Such a conundrum doesn't stop designers from trying to build devices that improve both looks and utility. One recent award-winner caught my eye - twice, actually, though I didn't realize that at first.

Five years ago, Pete Schenk worked in information technology, and in his off hours was a committed bicyclist. Because he lived in snowy Park City, Utah, he had to move his training indoors at least five months a year.

"One of things that always bothered me," Schenk says, "was that none of the bikes I could ride either in clubs or at home felt realistic, like something I was riding outside." So he set out to make one that did.

Taking the idea of an "indoor trainer," a stand that turns an ordinary outdoor bicycle into a stationary one, Schenk tried to achieve more of an outdoor feel by using springs in the base. He took sketches and the prototype to Strategix ID, a product-development company in Bozeman, Mont. (which recently opened a Seattle office). Several industrial designers there also were cyclists and took a keen interest in the project.

"It was fun to put a biking perspective into fitness equipment," says one, Cory Williamson.

For starters, the design team decided it would be more cost-effective to build a one-piece adjustable stationary bike instead of a stand that attempted to accommodate all different types of bicycles.

The cornerstone became a simple outrigger design with a four-point, pivoting suspension system that lets the bike move with the rider. Especially when a user stands up to pedal, the bike leans from side to side - like when Tour de France riders are grinding through those agonizing, hours-long climbs in the mountain stages - around a fixed front pivot. It absorbs loads from the crank via a rear suspension point, like a mountain bike.

Cast aluminum allows a frame that's lightweight yet strong enough to approach the sleek, minimalist shape of some modern outdoor bikes. Its forward cant makes it clearly intended for serious riders. 

The TR5 incorporates a pivoting suspension system into an ultra-modern stationary bike.

A Kevlar-reinforced eccentric belt drive system is smooth and quiet. An eddy current system also cuts down on noise, offers a wide range of resistance, can resist a load of almost 2 1/4 horsepower (compared with about 1/2 for a common exercise bike) and has a lever for easy adjustment, instead of a dial.

To allow owners to customize the bike, "Everything you touch, you can change," Williamson says, including handlebar, seat, pedals and crank. The seat can be adjusted with one hand while a user is riding the bike. The handlebar head tube is reversed from the norm so it moves away as it's raised, to stay comfortable for taller users. The bike can support up to 350 pounds, is easy to get on and off, and includes an electronic monitor.

After two years in development, the bright red TR5 (as in True Ride) was complete, with four pending patents, a deal with fitness company Athlon Fitness (for whom Strategix ID had designed treadmills) and a suggested retail price of $1,399. It won a gold medal in the Industrial Design Society of America's annual design competition. (To see all the winners, go to www.idsa.org. More sketches and specs on the TR5 are at www.strategixid.com. Athlon is at www.athlonfitness.com.)

I haven't tried out a TR5 locally - the only shop in the state with one in stock is in Spokane (Exercise Equipment Sales, W. 530 Main; 509-624-8726). But as I was learning more about the bike, I realized I had test-ridden one, once, at a sporting-goods trade show early last year. The bike was brand new and gave me easily my most interesting exercise-bike experience. While seated I enjoyed a subtle, pleasing lateral movement. It got even more fun when I stood up on the pedals to "climb": the bike swayed and bounced while I really cranked. I could almost imagine wearing the polka-dot jersey while climbing the Pyrenees.