I recently received a review sample of the Hypershell X Ultra S exoskeleton for testing in the Grand Canyon. What I was particularly interested in was whether Hypershell could help me, a 50-year-old, 270-pound guy, keep up with my 15-year-old competitive athlete daughter.

The device uses a 5,000-mAh battery to power its motors. The motor attaches to arms that are strapped to the user’s thighs, which should help the user pump their legs so they can go farther than they would without its assistance.

But hiking is not the only tool in Hypershell’s bag of tricks. While testing the exoskeleton, I noticed there was a cycling capability.

Granted, a 50-year-old, large guy isn’t your typical stereotype for a cyclist, but as it happens, I’ve been one for the past 15 years — that is, until e-bikes ruined me. As a technology reviewer, I come across new forms of tech all the time, and I’ve been testing quite a few e-bikes over the past few years that have left my Trek 7.1 bike hanging, forgotten, from the rafters of my garage. The Hypershell afforded me the opportunity to dust off the cobwebs and get back to pedaling. So I did.

My three-ride test with the Hypershell and an e-bike

Since I have a lot of experience with e-bikes, I wanted to see if the Hypershell X Ultra S could give a normal bike an equivalent upgrade. This is not a small task, but if it can reasonably help, you can get a nice upgrade without having to replace your bike wholesale for a $1,999 price that sits below most midrange e-bikes and certainly below premium offerings in the category.

One particular feature of my neighborhood in the Chicago suburbs is that there is no flat ground anywhere around me. I don’t live among mountains, to be sure, but you can bet that if you’re biking around my area, you’re climbing or descending. I got used to that over the years of cycling, but I lost that ability quickly once I started letting e-bikes do the work for me. 

To test the effectiveness of the Hypershell X Ultra S, I hit the road on my regular bike with no assistance. I took off at a casual pace and tried to keep it casual as much as possible along the 6.5-mile route I had chosen. 

Once I arrived back home, I rested until my heart rate returned to something approaching normal, and then I strapped on the exoskeleton and hit the road again. 

Finally, after cooling off for a bit, I grabbed my favorite e-bike, the Engwe LE 20, and headed out one last time, letting the bike do some of the work.

Anecdotal evidence: Speed, time and heart rate

My first time out of the gate on the bike with no assistance… did not go well. I actually had to stop and rest for a couple of minutes in the home stretch before I was able to complete the ride. I was absolutely floored by the time I got home. Again, my neighborhood is no joke when it comes to hills, and there was a fair amount of wind resistance as well. But I made it home, and I didn’t die, so I’m putting it in the win column.

The second ride with the Hypershell X Ultra S seemed to go better. I felt the exoskeleton actively pushing my legs down, which is the desired effect after all. 

I had the exoskeleton in Hyper mode, which helps determine the level of assistance you get from the exoskeleton, at about 50% power. I found diminishing returns above that power because, rather than pushing my legs down, the unit itself rocked back and forth on my back, helping me pedal only as much as it hindered me, reducing the power I felt in my legs and creating discomfort.

The third ride was far and away the easiest of the three. The Engwe LE20 has a torque sensor in the pedals, which senses the amount of resistance you’re feeling and then runs the motor to help you keep up. It’s also worth mentioning that while my Trek bike weighs around 25 to 30 pounds, the Engwe LE20 checks in at a beefy 120 pounds.

During all three rides, I wore my Pixel Watch 4 to track my heart rate (HR) and average speed. I also used the Asics Runkeeper app as a backup. Here’s what the data says about my three rides:

As you can see, Hypershell didn’t make much of a difference in overall speed or heart rate. I spent more time in the vigorous heart rate zone but less time in the moderate zone. Being as out of shape as I am, it’s very possible my heart hadn’t yet recovered after 90 minutes of rest. I felt OK, but perhaps my heart disagreed.

What I can say is that I felt better after the second ride than I did the first. Indeed, I did not have to take that break in the home stretch. Was that all Hypershell? I can’t be sure. I noticed my back felt a little sore after the second ride, which may be attributed to the Hypershell or to the fact that a large man rode 13 miles after a two-year break.

My Hypershell vs. e-bike takeaway

I feel like there’s a good chance I’m just not the target audience for a device like this. This exoskeleton is designed to augment skills, not bestow them. If I were to repeat this test at the end of summer, after having trained for several months, it’s very possible the results would be different.

What seems clear is that, regardless of metrics or training, if you’re not an athlete and you want to bike more, an e-bike will be the path of least resistance. But if you’re a former cyclist with a great bike and want to get back into it, the Hypershell X Ultra S might be a good option. It can help you when you need it and get you back out on the bike. 

But either way — riding a bike with Hypershell or riding an e-bike — it’ll be a win.

Editors’ note: The author’s travel costs related to the launch of the Hypershell X Ultra S were covered by Hypershell and Finn Partners. The judgments and opinions of CNET are our own.