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 MoreWhat can I power with Rock The Bike Generators?
What can I power with a Generator Pro or Electric Fender Blender Pro?
Most common uses:
AC Power — Use our Pedal Power Utility Box or create your own 24V Pedal Power system with a battery and inverter. Our Pedal Power Utility Box is a complete system that features:
- Ultracapacitor (absorbs every last Watt of effort)
- Smart LED pedalometer (shows up to 5 people how hard to pedal. Bigger groups can plug in our Tube Pedalometer).
- 1000W Pure Sine Inverter.
- Protected wiring
USB Only: Our Cell Recharge Circuit and Cell Phone Recharge Desk both are capable of charging up to 8 devices at once.
LEDs (dumb): This low-cost activity is also fun and beautiful when done artfully. Wire 12V flexible LEDs in 24V series, 36V series, or 48V series or any combination of the above. When used in combination, the lower voltage lights turn on first, and the higher voltage LEDs will light only when you pedal fast enough. To prevent overvoltage conditions from damaging the lights, you have to use enough of them that the pedalers are sufficiently tired out trying to keep them on. The rule of thumb is that these lights consume about 1W per foot. Depending on the age group of your event / school / setting, your pedalers may be able to create up to 200-400W of power. If you want to challenge them and keep your LEDs cool, you may have to use that many feet of LED. If you choose 36 or 48V series wiring, this is less of a concern. Measure with a voltmeter and try to keep the LEDs under 150% of their rated voltage, especially for extended periods of time (more than a few seconds). You can also reduce the voltage spikes that the LEDs see by pairing them with a capacitor.
Ask about our LED kits!
LEDs (smart) : sLEDgehammer
Sound : 1 Bike / 1 Speaker
In terms of the above list, what’s the difference between a Roll Up, Generator Wheel, Electric Fender Blender Pro and Generator Pro?
The main difference is the Roll Up and Generator Wheel are capable of working well with 12v systems. The Electric Fender Blender Pro and the Generator Pro can technically be used with 12v systems, but the gearing will likely feel too hard. The Electric Fender Blender Pro and the Generator Pro are best suited to 24V systems.
More on Pedal-Powering LEDs:
The Svelte or Sledgehammer generator wheel or DC Roll up stand produce variable DC voltage. The faster you pedal the higher the voltage. We try to optimise the gear ratio and electrical activity to be around 24volts when pedaling at a comfortable speed. The Load or wattage of your activity (LEDs) will determine the difficulty.
The variable DC voltage of these generators is a good match for custom interactive LED activities and is fun and beautiful when done artfully.
Strips of 12V LEDs can be put in 24V series, 36V series, or 48V series or a combination of these. When used in combination, the lower voltage lights turn on first, and then the higher voltage LEDs. Brightness of the LEDs will increase with voltage. To prevent overvoltage from damaging the lights, you have to use enough that pedalers are sufficiently tired out by trying to keep them on. Keep in mind the age and ability of your pedalers. Rolls of flexible LEDs often consume about 1W per foot. Pedalers may be able to create up to 200-400W of power. If you want to challenge them and keep your LEDs cool, you may have to use that many feet of LED. If you choose 36 or 48V series wiring, this is less of a concern. Measure with a voltmeter and try to keep the LEDs under 150% of their rated voltage, especially for extended periods of time (more than a few seconds). You can also reduce the voltage spikes by pairing them with a capacitor.
The “Off The Wall” generator wheel and Roll Up stand produce a higher variable voltage, closer to that of wall power. LEDs will need a switching power supply, usually with an input of 100 to 240volts, an output that matches the voltage of the LEDs (12v), and sufficient current for the number of LEDs. The interactivity of the LEDs is slightly less because they simply turn on and will not change in brightness, but will stay on over a wide range of pedal speed. Incandescent bulbs can be directly plugged into the Off The Wall and used as a comparison to the LEDs. They require much more energy and are usually less bright, but will glow brighter the faster you pedal. Make sure to match the wattage of the bulbs to your pedalers ability… bulbs can burn out!
Warning: Power supplies and other equipment can be over-voltaged and damaged when load / resistance is not enough and a pedaler is able to pedal really fast, producing a high voltage for an extended amount of time. We are developing a safety circuit that reduces the voltage if it gets over 240volts which may help in some situations.
Read MoreOld and new Fender Blender Pro seatposts. If your old one is causing your seat to slip back, we want to get you a new one.
We are offering a free upgrade to anyone whose Fender Blender Pro seatpost looks like the one on the left and is experiencing seat slippage:
Old seatpost on left doesn’t hold angles well.
The issue is that the older style, sold in 2012 and 2013, can lose the knurling that holds the seat angle you set. Once it has slipped a couple times, the problem gets worse. Even if you tighten its bolt with good torque, your seat may slip back and up, looking like this:
The seat should be flat, not pointing up like this.
The new seatpost has better clamping force and more pronounced ridges that hold angles better. Check it out:
The new seatpost (on right) has better grip on angles.
To take advantage of this offer, call us at 888-354-BIKE (2453) or email us through the contact page.
Read More3000-person Pedal Powered concert system fits in briefcase. Rock The Bike’s biggest custom build to date.
Demolding wave guides. Each of the slots is at a slightly different angle, allowing the 6 tweeters to reach different parts of the crowd. Photo: Mike Cobb.
1/9/15 Update! The Russian Dolls / BRX system is in use! Check out the photos and blog post about the 9/21/14 People’s Climate Rally in Oakland.
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It’s always exciting when you move from the brainstorming and drawing phases of a custom project into the hands-on, smelly, goopy, dusty build phase. That’s happening right now for a project that could hopefully have a big impact on how we do our largest Pedal Powered concerts. It doesn’t have a concise name at the moment, so I’ll call it the 3000-person Pedal Powered Concert System that Fits into a Briefcase. Another name I’m considering is “America’s Concert” in honor of the AC72 America’s Cup boats that partially inspired it. It’s also inspired by Fukishima & Global Warming, Bike Party, James Bond, and Rube Goldberg.
It’s a new way to reduce the volume and weight of our 12-speaker concert PA system, using ultralight materials and a stacking / nesting / Russian Dolls redesign of the loudspeaker cabinets.
Loudspeakers contain lots of air. Air is what allows them to reproduce low frequencies like bass notes and the beat of dance music. But it means that they take up lots of space.
How many people will it take to power my laptop and projector, or pedalboard (or any device)?
Pamela Parker’s pedal board at the Peace Day SF rally. Photo: Nio.
Okay, so you have a device or set of devices in mind (like a laptop and projector), and you want to know whether it’s possible to power them with people on bike generators. Here are the steps to figure it out:
First, you need to measure the power consumption of the device you want to power. There are two ways to do this. You can read the writing on the product or you can actually measure it using a device like the Kill a Watt. The second way is better for two reasons: It’s more educational and fun, and more precise; some product ratings (written on the product) are just approximate. Some products use different amounts of power at different settings. For example, a loudspeaker will use way less power than it’s rated for if you’re listening to music at moderate levels. So get yourself a Kill a Watt and get scientific!
Above: A Kill a Watt in use.
Connect the Kill a Watt to the wall, then connect your device(s) to it, and read the wattage number. (Be sure you’re in watt mode; the device may default to showing volts. If the reading is very close to 110, USA AC power voltage, then you are probably reading volts.) If you look carefully you’ll see that the watt mode will have the unit “watt” next to the reading.
Next, visualize what types of pedalers you are expecting at your event. The wattage you can expect per person will change depending on who is pedaling. This is common sense: A competitive cyclist can generate more power than a 3rd grader.
Read MoreGenerators available from Rock The Bike
We sell three types of complete Generator Bikes:
Not sure which one is right for you? Think about which activies you want to be able to power.
– sLEDge Generator Pro (our custom frame with wide size range and great branding possibilities – works with all of our attachments, mechanical and “electrical”)
– Svelte Generator Pro (our custom frame with wide size range and great branding possibilities – most efficient choice for all of our “electrical” except the sLEDgehammer tower)
*What’s the difference between the sLEDge and Svelte Generator Pro? It is the type of Generator wheel that it comes with. The Svelte is a lighter more compact generator wheel and is easier to install. It won’t work with the sLEDgehammer tower.
– Electric Fender Blender Pro (same but includes a bike blender so you can do two activities – Please let us know which Generator Wheel you’d like it to have)
And we sell a more cost effective solution for turning any bike in to a generator:
– the Roll Up Generator Stand
Generator Pro
sLEDge Generator Wheel
Svelte Generator Wheel
When you do events with Pedal Power, especially with groups of pedalers, it’s good to have a simple, comfortable bike that looks inviting and leaves no option but to get on and pedal. The Generator Pro is that bike.
It has no gears, no brakes — only the seat to adjust. The handlebars don’t even turn. Nothing rubs the tire, nothing gets hot and no parts wear out when people pedal continuously for hours at events.
What it does have is a large and effective brushless generator wheel. The size of it creates a flywheel effect that smoothes out people’s pedal strokes. The magnets and coils inside the generator never touch each other, and there’s nothing rubbing on the tire, meaning that all the pedal energy goes into electricity instead of heat. The power comes through a cable at the center of the wheel.
The hub is rated for more power than even the strongest Tour de France riders can summon.
The frame of the bike has a very wide size range. You’ll see 7-year-olds high-fiving adults as they pedal alongside each other. All you have to do is make sure the seat is adjusted for each rider. The ease, comfort, and fun of people pedaling in groups are what this bike was designed for.
This generator is for customers who want the best, like the way it looks in a group, and want the benefits of its simplicity
The lack of unnecessary features in this high-performance generator allows your staff to direct its attention to other things at your events, like people!
Above: The Generator Pro
- Compatible with any Rock The Bike electrical activity, such as the Recharge Station, the sLEDgehammer, or live sound.*
- Consistent performance.
- Cruisy looking and comfy.
- Looks great in a group at events.
- Powerful gear ratio.
- Uses the same frame as our bike blenders — you can add a blender later or get both now in the same package.
- Can be branded — see our examples.
- The Generator Pro is not a complete activity by itself. Pedaled on its own, it will have no resistance and the wheel will just spin faster and faster. You have to match it to one of our compatible Electrical Activities.
Electric Fender Blender Pro
It has all the features of the Generator Pro, plus you can blend smoothies! For more info, please go here.
Roll Up Generator Stand
Rock The Bike’s low cost, high-performance, smooth rolling generator.
Roll your bike on up to this sturdy stand, engage the generator, and voila! — you are immediately ready to create some serious pedal power!
Designed for continuous all-day use at events, this DC power generator stand is an efficient yet affordable way to get the Rock the Bike level of performance for one or many riders. Get several stands to involve local team members and volunteers who can bring their own bikes to an event.
Our child-sized version makes a good choice for teachers who want to do a demonstration of alternative energy in the classroom. Unique among every available bike generator, the Roll Up features a clear window where you can see magnets on the moving part spin past coils on the fixed part.That’s where muscle effort converts to electricity, and you can show it to your students!
The ride is easy on your bike, and easy on your body. While other bike generators shred tires, whine with inefficiency and aren’t nearly as fun to pedal, we engineered the Roll-Up with a four-times-bigger roller that both positively grabs your tire and creates a flywheel effect to smooth out generation.
The large contact patch formed between the 6” roller and your tire means less roller pressure is required to maintain contact. You won’t see any deformation of the tire. More of your good clean Pedal Power goes into the device you’re powering.
We make our rollers out of our own gritty composite similar to the concrete that tires were designed to roll on—producing a smooth, quiet, efficient ride.
Key Features
- Clear, built-in indicators show when you’re using it correctly: LEDs inside the DC generator glow at 12-24 volts.
- The generator is designed to accept more power than humans can generate, so the Roll Up never gets hot.
- Highest power capacity tire-rolling dynamo on the market.
- Almost any kind of bike works, see the requirements here.
- Standard model fits 24”, 26”, 29” and 700c wheels; small model fits 20” wheels.
- Use your bike gears to adjust level of challenge.
- For group events, pair your Roll Ups with a range of bike sizes to fit a variety of riders. [photo from Alabama]
- Generates 0 – 30v DC Anderson connector output.
- Using a 21-speed bicycle or higher will give you the greatest range of output voltages.
The Roll Up is not a complete activity — you’ll still need something to power.
Read More