My first memorable exposure to the possibilities of pedal power was over ten years ago at Chowpatty Beach in Mumbai. After dodging the attentions of eager head-masseurs, and tripping over a pack of drowsing puppies (it was nighttime), I found myself checking out a rickety, 10-foot tall Ferris wheel powered physically by an intense gentleman pedaling a stationary bicycle to which the whole contraption was hitched. India also afforded me my first experiences with the pedicab, or bicycle rickshaw, as well as human-powered water taxis, and by the time I left, I felt properly impressed by the potential of the pedal.
Happily, pedal-power is no longer a phenomenon reserved for far-flung destinations. Thanks to a variety of factors — rising fuel costs, a more widespread interest in do-it-yourself technology, even fashion concerns — serious attempts to harness the energy produced by a pair of wheels and a well-turned ankle are no longer the anomalous terrain of a few fringe thinkers. Touring national events like the Maker Faire [1] and New Belgium’s Tour de Fat [2], and local culture extravaganzas such as the Bay Area’s Bicycle Film Fest, [3] Cyclecide Bike Rodeo, and Bicycle Music Festival [4]showcase plenty of pedal-powered projects from the straight-up practical (backup generators, battery chargers), to the playful (glow-in-the-dark bicycle dragons, DJ-quality bicycle turntables). But will pedal-powering your cell phone charger really free you entirely from the fetters of the power grid? Maybe not, but it seems like a move in the right direction.
It’s easy to forget (until it comes time to pay the bills) that everything we plug into a wall socket or power strip is sucking up energy every second. The action of spending an hour on a bicycle in order to juice up a single battery can, at the very least, put our rampant power usage into perspective, and might encourage us to cut back on our energy consumption just by providing a concrete example of how much actual energy it takes to power something as minute as an MP3 player.
Tempted to give pedal power a try? Here’s some links to instructions for building your own human-powered generator. Tune up, turn on, and drop off (the grid)!
Build your own pedal-powered generator [5]
Car alternator bicycle generator [6]
Pedal-a-watt stationary bicycle generator [7]