What can I power with the Off the Wall generator?
Finally, we have a bike generator that allows customers to simply plug in regular devices with no intermediate box or circuit. You pedal, the device turns on. Direct, immediate, simple.
But not all devices are compatible. The Off the Wall Generator will only power devices that have a switching power supply.
How do I tell if my device has a switching power supply? If you look at the back it will read “INPUT: 100 – 240V” on the back of the device, as seen below. If the device reads anything differently it will not be compatible.
Once you’ve figured out if your device is compatible with the Off the Wall Generator. Here are some next steps to follow:
1. Once you’re set up and ready to pedal, DON’T plug in any device that is irreplaceable. A perfect example would be a vintage guitar amplifier. Why risk it?
2. DO plug-in devices with a Switching Power supply. You will know if your device has a Switching Power supply if you see “Input 100-240V” written on the power supply. Examples include most newer chargers and power cords for laptops, cell phones, tablets, and many other devices.
3. Pedal Power should be an attended activity. We do not recommend leaving your Off The Wall unattended for several reasons. 1) People could plug in the wrong kind of devices, ruining them and possibly risking electrical fire. 2) Any time people get on and off a bike there’s a chance your help will be needed to make that safe and easy. 3) Any time a bike is unattended there’s a higher chance people will get on and pedal really fast, which can cause damage to some devices. See #5 below.
4. Gearing matters. DO choose a bike with gears. Do put the bike in a medium-hard gear, probably not the hardest gear on the bike. If your bike has 3 speeds in the front, you probably want to be in the middle group, and then choose the hardest or 2nd hardest gear in the back. Once you determine what the best gear is for pedaling, DO NOT let your pedalers change the gear. You may want to tape the shifter or use the limit screws of the derailleur to lock the gear. You will know you need to be in a harder gear if your device turns off even when you are consistently pedaling. You will know you need to be in an easier gear if it feels too hard! You will know you are in the right gear IF, when you plug in a 60 Watt device, such as a laptop computer, pedaling feels like biking around town. You can use a watt meter of voltage tester (see below) to help with this test. Keep in mind a laptop that is fully charged already will consume no power. Best to allow your laptop to drop to 50% charge or lower before trying the test.
5. This product has no over-voltage protection. Some devices can be damaged by pedaling really fast, and this is more likely to happen if the bike is in too hard of a gear. In our experience, pedaling too fast is not something you will ever do by accident. It only happens when a pedaler gets on and wants to see what happens when they pedal like crazy. So as long as you don’t allow that to happen you will not have to worry.
6.DO use a watt meter or voltage tester rated for more than 240v or more. The a watt meter is a power measuring device intended for homeowners. We sell one and you can also buy it at hardware stores. When set to Voltage mode, it helps you set your gear. Voltage range should be around 120-200. When set to Wattage mode it shows you exactly how much power you are providing. Highly educational!
Given all these warnings, you may be wondering what an ideal usage is. Here are some examples:
- Charging a laptop. All recently made laptops have Switching Power Supplies. This is a 50-60W effort, perfect for learning about how much effort it takes to power up this common item. Great for getting a workout and using your energy.
- Powering a USB hub that charges 10 cell phones (or iPads, etc). We have a USB brick available for $75.
- Doing a lightbulb comparison station (LED vs. Incandescent). For maximum effect we recommend using 2 60W incandescent lightbulbs vs. 2 equivalent LED lightbulbs. Use 2 power strips or switched sockets to go between the two modes. If you use too few incandescent bulbs they will burn out by being overpowered. Some LED and Fluorescent bulbs have circuitry that is not compatible and will burn out.
- Loudspeakers. Many newer powered speakers have a switching power supply. You can look at the writing near the plug to know for sure. Use the volume and a watt meter to demonstrate that louder music requires more power. Feel the difference in your legs. Careful blasting people with loud music!
Read More
Off the Wall
Whether you want to party off the grid, charge your phone after a natural disaster, get your kids exercising, or teach energy efficiency in an interactive way (or all of the above!), the Off the Wall Pro gives you a way to generate immediately usable electricity directly from your bicycle.
Our customers asked for a more affordable pedal-power option than the Utility Box, and we responded with the Off the Wall. We’ve redesigned our generating hub so it directly generates high-voltage electricity within the hub – more efficiently and more cost-effectively than the Utility Box.
With the Off the Wall, you can actually feel the energy flowing from your body into your favorite computer, television, video game, or stereo system. It’s a great way to teach kids about the energy demand of different devices – things that use a lot of electricity take a lot of work to power up. Things that don’t, don’t.
But the best part of using the Off the Wall is knowing that nearly all the power coming from your muscles is converted into electricity for your computer or other device, without unnecessary voltage conversions cutting into efficiency.
Features of Off The Wall Pro:
- Has all the benefits of our Off The Wall Generator Stand but with stable sleek all-ages Pro frame
- Internal LED lighting tells you it’s working and attracts attention
- Internals (magnets, coils and wiring) are visible through clear case – teaching tool
Specs:
- Compatible with devices that have a switching power supply (will read “INPUT: 100 – 240V” on back of device, as seen below)
- Capable of generating 300W continuous output without getting warm. 300W sustained output is very challenging for most pedalers to sustain!
You can also purchase the Off The Wall as a kit for your bike:
Features of our Off The Wall Kit:
- Fits almost any bike. No need to change any part of the bike*. *Rear quick release skewer must be ‘enclosed cam’ to be compatible with our stand. Available for free with your purchase upon request.
- Attaches & detaches in minutes. You roll right up!
- Highest power capacity tire rolling dynamo on the market
- Standard model fits 24”, 26”, 29” and 700c wheels
- Small model fits 20” wheels (many kid’s bikes and folding bikes)
- The included stand elevates the rear wheel, allowing you to do other pedal powered activities in the future, such as blending and spin-art
Off The Wall works with XMas lights!
You can also run a bumpin’ dance party sound system out in a meadow or deep in the woods without the noise, stink, and hassle of a gas generator. You can even carry the Off the Wall on the back of your bike simply by strapping the stand to the back of your rack after clamping it to your axle – no need for a bike trailer.
Like our Roll Up DC generator, Off The Wall is available for cargo bikes with center stands allow for stationary pedaling.
Compatibility & Ideal Bikes
(click the image to enlarge)
- Knob style QR skewers or axle nuts (stand not compatible with internally geared hubs with thru axle shifting)
- Tires with smooth center tread
- Geared bikes increase pedaling comfort – allow rider to find the ideal cadence
The Off the Wall is not compatible with our electronic activities, like the Recharge Station. Instead you can create a low-cost approach to cell phone recharging by connecting the Off the Wall to a compatible USB Charger with a switching power supply (input: 100v -240v). Long-time Pedal Power advocate and innovator, Mike Cobb, recently did this at Standing Rock, which attracted the attention of CNN sent journalist Sara Sidner.
Read MoreRecharge Station
It’s a bike that charges phones, 8 of them to be precise. This event power station sparks the kinds of informal conversations and networking that draw people to conferences, concerts, and meetings in the first place. The sight of pedaling and the diffuse green glow of the enclosure underneath the wooden desk draw in crowds throughout the day. The system is so easy to set up and use, it can be stationed without an attendant, or as we say, a “coach.” For the best results, a coach will help people feel more relaxed and comfortable, plugging in their phones and adjusting the seat to the right height for new riders. An integrated ‘Pedalometer’, a thermometer style light sequence next to the USB sockets, shows people exactly how hard to pedal to maintain consistent charging. Just keep the Pedalometer in the green and phones will charge as fast as they do from the latest wall-powered chargers.
With a Recharge Station you’ll have an instant landmark at your event. You’ll hear people say “I’ll meet you at the bikes.” And it’s not just a landmark; it’s a social ice breaker. Phone charging can either be something awkward — seeing your attendees looking around for outlets and dealing with forgotten charge cables — or cool, green and positive with the Recharge Station. By pedaling to charge their phone, they’ll actually get some stress-relief and movement, great for conferences where people are sitting and standing a lot. We consistently hear at events that people are grateful for a place to get their legs moving and get their heart rate up a bit. As Rock The Bike activities go, this one is on the easy side, meaning people can definitely pedal in business attire without worry. It’s not like the cardio machines at the gym; talking and pedaling is very doable, even while charging 8 phones.
Above: Conference attendees exchange information and ideas on the Recharge Stations at IBM’s Insight 2015.
For events with a green audience or a techie crowd, they’ll appreciate the chance to convert their muscle power into usable energy for their phones and tablets, something we often take for granted. The “What Watt?!”, which is now stock on all Recharge Desks, provides live pedaling statistics including instantaneous Wattage and accumulated energy. The “Watt What?!” will compare their power output to devices we use in our everyday lives, like incandescent vs LED lights, or a television.
When we rent the Recharge Station we include a bag of multi-charge cables. But when we sell it, we include eight. Remember to get a few extra and label them, they are easily lost at events.
The Recharge Station is a match for the Electric Fender Blender Pro or the Generator Pro. On these Generators, installation happens without tools using only Velcro and rubber ‘TwoFish mounts’. To use it with a Roll Up Generator Stand, you’ll need to change out the handlebar and stem. This may be worth it to you if you are on a budget and love the function of the Recharge Desk.
It’s possible to brand the desk with your logo. You can do this on top of the wooden desk to keep some of the wood grain visible, or you can wrap the entire desk. A template is available for your graphic designer. For the best possible brand penetration, brand the wheel, frame, and desk.
Above: Custom Color, Wheel Branding, Frame Branding: Top Tube, and Recharge Desk Branding.
Features:
Action happens in front: makes Pedal Power more fun and social. Ensures the best results.
Very friendly to adults and kids (down to approximately 7-year-old kids). Widely adjustable seat height and handlebars offer a comfortable and easy grip position. As it is lowered the seat gets closer to the handlebars.
Many good surfaces and options for your branding on the wheel cover, frame, and recharge desk. Please read more about our and frame branding options.
Riders can see their live pedaling statistics including instantaneous Wattage and accumulated Energy during their time using the bike. The Watt What will compare their Wattage to items we power in our everyday lives, like incandescent vs LED lights.
Efficient Pedal Power generator and application, so there is less chance of human effort being wasted.
Available in Green, Orange, Blue, Red or in your custom color. Please read more about custom frame colors.
Comes with fully illustrated instructions for setup and use, view and download them here.
Assembled dimensions + weight : 56″ long, 41″ tall, 31″ wide @ 75 pounds
Shipping dimensions + weights: 2 units total, 1 unit – 38″ x 34″ x 11″ @ 80 lbs, 2nd unit – 25″ x 21″ x 05″ @ 10 lbs
Build time: In Stock, Ships in 3 – 5 days
Read MoreHow 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 MoreAre there sponsorships and grants available for my Nonprofit?
Bike Blending in action at Longfellow Elementary’s Spring Carnival
Our Nonprofit Discount Program grants awards of 10% off your purchase and 15-20% off the rental of Rock the Bike gear to a limited number of nonprofit or educational applicants per quarter and has a simple application process.
