Generators 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 MorePedal Powered Stage Gear
A Pedal Powered Stage is a system that must include ALL of the following:
- Generator(s)
- Loudspeaker(s) and
- Audio Gear (microphones, cords, stands, etc)
- Pedal Power Utility Box
- Wiring and interconnects
- Pedalometer
The following elements are optional:
- staging
- lighting
Creating a system yourself can be a great team-building experience but has a serious learning curve. Working with Rock The Bike will get you up and running much more quickly and with higher quality components. You’ll be able to put your focus on organizing events much sooner.
Let our experience work for you. We’ve been Pedal Powering music events since 2007. This will translate to less frustration and more empowering moments when you use our gear at your events.
We would be happy to assist you in customizing a quote for your Pedal Powered Stage. Please note that the items in this category are often made to order. Please help us help you by giving us enough time to do our best work.
If you aren’t sure if you want to purchase or rent, you can check out purchasing prices with the “BUY” button below, or you can contact us for rental quotes HERE, or email info@rockthebike.com
Read MorePedal Power Utility Box
The Pedal Power Utility Box makes team efforts possible! Up to 10 people at once can convert their good clean Pedal Power to usable AC power, for devices rated up to 1000W.
A Pedal Power Utility Box in use at an event. All the essential circuitry and wiring needed for Pedal Powered events is safely beneath a polycarbonate panel, so wires don’t get yanked. A four-line LED ‘Pedalometer’ displays current power levels to pedalers, so they can adjust their effort to keep power ‘in the green’.
Dealing with wiring, protection circuitry, and power display is often the most challenging part of planning and building a Pedal Powered Stage. Why not let the pros handle it? Rock the Bike has been building Pedal Power gear and wiring up bike music systems since 2003.
The Pedal Power Utility Box has an ultracapacitor that stabilizes the spiky DC power coming from bicycle generators and makes it useable and stable power for lighting, music, projectors, and other devices to run dependably for hours at your events. Plug in anything short of a hair dryer or electric kettle into its standard 110V or 220V AC outlets. The integrated Pure Sine wave inverter provides up to 1000W of continuous AC power. Higher total power levels are possible when you use our Modified JBL PRX loudspeakers, or use the DC output ports, as these bypass the AC inverter.
Continuous pedaling is needed to keep devices on. There is no battery, only an ultracapacitor lasting a few minutes.
Above: The Pedal Powered Utility Box can include an output for a 4′ tall Pedalometer, which is visible to more pedalers and to your audience. The Pedal Powered Utility Box shown above also features a Wattage Display, which is now available as an upgrade.
Features:
— 5 pedal power inputs for use with our pedal power generator, the Electric Fender Blender Pro. Expandable to 10 people by using a junction box
— 2 DC outputs for external devices such as our LED Stage Lighting Panels
— Over-voltage protection
— Ultracapacitor provides a 2 – 5 minute buffer of power (depending on consumption levels).
— 1000-watt Pure Sine Wave inverter with two outlets. Use a power strip to run more devices at once.
— Latched lid protects system during transport, retention strap, heavy duty handle
— Well labeled inputs and outputs
— Major components visible through clear polycarbonate panel, good for education purposes
— 4-Line LED output, or upgrade to a wattage display (+$600)
— Durable Neutrik twist-lock connectors — the gold standard in the event audio world. Yanked cables don’t disconnect.
See our Video Demonstration of the Pedal Power Utility Box
Modified JBL Loudspeakers
Above: Modified PRX 612 wedge monitors in use as the band ZH performs. Also shown in aerial configuration in Rock The Bike’s Pedal Powered Line Array (suspended from Bamboo Tripod).
An awesome combination of light weight, efficiency, and Pro Audio clarity. The Modified JBL PRX loudspeaker has been an essential building block of our Pedal Powered Stage, and is in use by the Pleasant Revolution, SHAKE YOUR PEACE!, University of Oregon, UC Santa Cruz, Cello Joe, and the Mobile Music Project. Not limited to Pedal Power use, the Modified JBL PRX line is an amazing Mobile Sound speaker as well. The applications are as broad as your needs: bike parties, press conferences, or full-on concerts. We can help you craft a selection that will handle crowd sizes from 50 to over 1000 people.
Normally, Pro Audio equipment runs on AC power, which in outdoor use must come from an extension cord from a nearby building, a gas generator, or an AC-DC inverter. If you’re starting your Pedal Powered Stage from scratch or are ready to upgrade your loudspeakers, go with Rock The Bike’s Modified JBL PRX. They deliver great sound with no AC power and save you up to 44% in power usage.
44% power savings– how’s that possible? It’s true! We scientifically measured the power consumption of these loudspeakers in AC mode and Modified DC mode, by running a bass-heavy tone into the speaker and confirming that the audio output level was equal. The speakers used 35% less power in DC mode, for the same audio output! Add to that that the 9-10% efficiency penalty that most AC-DC inverters take, and you get a 44% power savings by using them in DC mode. In practical event use, this means you get the same amount of clean, clear, danceable music, but with 40% fewer pedalers. You can do amazing things with even one pedaler. In the world of Pro Audio, 44% is an unheard of efficiency gain, and the PRX line, with its digital Crown amplifiers, was already known for being an efficient loudspeaker.
JBL did the hard work of creating a full line of great-sounding loudspeakers. We cracked the code of getting them to run on good clean Pedal Power. You can combine these loudspeakers in a number of ways to create a small or medium-sized festival stage, or mobile sound system. We modify the speaker, adding a power jack that accepts a DC Split-Rail Power from our Split-Rail Pedal Power Utility Box.
Normally pro-audio gear is well beyond the abilities of the average person, in terms of ease of setup and use. But because these are powered speakers, it’s fairly straightforward. A ‘powered’ speaker means that the amplifier is in the speaker. You simply connect the power cable and the audio signal, and turn the volume knob to the desired setting. The speaker does the rest. For a press conference, you can run a microphone right into the speaker — you don’t even have to own a mixer. Similarly for mobile sound, you can run an MP3 player right into the speaker.
Above: A Modified PRX 612 in use for a LiveOnBike performance by the Shook Twins.
We sell the full line of JBL PRX Loudspeakers, however due to space considerations we keep a very low inventory of this item. Please get your project started early with us in order to hit your key event deadline. Here’s the rundown of the speakers in the PRX Line.
612 — great sounding wedge monitor for live bands. Also can be thrown on the back of almost any cargo bike.
615 — similar but with its 15″ woofer, it can be used as a respectable main speaker as well.
635 — a dedicated 5″ midrange woofer in this speaker renders vocals and instruments with great clarity. 15″ woofer delivers plenty of bass. Discontinued
625 — most bass possible within a single loudspeaker. A towering main that is well suited to dance music. Slightly harder to carry due to its height. Discontinued
618 XLF — The PRX subwoofer makes dance music come alive. To fully render the kick drum in live music or the beat in dance music, you need a subwoofer. For medium and large Pedal Powered Stages, there is no substitute. The sub also includes a built-in crossover that allows your mains to focus on mid-bass and higher. This way you get the best sound out of your mains and can run them louder before they distort.
Most bike music projects use car audio componentry, because it is cheap, widely available, and will work on 12 volt DC power such as a motorcycle battery. However, car audio equipment cannot amplify musicians at a concert, because it does not have the efficiency, overall listening levels, and clarity required. It was designed for small enclosed spaces, not large open spaces. That’s why you need Pro Audio equipment. Our modified JBL PRX loudspeakers are the best of both worlds. They provide concert quality sound and are ready for DC power, i.e. Pedal Power!
Above: The Modified PRX’s are fairly lightweight and can be towed by trailer or hauled on cargo bikes.
The package: lightweight but great sounding. All modified JBLs are made out of quality plywood — not plastic — and have a durable coating for dings and drops. They can all be carried by bike, and with the exception of the 618 subwoofer and the 625, they can all be lifted by one person.
Above: Engineer Jake reviews the modifications of our JBL PRX amplifiers.
Above: Locura’s bassist Izzy Wise digs the punch of the Modified JBL PRX 618 XLF Subwoofer.
Our latest generation of Pedal Power Utility Box has ‘Split Rail’ outputs that connect directly to these speakers. You can ignore the AC power sockets.
Elevating the speaker on a stand (or by using our custom Line Array) puts them above ear level, which dramatically improves the clarity of the music when there are multiple rings or rows of people listening.
Above, left: 3 modified JBL PRX 612 loudspeakers suspended in a Line Array configuration at Bicycle Music Festival.
Since we do modify the circuit board, your JBL factory warranty will be void. We offer a 2-year warranty on this item. Here are some points that should reassure you that your investment will retain its long term value:
- We maintain a relationship with JBL’s official Bay Area service point, JK Sound, and can take care of any issues that come up. JK Sound has successfully repaired amplifiers and replaced drivers for speakers post-mod.
- After our initial R&D phase in 2009-10, we have had very few problems with this line of speakers.
We have confidence in these loudspeakers and stand behind the DC mod. We have been selling these to sponsored musicians in the Bay Area with great results, and without any warranty problems. The modified JBL PRX loudspeakers are also the secret behind Rock the Bike’s most famous art bikes, including the Blue Whale and El Arbol below.
Above: El Arbol, the Bike Tree, uses the active components from the PRX 635 and 612.
