This is a range extender for a TWike, and electric hybrid bicycle/car.
video description:
A crew, around an member of the TWIKE core team, will drive trought the australian outback with a TWIKE. They will be participants of the Greenfleet category at the World Solar Challenge. For more Information visit www.twikeklub.ch
To realize that, they need an Range Extender.
The other day I saw a few guys unicycling on Lincoln blvd. Be on the look out for the unicyclists on Lincoln Blvd, in Santa Monica, Venice, Marina Del Rey, Play Del Rey, and Westchester. And, if you can, get us some pictures and video clips these guys doing their one wheelin.
In this video, some guys unicycling in busy New York City traffic(NYC). Hey, what are the rules for riding a unicycle on the street, or even in the bike lane?
Video description:
Rider: Adam Cohen (www.justonewheel.com - US DVD sales)
Music: Ian James (www.ianjamesmusic.com)
Unicycling Videographer: Brian MacKenzie
Video Footage as seen in DVD: Inner Balance
Balance Productions(www.balanceproductions.ca)
Video Equipment: Glidecam Industries (www.glidecam.com)
Brian MacKenzie is an independent film maker seeking major corporate sponsorship for his next movie, a 90 minute high definition documentary featuring the 800km unicycle race up the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada - Summer 2008 called Ride The Lobster (www.ridethelobster.com) (www.balanceproductions.ca)
Adam is teaching Dr. Perry Gerard of (www.doctorballoon.com) a comprehensive course in the art of unicycling and Dr Gerard highlights the positive health effects of unicycling. Doctorballoon.com is the site of Creative Medical teaching and patient education.
Adam Cohen: "HEY, I'M ADAM & WANT TO THANK EVERYONE FOR THE CRAZY-COOL
COMMENTS.SOMETHING SO SIMPLE CAN CHANGE SOMETHING SO FREAKING HUGE !THATS WHAT THE UNI-TRAINER DOES. I STARTED TRAINING PEOPLE & REALIZED ALL UNICYCLING NEEDED WAS TRAINING WHEELS! THE UNI-TRAINER, WOW,SO SIMPLE ,SO EASY TO LEARN, NOW I'M GOING TO TURN EVERYONE ONTO HOW EASY OUTRAGEOUS , HEALTHY & JUST PLAIN SICK IT IS TO RIDE WWWJUSTONEWHEEL.COM IS MY WEB SITE, IT ANSWER ?'S & TELLS YOU ABOUT ME & MY GROUP OF UNI HEADS! [...]"
THANKS,
Adam
Perhaps this video could be described as "hybrid pedestrians on the freeway"
I suppose this is possible due to the sand on the freeway surface which allows for a kind of skating experience.
Film makers description:
"Saudi Road Skating". Freeway Skating in the Sandbox. Young Saudi men take roller blading on to the freeway for maximum thrills.
This video is of what appears to be a micro electric car, dubbed the "Wike" or "Wicycle"(see www.wicycle.com ). It appears that they created this from the body/frame of a bicycle trailer. Kind of interesting concept. It appears to be powered by two electric hub motors mounted in the rear wheels.
What makes this even more interesting, is that you could actually tow this micro car with a bicycle. Hmmm.....
It also looks like the Moonbeam micro car
Video description:
A very small electric vehicle built by WIKE (makers of bicycle trailers). I am not sure if this is the "Electric Sun" model as profiled on the "Weird Wheels" TV program, but it certainly looks like it.
In these two videos you see a jet pack(wiki) used for personal transport.
Apparently, this jet pack is powered by a stream of high velocity air resulting from the combination of two substances (hydrogen peroxide and another substance).
It seems that this means of energy storage could be applied with far greater efficiency for transportation in things such as a velomobile as a power assist. Or it may be suitable as a power assist for a moped as power assist.
Thoughts?
Recommended Links:
- Air Powered Vehicles community forum
(click on pictures to enlarge)
Bicycle parking racks have been disappearing recently on the 3rd street promenade. And kind of like a frog that gets boiled alive, bicycle parking could be slowly getting killed off on the 3rd street promenade. Or is it?
The picture to the right is the place where one of missing bicycle parking racks was (adjacent to the Apple store on the 3rd street promenade).
Note that in the wide angle picture of where the rack was that there are bicycles forced to either park their bicycle unsecured in front of the Apple store or to lock the fencing around the middle island. And this picture was taken during a low traffic time (mid afternoon, mid week day, late Autumn. During high traffic times the demand for places to park bicycles is far higher. And bicycles would fill up what little space is divvied out with the racks that existed)
Note in other close up pictures you can the two sets of 2-4 holes which once secured the bicycle parking rack to the cement. The bolts appear to have been ground down to cement level. In some cases you can see the bare metal is fresh and un-rusted, showing this was a recent cut. In others, rust has began to form on the cut bolt.
Another, more optimistic, possibility is that the racks have been removed, so they can be repaired and repainted, and then put back. Let's hope that is the case. And perhaps we might want to verify that is true. Contact the Santa Monica City Council to find out. Also, it may be possible to get additional information from officials in the planning department and within the Planning commission.Malcolm Bricklin, probably most well known as the creator of one of the most safest cars ever built, called the "Bricklin SV1", is probably one of the most bicyclist friendly car builder's around. Here's why.
First, the "Bricklin SV1" had a plastic and rubber body and bumpers. The "gull wing" doors, instead of going out into traffic, they went, up, instead. Thus, a cyclist sould not run the risk of being "doored". And later, Bricklin was involved with the creation of the EV Warrior, arguably the very FIRST plug in hybrid vehicle ever officially sold at car dealerships. However, that plug in hybrid was actually an electric hybrid bicycle that suplemented the electric motor drive with a little human muscle.
It would be interesting if Mr. Bricklin created a new ebike using the latest technology, such as the efficient brushless electric hub motors and modern batteries.
Below is an interview with Malcolm Bricklin about the SV1 and his current ventures into plug in hybrid vehicle production, "at the right price".
This is a video on the technical features of the Bricklin SV1 (SV stands for "Safe Vehicle)
Note the pneumatic powered gull wing doors and that this vehicle does not have ash tray or cigarette lighter.
This is a trailer for a new documentary on Malcolm Bricklin by his son, titled "The Entrepreneur"
In this clip people are interviewed that saw the documentary "The Entrepreneur"
(click on pictures to enlarge)
Here a classic ebike (electric assist) from the 1990's, the EV Warrior. It was designed and manufactured by a group of JPL engineers, collectively part of the "Electric Bicycle Company", in Burbank, California.
What is puzzling to me is why they were trying to market these electric bicycles through car dealerships. It seems that they would have been more successful by marketing them through motorcycle dealerships. It had all the typical street legal motorcycle features, such as full head and tail lights, brake
lights, turn signals(LEDs embedded in each side view mirror, see picture on right, below), a full loud horn. It even had a place in the rear to mount a motorcycle licence plate with a licence plate light. It had left and right rear view mirrors, and a front disk brake.
If you have an owner's manual, wiring diagram, videos, or other info on this bike, let me know. I would like to put together a wiki page documenting this piece of classic ebike history from the 1990's. Thanks
Here is a quote:
EV Warrior Called the «EV Warrior», the electric bicycle uses a 12V electric motor powered by a lead acid battery. Speed control is via a thumb throttle switch on the handlebars. According to the Electric Bicycle Co, the new machine will go 30 miles between battery charges. The bikes will marketed in Portland and San Diego, the two test markets, soon, with price tags of $900 to $1,500. The electric bicycles will be sold through car dealerships.
Future models from the Electric Bicycle Company will have higher-powered batteries and composite frame construction, according to the company. Interest in electric vehicles is fuelled by California legislation that mandates 2% of vehicles sold in 1998 must be electric. The automotive industry is fighting the requirement, on the grounds that electric vehicles are incapable of replacinginternal combustion engined cars. The automakers claim that battery storage is inadequate for the demands of commuters, charging technology is insufficiently advanced to maintain reliability, and the cost of producing electric cars will be uneconomic. The EV warrior is not expected to replace cars as a form of transportation in Los Angeles, but Currie and Bricklin are optimistic that the bicycle will be a way to introduce Americans to the concept of electric propulsion.
Artificial muscles, as shown in the video below to power an artificial leg, could be used as a power drive assist for pedal powered vehicles. This power plant could also be used on robots to walk up stairs, go shopping, etc. And they likely will be able to run at very high speeds, as long as their reservior of compressed air. And the compressed air reservoir can be replenished via electric motors powered by renewable sources, such as solar energy, or via combustion motors powered by biodiesel or straight vegetable oil. Soooo, technically, we could have a vegetarian android in the future eating along side humans and restaurants, using the energy of the food (plant based oil) to give them energy for their day. Just some thoughts to ponder.
Related Posts:
- Pneumatic Bicycle
Recommended Links:
- Air Powered Vehicles community forum
- Cycle Santa Monica! community forum
(click on image to enlarge)
I got a report that there is a shop in Los Angeles that is doing alot of work on mopeds. And apparently they are selling some used mopeds too. They are located about 5 blocks from the Los Angeles Community College and the Redline Station on Santa Monica and Vermont. The shop is called "Choke Motorcycle Shop". There address is: 4157 Normal Ave, Los Angeles, CA (Google MAP). Their phone number is: 323-662-4653.
It appears that they might service bicycles, electric bikes, small scooters and motorcycles there too.
If you have tried them out, let me know what you think of their shop and service. This kind of shop is a good resource for those of us that like to use pedal assist and mopeds for transporation, and as an alternative to Myron's Mopeds out in Fullerton (Orange County, Calif).
Keep poste, I have a backlog of reports on some very interesting moped stories... for example, some EXTREME moped stunts at high speed.
It would be alot of fun if the California Science Center or other museums or science centers incorporated a similar art program as the one depicted in this video from a Canada science museum. At this museum they are teaching people how to make interesting and useful stuff using bicycle inner tubes, such as various kinds of jewelry.
We may be able to get the local REI in Santa Monica, Santa Monica Public Library, or Sustainable Works to help put something together and host/sponsor it. Also, might be able to coordinate getting used inner tubes from the many bike shops in Santa Monica or through the Freecycle Santa Monica or the Friends of Co-opportunity groups.
I would like your comments and thoughts on this topic. Any other thought on how to make this happen
Video description:
"On Saturday July 7 and Sunday July 8 I lead a workshop at the Ontario Science Centre - teaching kids how they could recycle + upcycle garbage/junk like bicycle inner tubes, computer boards & parts, tape, etc., into beautiful wearable art! It was a blast. Here are some clips I put together from the 2 days.
It was an incredibly rewarding experience!
Thanks to Andy for all of his help!
Ahhh, Igor you were mahhhhvellooos! "
Move aside bicyclists, the skateboard riders (skaters) community are starting to organize their own critical mass ride/rolls this summer... In this video clip there are a couple thousand, or so, skaters "taking over the streets" of New York (NYC) on June 21, 2007. Well, maybe there is room for us all. (smile)
Film maker video description:
"On June 21st, thousands of skateboarders took to the streets of NYC. I was in the middle of covering Make Music New York but managed to follow them for a few minutes. Here's the best of what I got."
"Mann" put out a video from the SM critical mass ride(AKA Santa Monica critical Mass) from July 2007. It is one of the better ones that I have seen. Some good interviews, editing, and background soundtracks.
Apparently it hasn't gotten much exposure, with only about 30 views in the last couple months. Worth a look.
Source: Santa Monica Critical Mass
Recommended Links:
- Santa Monica/Venice/West L.A. critical mass community forum
- Cycle Santa Monica! community forum
(click on image to enlarge)
Melody Hanatani, a writer for the Santa Monica Daily Press did a little investigative report on what the Santa Monica Police have been thinking about the Santa Monica critical mass ride, and the reasons for their actions. (Link to PDF)
Apparently the Santa Monica Police Department have been seeking ways to help the riders have a pleasent and safe experience riding en masse in Santa Monica.
They have offered to, if they are given a route the mass riders are taking, to provide policing for the ride.
As I have pointed out in prior reports, the San Francisco critical mass has had police assistance in corking intersection, at least for a couple miles or so. After a couple miles, the riders often beging to thin out and branch off in their scattered direction.
Should the Santa Monica Police provide support for the critical mass ride? Would having bike patrol and motorcycle officer on hand to cork interestions and provide public safety support be a good thing? Any other thoughts?
Police offer up ways in which to ensure safety for bicyclists
BY MELODY HANATANI
August 3, 2007
CITYWIDE Participants in tonight’s Critical Mass bicycle ride and members of the Santa Monica Police Department will be watching one another closely after the two sides met last week in attempts to arrive at an understanding.
A celebration for the love and benefits of bicycling, Critical Mass takes to the streets of Santa Monica on the first Friday of each month, with hundreds of enthusiastic cyclists cheering throughout their improvised ride.
However, a number of motorists caughtt up in the ever-increasing procession aren’t always singing the group’s praises. The joyriders in Santa Monica Critical Mass, like their peers in cities across the country, have also had their share of runins with law enforcement authorities. Following the arrest of a cyclist during the June ride and an alleged disruption by Santa Monica Police officers during the July ride, four frequent riders with Critical Mass met with traffic enforcement authorities last week to try and come to an understanding.
The cyclist arrested in June was asked to pull over for allegedly failing to ride to the right side of the road.When an officer attempted to cite the cyclist, the individual rode away, said Lt. Kathy Keane, the traffic commander for special enforcement for the SMPD. The cyclist, who wasn’t carrying identification, was subsequently arrested and released later that evening.
It was after the most recent ride when several Critical Mass riders sought a meeting with the Santa Monica Police Department, Keane said. Following their July ride, several cyclists have alleged that the SMPD officers were targeting Critical Mass riders in an effort to disrupt the gathering.
Several prominent participants with Critical Mass did not return calls and emails seeking comment.
For the Santa Monica Police Department, while its leadership supports the ride in principle, there is a concern when the ride grows to include a massive number of bicyclists, which could pose a problem for city traffic flow.
“What drew to our attention was the notion where they’re taking up entire lanes of streets, but violating rules of the road — not stopping for stop signs and red light signals,” Keane said. “From a public safety aspect, our perspective is not only are we concerned about pedestrians and drivers on the road, but also participants of the group.”
The police department has been aware of the monthly ride for some time, but decided to monitor it closely starting in June, when it noticed that the number of riders was growing to several hundred per outing. Some of the issues raised by frustrated motorists is the ride is disorganized, with several participants zooming through red lights and stop signs.
Critical Mass is not an organization and, therefore, does not have a designated leader.
During the meeting last week, Keane suggested a leader come forward to organize the group in order to make the ride flow safely for all parties involved. Because there are up to 300 riders at any one time and the group tries to stay together — which results in some cyclists running a red light when the signal changes amid a flow of riders — Keane suggested breaking up the group into smaller sub-sections.
There have been some glitches in Critical Mass rides nationwide, as well as issues between cyclists and law enforcement agencies and motorists, particularly in cities where the participants can number in the thousands.
In New York City, there are arrests made in nearly every Critical Mass ride, which fall on the last Friday of the month, according to a NYPD spokesman who asked to remain anonymous.
The issue in New York City is the Critical Mass riders will not provide police officers with a route in which they will follow. “They will gather and go wherever they want to go,” the officer said. “If we have a route to work with, we’re more than happy to police it so the traffic will flow more smoothly.”
In San Francisco, where Critical Mass originated in September 1992, there was an incident where several cyclists began circling a minivan carrying children, said Sgt. Steve Mannina of the San Francisco Police Department. The driver didn’t yield and the cyclists scratched the minivan and broke a window, he said.
But Andy Thornley, who has ridden with San Francisco Critical Mass occasionally since its inception, said the driver had hit and knocked down one of the cyclists and attempted to drive away. Thornley wasn’t a part of the ride during the incident, which took place in the spring.
The San Francisco Critical Mass attracts thousands of riders every month and, in anticipation, the San Francisco police Department deploys about 30 to 40 officers to monitor the event, some riding alongside on motorcycles, others on bikes themselves. The Bay Area ride is also held on the last Friday of the month.
“Officers have discretion to take whatever enforcement action deemed necessary, but we don’t see a lot of citations,”
Mannina said. “If we had a mission as far as the monitoring the bike event goes, we are there to make sure things go smoothly.”
For the most part, the Critical Mass riders, the police, pedestrians and drivers coexist peacefully, Thornley said.
There’s a misperception that the Critical Mass ride is done to make a point, to protest against an issue. But everyone that participates does it for their own reason, Thornley said.
“It’s not against cars, it’s not in favor of clean air, it’s not any sort of political message,”
Thornley said. “If anything, it’s a celebration. We talk about how we ride daily and celebrate monthly.”
Some guys in Switzerland have designed and built retrofit of a compressed air power drive for one of those low cost electric scooters.
It appears that they have mounted two compressed air tanks near the seat. It appears to be a very quiet running vehicle. Contact the designers for further info.
Recommended Links:
- Air Powered Vehicles community forum
(NOTE: See video below)
In the UK, Wales more specifically, there is a place called Center for Alternative Technology.
Of the many things to do and see there is the:
“Water balanced cliff railway“
What is fascinating about this railway is that they are using a reservoir of water as their energy source to transport the people up the hill. The train uses water to increase the weight of rail car to allow the other to go up. A variation of this cold be applied to a people moving railway system to take people over the Sepulveda pass(on or along side the 405 freeway). This could mean that transporting from west Los Angeles to Sherman Oaks in the San Fernando Valley could be don by water stored in reservoirs up at the top of Sepulveda pass. And if the reservoir some how did not have enough water some day, water could be pumped into the reservoir using electricity. The electricity could be many renewable sources, and be done off peak time. The water in the reservoir could also be an energy storage device for electricity.
Here is an overview video clip from C.A.T. (Center for Alternative Technology)
This bicycle has 4 pontoons which can retract or be extended for either riding the bicycle on land or on water. This kind of bike may be valuable to have in places prone to flooding especially in these times of global warming. The pontoons can also be used for dry storing cargo in and out of flood zones like in England's recent flood area(see 2nd video below)
This bike might be a bike that James Bond (agent 007) might ride in one of his films. However, his might come with an electric motor that gives it super speed in on land and water through an electric hub motor. And a seat behind him to carry his female spy master.
Here is video news report from the the recent floods in southern England.
This Kyoto Trike can be pedaled by one or two people. It is set in recumbent bike fashion. And in one scene you can see it demonstrated with an electric hub motor in the front wheel. This trike can have a full canopy and/or shell installed to provide wind, rain, and cold protection. The shell would also provide a velomobile aerodynamics to reduce drag and allow for faster speeds and more energy efficiency.
This propeller bicycle is featured in the July 2007 issue of Popular Mechanics along with some other interesting DIY projects such as an electric three wheeled bike dragster made from a fighter jet gas tank, an electric motorcycle, and a biodiesel motorcycle.
In a previous post, I spoke and shared a video of a high speed maglev(magnetic levitation) Train in China(LINK).
Apparently, the French have been seeking and achieving world speed records for trains with the TGV. And most recently they have gotten it up to 547 kilometers per hour(approx 357 miles per hour).
See a video of it in action below.
Video Description:
"The french TGV (train à grande vitesse, High speed train) sets a new conventional rail record, with a speed of 574.8 kmh. The record was established on April 3,2007, surpassing the previous record of 1990 (515.3kmh). The train is a special tgv, named "V150" (for 150 met/sec, ca. 540kmh)with a souded-up engine (25,000hp, like two F1 starting grids), and larger wheels.
Le TGV atteint la vitesse de 574.8 kmh, établissant un nouveau record du monde de vitesse sur rail. Le record est établi le 3 avril 2007, surpassant le précédent record de 1990 (515.3kmh). Le train est un tgv spécial, avec des moteurs survitaminés (25,000 cv, l'équivalent de deux grilles de départ de F1), des roues plus larges...
(france 2 coverage-couverture france 2"
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