The sLEDgehammer can be purchased as a single-player challenge or a dual:

 

Above: Get multiple sLEDgehammers to add a competitive element and a larger presence at your event.

Rules of the game:

Pedalers must overcome the challenge phase in order to see the reward sequence. The faster they pedal, the more lights turn on, making it harder and harder to keep increasing the system voltage. If they push the lights all the way to the top of the tower, and keep them on for 3 seconds, they beat the challenge and win the game. Their stored energy is then used up in a dazzling display of light.  A difficulty knob makes the game easier or harder. The peak effort required to win is about 200W for the Easiest setting and 600W for the Hardest. In the Dual sLEDgehammer, everything is the same. To decide the winner, you start the two riders at the same time and give the win to the one who pushes the lights higher in the tower or gets the victory sequence to display first.

Watch this video to see pedalers compete for sLEDgehammer victory at the 2016 Democratic National Convention!

The elements of a sLEDgehammer:

• An efficient bicycle generator, such as the Generator Pro.
• The sLEDgehammer circuit, which comes complete in a strain-reliefed enclosure with an Ultra Capacitor and all power cables.
• 5 colored LED panels standing to a height of 11 feet tall.
• Halogen lights at the top to win the game.
• A wide base untippable tripod stand.
• User manual Here.

The Bike: Any of our hub generators will do. But more than our other activities, pedalers on a sLEDgehammer tend to use their whole body to try to beat the game. You may benefit from the additional stabilization of your generator. The Electric Fender Blender Pro, with its 3′ wide stance, is particularly well-suited to this application.

The Circuit: The sLEDgehammer circuit is the brains of the operation, calculating watts as you pedal. The sLEDgehammer comes in an enclosed, strain-relieved circuit capable of handling 1500-Watt surges in power. Depending on how many LEDs you connect, you may need all that power handling. People will try to break this machine. The sLEDgehammer circuit runs cool, calm and collected even when your participants pedal their hardest.

The sLEDgehammer runs on an Arduino Pedal Power microcomputer, using the open-source Arduino platform. What this means is that you can optimize or change certain parameters to improve the activity.

***

Custom Installations:

The sLEDgehammer can be installed in several ways. Our favorite method is doing large custom installs like the ones shown on this page. They can either be done for a single event or on a semi-permanent basis. Custom installations use the same components: bike, lights, and circuit; and can be tailored to your event, activity, or facility. We work with you to design and implement the sLEDgehammer. We then provide either full installation and crew at your location or help and guidance for your crew prior to the event.

Recommendations for output devices, i.e. Light:

Please see above about “rules of the game”. There are two lighting segments of a sLEDgehammer — the Challenge Phase and the Reward Sequence. To make the Challenge Phase truly challenging, you need to connect at least 200 Watts of lighting, perhaps as much as 500 for the fittest riders.  The most impressive way to achieve this and the best option for a large space is to use LEDs for both the challenge phase and the Reward Sequence. This makes the Challenge Phase visible to much larger groups of people, which increases the crowd interaction. A lower-cost substitution is to use incandescent bulbs for the Challenge Phase, which has the benefit of highlighting the comparative energy efficiency of newer lighting technologies. With incandescents, you can make the Challenge Phase truly challenging. Incandescents will cost less* because you need far fewer of them to achieve the Wattage goals of the Challenge Phase. (* That’s also the reason they are worse for the environment.)

Costs:

11 Foot Tall Tower, Tripod Stand, and Circuit: $3,600.00

Assembled dimensions:  

The Generator Pro is 56″ long, 39″ tall, 31″ wide.

Rentable: Yes! Find out more.

Custom Installation: Contact us for options and pricing.

Build Time: Made to order. Please give us 4 weeks to build the sLEDgehammer, 6 weeks for a Dual sLEDgehammer and 2 weeks for the sLEDgehammer circuitry only.

Above: 36-spoke front and 48-spoke rear wheels with sealed-bearing hubs mean fewer popped spokes and a stable ride when carrying passengers and heavy cargo.

With a max payload of 440 lbs, the Mundo is still the heavyweight of the long-wheelbase cargo bike world. Riders have raved about the predictability and surefootedness of the frame, which become all the more apparent when the bike is loaded down. The 48-spoke tandem-strength rear wheel with its new sealed bearing hub and oversized axle, is a big part of why the Mundo feels so stable when hauling loads.

Above: 4 strap guides keep straps from slipping, and 24 threaded customization points make it easy
to mount running boards, locking equipment cases, custom equipment racks, and Mundo accessories.

The chassis-style loading system has evolved, with welded strap guides, ensuring your straps won’t slip from road vibration. The Mundo is now easier to customize to your unique cargo applications. Threaded braze-on points positioned throughout the cargo rack allow customers and businesses to integrate specific cargo racks, signage, tools, etc. Yuba’s huge and water-resistant GoGetter Bag is a great way to carry smaller and softer loads like food.

Rock The Bike uses Mundos to haul music equipment to their Pedal Powered Stage events.

Bigger kids can sit directly on Yuba’s top deck, and rest their feet on the bags or the Side Loaders. The Mundo’s new customization points make it easy to add full-length running boards to the Side Loaders for a stylish and secure footrest. And as the kids grow up, they’ll be able to ride the same bike mom and dad used to drop them at school. The Mundo’s low standover height and long seatpost accomodate riders from around 5′ to 6’3″, and the adjustable stem can be positioned to give the desired room in the front.

The welded and reinforced rear rack offers chassis style loading for rigid objects like equipment cases.
Previous generations of Mundos had a bolt-on rear rack.

Bike shops and home mechanics who assemble the new Mundo will love the simplicity of assembly. The all-welded cargo system and full-size carton means the build is now well under an hour, with most key parts (derailleurs, brakes, cranks) installed at the factory and in need of only minor tuning.

The V3 Mundo starts at $1099, and includes fenders and a sturdy side kickstand. Most customers will add the $115 GoGetter bag, and a $16 pair of cam straps. A cargo-strength center-stand will be available in early 2010.

Rock The Bike says a huge thank you to Central Park Conservancy for getting us involved in Earth Day 2009, and helping us get Rock The Bike NYC off the ground. Here are some of the highlights from our visit to New York over the past 11 days.

We had a blast meeting the public at Earth Day. Above, Pedal Powered Spin art.

We debuted our new multi-person pedal power system, the Biker Bar. Three bikes share a common drive shaft, that turns a powerful generator on the fourth bike, an Electric Mundo (blue bike on the left)

Unfortunately, in its first outing, the Biker Bar was no match for the power-hungry PA equipment that event organizers supplied. The power consumption of the audio system was approximately 300-400 watts with one person speaking on a microphone, not even any music playing.

Ever since we started doing Pedal Powered Stage events, clients and organizers have been asking “Why can’t we use the speakers we already have?” Good question. We commonly answer “Because we use the new generation of digitally powered speakers, and their higher efficiency makes pedal power possible.” But in the process of working with Central Park and other clients, they kept asking… So with Central Park, we accepted the challenge. We put our efforts into making the Biker Bar powerful, simple, and efficient. We told them “Sure, you can.”

But on the day of the event their equipment’s power draw was just too much. Suddenly Pedal Power felt really hard. When a chain snapped, we talked with the Central Park team and decided to focus on our other offerings and let their music stage run on wall power. Luckily they had that backup option at the ready. In future events, we definitely plan to have a 30-45 minute battery backup, which will allow us to fix mechanicals or other issues without letting the performers down.

Luckily, the Spin Art station and the Bike Blenders were a huge hit.

Kids of all ages were able to make Spin Art and pedal for other kids.

Above, the Tropicalia team making bike blended smoothies.

We had bright bikes and big smiles to share with the crowds.

And tricks to share… Above, Sara floating on a Mundo. Galen ollies.

We biked everything back to Brooklyn on a hot afternoon.

Travis piloted the Biker Bar, which becomes a cargo trailer to get gear home from an event. Just add the wheels!

The Electric Mundo helps haul the 250 pound load up and over the Williamsburg Bridge.

Above: Rolling back from Central Park with our crew, friends, cousins, and the Choprical Fish.

Getting ready for Central Park was a huge task. We arrived a week ahead of time and only set our tools town to pack for the park at 2AM the night before. Check out the preparations below:

First things first! How about a social ride to get to know each other.

Leif keeps the beat as Galen and Lopi haul gear across Brooklyn with Mundos and the trailer.

We set up a little workshop at Brooklyn’s 3rd Ward.

Below, hand stretching the frame of the Mundo to fit the electric rear wheel.

We generated many sparks and generally looked bad ass with our protective eye wear.

We solved engineering riddles. Above trying to anticipate issues with the drive train of the Spin Art station.

We used the Choprical Fish as transportation bike and ‘getter’.

Above, 75 pounds of Sealed Lead Acid batteries.

Of course having the Fish in New York meant there were a few impromptu street parties and even a cypher around town over the past week.

Above, freestyle session in front of a school in Soho. A teacher came out and said “How about a song about getting back to class?!”

Fossil Foolin’ at a 3rd Ward party.

In our last couple days in town, we picked up a couple cool new Mundo dealers. Above, Brooklyn Bike and Board

are your Mundo people in Brooklyn. Map.

Leif delivering Mundos. The same bikes we used to get work done in New York are now for sale and ready to ride at two locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

And in Manhattan, cargo bike innovator George Bliss picked up the Mundo for The Hub Station in Soho

Many thanks to the Rock The Bike NYC crew for their hard work and excellent hosting.