Seeing opportunity in the budding home exercise machine scene, Hendrick’s has introduced its very own stationary bike. The Hendrick’s High Wheel is the leisurely alternative to Peloton and other such devices. Plus, it comes with that old-timey kitsch everyone adores around the holidays.
“In our view, modern exercise devices are demanding and intrusive, seeking to know your heart rate, V02Max and then sharing your fitness level with others,” explains Vance Henderson, the Scottish ginmaker’s ambassador to the U.S. “We take a more laissez-faire approach. Choose a good novel, stimulate your mind, and pedal away at your own leisure!”
Inspired by the penny farthing ride, a noble sport Hendrick’s Gin has been known to support, the Hendrick’s High Wheel is a hand-crafted, elaborate work of iron, spokes and steps, engineered to give the curious imbiber a relaxing new way to break the ever-so-lightest of sweats before enjoying a Hendrick’s cocktail.
“Frankly speaking, we find the bells and whistles you see on your home-workout equipment today to be entirely unnecessary,” explains Henderson. “We at Hendrick’s prefer milder forms of exertion coupled with intellectual stimulation, complemented by a delicious cocktail.” (Users are encouraged to pedal first and enjoy Hendrick’s responsibly afterwards).
In lieu of a screen, the Hendrick’s High Wheel comes with a manual inviting you to exercise your imagination as well as your body, featuring photographs of a whimsical journey through the Scottish countryside, finishing at their Gin Palace in Girvan.
To ride, users may mount via the side peg or staircase, and begin pedaling the formidable, 48-inch Grand Wheel while it rides in place over a patch of quaint, rose-petal adorned greenery. Charmingly, the Hendrick’s High Wheel is fitted with a 1-liter sized water bottle holder so that a libation is never too far out of reach. Other features include a light bulb that illuminates while you pedal, a fully adjustable seat and a cheerful bell.
The Hendrick’s High Wheel comes on the heels of other inefficient tech innovations, including Horatio (the “somewhat smart speaker” which sold out in mere weeks) and the Hendrick’s Streaming Service, a 24-hour video platform airing films of some of the world’s most captivating streams. It is the third offering out of the gin brand’s ground-breaking Department of Not-So-Convenient Technology, meant to offer a much-needed respite from the mundanity of all things mass-produced.
No stranger to the benefits of inefficiency, Hendrick’s Gin itself is concocted on two entirely different types of stills, each of which must be charged with 11 botanicals, then combined and further transformed with rose and cucumber essences – all of which is done in the tiny, utterly inconvenient seaside village of Girvan, Scotland.
The Hendrick’s High Wheel is now available for purchase for the entirely reasonable cost of $2,493.11 per unit plus shipping via the official website.
