Hobie® fans love the MirageDrive® with Glide Technology, the amazingly simple and effective machinery at the heart of our hands-free kayaks. When the drive is pedaled, the iconic fins flex, powerfully moving our watercraft forward. Now in its twentieth year in production, Hobie’s engineers have steadily improved its efficiency and versatility. Options such as longer ST and ST Turbo fins allow users to customize the experience, while also adapting the original for Mirage® kayaks from the compact Sport to the kingly Pro Angler 17T.
Fielding the new Mirage Eclipse stand up necessitated the most radical change in the MirageDrive’s history – rotating the pedaling action from the familiar back and forth to up and down for use while standing.
The new stand up drive is instantly recognizable as a MirageDrive – a much shorter one as the cranks are horizontal rather than vertical. The cranks interact with a pair of large, flat pedals permanently mounted to the Mirage Eclipse board via a hinge on the front. They flip up and out of the way for MirageDrive installation and removal. It’s exceptionally clever and easy.
The fins are different too. Although the new Flow Fin 90s (patent pending) are as long as ST Turbo Fins, their squared off shape generates greater resistance and transfers much more power – necessary when a user can put all of her or his weight into a pedal stroke. You might think a 200-pound man will generate more force than a 100-pound child – you’re right. Don’t worry, the Mirage Eclipse is built for both of them.
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The resistance provided by the stand-up MirageDrive is adjustable in two ways. First, riders can change where they stand on the long pedals. The farther back, the easier the motion. Secondly, the drive itself can be adjusted using a hex wrench (included). Most users will never need to change it.
For all its differences, the stand up MirageDrive is the same as the original. It makes times on the water more accessible, rewarding and fun.
