Tour d'Eau Claire on the way!
"Just a reminder that there are only 10 more days untill the Tour. This is going to be boatloads of fun, lots of prizes, and a huge afterparty. Get excited, and be sure to tell your friends to show up! Just a reminder, pre-registration is the only way to GUARANTEE entry no matter what, a shirt and other fun stuff. See you all soon!"
Showing posts with label Bike art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bike art. Show all posts
Friday, October 2, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
You are pedaling the Ginger Ninjas Sound System…
You are pedaling the Ginger Ninjas Sound System…Coupling super efficient digital amplifiers with generators attached to working bicycles (as opposed to purpose-built stationary bikes), this system allows a band to play off-grid anywhere, wall outlet or no, and to carry the system to a gig on two wheels. The band calls up members of the audience to pedal, up to four at a time with our current configuration.
How it works
All of our rides are Xtracycle-equipped sport utility bicycles: like regular bikes except longer behind the seat to provide more room for and better handling when carrying gear.
The Xtracycle system also provides for a dual-sided heavy duty kickstand that gets the rear wheel off the ground for stationary generation.
A small DC motor with a 1” roller rubs on the sidewall of the rear tire, generating DC current. This motor is engaged and disengaged via a shifter lever, allowing for rapid setup of the band, and also enabling the rider to engage the motor while on the road (more on this below).
This varying voltage DC pedaling energy is stored briefly in supercapacitors (“caps”), which shoot out a more consistent 11-15V. The buffering and storage of the caps supply amplifiers with both constant power and bursts. Our system demands about 160-200 Watts steadily, and up to 1000 Watts peak.
An L.E.D. indicator on the handlebars tells the pedaler whether to pedal harder, keep ‘er steady, or STOP. Too little voltage will kill the sound and too much will actually ruin the cap.
Each bike has its own cap, and each cap feeds into a common inverter. The inverter changes the DC current into 120 VAC with regular electric outlets, into which we plug all of our equipment: 2 x 500W speakers, mixing board, effects pedals, laptop, Down Low Glows, and chargers for the small devices we have on tour with us.
Without efficient amplifiers, we would need 8 pedalers to get the same sound level!
Our complete touring system incorporates flexible solar panels, small, eco-friendly Lithium Phosphate batteries, and on-the-fly generator engagement for all of our electric needs.
We’re using bikes to power music, but you could use a similar generator to power most any household electrical device.
CONTINUED...
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Bike art at Just Local Food
No foolin! Even though our store walls are filled mostly with coolers, freezers, bulk bins and more, (aka the colorful products of the many food artisans we work with), we've still made room for art. And let us rejoice for the beauty art brings to our world. In the month of April we've got our annual tribute to the bicycle, known as the common wheel. This year we'll have works from Mark Aumann, Lori Chilefone, Nick Dewar, Joe Maurer and Amy Zagar. Grab a cup of coffee and admire the view. And you still have a week or so to enjoy the beautiful international photographs of Mark Aumann.
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