Commercially Available Bike Generators Are Not Sustainable (2011)

Might have changed their attitude since then as they posted in 2022 about a DIY guide on making a bike generator: https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2022/03/how-to-build-a-pra...

Needs "2011" in the title. For example the section about friction drive hasn't been true for about a decade now

This arguably had some relevance in 2011. In 2026, cheap solar and batteries make human-powered static devices that would benefit from the extra power of a stationary cyclist completely redundant.

Some things I would like to see are pedal controlled devices. Something like a pedal controlled wheelchair, not powered by the pedals just control the forward and back motion. My mother with sever arthritis can still pedal but has a very hard time walking. It would be a little exercise doing something that needs to be done (getting around). A pedal controlled remote control lawnmower would be nifty also.

Tried one at a demo; you put in a ton of work for minimal wattage. Much better off with a decent power bank, honestly.

> An energy loss of 42 to 67.5 percent of naturally means that it takes 42 to 67.5 percent more effort or time to power a device (say, a blender) via electricity compared to powering the same device mechanically.

Nope. If input is 100W, loss is 60%, and resulting in output of 40W, then to increase output to 100W you don't need 60% more input (which would output 64W) you need 150% more input.

You could attach pedals directly to motor axle and control charging power drawn precisely to ensure smooth rotation in absence of the flywheel. It could be really small.

So Black Mirror lied to me ?!

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