York Catholic School Board remixes Toaster Challenge at energy awareness assembly
Sitting on the stool on the right side of this photo is an unassuming white form, but push the lever on it and you have a beast of a challenge — match the energy needs of an electric toaster by pedaling your hardest on an efficient bicycle generator.
Read MoreHighlights from Ecochella at UCLA
Ecochella was a student-produced live music event on the UCLA campus that was completely bike-powered thanks to our Pedal Powered Stage. We drove down to LA in a loaned pickup truck, carrying with us a 12-bike system ready for an audience of up to 1000 students.
The size ended up closer to 500, but the cool part was how engaged those students were. We had solid Pedal Power, great music, and a climactic all-up-front closer, the Dustbowl Revival. Hats off to student organizer Rachel Woods-Robinson for wanting to bring a human powered concert to UCLA. Check out the videos below.
Many colleges and Universities produce some type of Spring Fling concert on campus. By involving Human Power, the campuses can take advantage of a huge learning opportunity. Above, a dynamic sign shows how much Wattage has been generated by students so far.
More photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rockthebike/sets/72157633641398367/with/8813100129/
More videos:
Read MoreA bangin’ Bike To Work Day
This morning on Bike To Work Day I was racing to drop off a Bike Blender to UCSF for their Health Fair. In classic fashion I’d double-booked the drop off with a really important meeting, the ISCOTT commission meeting where Bicycle Music Festival was to present our Nighttime street closure plan. I didn’t check the bike routes and ended up climbing this WALL of a hill. Switchbacking too tight I flipped the blender and pushed it up the second half. Happy Bike To Work Day!
Drop complete, ready to sprint to ISCOTT. Only problem is I have no lock, and they’re NOT going to let me bring it in.
Read MoreWhat are key roles in a pedal powered event?
The following people make a Pedal Powered event possible:
Roadies:
Roadies are the experienced bikers who know how to secure heavy loads to the cargo bikes and trailers in your fleet. Roadies show up early and go home late. Roadies would never throw a bad innertube away after fixing a flat — they’d save it in the straps drawer for use as a tie-down. Roadies also have experience fixing bikes and can help with breakdowns en route. Roadies make it possible to get to gigs without burning Fossil Fuels. A loose rule of thumb: you’ll need almost as many roadies to get to your event as there are pedalers at the event.
Sound Guy:
The Sound Guy or gal is essential to getting the most out of Pedal Powered Stage gear. Sound guys needs to be social and effective — they’re the ones who interact with the bands to know what their needs are. Two mics and a DI for the bass? Comin’ right up. Sound guys need experience running a mixing board, connecting inputs to a snake, troubleshooting issues with sound. Quick setup times are often essential for a Pedal Powered event and the Sound Guy needs to work quickly and effectively on their own.
Pedal Power Coaches:
The Pedal Power coach goes out into the crowd, and uses their charm and outgoing personality to pull in fresh pedalers. “Come on, it’s easy! Try a song or two.” The Pedal Power Coach pays close attention to the Pedalometer, knowing that Pedalers can get lost in the music. When Pedal Power is in danger of running out, the coach encourages the pedalers to crank out more watts. The Pedal Power coach will raise and lower the saddle of the bike so that the pedaler gets a satisfying, efficient position. When a pedaler begins to wane, the coach thanks them and recruits a new one.
MC:
Mic skills come naturally for this crewmember, who is there to focus the energies of the pedalers and performers and turn all the good teamwork into a shared musical moment. The MC remembers names, makes people feel at home, and helps speakers relax if they’re not as experienced using a microphone.
Electrical Wizard:
When you buy Pedal Powered Stage gear from Rock The Bike, most of the technical problems are solved for you. We design our systems so that connectors can only be plugged in the right way. Still, the components have a lifespan, and can be damaged by trips if not properly tied down. The Electrical Wizard has the knack to troubleshoot and isolate unusual behavior, repair problems either in the workshop or in the context of a busy event. If you’re building your own Pedal Powered Stage gear, this role is all the more important.
Photo + Video:
Great for sharing your event with the bike community in other cities. The Photo wing takes it all in and filters, looking for the key images from an event.
