Cycle Through Nature - Virtual Cycle Experience for Indoor Walking Treadmill and Running Workouts

I write this review from the perspective of a runner. This simulates the experience of running along the road or wide trail very well. The speed feels right although it is probably faster than I really run. I've owned a bike video that was just crazy fast. The video is very stable and always looks straight ahead. Even though I look to the sides while running, I find that videos that pan back and forth or turn too quickly cause me to feel unbalanced and at risk of veering and stepping off the moving treadmill belt. Thus, a video that always looks straight ahead with gentle turns is exactly what I need to run safely. The nature sounds are good but a few of the six journeys have soundtracks that seem to repeat every few seconds (like a repeating bird call that never goes away). I just turn off the sound and listen to some music. I like that you can choose to repeat the same journey without bothering with the controller or have it go through the journeys in sequence. I also like the appearance of the occasional car, van or even some roadside cattle! My favorites are the journeys that take place on wide trails. Although a couple of the journeys end at beautiful overlooks or water bodies, I would like it better if they all did. The best thing I can say is that I find myself forgetting that this a video -- I just get in that "runner zone" and keep going.

This review is for Cycle Through Nature - Virtual Cycle Experience for Indoor Walking Treadmill and Running Workouts and that is 118 min. of my life I will never get back! I have never had to force myself to get through a DVD before but I wanted to give it a fair try and I seriously kept hoping it would get better. If you want to make an already boring workout feel like it's 10hrs. long, then this DVD is for you my friends! Cycling through drab, boring, monotonous (you get the idea) landscapes with the same trees (ad nauseam) in fact the only thing that changes are the paths and of course....the page (ARGH)! The annoying page turning in every scene, so often, it makes you want to scream. It's as though they didn't have enough camera footage for a full DVD so they just spliced together a massive amount of short rides and called it good. This is not "artistic" it's annoying and quite frankly made me want to throw something at the t.v.! The only track I had high hopes for was track 4: Coastal Cycling, only to have them dashed. The couple of seconds you get to actually see the ocean is soon replaced by nothing but road and scrub, grasses and a few trees. When you are teased with an ocean view again, all hopes are once again dashed when you suddenly take a right back into the scrub. Maybe they just got lost?? At the end of your ride....at last, there is an overlook with the ocean straight ahead. There is a view to the left and to the right but this lovely camera person (note the sarcasm) goes dead center parking you behind bushes for a horrible view. Since I've spent the money on this DVD, I am trying to come up with alternative uses for it.....drink coaster, reflective tool to signal for help if I end up stranded in the mountains or on a desert island, sharpen edges for weapon or cutlery, I'll find something. Save your money and get a different DVD, anything is better then this one.

Avid road runner, these tapes allow me to run inside on otherwise problematic days, such as when it snows. I live in Oregon and winter rain soaks the shoes & feet every single day. Running inside with these vids, I am able to run without interference from cars, animals, police--yes I have been stopped more than once for jogging in the early morning hours--and out of control criminals.Running inside on he treadmill, I can set up temperature & wind conditions the way I like them with a fan...I can break and take a trip to the toidy, at my own convenience..The scenery passes at a steady rate, and interesting sites along the way; Keeps my interest without demanding any change in pace, etc.Not just for exercising either!: I put it on the TV in the morning to wake up to. Great for the psyche; Very calming influence.NOTE!: These are the PERFECT Christmas gift, for folks who are stuck in bed for a while sick or injured. It's like a sunny day, out for a pleasant ride the whole way...complete with natural sounds of the great outdoors. NICE.Tony Helshoots tapes are great, and a godsend. I will buy more.Thanks so much, and all stars for these great vids.

This is a great product! I use it with an exercise trampoline. The scenery is inviting, at points, magnificent. The pace is steady and appropriate so that there is a sense of making realistic progress. I believe this would be true were I on an exercise bike or any other stationary equipment. The nature sounds rather than music make it all the more enjoyable. There is an occasional "meeting" of oncoming traffic on the roadway tracks but it is so rare as to make the experience feel even more realistic. The steady ahead perspective (rather than turning to view scenes as some DVDs do) makes it easier to stay focused. The only negative is some of the edits are a quick "flipping" of the page (it very quickly scrolls from bottom R corner to top L). Everything else about this DVD more than makes up for this tiny distraction! I will consistently use this DVD for a long time to come.