this bike. So for him the perfect training program with a busy schedule... 



RadMarkt: Varibike: Training with hand and foot bike for the whole body.

The hand and foot bicycle Varibike is a small training bomb: Depending on the needs and desires, the driver can crank either with the legs, the arms or with arms and legs at the same time... 



Trax.de – The Outdoor Portal: Varibike FR3: arms, legs or both

Anyone who sits on the bike a lot but doesn't want to neglect their upper body muscles will find a new all-round training machine in the Varibike. In principle, the Varibike can be moved in three different ways - only with the legs, only with the arms or with a combination of arms and legs... 



CROSS Magazine: Bicycle Varibike with hand crank

The Varibike trains the arm, torso, leg and upper body muscles in a unique way. The drive is either by hand crank, foot pedals or a combination of these. It can also be used in a variety of ways for interval training... 



BMW Magazine: Whole body cycling with arms and legs

Cycle and train all your muscles, not just your thighs... 



S-Style: Bicycle with arm-leg crank system 

It's like a turbocharger adding extra power...Power increased by more than 30 percent on arm-leg crank systems compared to just leg cranking... 


triathlon magazine: Varibike: Cycling with arm work

With the model of the same name, Varibike GmbH has developed a bicycle that is powered by arms and legs. "For triathletes, the bike is an effective training aid to train many muscle groups at the same time in a short amount of time"... 


Net athletes: Varibike bicycle – pedaling with hand and foot.

The Varibike is accelerated both with cranks for the hands and with normal pedals. Both drives can be combined and used separately. By using these two systems, higher speeds can be achieved and endurance improved over long distances... We noticed that Varibiking uses almost every muscle and every part of the body...By varying arm and leg activity, a perfect distribution of strength is guaranteed...


Südwest Presse: Riding a bike with an arm crank

Varibike, with which leg and arm muscles can be trained equally. And: The thing goes like crazy...


Physiopraxis: Edition: Varibike: Crank a bike with your arms and legs

Many therapists use the bicycle and arm ergometer during treatment. Now there is the possibility to combine both. The indoor Varibike from Varibike works... The arm cranks can be locked.


Shape-Up: Vari-Bike with arm cranks

The Varibike is three pieces of fitness equipment in one: Varibike + upper body ergometer + indoor cycle.


Velo: Bicycle with an arm crank

Cyclists have well-trained legs and petite upper bodies: If you don't fit this body cliché, you can sit on a Vari-Bike and drive the bike with your arms and legs.


Trier folk friend: hand-foot bicycle

Christian Fieseler from Minderlittgen became world champion four times on a hand-foot bicycle (HF-Bike).