After three decades of pursuing his vision for a dual-flywheel stationary climbing bike, inventor Marko Hansen has documented his unconventional journey in a new book that chronicles both his entrepreneurial struggles and personal transformation.
The free eBook offering details Hansen’s persistent efforts from 1993 to 2025 to convince the fitness industry that two flywheels provide a more efficient total body workout than traditional single-flywheel spinning bikes. Despite lacking formal credentials in engineering or exercise physiology, Hansen secured two U.S. utility patents 29 years apart for his vertically-disposed, dual-independent flywheel design.
Hansen’s story includes a four-year licensing agreement with Bowflex, though the company ultimately chose to pursue their TreadClimber product instead. Following this setback, Hansen attempted to market his invention independently, attending three fitness trade shows where he was the sole exhibitor featuring a stationary dual-flywheel climbing bike.
The narrative takes readers through Hansen’s relocation from Tucson to New York’s Finger Lakes region, where he and his wife purchased a fixer-upper home sight unseen. When the property proved uninhabitable, they moved into a country motel, which they eventually purchased through what Hansen describes as serendipitous circumstances.
A turning point came in 2019 when Hansen’s container of fitness machines arrived at the motel from Tucson. Rediscovering his passion for his invention, Hansen began using the equipment daily and lost over 80 pounds, returning to his 1976 high school graduation weight. He also enhanced the design with spring-based oscillation, leading to his second patent.
The book targets fitness enthusiasts, aspiring entrepreneurs, inventors, and filmmakers, offering lessons from Hansen’s three-decade journey. Hansen envisions his story potentially becoming a streaming film that would simultaneously serve as a product launch for his fitness innovation.
At 66 years old, Hansen continues to advocate for his fitness methodology while sharing his experiences navigating the trend-driven fitness industry without professional backing or substantial funding. His memoir combines entrepreneurial insights with personal anecdotes about perseverance, reinvention, and finding unexpected happiness through life’s detours.
