Bruce Pechman, aka Mr. Bicep, the self-described Muscleman of Technology and an expert in health and fitness products, recently extolled the virtues of the Trikke on two television morning shows, both originating in Southern California.
On Friday, March 18, 2011, Pechman appeared on KUSI’s Good Morning San Diego in a segment called “Stop Buying Gas: Human and Alternative-Powered Vehicles.”
During the four-minute piece, Pechman presented the Trikke and Tribred Pon-e as an option for both exercise and transportation, along with two other products, the Randy Ross Stepper Bike, a stair-stepper on wheels, and the Streetstrider, an elliptical machine on wheels.
“The Pon-e has a three-wheel platform, so it’s very, very stable,” noted Pechman, an amateur bodybuilding for 35 years. “It also folds up and you can throw it right in the back of your car.”
The morning show’s announcers, Dan Plante and Alexis DelChario, appeared to be more focused on the fun factor of the Trikke products. While Plante rode a T-8 and boasted of being “powered by manpower only,” DelChario toured the parking lot turned makeshift set on the electric Pon-e and commented that it was “really easy and really smooth, once you get the hang of it.”
Pechman, known for his stage presence and high energy, made his case again in a similar segment on Tuesday, March 22, 2011, on the Morning News Show on KTLA, a Los Angeles superstation that airs in several major markets and reaches 10 million households (see the video).
Once again, the Trikke and its electric counterpart, the Pon-e, were offered up as alternatives to gas-guzzling, not-enough-exercise lifestyles that have left both people and societies in bad shape.
Once again, the Randy Ross Stepper and the Streetstrider were included in the four-minute, outdoor presentation, but this time there was an additional product, the electric Razor.
As Mr. Bicep and anchor Michaela Pereira discussed the details of each vehicle, two of her co-anchors busied themselves by testing out the products in the background. While Jessica Holmes had trouble maneuvering a pink electric Razor, Chris Schauble took a particular liking to the Tribred Pon-e.
“It’s a lot of fun,” said Schauble, a newcomer to KTLA after a stint at KNBC in Los Angeles. “It’s a new way to get around, whether you’re using it to actually get from A to B or you’re using it as a form of recreation. I can see why it would be easily addictive.”
Although the segment presented each product in an unbiased fashion, Pechman continued to praise Trikke’s three-wheel wonders when the cameras weren’t rolling.
“I absolutely love the Trikke,” Pechman told TrikkeWorld Magazine, on hand to cover Trikke’s TV appearance in Los Angeles. “Whether you choose the hybrid version or the human-powered, you’re still gonna get such an awesome workout.”
Only having recently been taught how to ride a Trikke, Pechman seemed impressed with its ability to exercise the entire body. “There’s a lot to learn to master the Trikke, but anybody can do it. It’s just practice and consistency, but trust me, it’ll be worth it because the time you invest [gives you] one of the best full-body, low impact workouts in the world in my opinion.”
Before and after the LA airing, the company reps associated with the other vehicles got a chance to experience riding the Pon-e and the Trikke T-8 and T-12, while the Trikke reps present were afforded the chance to try out the other products.
That being said, one could easily make the case that Trikke’s vehicles drew the most attention, something not lost on Andy Pliska of SouthBay Trikke, there on behalf of Trikke.
“I think we have a product that is a little more portable and little more affordable,” said Pliska, a contributor to TrikkeWorld. “Plus, it’s a little more ergonomic than the rest. I like what I saw of the other products and of course, I’m a little biased, but I think the Trikke is the way to go. I think we fared well against the competition.”
Also on hand at KTLA was Fred Welch, director of the Trikke Academy and the man who less than a week ago, taught Mr. Bicep how to ride a Trikke.
“He’s a natural athlete,” said Welch when asked about giving lessons to Pechman. “He picked it up and once he got past the initial learning curve, he was carving right away.”
As far as how the Trikke and the Pon-e stacked up against the other vehicles, Welch said, “It helps to have this kind of forum where people get a chance to see the options out there, and when it comes to the full body workout, I always feel so confident going into segments like this because we do really well in all those categories.”
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