00:03This is probably gonna be the weirdest cycling video I ever make. This is the
00:10hypershell exoskeleton and the idea is it's gonna turn me into some type of
00:16superhuman. You see it straps around my waist and legs and then gives me up to
00:2430% more power. Up to 800 watts apparently. If that's true then this could be a
00:33genuine rival to the e-bike. Right let's have a look at what we get in the box so
00:40it's quite nicely packaged. Inside a box we have another box. This looks quite
00:48fancy. This reminds me of Iron Man's suitcase from what was that one when he
00:55was in Monte Carlo? Is that Iron Man 2? If I just stand on that it'll go. I mean it
01:03certainly looks like a fancy bit of kit but then you would kind of hope so
01:07because this will set you back, this is the pro version, it'll set you back 860
01:13pounds. Apparently this is designed for all sorts of things including walking,
01:19hiking, walking up mountains, even cycling. So we'll give it a go on the bike. Of
01:25course we are a cycling channel after all but first I want to go for a bit of a
01:30walk in it. See what this is all about. I feel like I'm a bit torn at the moment.
01:37There's obviously, is it going to be a gimmick? Is it going to be absolute game
01:44changer? You know you might be asking who is this for? And that is a good question.
01:51According to the Hypershell website basically everyone, apparently everyone
01:56can benefit from one of these. How do I turn it on? Right apparently I need an app.
02:03So I've downloaded that, I've made a login and now we're powering up.
02:10Oh I can feel something, oh that feels slightly odd. It's sort of rotating. Right
02:18so I've got a few different modes. So there's transparent mode so this should
02:23allow me just to walk normally. Mostly, mostly normal. It's then got eco mode so when
02:31these lights are green. Eco mode which will offer me adaptable power for moderate
02:41activities. Oh yeah, yeah. That feels really quite bizarre actually. What it's
02:49doing is basically helping lift up my leg. So you might, it might look like I'm
02:54overemphasizing my movements. Going down is perfectly normal and I've got to start the
03:01action. But then when I start it, this like sort of helps pick up my leg. There is sort
03:08of some twist here which I think you have to do this bit up really quite tight. I can
03:13see how that would help going up a mountain though. And actually got pretty good mobility.
03:18I can take pretty big steps around. But obviously the mode that you've all been waiting for is
03:24hyper mode. So these go red and this is when it offers up to that 800 watts and 30%
03:32of saving my
03:34energy. Oh my, oh my. That feels quite weird actually. So what it's doing as I'm walking is apparently
03:42adaptive motion recognition. So I don't know if you can see here. It's got all of these different
03:48things. So walking, uphill, upstairs, gravel. It's got a gravel mode. Wow. Running, race walking, downhill,
03:56downstairs, cycling and mountain. You can see here at the moment I am idling. If I start walking,
04:03it's recognizing, it says I'm walking. It's really quite peculiar and I'm very keen to go and
04:09give it a go on some stairs. Right. Let's go take these for a spin. Keep up.
04:16Wow. That is proper bizarre. They work for running. That is really weird. It's like it's trying to
04:24get you to take a longer stride each time. But where I really want to try these is on the
04:31stairs.
04:32Right. Here we go. Oh yeah. I can feel it. It is picking my leg up. What about
04:41two at a time? I think two at a time is probably its limit. Now it's trying to push me
04:47back down.
04:47I don't know if you can see that when I go like that and it sort of tries to push
04:53it back down.
04:53So as this one, as I lift this one, it's trying to pull that one back and lift this one
04:59simultaneously.
05:00So it's obviously like sense to movement. Hang on. I'm off.
05:07Oh, it's good fun. Now that it's off, it's like, it's like I've just come out the gym.
05:15It's like, it feels like I'm scuffing my feet. I'm not picking my legs up enough. Oh, here we go.
05:21Taking you a tour. So up here, we've got the Cycling Weekly archive. And as you can see,
05:28there is many very old photos. Enforest CC. If you're from Enforest CC, let us know.
05:38Now this is where the real secrets lie. So I found the proper old cupboard. So if we go for
05:44like one of
05:44these 1903, volume 25 of the cycling magazine. So it's all obviously a hardback copy. Got to be
05:55very careful. They're talking about a ring quadrant there. The cycle manufacturer. Look at this one.
06:03The star model. I've been run over by a milk cart. Hate it when that happens. Anyway,
06:09we'll put them away for now because, well, we're living in about the year 2100 here. And next job,
06:18let's go and see if these work on a bike. We're not interested in any of them. What have we
06:25got?
06:27So, as you can see, not an e-bike. Or is it?
06:37Right. Got it in transparency mode. Let's, this could go one of two ways, I guess.
06:45Oh. How does this work then? I'm going to go mount it like that. So, no assistance at the moment.
06:59Let's just see. I mean, the saddle is too high. It feels a bit peculiar, but I mean, I'm doing
07:06it.
07:07I can ride a bike. Let's go for some assistance. We're going to go left, I reckon. Dead End Road.
07:15Sorry about the helmet. Right. Oh, we've got assistance. Oh, hello. I'll tell you what.
07:24I am not doing anything. Honestly, I am glass cranking as glass cranking can be. And I am moving.
07:35And this is just in eco mode. Right. I'm now in hyper mode. So,
07:42I'm expecting big things. Big watts. Right. Let's try and do a bit of a turn.
07:49It's doing it.
07:52It really is doing it. I can feel like there is a fair bit of movement around here. And this
07:57bit
07:57feels quite warm. But, I mean, it's just wanting me to pedal faster and faster.
08:06See you later. It really does work quite well then. But then you go down through a gear and
08:15it's no longer got that like resistance to push against. And then it sort of is just
08:23just like that. Like you turn around and then it thinks you're taking a step or
08:28and then it sort of, well, tries to force your leg up, which to be fair, it does stop when
08:35it realises
08:36you don't want to. It gives you that extra oomph to get away from a traffic light or something. I
08:42feel
08:42like I am already getting sweaty under here, which probably isn't the most comfortable on a long ride.
08:50So, yeah, I am slightly less sceptical now. It does sort of work. Well, it does work.
08:57But as you can see here, it's trying to sort of do some actions.
09:01I guess my next question is, is it actually legal on a bike?
09:05I mean, I haven't read anywhere in the instructions that it's not.
09:09But as many of you will know, in the UK, if you are to use an e-bike with pedal
09:14assist,
09:14the pedal assist will cut out at 25 kilometres an hour. Whereas, I mean, I'm assuming that this won't.
09:22And is that allowed? Is it turning a bike into an e-bike? Or is it turning me into just
09:31a stronger
09:31rider? So let's go and put on some proper clothes, some proper cycling clothes, and go and see if this
09:38works to make me quicker up some climbs. Now, I know what you're thinking. Do they work on a climb?
09:45And to find out, I've come to the world's most famous climb, Alc Duez. And the answer is kind of.
09:54They do definitely provide you with some assistance. Now, on the box, it says 800 watts. They provide
10:03nothing like that. We're filming this from an e-bike that has about 350 watts. And it's definitely
10:11faster than I am. I'd say they're providing maybe, at a push, about 200 watts of assistance
10:18in their hyper mode. There is some other things that you need to consider if you want to cycle with
10:25these, shall we say, properly. They need to be done up very tight around your waist. And what that means
10:35is that it's quite hard to take deep breaths. So that's not ideal. The other thing, they cover your
10:43pockets so you can't carry anything. I realized that when I almost crushed my phone and popped a gel.
10:54Other than that, they do kind of work. It is quite warm around this area. Obviously,
11:02it's not very breathable. But yes, they do provide some assistance. I think it comes down to,
11:10who are these actually for? Because most people would be better off, from a pure cycling perspective,
11:17with an e-bike. Now, granted, a lot of e-bikes are more expensive than this. But potentially,
11:24you could get a switch kit for your bike, or something along those lines. And that's sort of
11:29a comparable value. And it does work better. It's more comfortable, that's for sure. However, later,
11:38I might try and walk up that, or maybe that. And obviously, with a switch kit or an e-bike,
11:46that wouldn't help me much. Whereas with this, you do have that added versatility.
11:53Now, I don't think that they're quite there yet. But for a first attempt, it is really interesting
12:01tech. And in a few years time, I think this could be a genuine option. Let me know what you
12:09think,
12:10down in the comment section below. And I'm going to try and beat my PR up out of the US.
12:16Right.
12:17yep
12:17.
12:17.
12:18.
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