Built to Ride Again: The Origin Story Behind Ultiracer's Realistic Indoor Cycling

Some of the most meaningful products are born not from market research, but from personal necessity. For RealDesignTech, the spark was a bicycle accident — and the resolve to ride again, this time safely, that followed. That resolve became Ultiracer, an indoor cycling platform that recreates the sensation of riding outdoors while keeping riders of every age securely upright.

An accidental beginning

Founder and co-CEO Joongsik Lee never planned to build fitness equipment. After completing a master's degree and working in real estate development, he took up cycling on a doctor's advice and rebuilt his health within months — and the sport quickly became a passion, as he recounted in a startup feature interview (Chosun).

That passion was cut short by a serious road accident. Swerving to avoid a speeding dump truck near his home, Lee crashed and was left with a lasting scar — and a lasting wariness of riding outdoors. The indoor options available to him were disappointing: conventional stationary bikes felt monotonous and delivered only a fraction of a real workout, while bike-mounted rollers carried a genuine risk of falling. He wanted something different — safe enough to ride at home, yet realistic enough to feel like the open road.

Building "a bike I made for myself"

With no manufacturing background, Lee sketched the machine he envisioned and brought his drawings to metal workshops in Seoul's Seongsu-dong district. His earliest prototype was a 700-kilogram slab of steel — closer to proof of concept than finished product — but every iteration taught him something, and the effort eventually produced a patent.

The real leap came when seasoned engineers joined the mission, among them co-CEO Wongeun Gong, who brought 27 years of engineering experience from Samsung Electronics, alongside veteran machining and product-development specialists. Together the team built 22 prototypes over roughly two and a half years until they reached the goal Lee had chased from the start: a ride that feels authentic but never lets you fall. Sustained early on by personal savings and bank loans, the venture later earned competitive R&D backing from public innovation programs — proof that a hardware-first startup could win institutional confidence.

Technology that keeps you upright

At the core of Ultiracer is a patented vertical support system. Riders mount their own bicycle onto the platform and pedal as they would outside, leaning into corners and feeling the subtle rise and fall of the terrain. If their balance wavers, they simply wobble instead of toppling — and because the wheel turns only while pedaling, the platform is gentle enough for a child or an older adult to use with confidence. Even a seasoned spinning instructor, Lee notes, broke a full sweat within minutes.

Ultiracer is built for enjoyment as much as exertion. It connects to TVs and smartphones for immersive racing and game-style content, turning a workout into play — and the company keeps expanding its software, including virtual reality (VR) experiences. That marriage of hardware and software sits at the heart of RealDesignTech's identity.

Recognized on the world stage

After debuting at Eurobike 2019, Ultiracer earned an Innovation Award at CES 2020 and drew international attention, including coverage from the BBC. To protect its technology, the company secured patents across the United States, the European Union, Japan, and China — a global footprint befitting its ambitions.

A mission bigger than fitness

For RealDesignTech, Ultiracer means far more than exercise. Lee regards cycling as one of the closest things to a perfect workout, with encouraging potential for healthy aging and rehabilitation — particularly for situations where elevating the heart rate matters but falling is dangerous, as it can be for older adults. By making a realistic ride accessible to people who can no longer cycle safely outdoors, the company sees a chance to support both brain and body health across every generation.

What began as one founder's determination to ride again has grown into a platform with global aspirations. Lee's own road to this point was anything but straight — a long detour through other careers and more than one false start before he ever pictured himself building bicycles. Guided by a founding philosophy that prizes imagination and relentless focus, RealDesignTech continues to refine Ultiracer and expand its applications in neuro healthcare and rehabilitation. The road ahead is long — but for a company born from the will to get back on the bike, the journey is precisely the point.