A new software update on the Echelon bike makes it impossible to exercise offline.

Sometimes it seems like you can't go a single day without having to log into an app for the most mundane tasks, but this exercise bike company is going one step further. If you've downloaded the latest software update, Echelon bikes are now impossible to ride without an internet connection.

A post on the r/LinusTechTips subreddit laments the wasteful nature of this decision from Echelon.

QZ, an app designed by Roberto Viola, made it possible to use third-party platforms like Peloton and Zwift alongside Echelon exercise machines.

However, a recent update by Echelon has made QZ defunct with its products, so that only Echelon products connected to the internet and to Echelon's software are possible to use.

While this is bad news for QZ, it is even worse news for Echelon users, who may have previously bought this brand for its ability to connect to popular platforms like Peloton or because it had an offline mode.

Viola wrote on his website: "From now on, bikes, treadmills, and rowers must connect to Echelon's servers just to boot."

Narrowing the usage of these exercise machines will only lead to one thing: more electronic waste. With a simple software update — or perhaps even a company releasing a new model that makes the old one obsolete — huge chunks of metal and plastic, lithium-ion batteries, and LCD screens could become impossible to use and end up polluting the planet.

If you buy an expensive piece of tech, you want to be safe in the knowledge that you can use it for as long as you like. 

Exercise machines are often made of materials that don't break down, like plastic and metal. Additionally, their large size may make them difficult to recycle. 

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When exercise machines end up in a landfill, they can contaminate soil and water with microplastics and harmful chemicals. The creation of these machines relies on finite resources such as lithium batteries, which are labor-intensive and costly to mine.

While every appliance, of course, has a lifespan, it shouldn't be shortened unnecessarily by corporations just wanting to squeeze out more profit.

If you have an old exercise machine that no longer works, there may be options for recycling in your area. Sometimes, you can even make money on your old electronics by trading them in.

"The thing is," one Reddit user remarked, "a ton of people bought Echelon because they had an Offline mode."

An irritated commenter added: "If you bought the bike to use with Peloton or Zwift, and updated your bike? You can't do that anymore. It's essentially useless for that purpose now."

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