History

Three Generations of the Pedal Power Generator

(These are the three generation that this product is built on as I see it. Dante Espinosa)


The First Generation: built for Gabe by Nate

Human Powered P/A Research by Rock The Bike

Created by "Rock The Bike" co-founders Paul Freedman and Nate Byerley.  A human power rig for live performances. Please check www.rockthebike.com for more on this custom Shake Your Peace system.

It uses a 12V DC motor mounted on the top of the “snap deck” of a Xtracycle. The motor has a rub roller that that rubs against the side of the tire. The motor is wired through a 5A blocking diode to a 58 F Ultracapcitor. It is used to power a 12V amplifier.

 The Second Generation: built for the Soul Cycle by Paul

Choprical Fish -- a Human Powered Party Bike

Created by; Fossil Fool, the Bike Rapper for street parties in San Francisco (www.rockthebike.com, www.fossilfool.com,)

This is a 12V DC motor attached at the Xtracycle “v-break” post. It also has a rub roller that that rubs against the side of the tire. And is wired through a 5A blocking diode to a 58 F Ultracapcitor. It is used to power a 12V amplifier. This system is used by Paul to power his Chropical Fish for Open Mic Bike performances.


The Third Generation; build for the Pleasant Revolution by Dante

A 1000-Watt. Amplifier using four bikes developed for the Pleasant Revolution.

Created by Dante Espinosa for the "Pleasant Revolution Bicycle Music Tour” from N. San Juan, California, heading 5000 miles down to the southern end of Mexico. There were no sag-wagons nor buses hauling gear. Everything, including the 1000 Watt human-powered PA System, was hauled entirely on bicycle.
I built four prototypes for the Pleasant Revolution Tour. We used the four bike generators to provide power for the Ginger Ninjas, a four piece band, SHAKE YOUR PEACE!, a two piece band, and for solo acts Cellojoe and Tobin throughout the tour. We travelled with the bike 5000 miles for six months. I worked on the system the entire trip.


Now I am convinced that a production built Bicycle Generator will be dependable and reliable. The many hours I have spent road testing the Bicycle Generator has given me the experience and knowledge to build an excellent Bicycle Generator. On the tour we played in crowded outdoor plazas in Mexico. We rode the Bikes with the generators across river crossings, a mile of sand (a dry river bed), 500 miles of dirt roads, through rain and wind. We had all kinds of peddlers providing us power, very strong riders, drunk people, men, women, children, small children, very large people, people of all kinds.


"The human powered PA makes extremely low-impact music touring possible, sans automobile and sans electric outlet. It makes it possible to play music in any location, even places without power outlets such as the beach, parks, the forest, or the desert."

-Kipchoge Spencer, Founder of the Pleasant Revolution