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Pedal power Flywheel technology?

Topic Type: 
Idea

I wonder if the pedal power flywheel technology might be helpful for powering through bumps and irregularities in the row and even out the effort? http://www.pedal-power.com/ I imagine that some of the ergonomics might work well too?

green tractor farm's picture

Definitely, which opens up another question, what is the ideal weight overall in terms of balancing traction and effort? Maybe an elliptical sprocket too, oriented the way Sheldon Brown advised - http://sheldonbrown.com/biopace.html

theunixwizard's picture

You could consider a larger wheel of the big pennyfathing wheels existed that way due to the uneven roads of its day.

You may wish to think about solar PV and electric motors for less physical fatigue.

baruch77's picture

Flywheel: it will be important to disengage the flywheel when you want to stop or even slow down because it will continue to power the driveline. That is a feature I will be working in the coming months. Options for disengagement include a manual clutch system, electric clutch (think automotive A/C clutch), or electric solenoid. As soon as you want to slow down it will need to be disengaged.

Electric drive: Contemplating that too. Could be expensive. Check out www.offgridworld.com and DIY Electric Car (can't paste the link on this site using my iPad. What is the larger wheel someone is asking about?