Our mission is to provide a fun, innovative exercise experience that inspires and supports a healthy and active lifestyle.

A Healthy Dream Come True

As a professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, I rode my bicycle to work almost 20 miles a day for nearly 20 years, mainly because I liked the physiological efficiency of bicycling and the low carbon footprint, and I loved being outdoors. But our bodies are not designed for the cycling posture, with the uncomfortable bike seat, hunched over back, and bent wrists and neck.

I also worked out in the gym, and this is where I discovered the elliptical cross trainer. I remember seeing people wait in line to use them as they quickly became the most popular pieces of equipment in the gym. However, while I loved using them for the low impact elliptical motion, I didn’t want to be stuck inside. That’s when I realized I had an opportunity to invent an effective and fun way to exercise. After a few tests for design, balance and torque development, I came up with the idea of the StreetStrider, originally called the Elliptical Traveler in my patent.

Dave Kraus working on a prototype with his son

StreetStrider CEO Garrett Watkins riding a prototype in California

With the help of my business partner, StreetStrider CEO Garrett Watkins, we began building prototypes in California to test the concept. As we were developing the StreetStrider, we realized we had a device that provided an effective and healthful exercise with low anatomical stress yet a high calorie burn rate – arguably the best aerobic exercise for humans. It was also a new form of green transportation. We then let friends and family try out the prototypes, and that was when I knew we had something special. Everyone had huge smiles on their faces and would tell us how much fun it was to ride. I decided to leave my academic career to pursue the business full time, and StreetStrider was born!

At StreetStrider, our mission is to provide a fun, innovative exercise experience that inspires and supports a healthy and active lifestyle. It has become a dream come true to hear customers tell us how the StreetStrider has helped improve their lives. We aim to continually improve the functionality, durability, and performance of the StreetStrider, so it can easily become an integral part of anyone’s exercise routine and help enhance their quality of life.

Exercise science has long recognized cross country skiers as the most aerobically fit athletes in the world. Elliptical trainers were designed to simulate cross country skiing. The StreetStrider takes it to the next level. For more information, check out StreetStrider Fundamentals: Cellular Energy Usage.