FAQ

We get a lot of requests for information from people and students around the world about how our business is run.

I’m happy to answer your questions.  Please post your question in the “Reply” section and I will respond to it as soon as I can.

Thanks for your interest!

Adam Boesel – Founder

23 Responses to FAQ

  1. JUAN PADILLA says:
    July 31, 2010 at 10:34 pm

    HI I AM A STUDENT FROM SACRAMENTO CALIFORNIA AND I WAS WONDERING WHERE YOU SOMEONE GET THE MACHINES AND HOW WOULD THE ENERGY PRODUCED FROM THE MACHINES BE CONVERTED TO ELECTRCITY?

    THANK YOU

  2. Jessica says:
    August 27, 2010 at 6:24 pm

    Hi,

    I was wondering : with the electricity produced by working out on the visCycle, are you able to generate electricity for other purposes than the vicCycle itself ?

    Could you for example provide electricity for the lights of the room, or the CD player ?
    Or is it just a self-sufficient working out machine ?

    Thanks a lot !

    Jessica

    • adam says:
      October 11, 2010 at 8:58 pm

      Jessica,

      Our machines create electricity and then “plugout” back into the building to help power the appliances and electrical systems in the building.

  3. Maria says:
    September 13, 2010 at 4:52 pm

    Hi,
    I am a kinesiology student from UW-Eau Claire and as part of a research methods class my group and I plan to conduct a study using a Windstream Power bicycle generator. We are currently in the beginning stages of our project, looking for previous studies which have done the same. Do you know of any peer-reviewed articles or previous research studies done involving a power generator?

  4. Jessica says:
    September 24, 2010 at 9:42 am

    Hi I am a student from England.
    Could you please tell me how much energy on average your machines produce and how much money this saves you?

    Thank you

  5. Adam W. says:
    September 24, 2010 at 6:34 pm

    I am a student at the University of Colorado Boulder, researching sustainable business operations. I was wondering how your business is able to use so much less water than the average gym? Also, is every cardio machine in your facility putting electricity back onto the grid, or are some regular machines? Lastly, what are the steps you plan to take in the future to continue making the MicroGym more efficient?

    • adam says:
      October 11, 2010 at 9:04 pm

      We use less water, because we don’t have showers, hot tubs, or pools.

      We have electricity generating machines and regular machines. For example, in addition to one human powered treadmill, we have 3 powered treadmills from SportsArt. They use 30% less electricity than regular treadmills.

      To make the Green Microgym more efficient, we plan on replacing our larger television sets that use between 100 and 150 watts, with tv on demand on each machine, that only uses 15 watts each.

      We also hope to one day install residential wind power.

  6. Luke Williamson says:
    September 24, 2010 at 9:50 pm

    I am a student in Dallas, Texas and my group and I are researching how to create sustainable gyms. We found your site through resource fitness, and had a short list of questions for you.

    * How exactly have you implemented green policies into your gym.
    * Have you seen an increase in popularity due to the addition of the green technologies to your gym
    * How much energy on average is produced by the bikes in one week?
    * What is your energy need for the entire facility.
    * How cost effective are the bikes and any other technology used to save energy?

    You may not be able to answer all these questions, but we are researching how these technologies could be imported into a college fitness center. Please respond as soon as possible!

    Thanks,
    Luke

  7. Megan Schott says:
    October 18, 2010 at 8:48 pm

    Hi,

    I go to UCSB in California and for my business writing class we have to write a Business Plan. My team and I have decided on creating an Eco-friendly gym similar to yours and my part of the project is to research and create a financial plan for our business. I was wondering if there were any sources I could access that show the start up cost of your gym as well as the ongoing expenses and revenue. Hopefully that’s not asking too much.

    Thanks,
    Megan

    • adam says:
      October 19, 2010 at 12:46 am

      Hey Megan,

      I can help you out with that. I’ll shoot you an email.

      • Megan Schott says:
        October 19, 2010 at 12:55 am

        Thanks for taking the time to email me those spreadsheets, that helps a lot!!

      • Bobby says:
        November 10, 2010 at 6:06 pm

        Adam,
        I am actually doing the same thing for my business plan. is there anyway you can shoot me an email with that financial information as well? i really appreciate it and am really inspired with the things you are doing at the green microgym. keep up the good work!
        Bobby

  8. Ong Jin says:
    October 23, 2010 at 5:18 am

    Hi, i understand that educating the gym users on energy conservation is one of your goals in the Green Microgym. However, is there evidence to prove that The Green Microgym has raised awareness on energy conservation? I would like to use it as we are using the Green Microgym as a case study for our A level examinations Project.

    Many Thanks!

    • adam says:
      November 19, 2010 at 6:21 pm

      I don’t have any hard evidence (like a report) that our gym has raised awareness on energy conservation. I can say that I believe our members are educated every day they use the gym on the ease of energy conservation. It’s not that hard, and actually makes the experience better to be able to turn on and off things like the lights, fans, tv’s and stereo.

  9. Mallory Mixer says:
    October 27, 2010 at 9:32 pm

    I am a student currently in Illinois and I need to do a role play for a marketing class. I am using your company as a prospect to sell BIOTA spring water (based out in Colorado). It is a degradable water bottle made from a renewable resource (corn). Do you have suggestions for me that you deal with hard questions? Also, are there any aspects that you usually look for in stocking your vending machine or anything?

    Thanks

    • adam says:
      November 19, 2010 at 6:18 pm

      Mallory,

      We don’t have vending machines in our gym, because they require electricity to operate, and can cost up to a dollar a day just to keep the refrigeration going. So, I would suggest selling the bottles unrefrigerated. I guess I’m still wondering why we need plastic water bottles when it’s cheaper and easier to get a reusable water bottle.

  10. colin tonks says:
    November 19, 2010 at 12:02 pm

    Hi, I’ve done a number of project involving human energy, i.e. ‘the human power station’. i’m really interested in knowing a little more about your plug out technology for the UK. Could you please get in touch?

    Thanks
    Colin